The war in Ukraine

[Jdam]

Its not a small missile you would expect a AEW&C to be able to see a S-200 coming, if it cant see that what chance does it have against an F-22 or F-35

I don't think any air force if that incompetent to shot down their own AEW&C

I just wonder if we are seeing the true capability of Patriot.

The S-200 long range AAW system was in wide spread use in the Soviet Block, Wikipedia quotes over 2000 launchers in operation the '80's and '90's and Poland updated their missiles as late as 1999 to 2002.

Reported the A-50 released numerous flares but as the S-200 uses semi-active RF seeker would have had no effect.

Patriot range, the longest have seen mentioned in the anti-aircraft mission is 100 miles/160 km (whereas the TBM range maybe only 10-15 km?) and as the A-50 was 210 km behind the front line don't think Patriot a possibility, why the long range S-200, have seen max 300 km quoted, makes Ukranian use of S-200 claim seem more probable.

[Caribbean]

Reported the A-50 released numerous flares but as the S-200 uses semi-active RF seeker would have had no effect.

There are videos circulating on X, showing the A-50 dumping strings of flares. One missile appears to track some of the flares and detonate, with a second detonating a few seconds later, clearly hitting the A-50, which then appears to break up into at least 2 sections.

Not sure what that says about the missile/ seeker etc, but one did appear to track the flares. Unless of course the A-50 was dumping chaff or some other form of radar decoy as well (which would not be visible in the dark, of course) - does anyone know if that is standard for Russian aircraft?

[SW1]

Quite the story

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/3460 ... 11e6fb5f84

[Ian Hall]

[Ian Hall]

https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-to-s ... zelenskyy/

[NickC]

X (Twitter) post claiming Ukraine Patriot launchers taken out by an Russian Iskander, if true a major success for the Russians in ability to target the launchers.

[Caribbean]

There have been rumours that Ukraine has had to push launchers closer to the front, to compensate for lack of other ammunition. Launchers are relatively easy to replace - it's the radar and command facilities that would be a real blow - takes the whole battery out (though they are said to have two sets per battery)

[new guy]

The L3Harris Vampire system with its stabilised multi-sensor sight and advanced image processing firing the 70mm APKWS (over 50,000 delivered) with the BAE Inc laser-guided kit achieving success in Ukraine, think it might be the cheapest CIWS system yet for shooting down drones, several orders of magnitude cheaper than the Aster missiles HMS Diamond currently using in the Red Sea to shoot down similar if not the same Iranian drones, makes you question why RN did not develop the navy Starstreak system or progress fitting ships with the LMM on its DS30Bs.

[bobp]

The above is way off topic there is a separate thread for Red Sea conflict...

[The Armchair Soldier]

Deleted the last few off-topic posts. This is not the place to discuss the Red Sea crisis.

[NickC]

The above is way off topic there is a separate thread for Red Sea conflict...

The L3Harris Vampire system with its stabilised multi-sensor sight and advanced image processing firing the 70mm APKWS (over 50,000 delivered) with the BAE Inc laser-guided kit achieving success in Ukraine, think it might be the cheapest CIWS system yet for shooting down drones, several orders of magnitude cheaper than the Aster missiles HMS Diamond currently using in the Red Sea to shoot down similar if not the same Iranian drones, makes you question why RN did not develop the navy Starstreak system or progress fitting ships with the LMM on its DS30Bs.

The above is way off topic there is a separate thread for Red Sea conflict...

Would disagree as it specifically covers the use of Vampire in Ukraine/Black Sea and has consequences that relate to both Type 45 and Red Sea threads, subject matter covers multi-threads and as a result would argue its a problem where to post, otherwise threads become a straight jacket in the forum.

Deleted the last few off-topic posts. This is not the place to discuss the Red Sea crisis.

As administrator decision quite within your authority, but would it not be better if you consider posts off-topic to make a note and move them to the appropiate Red Sea thread ?

[Ian Hall]

[new guy]

The L3Harris Vampire system with its stabilised multi-sensor sight and advanced image processing firing the 70mm APKWS (over 50,000 delivered) with the BAE Inc laser-guided kit achieving success in Ukraine, think it might be the cheapest CIWS system yet for shooting down drones, several orders of magnitude cheaper than the Aster missiles HMS Diamond currently using in the Red Sea to shoot down similar if not the same Iranian drones, makes you question why RN did not develop the navy Starstreak system or progress fitting ships with the LMM on its DS30Bs.

Feyette LIFEX item ...

[SW1]

[new guy]

Artillery - Shoot and Scoot and the end of Towed Howitzers.

"January the shell ratio was nearly one-to-six in favor of Russia. Artillery has been the greatest killer in the war in Ukraine, accounting for more than 70% of casualties." Nexter briefing on their truck-mounted Caesar 155mm/52 calibre howitzers, Ukraine has received 55, 36 supplied by France and another 19 donated by Denmark. Ukraine has lost less than 10%, whilst losses for some other self-propelled or towed systems in Ukraine’s war with Russia amount to nearly 30%. Caesar is the lightest 155mmm self-propelled gun at 18 metric tons, and can fire six shells within a minute before packing up and moving away in less than a minute to avoid counter-battery fire, drones and loitering munitions which have become a real threat 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the front line. Nexter aiming to ramp up Ceasar production to 12 a month.

November French Army awarded Nexter €350 million contract for 109 Cesar Mk II. "The updated cannon will have an armored cabin to protect against mines and small-caliber arms, based on the feedback from French deployments in Afghanistan and Africa’s Sahel region. The Caesar MkII will get a new 460 HP engine more than double as powerful as the previous 215 HP one, a new six-wheel chassis from military-vehicle maker Arquus, and updated fire control software. The howitzer will keep its 155mm cannon, with a range of more than 40 kilometers, and will remain air-transportable, according to France’s armaments directorate."

https://www.defensenews.com/global/euro ... s-survive/

PS March 28th “We have witnessed the end of the effectiveness of towed artillery.” These are the words that General James Rainey, head of the US Army Futures Command, spoke at the Global Force symposium of the Association of the US Army. "

https://meta-defense.fr/en/2024/03/28/t ... n-us-army/