Militaryleak’s Post

New tech means defense outweighs offense. In a recent talk at the Ash Carter Exchange, Gen. James Rainey, head of the Army Futures Command, emphasized the strengthening role of defense over offense due to new technological advancements. This could significantly shift traditional military strategies, prioritizing long-range support weapons over direct offensive tactics. https://lnkd.in/dNtRvDjp Key Themes: Technological Impact on Defense: Enhanced defensive capabilities through advanced technologies. Shift in Combat Strategy: Moving from offense to support roles for infantry and tanks. Role of Networks: The critical importance of robust communication networks in modern warfare. Adoption of Unmanned Systems: Increased reliance on unmanned systems for both combat and logistics. Principal Arguments: Rainey argues that new technologies, especially unmanned systems and enhanced network capabilities, now necessitate a defensive posture that integrates long-range and precision weapons. This shift aims to adapt to modern combat challenges where traditional rapid assault tactics have become less effective. Data Insights: The use of drones and advanced reconnaissance in conflicts like Ukraine highlights the shift towards technologies that bolster defensive over offensive operations. Rainey points to the destruction of advanced Western systems by Russian forces as a key example of the changing dynamics. Conclusions and Recommendations: Gen. Rainey suggests intensifying the development of unmanned logistical support and strengthening network capabilities to maintain technological superiority. The future of military strategy appears to hinge on adapting to these technological shifts, with a strong emphasis on enhancing defensive capabilities and rethinking traditional offensive maneuvers. Takeaway: The future of warfare is evolving, with a clear shift towards integrating technological advancements in defense systems. Leadership must consider these changes to effectively prepare and adapt military strategies for the challenges ahead. #MilitaryStrategy #DefenseTechnology #UnmannedSystems #ArmyFuturesCommand #MilitaryLeadership #artillery #rockets #Drones #Loiteringmunitions #EW #BSS

Here are some thoughts about the advancement of infantry-type troops on future battlefields. Let's consider the expansion of the required spatial situation awareness for an individual trooper through the ages. In the pre-firearms era, foot soldiers generally fought in somewhat tight formations. A rank-and-file trooper had to observe only a planar sector before him. The threat was in front of a soldier. Archers posed a threat, but shields negated light long-range projectiles from above. As firearms emerged and became more advanced the formations spread, thus expanding the area of situation awareness. Minefields and boobytraps added a new dimension to that awareness. Now the loitering maneuverable drones pose a persisting threat from the above. For a targeted personnel it is not enough just to take cover unlike in the case of mortar and artillery shelling and bombing from traditional aircraft. A modern soldier has to observe the whole sphere around him, expediting a notable share of efforts at the cost of other activities. However, there is a solution to that problem. It is known that a combat-line soldier gets support from about ten auxiliary troopers. There is a new type of combat personnel, namely drone operators. They are unique as they work outside the operated vehicle in contrast to crews of armored vehicles and airplanes while delivering damage at a frontline. The operators also do not require dedicated vehicle compartments. This leads to a new paradigm of augmented control where one can crumple a few more remote crewmembers into a single-seated vehicle thus ideally permitting them to switch roles as circumstances dictate. The complexity of infantry battle gear turns a soldier into a vehicle in all but a name. So it is worth adding a personal remote operator to a support chain for the soldier to assess sensors and camera readings and share a cognitive load by advising on situation awareness.

September 26 in the Kharkiv region saw one of Ukraine's largest battles in recent weeks. According to available information and recordings, the Russians engaged about 50 various types of vehicles in the assault, yet they suffered a complete defeat. The recording of the failed Russian assault was published by, among others, Yuri Fedorenko, commander of the Achilles Battalion from the 92nd Independent Assault Brigade. This is one of the Ukrainian brigades operating in the Kupiansk direction. In this case, drones (both kamikaze and reusable drones dropping ammunition) were primarily used to repel the Russian attack. The operators of these drones very effectively struck Russian trucks, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), and BTR and MT-LB armored personnel carriers (APCs). Yuri Fedorenko reported that 14 Russian vehicles were completely destroyed. Another 26 units of the invaders' equipment were damaged. The list of Russian losses includes ATVs (all-terrain vehicles), Ural and UAZ trucks, as well as heavy armored equipment like tanks, BMP infantry fighting vehicles, and BTR and MT-LB armored personnel carriers. The Defence Romania portal highlighted that such large-scale attacks are now very rare in the war in Ukraine, mainly due to the battlefield's high transparency and the presence of many anti-tank forces, artillery, and drones. Most individual attacks are conducted using less equipment. In this case, the Russians primarily relied on older, Soviet-era weapons.

As a former Armor & Cavalry officer it pains me to read this, but important lesson for modern warfare: Eastern Ukraine CNN — Ukrainian crews working on US-supplied Abrams tanks have told CNN of a series of the weaknesses and flaws with the armored vehicles, calling into doubt their utility on the war’s ever-changing frontlines.   Crews trained in Germany said the vehicles – the US military’s main $10 million battle tank used in Iraq against Saddam Hussein’s forces and insurgents – lacked armor that could stop modern weapons.   “Its armor is not sufficient for this moment,” said one crew member, callsign Joker. “It doesn’t protect the crew. For real, today this is the war of drones. So now, when the tank rolls out, they always try to hit them.”   Much of the Ukrainian frontline is now dominated by the use of self-destructing attack drones, tiny and accurate devices that can swarm infantry and even cause significant damage to tanks. The advent of these so called First-Person Vision (FPV) drones, flown by soldiers wearing gaming goggles, has changed the nature of the war, limiting movement and introducing a new element of vulnerability to armored vehicles.   Ammunition is also a problem, like elsewhere on the Ukrainian frontline. They say they seem to have the wrong type for the fight they are in. “What we have is more for direct tank-to-tank fights, which happens very rarely,” Joker said. “Much more often we work as artillery. You need to take apart a tree-line or a building. We had a case when we fired 17 rounds into a house and it was still standing.”   The Ukrainian crew expressed frustration the tanks were made for a NATO style of warfare, in which air power and artillery prepare the battlefield before tanks and infantry advance. Kyiv has long bemoaned its lack of artillery and air power. #ukraine #warinukraine #greatpowercompetition #usarmy #technology #tanks #slavaukraini https://lnkd.in/dTa9cXHy

What BS, While Abrams not perfect, many of the claims by this guy don't add up. Well for 1, as a national security expert would know. Ukraine's M1 do not have the same armour package as US Abrams, that is they lack the depleted uranium armour and other additions US M1's have. 2. M1 not designed for this new warfare. Ukrainians are developing new additional armour like cope cages and Kontak ERA. 3. Ukrainians love their Western tanks because they are more comfortable, have better survivability even when hit and have much better night vision and fire control systems. The fact they are designed for tank on tank is well known. Clear RuSSian BS. Abrams not perfect but much better than Russian tanks.

AeroVironment (AV) was selected by the U.S. Marine Corps for the first phase of the Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) program of record. AV’s Switchblade 300 Block 20 loitering munition system (LMS) will provide the Marine Corps with organic, anti-armor/anti-personnel, precision fires capability at the tactical level. AV was awarded an initial order of $8.9M on a contract with a maximum potential value of $249M. AV’s Switchblade 300 Block 20 supports the OPF-L program’s request for an individually operated, man-portable loitering munition with a lightweight, precision-guided capability against beyond- line-of-sight adversaries. Switchblade 300 will ensure that Marines are properly equipped and sustained with a lethal, reliable, organic capability for rapid target engagement while minimizing collateral damage and exposure to threat weapon systems. #military #defense #defence #militaryleak https://lnkd.in/g-GaQBWR

𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙-𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟!    At Eurosatory 2024, HENSOLDT is presenting MUSS 2.0, a further development of our Multifunctional Self-Protection System. The system represents the next generation of the existing MUSS, which has already been integrated into the PUMA infantry fighting vehicle more than 350 times.    This latest generation of active protection systems (APS) for medium-weight armoured vehicles, self-propelled guns, artillery vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks, characterised by less weight and a smaller silhouette while at the same time increasing its capabilities.   Learn more about these improved capabilities at https://lnkd.in/epxW-emt #Eurosatory #MUSS #selfprotection #detectandprotect

Elbit Systems’ follow-on contract to supply Iron Fist Active Protection Systems (APS) for the U.S. Army’s Bradley M2A4E1 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) highlights the importance of advanced defense technologies in countering modern anti-tank threats like rockets, guided missiles, drones, and loitering munitions. By using radar and electro-optics to detect and intercept incoming attacks, the Iron Fist APS enhances vehicle survivability across both open and urban environments, contributing significantly to the modernization and resilience of U.S. armored forces.

The first Bell AH-1Z set to receive the Structural Improvement Electrical Power Upgrade (SIEPU) modification to be provided by Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc company, under a contract with the U.S. Marine Corps, has arrived at Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center. SIEPU modifications optimize the aircraft to improve mission capabilities, aircrew safety, and interoperability by increasing the electrical power capacity on the aircraft and support the integration of additional cabin capabilities. SIEPU marks the start of the next chapter in the life of domestic H-1 helicopters, following the completion of the U.S. Marine Corps Program of Record in November 2022. With SIEPU, H-1s will be able to upgrade to current weapons systems with next generation capabilities, including kinetic long-range munitions and air launched effects as well as new non-kinetic capabilities. #military #defense #defence #militaryleak https://lnkd.in/gbM3Edwc

Switchblade Loitering Munitions Get Major Funding from Pentagon ________________________________________ The U.S. Army has contracted AeroVironment for up to $990 million to supply Switchblade loitering munitions to its infantry battalions, as per a Pentagon announcement. The Defense Department has awarded a contract to provide dismounted infantry formations with an organic, stand-off capability to destroy tanks, light armored vehicles, hardened targets, defilade, and personnel targets. This contract fulfills the service's need for loitering munitions for infantry battalion soldiers. Switchblades are tube-launched munitions with small wings that unfold like a switchblade knife upon ejection and can operate like drones. They are designed to target and detonate upon impact. The Army has employed Switchblades for over a decade. Their successful use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Ukraine has highlighted their broader utility within the Army's own forces. Despite the higher cost, military drones are likely to see increased use due to the growing prevalence of anti-drone electronic warfare (EW). I predict that military drones will adopt an anti-EW role, paving the way for swarms of cheaper commercial drones to perform their tasks. The stand-off range and auto-targeting features are particularly valuable when waiting for hours for a target to appear, as it's challenging for operators to maintain focus for extended periods. The Switchblade 300 has a very small warhead, comparable to a 40mm grenade, with approximately 30 grams of explosives. In comparison, a typical frag grenade contains 150-200 grams of filler. The entire Switchblade 300 weighs 2.5 kilograms. The anti-tank Switchblade 600, on the other hand, is equipped with the 8500-gram tandem warhead from a Javelin missile, resulting in a total weight of 25 kilograms, ten times that of the Switchblade 300. It is possible that a Switchblade-type munition can be launched, directed to a specific coordinate, and then target a pre-programmed visual pattern of the intended target. In the presence of jamming, it's more advantageous to eliminate the source of the jamming signal. Jamming devices effectively broadcast their location, making them vulnerable to anti-radiation munitions. Either they continue to broadcast and face destruction or they cease operation, rendering them ineffective. Based on my analysis, when operating in a dense electronic warfare environment, some drones/loitering munitions relies on its time-of-flight (TOF) sensor to maintain ground contact and other inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors. To compensate for variations in ground height, these drones adjusts their dive altitude by "jumping" to the calculated height for effective target engagement. #drone #weapon #pentagon #military #technology #sensor #innovation #army #jamming #electronic