Ukraine counter offensive

[Brigadier]

According to a Ukrainian defense attache in the United States the Gepard has been used to "great effect" against the "relatively crude" loitering munition believed to be Iranian-made Shahed-136.


From the Wikipedia page.

 

[IT Minion]

I was skeptical of the Gepard when it was announced, I was very wrong.

There are three different existing manufacturers of that type of ammo. Switzerland is the main European area supplier and they're refusing to allow their rounds to be sent to Ukraine. Brazil's is compatible but is also refusing to allow it to be sent and Norway is willing but it needs tweaking to be compatible with the belt feeds In the Gepard.

https://mezha.media/en/2022/11/04/switzerland-does-not-allow-germany-to-transfer-shells-for-the-gepard-self-propelled-guns-to-ukraine-the-supply-of-which-is-almost-exhausted/

 

[IT Minion]

Until recently air defences have been moving to missiles instead of guns. Guns are useless against high flying Jets and with terrain following fast jets or cruise missiles the time to engage is very limited. Against those targets $100,000 missiles are a bargain.

Switchblades, Lancets, Shaeads, Mavics are slower by a factor of 10, lack the altitude to avoid them and suddenly radar targeting automated guns are the perfect system again.

 

[Justin Passing]

The Patriot is a "system", needing 90 people to operate it. You'd have one defending say Kyiv, against planes and big missiles. The idea being to release other assets for the lower level targets. Biden's lot were only thinking of sending one. Apparently Poots doesn't have anything as good, so it might be a symbolic thing.

 

[JohnD]

There are three different existing manufacturers of that type of ammo. Switzerland is the main European area supplier and they're refusing to allow their rounds to be sent to Ukraine.

'mmm

weapons of war that you aren't allowed to use in a war.

 

[IT Minion]

'mmm

weapons of war that you aren't allowed to use in a war.

If Ukraine has a pre-existing contract then the Swiss would probably still supply them, but they don't and they've got some odd laws on the books for their neutrality policies. I don't know the details but they're claiming they can't allow the transfer due to those laws.

Brazil values Russia more than Ukraine.

 

[Charlie George]

Coordination is the problem with shooting down iranian drones, fire enough and some will get through, Patriots will not be targeted at drones, most likely symbolic or targeted at ballistic missiles, Patriot missiles will take the headlines whilst other more beneficial weapons go unnoticed.

 

[Odds]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the return of Benjamin Netanyahu as head of the most far-right Israeli government the country has known and signalled an intention to strengthen cooperation, the Kremlin said.

@AlJazeera.com

That'll put the U.S in a delicate situation.

After 310 days of conflict:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address on Thursday night, said air commands in central, southern, eastern and western Ukraine repelled 54 Russian missiles and 11 drones. Officials had earlier said more than 120 missiles were fired during Thursday’s assault.
• More than 18 residential buildings and 10 critical infrastructure installations were destroyed in the latest attacks, the defence ministry said in a statement. Waves of Russian air raids in recent months targeting energy infrastructure have left millions without power and heating in often freezing temperatures.
• The Belarusian defence ministry said its air defences had downed a Ukrainian S-300 missile in a field, during one of Russia’s largest missile attacks against Ukraine since the start of the war.
• United States President Joe Biden signed a $1.66 trillion spending bill that includes emergency support for Ukraine and US allies.
• The Kremlin rejected Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan, reiterating that proposals to end the conflict must accept Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions: Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhia in the south.

• The United Kingdom said it has given Ukraine more than 1,000 metal detectors and 100 kits to deactivate bombs to help clear minefields in the latest instance of military support for the country in the conflict with Russia.

 

[ajohn]

70 odd missile hits reported.

 

[transam]

I seem to recall some hype ?? About some British system during the Falkland wars

Sea wolf ? Or sea dart ? Something like that ??

Said it could detect and hit a rifle bullet fired at it or what it was protecting ??

Afaik it turned out to be useless ??

Hence why most of our naval ships were hit ??

 

[ajohn]

Sea wolf ? Or sea dart ? Something like that ??

Both surface to air and about in the Falklands

Dart
The system had nine confirmed successful engagements in combat, including six aircraft, a helicopter and two anti-ship missiles. An additional helicopter was shot down in a 'friendly fire' incident during the Falklands War.

Sea Dart - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Wolf
Sea Wolf is powered by the Blackcap solid-fuel rocket to a maximum velocity of Mach 2, and can intercept targets at ranges between 1,000 and 6,000 m (1,100 and 6,600 yd) and altitudes from 10 m (33 ft) to 3,000 m (9,800 ft)

Sea Wolf (missile) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Mentions low level and a lot longer range.

The other ship defence is a very high fire rate cannon. This is one. Might be the right sort of thing for small drones 'till miniature cheap homing missiles appear.

Phalanx CIWS - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Problem with hitting missiles is that they can still go bang when the eventually hit something, Drones too.

 

[ajohn]

It seems Ukraine has had 3 days of strikes. One an hour into the new year. Intercepted missile hitting a building mentioned again, Pretty extensive damage as well.

 

[transam]

Israel and the Russians hmmm

Israel’s arch enemy Iran is now a close ally of Russia ???

Benjamin needs to remember who his friends are and who has armed and supported Israel through there various conflicts with the Arabs

 

[transam]

Reports suggest ? state ? That

Israeli warplanes have entered Iranian air space several times over the last few months ?

( in cahoots with the US)

These excursions into Iranian air space ? Have apparently not been detected by either Russian or Iranian air defences ?

This would be some type of training ? Caper for some type of attack on irans nuclear programme some time
In the future

Fact is Israel will not stand bye and see iran obtain nuclear missiles and have publicaly stated so

The mad mullahs have been warned

 

[JohnD]

Remarkable, if true.

"Russia launched 45 Iranian-made drones mostly targeting the capital Kyiv overnight, all of which were shot down by Ukraine’s air defences, with no reported casualties."

FT.com