OldSarge
-
Posts
220 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by OldSarge
-
-
15 minutes ago, Grigb said:
- Lack of spare parts and preventative maintenance is Achilles heel of RU army. Keep in mind RU tanks crews consist of three men and we know that in this war RU army uses even two men crews - so no or little maintenance done. Plus add the usual low level of training and discipline and here we are.
- Kherson guys says that Rembats (REME battalions) started to operate only recently.
- So, it is mix of everything, but it has root cause in RU culture. RU culture is Warrior culture. Warrior fights and all these boring things are boring. So, all non-fighting activities are done more as afterthought only when you have no other options. Like you have no battle-ready tanks left.
Several valid points to be considered, thank you!
-
7 minutes ago, paxromana said:
ISTR that T-62 ands T-72 (and probably T-64) engines were good for 250 running hours before they needed to be torn down and basically rebuilt -- and then they were good for another 250 running hours after which they were scrap.
Sounds like a lot - even at only a couple of hours a day for 160+ days those engines are likely stuffed - and I bet $$$ that the Russians simply do not have the technical crews needed to rebuild substantial numbers. A mobility kill due to engine problems is as good as an actual kill ...
I strongly suspect that the engines in their wheeled and tracked APCs aren't any better ...
Thanks! That is very useful information! IIRC, the power plant on the T-64 has always been a pain point even in its heyday.
-
12 minutes ago, Grigb said:
Could be - I already posted shocked RU Nat writing that it is RU regulars who use venerable T-62M tanks. And this guy from Kherson says wear and tear is very serious. So, together with actual losses we need to add suspected losses through wear and tear. That's a lot given they have to keep reserve for possible NATO invasion.
So there are operational losses to be considered? Due to lack of spare parts? Or maintenance crews and adequate facilities? Or a mix of all of the above?
It isn't too surprising, these machines likely have a lot of tough usage hours on them. I would expect some priority being given to keeping them running and fully functional though. If that isn't the case it is fairly telling. -
On this side of the pond, the U.S. Senate has approved (95-1) the resolution supporting Finland's and Sweden's decision to join NATO. The next step will be for President Biden's signature and the paperwork getting sent to NATO.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3586658-senate-ratifies-accession-of-sweden-and-finland-to-nato/IIRC, that makes it 20 down 10 more to go.
-
3 hours ago, JonS said:
Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please. – Niccolò Machiavelli
It is always easy to begin a war, but very difficult to stop one.
-- Gaius Sallustius CrispusI see your Machiavelli and raise you Sallust.
-
49 minutes ago, Huba said:
One interesting tidbit I got from other podcast by this Wolski guy who I often mention here. Reportedly the newly trained UA forces are being rotated through the frontline already, at company level, for a week or two at a time. No hard evidence to support this claim at the moment, but sounds like something very sensible to do.
That sounds like a completely reasonable way to get new recruits up to snuff. Getting them up to the front for a few weeks, getting schooled by the veterans who've been there and are still alive to talk about it; the important stuff you need to know that doesn't come from a book, what to do, what not to do and how to stay alive. I can't think of a better way of quickly leveling up a bunch of green troops.
How about the officers and NCOs? Are the recruits under inexperienced leaders? Or is there a cadre of experienced leadership that can keep their wits about them when things get hot and give the new troops a sense of confidence? -
Its that time of the week again, another Perun video is out.
Timestamps:
00:00 -- Opening words
01:33 -- What am I covering?
02:46 -- SPONSOR: GROUND NEWS
04:20 -- What's in a defence budget
05:56 -- People Costs
07:03 -- System Costs
09:04 -- System Sourcing
09:36 -- Example 1: Bring it in
12:29 -- Example 2: Domestic production
14:58 -- The make or buy decision
16:49 -- The hard decisions
17:58 -- Foreign Import
19:01 -- Kit Assembly
20:28 -- Licensed/local production
22:22 -- Domestic productions
23:07 -- Why not indigenise
23:28 -- Barriers to domestic production
23:56 -- Complexity and cost of entry
27:03 -- Indigenous fighter programs
29:16 -- Manufacturing scale
31:50 -- Development risks
33:59 -- Competitive advantage
36:55 -- Case Study: The US advantage
37:21 -- Dominant consumer & producer
39:59 -- Production costs
41:13 -- Scale
43:17 -- Learning curves
45:03 -- Risk mitigation
46:54 -- Accumulated advantage
49:40 -- American arms ecosystem
52:42 -- A tale of two aircrafts
55:26 -- A question for another time…
55:57 -- Conclusion
57:13 -- Channel update -
11 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said:
If they are talking about multiple batteries delivered quickly, my guess is trailer based. And that would work pretty well for rear areas that need protecting. Russia's ability to hit a stationary target of this size is about zero, so they're safe. Within range of Russian artillery is a different story.
Steve
Has there been any indication which version these will be, the NASAMS-2 using the AIM-120 (30lm range) or the NASAMS-3 using the AMRAM-ER (50 km range)? The usual sources aren't providing much in the way of specifics.
-
I haven't seen this interview with LTG (ret) Hertling posted here yet. No surprises, just more eyes waiting to see what UA does in Kherson.
-
5 minutes ago, MikeyD said:
Nobody calls them 'assassination drones'.
"Loitering munitions" please, we don't want to upset the civilians.
-
Its that time of the week again and another relevant topic for conversation is available from Perun.
-
42 minutes ago, Letter from Prague said:
So positive, negative and null decidion space is something you defined? I'm not succeeding googling it.
The_Capt defined his terminology in his post way, way, back in April. Hard to keep up with all of the excellent information in this thread!
-
Finally got a timeout to be able to watch it. Excellent presentation and a great job!
-
It just popped up on my YT feed, can't watch it ATM but looking forward to it.
Thanks
-
23 minutes ago, Huba said:
As pointed out, of course energy storage density is a problem, and that's all that has to be said. Solve this, and all this points stand, no discussions.
What I wonder is why hybrid technology didn't pick in AFVs yet. It seems to offer 90% of what you outlined here AND an increase in endurance compared to conventional propulsion. All the really heavy equipment like locomotives, really big trucks etc uses electric power transmission anyway, it's a very mature technology. If implemented right, it should offer reduction in maintenance, take less space and use it in more rational manner. Allow doing away with APU, give an option to power all the energy weapons, probably act like an ersatz power generator for various equipment, etc. etc. There were some proposals for that like 10 -20 years ago, but nothing came to fruition, and all new AFVs are pure diesel/ hydraulics.
The US Army has been experimenting with a hybrid Bradley for some time, we'll have to see if they decide to go with it in FY23. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2022/04/27/us-army-to-choose-whether-itll-pursue-a-hybrid-bradley-vehicle-in-fy23/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dfn-rss-zap
-
Another Perun video is now up and relevant to the current discussion.
-
2 hours ago, Artkin said:
thank you, this is it. So it's 8 years regardless
The one exception to the 8 year term is in the event of a major conflict, then service contracts can be extended for the duration of the conflict under a "Stop Loss" mandate, it is buried in the fine print.
That is exceedingly rare and would probably be only selectively applied based upon MOS or rank.
-
4 minutes ago, JonS said:
Eh, I blame the programme manager - he's the one responsible for making SURE discrete elements of the project interact properly. Mind you, no self respecting engineer would be using non-metric in the first place, so theres that.
I'm a bit surprised that SI units aren't fully embraced and written into every DoD/MoD contract. It makes everything so much easier and eliminates embarrassing 'Oops' moments. But how to tell the 'Pointy Hair' ones that. -
49 minutes ago, Vanir Ausf B said:
Article on the challenges of operating a hodge-podge of foreign equipment.
But an oversight nearly delayed all maintenance on the guns at the hard-to-reach front lines, Ukrainian officers said. The entire M777 machine is put together on the imperial system used in the U.S., meaning that using a Ukrainian metric wrench on it would be difficult, and would risk damaging the equipment.
Only after sending the guns did the U.S. arrange for a rushed shipment of toolboxes of imperial-gauge wrenches, said Maj. Vadim Baranik, the deputy commander of a maintenance unit.
But tools can be misplaced, lost or destroyed, potentially leaving guns inoperable unless someone scrounges up a U.S.-supplied wrench.
https://news.yahoo.com/potent-weapons-reach-ukraine-faster-114318516.html
Interesting! I was wondering if that was going to end up being an issue. I have a re-branded Holden Monaro, fine car, but an international mix of parts. The drive-train uses good old SAE and everything else is metric. Always have to keep a proper mix of the tools in the go bag.
For want of a nail (and the right tools)... -
33 minutes ago, Cederic said:
Whoa. The red legs are the bad guys
Different redlegs, these guys are the good guys.
Its an old reference to US field artillery because their early 19th century uniform included scarlet piping on the trousers.
-
I haven't seen this posted here, an RFE/RL crew out with some UA red legs trying out their new equipment.
-
Grab your favorite beverage! Another Perun video has dropped!
-
19 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said:
When people ponder Ukraine's ability to do a big counter offensive I've been saying they don't need one. All they need to do is continually pick and choose weak points to smash them. One at a time is fine, though more is better as long as Ukraine doesn't get over confident and provide Russia with an opportunity to inflict pain.
Russia simply can not keep this war going "as is" if it is losing ground and forces, even a little at a time, on a continual basis.
Steve
Death by a thousand paper cuts works pretty well, while not risking the majority of the attacker's forces. As long as the UA preserves its core forces it can play 'Rope-A-Dope' for a very long time.
-
42 minutes ago, FancyCat said:
It would also signal to the world, and especially Ukraine's allies, that the views of the UK MoD, U.S, are more accurate than the more cautious views of France and Germany, and those who argue that stalemate is the current foreseeable outlook if not Ukraine's defeat.
The UK/US, and don't forget Canada,Australia and New Zealand, most likely have more ISR assets directly employed watching the situation than either France or Germany. I wouldn't be surprised if they knew what Vlad had for dinner.
How Hot is Ukraine Gonna Get?
in Combat Mission Black Sea
Posted · Edited by OldSarge
I think that he is referring to a relative of the RT-61/MO-120 mortar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortier_120mm_Rayé_Tracté_Modèle_F1
Apparently, the USMC used it for a bit, here you can see the rifling.
and the barrel..
