Posted on 04/25/2024 9:34:54 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, two U.S. military officials told The Associated Press.
The U.S. agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023 after an aggressive monthslong campaign by Kyiv arguing that the tanks, which cost about $10 million apiece, were vital to its ability to breach Russian lines.
But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds.
Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks.
The proliferation of drones on the Ukrainian battlefield means “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” a senior defense official told reporters Thursday.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide an update on U.S. weapons support for Ukraine before Friday's Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Face it. Given the modern technology spawned by the silicon chip, the era of land armored vehicles, helicopters over battlefields and naval surface combatants is over. Only a fraction of what is available and is being constantly improved has been deployed in this useless war but this point has not been lost on any rational observer.
How will aircraft carriers fare in this new era? They are a lot more expensive and have a lot more US lives on them. They are awful big targets for drone swarms and ballistic missiles.
Ya know’ til’ I see every night this so called ukraainian war like I did when I GREW UP...I saw eevery f ‘ in day vietcong getting blown up orr my countrymen getting killed...well I think it’s all A I./ /s.....there is a reason we see NO VIDEO out of the destructio in that area...sad.
The big Nimitz and Ford class carriers will probably be phased out and replaced with small carriers that accommodate drones.
But at the rate we’re going, the USA probably won’t have much of any kind of navy in the next decade.
Anti-drone methods and systems will catch up - air, surface, and sub-sea levels.
all drones can be hacked...no human ? don’t even talk to me...how is a mmicro chip coom padre to a humaan in killing?
If we get in a war somewhere the media will probably show more video, they don’t cover other country’s wars on American TV like they do ours, especially after it drags on for years.
The US pulled it’s Abrams Tanks on loan from the Ukrainian front lines due to Russia Drone Activity.
The head of Ukraine’s Military Drone program said in an interview last month that Ukraine was able to reduce their manpower requirements between 50-90% on the frontlines when they were the only one’s with an effective drone program. He further stated that by July 2024, Russia would achieve Drone Superiority thereby decreasing the need up to 90% of the vehicles and infantry utilized when attacking positions. He stated that Russia has caught up in the military and technological development of drones and the factory output would put Ukraine at a disadvantage for the first time during the war. He said that once Russia deploys drones they have been stockpiling and producting, they will change the frontlines in definite favor of Russia.
He mentioned the FABs had been instrumental in breaking the stalemated lines built from 2014 onwards, and that Ukraine can no longer sit in bunkers and trenches as they had done for over two years.
He said that by July (at the time 3-4 months away), Russia would have up to a 1,000 drones a day.
Ukraine kicked Russia’s butt time and again with drones. These weapons have forever changed the face of modern warfare. At the beginning of the conflict, no one was using them the way are employed today.
Russia developed the Lancet for about 35K a copy, and is also producing under license the Iranian drones. Using captured Ukrainian drones the Russians were able to develop their own large Drone production facilities, and also developed effective electronic warfare against drones.
Electronic Warfare is one area that Russia has always maintained a battlefield edge since during the cold war; however, it took about 18 months for Russia to product a vehicle portable array to counter drones effectively.
Love it when a plan comes together. Russia has caught up several months ahead of the intelligence projections by the West with their drone capabilities.
Together with the 900-1200 new tanks built last year, and the 150 a month (T90/T14s) and retrofitted 125-150 T72, T80s, Russia has been able to outfit enough armor for two 500K corps sized units. They hold 500K in reserve now, and by July they have over 300K graduating in this training cycle. The January 2025 training class may contain between 325-360K new soldiers. When you you combine the parity in troops, or actually Russia actually for the first time in July have more troops than Ukraine PLUS Drones, it is a force enhancer.
I do not think Ukraine can hold until the November election. If the Ukrainian Drone Director is correct, the need for fewer troops when you use drones and having more troops than ever does not bode well. The FABs are being retrofitted at double the rate of Janaury at this time. Troops, drones, FABs (Aviation) coupled with the sustainable 10-1 artillery advantage and constant pressure has broken every sincle 2014 STRONGHOLD CITY on the 2014 NATO Developed FrontLines.
The stalemate is over now. The biggest and hardest obstacles have been defeated between 14 Janaury and now by Russia. There is one city left and it will soon fall from the STALEMATE FORTIFICATIONS.
The past 30-days has shown that as the Ukrainians fall back, they cannot mount the type of effective defense they enjoyed for the past two years.
Already, the MSM is past the 61B for Ukraine and on to the Russian Victory. Funny how Ukraine could win with this last batch of aid, and then once passed live to fight another day, to it only prolongs the inevitable. The introduction of F16s and 300km TACIMS by the US has resulted in Russia further announcing an expansion of necessary territory as a buffer zone.
To date, Russia has self imposed the war to the four break away republics - however that will change. I wonder what kind of counter-destructive weapons Russia will add to keep pace with the US’s ever increasing leathality of weapons? I do think the West is hope to bomb Russia proper into peace talks. Ukraine cannot contain themelves from hitting civilian population centers out of spite - once Russia adds similar type destructive missiles to the mix, will any Ukrainian town or city be safe.
I believe that EU soldiers independent of NATO, the use of NATO equipment and intelligence, will lead to Russia bombing individual countries who will join the war by entering Ukraine.
The US has eliminated the EU as a competitor. On to China.
How will aircraft carriers fare in this new era? They are a lot more expensive and have a lot more US lives on them. They are awful big targets for drone swarms and ballistic missiles.
Don’t forget autonomous underwater vehicles……
The point of aircraft carriers was to deploy large numbers of aircraft to a battlefield far away. they should start thinking about drone carriers……
“How will aircraft carriers fare in this new era?”
Their survivability is likely quite limited as compared to the pre drone and pre hyper sonic missile era. However aircraft carriers is just one problem. Troop transports and those ships that carry the troops tanks, artillery, vehicles and supplies needed to wage war are now at a greater risk of being sunk.
This war is a good learning tool with regards to what can survive modern warfare as well as what needs to be invented to succeed against the Russians and others such as the Chinese.
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