"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (4 Viewers)

[Thumpalumpacus]

Real reports from the front do not praise anything

Tendar (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image Pro-Russian sources confirm that all attempts to dislodge the Ukrainian troops from the Antonovsky bridgehead failed. They also admit that the situation is becoming a serious concern. #Ukraine #Kherson #Counteroffensive

newsie.social

One instance where I'm glad to be wrong.

 

[RogerdeLluria]

Some Ukraine commentators are migrating out of Twitter to other platforms. I just found these two that I followed on Twitter.

OSINTtechnical (@[email protected])

40 Posts, 158 Following, 20.6K Followers · Open Source Intelligence Specialist with CNA. Standard spiel about not endorsing retweets, my views/freezing cold takes are my own.

mstdn.social

Tendar (@[email protected])

1.01K Posts, 13 Following, 10.5K Followers · Tyrants are my enemies | Si vis pacem para bellum |🇩🇪| Das Böse triumphiert allein dadurch, dass gute Menschen nichts unternehmen | Reporting on Ukraine, Syria and the Balkans. | I don't grow up, I just grow old.

newsie.social

If folks here find others, please let us know.

Thanks I was following those too. But with the last constrains the more I can follow in other platforms the better.

Engineers yesterday @ twitter

 

[RogerdeLluria]

Ukraine MOD announcing stormy weather this summer in Crimea beaches.


View: https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1675520563073220610

 

[RogerdeLluria]

Interesting summary of the Ukrainian offensive

Weekend Update #35

The counteroffensive: Its not slow, its not fast, it is what it is; This phase seems to show the dominance of Artillery/MLRS and UAVs; Always remember domestic politics

phillipspobrien.substack.com

 

[Glider]

I admit to not being surprised by this report on the AMX10RC. However I did expect the armour to be sufficient to deal with shrapnel.

Source The Guardian

A Ukrainian commander has claimed the highly mobile French AMX-10 RC infantry fighting vehicles – sometimes described as light tanks – are "impractical" for frontline attacks, claiming one four-man crew has already died because of the vehicle's thin armour.

President Zelenskiy of Ukraine thanked France's President Macron for sending light combat tanks to Kyiv, and Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine's defence minister, was filmed riding in one.

Kyiv said in April that the French vehicles – designed for armed reconnaissance and attacks on enemy tanks – were already in service.

But AFP reports that a 34-year-old battalion commander within the 37th Marine Brigade, who uses the call sign Spartanets, said the tanks' "thin armour" means they can be used as fire support, but not in frontline assaults.

"Unfortunately, there was one case when the crew died in the vehicle," the major told AFP.

"There was artillery shelling and a shell exploded near the vehicle, the fragments pierced the armour and the ammunition set detonated." The crew of four inside were all killed, he said.

"The guns are good, the observation devices are very good. But unfortunately there is thin armour and it is impractical to use them in the front line (attack)," Spartanets said.

The battalion commander reportedly compared the French-built vehicles unfavourably with MRAP-type armoured vehicles such as the US's Oshkosh and Britain's Husky, which he said could resist a direct strike by rocket-propelled grenades.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

They're recon vehicles, they shouldn't be an active part of an assault anyway.

 

[Frog]

They're recon vehicles, they shouldn't be an active part of an assault anyway.

It has never be conceived to be a front line attack vehicle.
And once and for all, it is not a light tank. A tank has tracks, period.

 

[GTX]

No, as we have already seen, several EU based manufacturers are already teaming up with Ukraine.

Rebuilding Ukraine's infrastructure will be a joint effort via the EU, UK and U.S. - bridges, buildings, dams, power grid, roads and so on are going to be a priority.
This means companies will be on the list to bid for contracts and again, what has China offered Ukraine that the above mentioned has not?

The short answer is absolutely zero.

We can see clearly that Ukraine is not stupid, they know who their friends and allies are. This would hold true in war as in peace and I can be fairly sure that when this war is over and China approaches Ukraine with all sorts of deals and concessions, their answer will be the same as Ukraine gave Russia in the opening days of the war:
"Chinese ship, go f**k yourself"

I hope you are right

 

[GTX]

The Ongoing Ukrainian Offensives

A Steady, if not Rapid, Progression

mickryan.substack.com

 

[GTX]

The volunteers striving to save Ukraine's history amid war

Historical sites have become another type of battlefield in Russia's war, as volunteers battle to preserve Ukrainian identity for future generations.

www.abc.net.au

 

[GTX]

Russia deploys rare armored vehicles to Ukraine

A rare Russian armored vehicle has been photographed in southeastern Ukraine near the current front lines. The influential Voyennyy Osvedomitel Telegram channel claims KAMAZ-43269, also known as the BPM-97 Vystrel, was spotted in Ukraine. The vehicle is being manufactured at Kamaz’s Remdizel...

defence-blog.com

 

[GTX]

Ukraine sends Turkish-made Cobra II vehicles to the frontline

Ukrainian Armed Forces reportedly have deployed its Turkish-supplied Cobra II armored vehicles to the frontline. Several Turkish-made vehicles have been photographed in the Kharkiv region. First unveiled at IDEF 2013, the Cobra II is a more heavily armored successor to the Cobra. The Cobra II...

defence-blog.com

 

[Glider]

They're recon vehicles, they shouldn't be an active part of an assault anyway.

A recon vehicle doesn't need a 105mm gun. I think it has tried to be almost everything and is likely to be master of none. It has excellent sensors, a powerful gun, but once you put a 105mm on a fighting vehicle, then someone is going to want to use that gun.

When you use it and give away your position, you realise that you are in a big target with next to no armour and the enemy are going to fire back.

I have never been a fan of the concept of the AMX10RC but whatever the theory and irrespective of everyone's thoughts, I would have expected it to take shrapnel from artillery. That I did find disappointing.

 

[Denniss]

Reminds me of the german SdKfz 234/2 - an excellent recon platform with too big of a gun. That made commanders overconfident of the vehicle's offensive capabilities.

 

[GTX]

 

[GTX]

View: https://youtu.be/XBgD2Av7P3g

 

[Jabberwocky]

A recon vehicle doesn't need a 105mm gun. I think it has tried to be almost everything and is likely to be master of none. It has excellent sensors, a powerful gun, but once you put a 105mm on a fighting vehicle, then someone is going to want to use that gun.

When you use it and give away your position, you realise that you are in a big target with next to no armour and the enemy are going to fire back.

I have never been a fan of the concept of the AMX10RC but whatever the theory and irrespective of everyone's thoughts, I would have expected it to take shrapnel from artillery. That I did find disappointing.

The'AMX-10RC is part of a long line of French armoured cars with tank sized main cannon that date back to before WW2. The French have always done things their own way, and their light armoured units fit their particular doctrine (there's a chicken-egg argument about doctrine and systems there though).

Their armoured cars have roles that are not only recon, but battlefield and flanks/rear area security and rapid reaction (both offensive and defensive). A little similar to the US WW2 concept of tank destroyers - something fast and light that can kill anything it might encounter on the battlefield.

You can argue that there are better weapon systems to put on a 12-16 tonne vehicle to fill that role, but remember this as well - wheeled vehicles are cheap to make and operate when compared to tracked vehicles, and cannons are cheap compared to missiles. The AMX-10 and its predecessors were designed just as much for 'colonial' and internal security duties as they were for battlefield duties.

It's much cheaper and easier to deploy an armoured car to a hot spot in Africa (or indeed, Lyon or Paris) than for a tank or a tracked vehicle of equivalent size and weight.

 

[Admiral Beez]

A recon vehicle doesn't need a 105mm gun. I think it has tried to be almost everything and is likely to be master of none. It has excellent sensors, a powerful gun, but once you put a 105mm on a fighting vehicle, then someone is going to want to use that gun.

Your note reminded me of the folly of the battlecruiser. No matter the eggshell armour and high mobility, once you field battleship size guns there will be those who want to use it like a battleship. Maybe that's why the British never made anything larger than their 75mm armed FV601 Saladin.

The'AMX-10RC is part of a long line of French armoured cars with tank sized main cannon that date back to before WW2. The French have always done things their own way

It's not just the French putting tank-sized guns on armoured cars. For example, the USA's M1128 Mobile Gun System, South Africa's Rooikat, Italy's Centauro, Finland's Patria, Belgium's Cockerill, Portugal's Pandur, Taiwan's CM-32 Clouded Leopard, China's ZTL-11, and Japan's new Type 16 tank destroyer are all armed with 105mm guns.

The Centauro also has a later variant with a low pressure version of the same 120mm gun found in the Leopard 2 and Abrams. See link below.

Centauro II MGS 120 mm 105mm anti-tank 8x8 armored vehicle data

Centauro 2 II MGS 120 mm 105mm anti-tank 8x8 armored vehicle Italy technical data fact sheet pictures video

www.armyrecognition.com

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

It has never be conceived to be a front line attack vehicle.
And once and for all, it is not a light tank. A tank has tracks, period.

If you're breaking through lines, you want good infantry backed up by some solid tanks or assault guns, topped out with arty/air suppression. The stuff has to either have heavy armor, the ability to go to ground immediately, or the distance to be safe that way.

Recon vehicles lack all requisites. They're still useful: pull up, sit still, engage sensors, and withdraw ASAP if spotted.

If you have recon assets in an assault force supported by surveillance drones, keep them in the back until a penetration is made, and then send them forward for the immediate securing of the area. At best, in this age of drones, they're exploitation forces.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I have never been a fan of the concept of the AMX10RC but whatever the theory and irrespective of everyone's thoughts, I would have expected it to take shrapnel from artillery. That I did find disappointing.

Both armored vehicles and battleships work on the triad-trade-off of speed vs armor vs firepower. Given the mission of a recon vehicle, speed must needs be first. I think armor ought to be second, myself, because dead units don't report. Gunfire is bad if you're scouting or spying. You're not there to kill things. As my step-dad, a recon Marine in Vietnam, once told me, "our job was to snoop and poop".

A recon troop getting into a full-on assault is not being used well, imo. Recon to him was about not being seen, spotted, or engaged. While he was foot and not mechanized, I don't see that the principle is different, except that mech recon can be used to exploit a breakthrough, in some cases.