Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
The facility, bankrolled by Ukraine, will produce medium caliber ammunition, potentially expanding into 155mm artillery shells and tank ammunition.
https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1803309009333567565
Are the rounds below .50 cal API?
More 155 HE.
Shot down:
4/4 Kh-101/555 cruise missiles
0/3 Iskander-M ballistic missile
1/2 Kh-59 cruise missiles
27/27 Shahed drones
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1803666638564126837
The biggest concern is the Iskander-M ballistic missile threat.
Patriots will shoot Iskanders down if the Patriot launcher is within 50 miles of the target...basic intercept geometry.
This is why the F-16 bases need Patriot batteries nearby.
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1803698679359938658
“South Korea’s presidential office has condemned an agreement reached by Russia and North Korea that vowed mutual defence assistance in the event of war, the Associated Press reported. The office also said South Korea will reconsider its policy of limiting its support to Ukraine to non-lethal supplies.
“It’s absurd that two parties with a history of launching wars of invasion — the Korean War and the war in Ukraine — are now vowing mutual military cooperation on the premise of a preemptive attack by the international community that will never happen,” the office of South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, said.”
https://x.com/Tendar/status/1803758748088815780
It seems to me that lately Ukraine has been hitting more oil storage depots that support Operational combat forces, rather than refineries with more of a Strategic/Economic objective.
Maybe the priority is to halt Russian territorial gains in Donbas, perhaps they are setting conditions for another Operation, or possibly Allies want to keep Global oil prices low for political reasons.
“South Korea is considering to supply arms to Ukraine.”
South Korea’s GDP is nearly as big as Russia’s, and like 30 times the size of North Korea’s.
South Korea has a great Defense industrial Base, and is kind of exploding onto the Global scene now as an Arms Exporter. It is a great economic opportunity for South Korea.
This Russian move plays right into the hands of those in South Korea who are in favor of seizing this moment, to grab a big slice of this growing market demand.
Few places on Earth have done rapid industrialization better than South Korea. It has been said that all of the major industrial powers at the end of the 20th Century, were also industrial powers at the end of the 19th Century - except Korea (or arguably, China).
The old boy network of elite families from the long period of of Military dictatorship (from the 50’s to the 80’s) are still prominent in the large industrial conglomerates (Chaebol), which still have standing formal mobilization missions in case of war.
If they set their minds to ramp up military production, it will blow the doors off anything that the Russians could muster.
“South Korea is considering to supply arms to Ukraine.”
The Democracies awaken from their slumber.
Kyiv Independent reports:
“The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall received a framework contract from the Bundeswehr for 155 mm artillery ammunition worth up to 8.5 billion euros ($9.1 billion), the company said on June 20...
...The company called the latest order the largest in its history.
“This large-volume framework contract underlines Rheinmetall’s leading role as an ammunition supplier in Germany and our position as the world’s largest manufacturer of artillery ammunition,” Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said.
Deliveries of the shells are to begin in early 2025. The German government will be the primary purchaser, which will then provide part of its supplies to Ukraine. The Netherlands, Estonia, and Denmark are also participating in the order, the company said.
The “entire value chain for artillery ammunition” will be produced at a plant in Unterluess, Lower Saxony, which opened in February. The factory is expected to reach a capacity of 100,000 projectiles per year in its second year of production and later increase it to 200,000 projectiles per year (only one of several distributed facilities).
Several Western defense companies have been ramping up their defense production amid rising tensions with Russia and Ukraine’s growing needs, with a particular focus on 155 mm shells and other ammunition.”
There are many weapons systems ROK could provide to Ukraine that would be helpful, but one of the most valuable contributions they could make would be a large scale delivery of 155mm artillery shells. They could give Ukraine enough ammo to get them through the next year, while the west ramps up its own production. They also have significant Air Defense systems, including some recently retired.
Romania has announced the decision to Transfer one of its four MIM-104 “Patriot” Surface-to-Air Missile Batteries to Ukraine.
https://x.com/sentdefender/status/1803770983796347369
Last year the US asked ROK to transfer KM-SAM batteries (based on Russian S-350/400) to Ukraine. After today’s announcement, maybe their No will change to a Yes. They also have some recently retired HAWK batteries.
That would be huge.
With the Norks depleting their supply of artillery shells, this should enable South Korea some latitude to reduce their supply.
Also, I believe South Korea should increase production of the K239 Chunmoo (HIMARs equivalent) and start drone development & manufacturing.
South Korea joining in would be huge
Putin remains a master strategist
Additionally, storage and preparation sites for Shahed drones in the Krasnodar region were hit. Local authorities confirmed the drone attack but did not comment on the aftermath, and the Russian Defense Ministry has not yet issued an official statement.
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1804083359410209133
https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/1804044471853629892
From another link:
The valves of the oil tanks that caught fire are jammed and firefighters are unable to drain the fuel. Because of this, the fire cannot be extinguished.
https://x.com/NatalkaKyiv/status/1803850098750738767
I wonder if one of the drones hit the valves.
Long thread, don’t have time to post all of it
“It’s important not to treat jamming as an on/off switch for weapons with satellite-guidance. Some arms are better hardened than others. Colby details outcomes below. In brief, mostly works: GBU-39 SDB & JDAM bombs. Stuff that doesn’t: GL-SDB, Excalibur shells. In-between: GMLRS.”
“Is Russian Electronic Warfare successfully jamming the GPS signals on American provided precision guided munitions to the point that Ukraine can no longer effectively employ them?
No. No it is not.
Many people seem to believe so though. So what’s really going on?
🧵
1/15”
https://x.com/sebastienroblin/status/1803982365464596745
No. No. And. No.
“Russia is open to “comprehensive” security talks with the U.S., so long as they include the war in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
Senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev separately said that conversations over a new treaty on limiting nuclear firepower with the U.S. are only possible once Washington no longer supplies weapons to Ukraine and blocks its admission to the NATO alliance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Moscow’s participation in February 2023, without fully withdrawing his country from the treaty.”
https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1804075768110088439
Poland, Germany, Switzerland and Spain will have to wait a bit longer for their orders.
https://x.com/visegrad24/status/1803857401428234317
These Patriot batteries are being built to export standards.
Hopefully, initial delivery will begin in 2024.
Ukraine needs additional Patriots to protect F-16 bases against Iskanders and Kinzhals.
The term of this "promotion" is 16 months. The first rockets are expected already this summer.
https://x.com/front_ukrainian/status/1803802845138833575
F-16s, when they finally arrive, will also carry AMRAAM missiles (Aim-120s).
As Aim-260s are delivered to the USAF, additional Aim-120s should be transferred to Ukraine.
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