The War in the Ukraine

tankphobia said:

From hobbyist grade fpv gear you can probably squeeze 5km range out of those. Of course they are easy to jam, but jammers aren't everywhere and a HEAT warhead with impact fuse attached make them a very dangerous front line weapon. They are also very low cost running at <$500 each without the warhead.

Most important is the agility you can bring compared to other suicide drones, a good operator can hug the ground, zip through windows in buildings and work through treelines which makes them virtually impossible to kinetically intercept.

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I seriously doubt 5km. That's Mavic internals I'm seeing here and given the weight the range is even less. No indication of a stronger datalink and more powerful battery supply. You're talking about an operator and a drone that has to work within visual range. That's going to hit you with artillery spam if the enemy has thermals that can spot you through the bushes.


Ukrainian DRG caught on thermals trying to sneak in and artillery spammed.

Not saying this is one sided, the Russian DRGs get the same treatment too.

Adding a few things to not waste a post.

Ukrainian vehicles being hit by something. I suspect a hidden tank. Russians using drone assist with tanks.


The return of the Kh-29T. This is hitting a Ukrainian shelter or temp HQ in Zaporozhye.


Another Kh-29T strike in Zaporozhye.

Overbom said:

The upcoming Russian offensive will be on all fronts according to the former head of the Russian Air Defence Forces

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1619607193418088448

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1619607198921015296

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1619607206185541635

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This general is talking about a broad front escalation of what they are currently doing it seems.

This would be consistent with the opening of the battle of Vuledar and the slow but steady movement of Russian reinforcements to the Ukraine.

South of Bakhmut there are now 4 fortified zones.

A possibility I wager is that the Russian motor-rifle and armored units of their reserve army (250,000-200,000) gradually return.

Wagner cuts off the southern supply route, and eventually the Ukrainian command orders the retreat of the Bahkmut garrison.

The Bahkmut garrison pulls back into the Chasiv Yar area, defending the small city and the open country.

Perhaps Wagner will now be moved south, towards the fortified zones and employed with their 'special tactics' there to seize trench lines. In the Chasiv Yar front the Russian army's motor-rifle and armored units would take their place. The open ground is more appropriate for their deployment than it is for Wagner.

Eventually however the Russians have to take the fortified zones (Toresk, Adviika, past Marinka, Vulhedar), which appears to be quite difficult and requires a lot of resources that they haven't been willing to commit. Airpower, artillery, engineers, assault infantry with supporting armor.

Overbom said:

The upcoming Russian offensive will be on all fronts according to the former head of the Russian Air Defence Forces

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1619607193418088448

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1619607198921015296

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1619607206185541635

Click to expand...

Entire width of the front? From Kherson to Kharkov? What are they trying to do? Man would have thought that they by now learnt about schwepunkt... Especially it was the whole concept of Soviet Cold War doctrine.

What did Napoleon once said in similar situation: "Are they trying to stop smuggling?"

Russian drone operator with DJI M30T...

abc123 said:

When former Russian general think's that 7 km Russian progress is insignificant in comparison what the Red Army could in WW2- that's allright. But when I repeat that- that's mocking of Russia.
Obviously you have to be a Russian general to be allowed to mock Russia- presumably they have insider knowledge about the subject.

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You still insists on comparing 2 completely different geopolitical situations and context for no reason whatsoever other than to get a rise out of people.

It might have something to do with the limited training of their rebuilt formations (with reservists, commanded by professional-conscript cadre). Too untrained to risk 'deep battle' and bold maneuver. Instead they will rely on artillery, with reservist infantry and tank support per Russian army doctrine.

In WW2 the US did a broad front strategy too.

Also the current situation has Russia in the donbass facing several fortified zones that are currently not cleared. They have to clear these areas first or find a way to force the Ukrainians to leave.

Cult Icon said:

In WW2 the US did a broad front strategy too.

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Nobody claims that the US in WW2 was in a pinnacle of military tactics. Also, they were using huge disparity in military resources, something that Russia, competing with NATO-backed Ukraine, IMHO, has not. US could go relativly slowly, because they had time on it's side. Russia has no such luxury.

Cult Icon said:

Also the current situation has Russia in the donbass facing several fortified zones that are currently not cleared.

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Indeed they do. So, the smart thing is to bore down into these zones, and spending as much lives and equipment as necesarry or maybe, just maybe, try to somehow bypass them? Attack somewhere else, where your enemy isn't so strong?

abc123 said:

Entire width of the front? From Kherson to Kharkov? What are they trying to do? Man would have thought that they by now learnt about schwepunkt... Especially it was the whole concept of Soviet Cold War doctrine.

What did Napoleon once said in similar situation: "Are they trying to stop smuggling?"

When former Russian general think's that 7 km Russian progress is insignificant in comparison what the Red Army could in WW2- that's allright. But when I repeat that- that's mocking of Russia.
Obviously you have to be a Russian general to be allowed to mock Russia- presumably they have insider knowledge about the subject.

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WW2? How is this like WW2? This is more like WW1 when defensive technology, during then was the advent of the machine gun and modern artillery, made obsolete the predominant mobile offensive formation for the last two millennium of so, which is the cavalry.

In this case, the tank is teetering on the edge of obsolescence in concept, by drones, ATGMs, and guided artillery. See all those trenches? Mines? See what happens to tank that runs over mines?

This isn't WW2. Blitzkrieg is now an obsolete idea. We now have a type of warfare that requires that you operate under a real time ISR bubble from a combination of satellite and various levels of UAV right down to Mavic quadcopters. Just like WW1 introduced the first observation aircraft, we have our parallels with drones. Your tanks cannot go past this bubble without air, drone, infantry and artillery support. You have to creep this entire bubble forward and conflict results when your bubble meets the other guy's bubble.

abc123 said:

Indeed they do. So, the smart thing is to bore down into these zones, and spending as much lives and equipment as necesarry or maybe, just maybe, try to somehow bypass them? Attack somewhere else, where your enemy isn't so strong?

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The Ukrainian general staff believes that the Russian offensive will not be a 'broad front' offensive but come from the Luhansk Oblast.

This offensive would occur in the spring or early summer, after the Russian reserve army completes its training. They think the reserve army is in the region of 200,000 men.

So it is an offensive towards the northern and central Donbass.

Lyman will be recaptured, and then Russia will try to take everything in the DPR.

Z-Oblast would be ignored.

In my opinion- the best way is to outflank the fortified zones and threaten Ukrainian ground lines of communication until they have to pull out of Adviika, Torestk, Marinka front, Vuhledar.

This would only be possible through a concentrated offensive from the South.

So now that the Vuhledar front is opened up, we will see if the Russians pursue this strategy.

Tam said:

I seriously doubt 5km. That's Mavic internals I'm seeing here and given the weight the range is even less. No indication of a stronger datalink and more powerful battery supply. You're talking about an operator and a drone that has to work within visual range. That's going to hit you with artillery spam if the enemy has thermals that can spot you through the bushes.

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Why not 5km? All it needs to do is a one way trip with little regard for waste since they are so cheap, it only needs to maintain 30km/hr to easily reach 5km within the 15 odd minutes you'll get out of one of those with a normal racing fpv sized batteries. That of course is limited by their radio gear which is reusable other than what's on the UAV itself.

You have to understand that DJI drones aren't purpose built to be fast or carry heavy loads, they're primarily used to provide a stabilised camera platform with a lot of QOL elements that would be useless on a racing fpv UAV.

The only weakness for those purpose built drones would be jamming , which would also affect the Russian''s own UAV operations.