Ukrainian mechanics have mastered the repair of US M777 howitzers. Repair units of the Ukrainian army have mastered the repair of individual components of American 155-mm towed howitzers M777. Despite the fact that Ukrainian companies do not have permission, in accordance with American export laws, to repair the barrels of American M777 howitzers, they are partially doing so. According to General of the Ukrainian Army Karpenko, after each “artillery contact” almost a third of the guns fail due to shrapnel and have to be repaired. Due to the lack of spare parts, mechanics have to assemble one howitzer from several and use civilian components, converting them into howitzers. For example, a pipe from one of the excavators was converted and installed on a howitzer. According to mechanics, some howitzers have already returned 3-4 times for repairs. The American 155 mm howitzer has been in production since 2005, it is a British designed howitzer, but final assembly is carried out in the USA. The firing range of a conventional projectile is 25 km, the active-reactive M982 Excalibur is about 40 kilometers, but they are already running out.
Ukrainian Armed Forces
- Thread starter Smerch
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Footage of the production of American 155-mm artillery ammunition in Pennsylvania. The shells for the Ukrainian army are produced by the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP), a facility of the United States Army Ammunition Command. The plant was specially modernized to produce shells for Ukraine; the plant produces only metal parts of shells, after which it sends them for additional assembly to other enterprises.
Before the conflict in Ukraine, the plant produced an average of 7 thousand artillery shells per month. It is expected that by 2027 it will produce 35 thousand.
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems produces 105mm, 120mm and 155mm ammunition. It is one of seven manufacturing arsenals producing combat equipment for the U.S. military. Currently the plant employs 270 people. Recently there was a fire at the factory.
Before the conflict in Ukraine, the plant produced an average of 7 thousand artillery shells per month. It is expected that by 2027 it will produce 35 thousand.
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems produces 105mm, 120mm and 155mm ammunition. It is one of seven manufacturing arsenals producing combat equipment for the U.S. military. Currently the plant employs 270 people. Recently there was a fire at the factory.
The Ukrainian army has modernized the Sea Baby naval drones by equipping them with MLRS installations. For modernization, guides for 122-mm rockets from the Grad MLRS systems were used. In the video you can see them in use. The modernization was carried out in the winter. Nowadays, Sea Baby drones have become a multi-purpose platform that can perform various tasks. The latest models of maritime drones are made of stealthy materials, have redundant communication systems and can carry up to 850 kg of cargo, including explosives.
Lithuania will transfer six Amber-1800 radars to Ukraine. The radars will be purchased as part of the German “Immediate Air Defense Action” initiative. The Amber-1800 radar was developed by the Lithuanian company Altimus-Tech and was first shown in 2014. In Ukraine, the station is produced under the name Yantar-1800. The AMBER-1800 radar is designed to automatically detect airborne objects and determine their current coordinates. The Amber-1800 radar is located on two vehicles. A truck with a hardware cabin that houses the operator and electronic equipment and a trailer with a six-meter radar and two power supply units. The radar provides detection of air targets, depending on the transmitter power and the target's ESR value, at a range from 100 meters to 400 km. The approximate effective scattering surface of air targets is shown on the screen. The deployment time of the Amber-1800 radar is 12 minutes, the installation is controlled by two operators. The price has not been announced.
Sweden will transfer to Ukraine two of its Saab 340 AEW&C long-range radar reconnaissance aircraft, also called ASC 890. The aircraft will coordinate the work of Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilots. It is worth noting that training the crew of a Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft takes a long time and the aircraft may not be handed over soon; perhaps the aircraft crews were trained in advance. Also, for full operation, the plane must rise to a height of about 6 kilometers, which is quite dangerous in Ukraine. The Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft was developed on the basis of the Saab 340B passenger aircraft and made its first flight in 1994; Sweden also produces a similar AWACS aircraft, the Saab 2000 AEW&C, based on the Saab 2000 aircraft. The twin-engine turboprop aircraft Saab 340 AEW&C is equipped with an Ericsson Microwave System Erieye PS radar. 890/ASC-890 with active grille developed in 1985. The PS-890 Erieye radar allows you to detect fighters, helicopters, cruise missiles and targets at sea, at a range of 300-400 kilometers, when the aircraft is flying at an altitude of 6096 meters. The aircraft system is compatible with on-board systems and NATO standards. The aircraft crew, including radar operators, consists of 6 people, patrol time is about 5 hours.
Defense line of the Ukrainian army in the Kyiv region. Footage of the constructed defensive structures of the Ukrainian army in the Kyiv region has been published. It is worth noting that earlier, deputy of the Ukrainian Rada Irina Gerashchenko visited the Kharkov region and stated that the work on the construction of fortifications in the region was only an “imitation of vigorous activity”; money for fortifications in the Kharkov region was rolled into the ground for 1.5 years. The authorities of the Kyiv region, after a scandal surrounding reports of possible embezzlement during the construction of fortification lines on the borders of the Kharkov region, attracted special services and public organizations to check the construction of defensive lines in the region.
In Ukraine, at the Vitrugan military training school, the Gupalo unmanned target was created. The Gupalo drone was created as a copy of the Russian kamikaze Geran drones, since they are now the main problem for air defense, more details about them in the link to the video in the comments to the video. The Gupalo unmanned target is intended for training crews of machine-gun and artillery air defense groups of Ukraine; technical details and price are not reported.
Swedish assault high-speed boats Combat Boat 90 were transferred to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine by the Metinvest company of oligarch Renat Akhmetov, as part of the Steel Front initiative. The military boat Stridsbat 90 or CB90 was developed by the Swedish company Dockstavarvet in 1991, it is also used by other countries. The CB90 can be used as a fast attack vehicle, fire support and reconnaissance boat. The boat can accommodate 4 sea mines or 6 depth charges. The design of the boat is considered successful, it has good seaworthiness, high speed up to 74 km/h, efficiency and safety during operation. The boat's standard armament consists of three Browning M2HB machine guns, a 40-mm Mk-19 grenade launcher, which can be replaced with a remote-controlled machine gun turret. The boat's hull is made of aluminum, it can take on board up to 4.5 tons of cargo or 21 soldiers, the total displacement is up to 20 tons, the boat's crew is three people. The price of the Combat Boat 90 is from 2 to 3 million dollars.
The United States sent the Ukrainian army a 105-mm Hawkeye mobile howitzer system for testing. This was announced by AM General director Mike Evans. The Hawkeye howitzer was developed by AM General and Mandus Group and was first shown in 2017. The Hawkeye howitzer is located on the base of the Humvee army SUV; other chassis can be used. The howitzer system moves the barrel and breech of the gun forward immediately before firing - this allows you to compensate for the load on the chassis and reduce recoil by 70%. It is worth noting that this system is quite complex and how it will work during long-term combat operation is unknown. The Hawkeye uses the M20 105mm howitzer. The Hawkeye's firing range with standard projectiles is 11.5 km, with active-missile projectiles 15-19 km. Mandus Group guarantees an effective rate of fire of the Hawkeye howitzer of at least three rounds per minute and an accelerated rate of fire of up to 12 rounds. The Hawkeye howitzer has a digital fire control system and is operated by a crew of three. The combat weight of the Hawkeye self-propelled gun on the Humvee chassis does not exceed 4.4 tons.
The first Ukrainian anti-submarine corvette "Hetman Ivan Mazepa" F211 entered sea trials, we previously talked about it. The ship was built according to the design of the Turkish Ada-class anti-submarine corvettes, project MILGEM. The ship is due to join the Ukrainian fleet in 2024; a total of two ships will be built at a cost of $256 million. The ship is armed with a 76 mm OTO Melara Super Rapid gun, two 12.7 mm Aselsan STAMP machine guns, a 35 mm Aselsan Gokdeniz anti-aircraft artillery mount and a MICA VC air defense system with 16 missiles. Anti-submarine weapons are represented by 324 mm torpedo tubes "Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes". The ship is armed with Harpoon or Atmaca anti-ship missiles. Armament may change in the future. The ship has a speed of up to 29 knots, with a cruising range of 3,500 nautical miles, a cruising endurance of 10 days, with supplies of 21 days. It is possible to have an S-70B Seahawk helicopter. Displacement corvette "Getman Ivan Mazepa" 2300 tons, power plant - one gas turbine and two diesel engines. The ship's crew is 93 people.
Ukrainian fleet exercises on Finnish Watercat M11 boats. The Ukrainian Navy conducted an exercise on the Dnieper River. Finnish landing assault boats Marine Alutech Watercat M11 of the Uisko 300 and Uisko 200 series were used in the exercises. The displacement of the Watercat M11 boat is 10 tons, the power plant is diesel with a power of 660 hp. and a water cannon, lifting capacity 2.5 tons, speed when fully loaded up to 56 km/h. The Watercat M11 boat can be equipped with a 12.7 mm machine gun and a 40 mm grenade launcher. During the exercises, they practiced the conduct of combat operations by river forces, including as part of boat groups, interaction with units operating on the river banks, and the delivery of personnel to certain sections of the coast. Also used in the exercises were the Ukrainian small armored artillery boat of Project 58155 type “Gyurza-M” and the American landing boat SHERP the SHUTTLE.