Posted on 04/27/2024 4:28:48 PM PDT by airdalecheif
The arrival of the US M1A1 Abrams tanks in Ukraine was hailed as a turning point in the war. Coming in at roughly $10 million a unit, the Nato stalwart was supposed to provide the armoured fist that would punch through the Russian lines. But tactics evolve quickly in warfare, and Russia’s use of surveillance and hunter-killer drones has led to heavy casualties for Ukraine’s tank fleets. This is alarming for NATO. If Russia has found critical vulnerabilities in our armour, our borders are beginning to look very vulnerable.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
“Ukraine pulls US-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines”
LOL, as if “Ukraine” has anything to do with the decisions being made in this war.
“what about when somebody does an EMP ?”
Limited effectiveness against tanks that run on basic diesel engines, but yes, quite effective against our EPA-certified military vehicles (meaning the engines run on computer chips).
Far more Leonard 1 and 2s as well as British chieftains and French wheeled tanks have been delivered to Ukraine than the 31 out of some 6000 abrams the US has.
Just a little research and you would not have made that comment
Apart from that article is lacking in details, aside from "modern western tanks like Abrams and Challenger 2 were conceived long before drones became a serious threat on the battlefield."
I don’t think the Ukes understand “combined arms” - you can’t just smash tanks through a defensive line, you need infantry and air support, and tactics beyond “forward march”.
I was musing more about drone targeting and guidance /operation but I’m sure there would be nasty surprises all around.
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Videos:
November 10, 2021
"Skynex Air Defence System in a truck-mounted version, successfully engaging a swarm of eight small drones with the 35mm Revolver Gun Mk3"
Rheinmetall Air Defence: Skynex truck-mounted engaging drone swarm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb5_F4_Eod8October 7, 2022
"Since the war in Ukraine started, the EDM4S (Electronic Drone Mitigation System) has been a key component in targeting Russian drones."
The anti-drone gun giving Ukraine an advantage over Russia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GPLsJ4FLuAOctober 17, 2022
Ukrainian drone tracks Russian drone and blasting it out of the sky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWVbTC5aEA8November 14, 2022
"Ukraine has been using the German-made Gepard anti-aircraft gun to shoot down Russia's Shahed-136 drones."
Ukraine: The German-made Gepard anti-aircraft gun taking down Russian drones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuWDtQhkF98June 11, 2023
Czech anti-aircraft gun (Twitter, video)
https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1667790908572532736June 15, 2023
"Among the arsenal of weapons aiding Ukraine in its battle against Russian aggression, one particular marvel has emerged as a true force to be reckoned with – the Flakpanzer Gephard."
How German Gepards Victorious Over Russian Drones in Ukraine?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDz8E6ZBWMM
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Drone Detection
Aerial Armor
https://www.aerialarmor.com/blog/range-of-the-dji-aeroscope
https://www.aerialarmor.com/drone-detection-equipment/drone-detection-radar-systems
https://www.aerialarmor.com/drone-detection-equipment/drone-detection-cameraCorona Wire - DroneWatcher App
https://www.thecoronawire.com/is-there-an-app-that-detects-drones-2021/
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Anti-Air in General
Defeating the Cost Curve in Ukraine - Oct. 25, 2022 - NASAMS - ADA - C-RAM - MANPADS
Ukraine requests Centurion C-RAM from the US – would it be enough to counter drones? - Nov. 11, 2022
The U.S. Navy’s Last Line of Defense: The Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) - Feb. 2, 2024
RheinMetall - Air Defense Systems
EUROSAM GIE - "EUROSAM is the leading French-Italian Joint Venture in Europe that designs, produces, sells, exports and maintains, long range ground and naval based air defense systems."
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European Capabilities
Europe’s defence industry has a number of champions in the field of anti-aircraft missiles. First and foremost is MBDA, a joint subsidiary of Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%), resulting from the merger of Matra BAe Dynamics, Aerospatiale Matra Missiles and Alenia Marconi Systems.
After winning a large contract from France and Italy for missiles of the Aster family signed at the end of the year (approximately EUR 2 Bn), MBDA signed for the supply of CAMM medium-range missiles to Poland. The European missile builder has already secured more orders amounting to EUR 4 Bn in four months.
Thales produces high-quality radars and Command and Control (C2) capabilities for air defence systems, in addition to well-known missiles such as StarStreak and LMM. Germany has the support of Diehl, which produces the IRIS-T missile and its land-based version, in both short- and medium-range variants.
Added to this, in April 2022, Diehl and Hensoldt decided to intensify their cooperation. Swedish manufacturer Saab produces the RBS70, which includes its NG version. The company also offers radar such as the Giraffe 1X multi-mission 3D. In partnership with Raytheon, Norway’s Kongsberg has been developing the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) whose model 3 is already fully operational.
Lower Layers of Air Defense
The return of the threat of so-called high-intensity conflicts has revived very short-range air defence (VSHORAD) programmes, a good example of which is the Skyranger 30, produced by Germany’s Rheinmetall Air Defence. Denmark announced on 16 May 2023 that they had selected this piece of equipment.
The turret is equipped with a radar, infrared sensors, and a laser rangefinder. The armament is an Oerlikon KCE 30 × 173 mm automatic cannon that fires Advanced Hit Efficiency and Destruction (AHEAD) air bursting munitions, each of which releases 160 tungsten projectiles. The 1,200 rpm gun is extremely precise, allowing it to engage small aerial targets such as drones.
The Thales rapid fire cannon is also a solution to counter armed drones and loitering ammunition. The system results from a Thales partnership with Nexter. Its 40 mm Case Telescoped Armament (CTA) cannon has the compactness of a 25 mm cannon and provides heavy firepower up to 4,000 m, with a reduced logistics footprint compared to a conventional cannon of the same calibre.
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