Posted on 09/17/2022 7:08:09 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
Russia has inflicted serious damage on Ukrainian forces with recently introduced Iranian drones, in its first wide-scale deployment of a foreign weapons system since the war began, Ukrainian commanders say.
Over the past week, Shahed-136 delta-wing drones, repainted in Russian colors and rebranded as Geranium 2, started appearing over Ukrainian armor and artillery positions in the northeastern Kharkiv region, said Col. Rodion Kulagin, commander of artillery of Ukraine’s 92nd Mechanized Brigade.
In his brigade’s operational area alone, the Iranian drones have destroyed two 152-mm self-propelled howitzers, two 122-mm self-propelled howitzers, as well as two BTR armored infantry vehicles, he said.
Before the current wide-scale use of the Shaheds, Russia carried out a test last month, striking a U.S.-supplied M777 155-mm towed howitzer with the drone, Col. Kulagin said. Another Iranian drone malfunctioned and was recovered, he said.
So far, the Iranian drones seem to have been mostly deployed in the Kharkiv region, where the 92nd Brigade and other Ukrainian forces carried out a major offensive this month, retaking some 8,500 square kilometers, or roughly 3,300 square miles, of land occupied by Russia and seizing or destroying hundreds of Russian tanks, artillery pieces and armored carriers.
“In other areas, the Russians have overwhelming artillery firepower, and they manage with that. Here, they no longer have that artillery advantage, and so they have started to resort to these drones,” Col. Kulagin said.
Independent experts who examined photographs of recent drone wreckage from the Kharkiv region say that it appears to be Shahed-136, the latest evolution of Tehran’s delta-wing design.
Scott Crino, founder and chief executive of Red Six Solutions LLC, a strategic consulting firm, said the Shahed-136 could provide Russia with a “potent counterweight” to the high-tech weapons systems, such as Himars missile launchers, that the U.S. has provided to Ukraine.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Ukraine ping
Iranian technology tends to be written off as complete junk. In the case of this particular drone, however, they may have something good going here. The Ukrainians will have to figure out a counter. At any rate, until a solution is found, this might slow down their advances into Russian-held territory.
I wonder if Iran got the technology from that drone Obama allowed to fly in to their country?
OMG! The Russians are using bad-ass weapons that are DAMAGING the Ukes stuff...and they got those weapons from another country! Isn’t that, like, against some rules? I mean, a country is supposed to use kinder, gentler weapons, right? and they shouldn’t be bumming stuff off other countries, right?
LOL!
The whole point of proxy wars and escalation …
Since the west is doing the same thing, this isn’t surprising.
Horrible timing. This could help Russia’s invasion. The military strategy books will have to be re-written to factor in drones and other modern technology.
This proxy war is like the Spanish Civil War in that these outside countries are testing out weapons and strategies.
[Horrible timing. This could help Russia’s invasion. The military strategy books will have to be re-written to factor in drones and other modern technology.]
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/the-ukrainian-military-uses-m224-mortars-in-combat/
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1571180467377917952.html
This is the typical “Poor Ukes are finished” propaganda our state Dept loves to propogate through outlets like the WSJ... wanting the reader to conclude, the only hope for the Ukes is American Technology & money.
Some of the claims of the drone are pretty fantastical, like 2,500 KM range. Even if it could fligh that far, with what kind of datalink/sattelite network does that happen?
Yes, they will kill some people and break some stuff, but They won’t have even a minor impact on the war outcome. If Ukraine had an oil refinery (like Saudi). maybe one would put it out of commision for a couple days.
American money (taxpayer money) to buy American tech:
Fox8
Zelensky to headline US defense industry conference
9/12/22
You keep pinging me, I’m not on your ping list, I prefer to just read the threads on my own.
Are these flying beyond the range that shotguns usually take them out?
It was a delta wing.
Interesting. Albania had been more or less aligned with China during part of the Cold War. I guess Albania isn’t thrilled with the possibility of a renewed Russian empire so they are helping Ukraine.
Various specs, tho’ I don’t see how big the thing is:
https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.php?aircraft_id=2520
How any drones did Iran give to Russia?
How many can Iran or Russia produce and how soon?
What are available countermeasures?
From two years ago, Here's the New Marine Corps Weapon that Just Destroyed an Iranian Drone. When a Iranian drone got too close to the USS Boxer. It was claimed that the Marines "Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System" LMADIS (say that ten times fast) jammed the drone.
Tell me what to expect when we begin to see Chinese weaponry in Ukraine. I see no reason Xi would not sell (trade for cheap oil) the best he has to Putin. He would remind us that we have no qualms supplying Taipei with advanced weapons. When Russia replaces its lost tanks will they all be of Russian manufacture? Russian built with Chicom steel?
Stolen US tech that Obama gave them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm5icaLbUMA
Putin press conference yesterday. Looks and sounds pretty good for a guy with cancer, parkinsons, Covid and pretty much anything else The Daily Mail imagined.
It’s tech Obama let them “steal” from us.
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