Posted on 11/03/2022 7:28:08 AM PDT by FarCenter
Small, kayak-shaped boats fitted with cameras, tracking devices and jet-ski motors were employed to attack Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the annexed Crimean port of Sevastopol over the weekend. It led to Moscow’s withdrawal from a landmark grain shipment deal, followed by a humiliating re-entry in a dramatic display of low-tech ingenuity, scuttling Russian naval might.
The mother of all metaphorical storms hit Russia’s operations in the Black Sea over the past few days, with giant waves thrashing Moscow’s military and economic interests, smashing its bargaining chips, and undermining its diplomatic standing on the world stage.
Much of the latest damage can be traced to little kayak-shaped boats that appear to be a DIY assemblage of easily available gear, strung together and operated in the Black Sea with David-meets-Goliath flair.
It started in the early hours of Saturday, with the Russian defence ministry issuing confusing and sometimes contradictory statements. Something was happening around Sevastopol, home to Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet in annexed Crimea. Russia’s navy had “repelled” a drone attack in Sevastopol, said initial statements. Subsequent communiques said the “terrorist attack”, which had been “repelled”, had also caused “minor damage”.
While Russian military officials were trying to get their story straight, analysts and hardware enthusiasts on social media got on the job, accessing video clips, examining them and sharing their findings online.
Hours later, Russia declared it had pulled out of participation in a UN-brokered deal to export Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea. The “repelled” attack that caused “minor damage” was apparently big enough for Moscow to turn its back on the grain deal, one of the few diplomatic successes since the February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But Moscow’s withdrawal from the landmark Black Sea grain agreement didn’t last long.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
That being said it’s a pity we can’t convince the current generation of American communists to go get slaughtered in that war. It is a pity any came home from the Spanish Civil War.
Welcome to the Donbas Weapons Testing Area
Given the new technologies, the era of naval surface combatants is over. Many will die watery deaths and never see or get near those that killed them. Yet the battleship admirals will ignore current realities and continue to build and crew ever bigger death ships. Time to realize that the silicon chip has changed everything
Don’t know about that, but EW and directed energy weapons will likely be getting huge boosts in funding.
Invest accordingly.
Yes. Doesn’t this end in a war of Terminators?
It sounds like all hope of constraining battle to the military will be lost, too. Soon, we will have nuclear reactors spread across the Ukrainian countryside and no one will want to live there.
Horse sh!t.
OTH (over the horizon ) naval weapons share one common characteristc and IMO one MAJOR glaring defect. They all require third party targeting data. After all the satelites are shot down and no one is stupid enough to turn on searh radar ( emit and die ) then it will be back to strictly visual and acoustics. What’s old is new again.
Just as an FYI, there are rather many Low Earth Orbit recon satellites that have accumulated over decades. Shooting them all down would similarly requires decades, and somewhat worse would be the reality that kinetic kills will cover those orbital planes with debris.
This would be the end of all space programs for maybe a century. Nothing could get through it.
The problem most military’s have is they are always fighting the last war.
We are in an age of 4GW. Russians are still in Korea and Vietnam. America to a large extent is still in WWII although despite the best efforts of Democrats and MIC billionaires we are seeing the light in some areas.
Warfare has changed and the vast military machines haven’t adapted, yet.
That's what they said after the falklands war when some missiles took out one of Britain's ships.
Ships are definitely more vulnerable. And care needs to be taken given the new threats. But I wouldn't write them off just yet.
Sounds like Leela Jacinto doesn't do geopolitics.
This is the "my team-your team" version of events, for the mouth-breathers in the room.
At least at sea, WWIII starts out all star wars and high tech. After all the gimmicks are used up, and with satellites - shot down, it returns to gut check 20th style century slug fest.
More like WWI in terms of canon fodder, repeating day after day throwing untrained troops to the front line, mixed with WWII blitzkrieg outrunning supply lines followed by drafting anyone with a pulse to go to the front.
Worst tactics of both World Wars. 'Enhanced' by false reports at every level on the readiness of equipment, availability of supplies, and the lowest possible Russian quality control of those supplies...
The newer ships will have many motorized hull feet.
They will have an open redundant frame holding everything together.
The ammo magazines will be kept an appropriate distance from other critical parts.
Ammo resupply ships will follow the gun-bearing ship.
It occurred to me that perhaps a multitude of small ultra-fast aircraft carriers (for vertical take-off and landing aircraft) might be more effective than putting all our eggs in one humungous basket.
Right after I thought that, the video mentioned the Marines' "Lightning Carriers". Of course, they would probably be just as vulnerable to missile attack, but it's a step in the right direction.
I wonder if directed energy anti-missile weapons might tilt things back in the U.S. Navy's direction?
Small guns of say 20mm to 40mm could take care of the kayaks much like similar guns were used to defend against kamikaze attacks in WW2.
With the imaging capabilities of today, you do not need satellites in low earth orbit.
As it is, satellites hold the high ground.
A girl I knew in college father was a survivor of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. They held their reunion in Moscow, this was in the 60s when it was odd for Americans to travel there. Her name was ‘Victoria’, named after the victory of Stalingrad. Today we’d call her a ‘red-diaper baby’.
They made a point of knowing all four verses of the Star Spangled Banner to deflect any accusations of not being ‘loyal Americans’. I’m sure the father was dead set against American entry into WWII up until June 22, 1941 when he then demanded we get in the fight.
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