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Beer

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Everything posted by Beer

  1. Beer
    Well, that means a gigantic development cost and roughly twenty years of development for a platform which brings no game changing advantage over the existing design because its main and only real advantage (being stealthy) is of no use when it carries missiles which can be fired from 2-5 tkm away. I don't get why that is a better idea, sorry. The Tu-160 is here today, it can do the job and it can be built today, not in ten or twenty years.
  2. Beer
    Among the footage which emerges every day there is this video of a Mi-17 being shot down. Allegedly Azeri one. It looks like there is one parachute opened. Beware of very loud music!
  3. Beer
    You don't seem to get the point. Tu-160 carries big missiles with minimum range of 2500 km. The nuclear ones have range of 4500 km. It doesn't need to be stealthy at all. Its speed makes a lot of sense because if it is caught on OTH early warning radar at around 2000-3000 km from the US coast it can launch the salvo (12x X-101/102 really isn't a small payload), set the afterburner and disappear before anything can reach it. Let's say that Russia has a dozen of B-2 today. Can they launch an attack on let's say the industrial areas around the Great lakes tomorrow and hope for the planes to return back? I doubt so. Even with JASSM-ER they would need to get over populated parts of Canada and they would need to refuel over Canada. B-2 might be stealthy but the tanker definitely isn't so the AD would be allerted and since B-2 is slow USAF would probably be able to find them and hunt them. Can Tu-160 do that? Probably can because it can launch the misiles somewhere over Hudson straight or Southampton island. Also dozen of them can carry 144 such missiles.
  4. Beer
    IMHO it's exactly opposite. For what is subsonic stealth bomber better? Does anyone really wants to send a super precious strategic bomber to penetrate an air defence of a state equipped better than Zimbabwe in next thirty years? IMHO in the near future stealth strike aircraft makes sense if it's a squadron of UAVs, not a big-ass super expensive bomber. For bombing Zimbabwe you don't need strategic bombers anyway. Those are for dealing with well equipped and well prepared peer or near-peer enemies. IMHO it's better to use the strategic bomber as a fast long-range missile platform which can strike from basically anywhere over the oceans or arctic and which can not be realistically intercepted if the mission is properly planned because it can launch its payload thousand of kilometers away from the target. Even if it is detected by OVH radar it will be still so far away that nothing can reach it in time (plus I think that US doesn't have OTH radar coverage over Canada, Greenland and arctic).
  5. Beer
    Nothing is unjamable in a puristic point of view. What Looser meant is at least theoretically possible. If the launcher doesn't see the target, it can not guide the missile and the way how signal is transported to the missile is then irrelevant. It means that if the dazzler can blind the launcher platform than a missile without own seeker can't hit the target either. I'm not knowledgeable enough if systems like Vitebsk or President-S are able of that. Anyway very small percentage of active airfleets around the world has any sort of similar countermeasures. Sosna or RBS-70 definitely don't suffer with fast planes. Sosna officially can engage targets with speed up to 600 m/s (on approach I guess) which is definitely more than what the target is capable of within the envelope of the SAM system. For reference that is 2x higher engageable target speed than for Igla-S. Bolide (the latest missile from RBS-70) is able of 25G maneuvering. To be honest I'm hesitating about the choice of laser beam guided missiles for a MOBILE frontline SHORAD too. The problem is what Looser correctly points out - the launcher platform has to see the target all the time but a mobile system travellling with the frontline troops doesn't have a luxury to choose it's location at the time of action. It makes sense to place such system on the mountains or hills but if it travels with convoys who naturally try to hide themselves (in forest areas etc. rather than in the open) the system capabilities are seriously degraded.
  6. Beer
    This must be the most funny looking wessel ever
  7. Beer
    US Apache seen through a HUD of Russian Mi-35M.
  8. Beer
    I'm not sure about the countermeasures but for sure system like Sosna doesn't bring a major quality leap over let's say Tunguska. It's an evolution but not a revolution. If we take the current NKR war as a possible scenario than Sosna fails to intercept TB2 drones just like the half century old Osa simply because TB2 flies outside of its envelope even when Sosna stays undetected (TB2 flies too high). Systems like Sosna become really dangerous when the air "traffic" is forced to fly low. And that is by having those "obsolete" long range systems which clean the high altitudes and/or capable airfoce. I.e. everything has its place in a system and can not be taken out into an empty space and judged there. Comparing long range SAM systems (moreover with ABM capability) with frontline SHORAD is complete nonsense. This is the Canadian made Wescam MX-15 optical system from TB2. According to the video it is able to to detect vehicles at a range of 57 km in IR!
  9. Beer
    Your comparison of apples and oranges makes no sense.
  10. Beer
    During my hiking trips I found this place. It used to be a standby communication bunker for the state of war. It's located under a low but rather steep cliff in the forest south of Kladno city, west of Prague. The facility was used between 1950' till 2002 when it was abandoned. Now it's deserted and used by some hobos. It's one large two-storey concrete bunker, several service buildings, small vehicle park and several pillboxes around. The main bunker One of the pillboxes A single hangar of the small vehicle park
  11. Beer
    On my trips around the country I found this perfectly preserved (although in strange camo colors) unusual light object which is AFAIK the only one of its type. Normally the light objects were all standardized in several types. It's part of the inner so-called Prague line near Kladno city, west of Prague. The object was placed under a road berm just behind a bridge over a small creek. Front side Rear side View towards the comming enemy. The road coppies a ridge on the right side (the defence line) and comes from a tight left-hand turn directly in front of the front fire port of this bunker (for LMG Vz.26). View from the enemy's point of view from a place where they could first see the bunker.
  12. Beer
    This photo brings me some personal memories. It was in 1998 I think. As a child I was on a school visit to the Čáslav airbase. That day there was a farewell ceremony for the MiG-23 and as far as I remember the pilots were rather sad because the only supersonic birds which were left for them were the old MiG-21 and it would still take more than six years for the Gripens to replace them. They had a lot of accidents with MiG-23 which they nicknamed "Crate" and lost some friends piloting them (it's fair to say that in the 90' most of the accidents were related to the general lack of order in the airforce) but still they knew it was a much more modern plane than what was now left for them. As far as I remember the main reason for decomissioning them was not the commonly named lack of spare parts but the fact they crashed all two-seaters (the last one was lost in April 1998). The bird on the photo was one of the last two operational ones (and the one on display during that my school visit in 1998). Today it's placed near now demilitarized České Budějovice airfield as a part of a larger memorial site. As a note. This photo comes not from the ČSLA era but definitely from the 90'.
  13. Beer
    Next batch... Děčín city and Labe (Elbe) river valey viewed from Sněžník mountain, north-western border with Germany. Teplice city and České středohoří mountain range viewed from Komáří Vížka peak on the north-western border with Germany. Not the best weather for taking photos with phone... Forests near Kladno city, west of Prague. View towards Brdy highland. Labe (Elbe) river valey ner the German border in rather bad weather. Same place, view to the south-west towards Kletečná mountain. Sometimes you spend the whole day in fog and rain and than comes this. One October evening just few kilometers away from the previous place.
  14. Beer
    Some proper steampunk weirdness.
  15. Beer
    In the 80' and beginning of 90' there was a serious domestic SPAAG development (STROP I and II) but it didn't resulted in serial production (for the reason of the new political and economical reality). I posted more info about STROP II here. Our army kept using a lot of AAA till the beginning of 90'. It was not only the Soviet S-60 (180 pieces) but also our own 57 mm guns vz. ČS (R10 - which is the gun mounted on that T-34 based demonstrator) (219 pieces). Both were able to operate in bad weather using radar guidance. Aside of that by the beginning of 90' we still had around 700 (!) PLDvK vz.53/59 self-propelled 30 mm AAA (30x211 ammo) but those were able to fire only in good weather and in manual fire mode. The towed PLDvK vz.53 were mostly moved to reserve in late 70'. Our western and southern border (on the iron curtain) is all created by low mountains and it was expected to be crossed by low flying aircraft and cruise missiles. Therefore I think that the massive AAA numbers were mainly intended to counter this threat.
  16. Beer
    To be honest I have no idea. AFAIK ČSLA was the only WARPAC army not addopting Shilka but why is certainly a good question. We had one or two pieces but they were used only for training purposes.
  17. Beer
    It was basically just a demonstrator of T-34 armed with R10 dual-purpose gun which was refused in 1953 for many issues - the chassis was too small for the crew (six men) and ammo (a cart with additional ammo was needed, overall it was 200+200 rounds), the system was considered way too high and the opened turret was considered unsatifactory for a front line vehicle as well. Also the armor was considered too weak (the turret could withstand 12,7 mm ammo) but stronger armor meant less main gun ammo. Another demonstrator again on T-34 chassis followed in 1955 but was again refused. In the end the army addopted the well known PLDvK vz.53/59.
  18. Beer
    According to what I read on our websites the ammo is compatible but the belts and feed mechanisms are not, i.e. it's not possible to take Bushmaster II ammo belts and use them in MK-30/2 equipped vehicles and vice versa.
  19. Beer
    Dana has maximum 5 rpm, and sustained 4 rpm. And yes, I know the video. Also the video of Msta-S
  20. Beer
    KrAZ is probably indeed dead. I saw some time a go somewhere that they produced something like ten trucks in the last year. Same applies for the Artem company producing 155 mm ammo. They went bankrupt according to the media reports. Regarding the rate of fire, there is no more information what was the specific task calculated. For sure they counted not only the simple fire alone. Otherwise of course also Dana M2 can fire many more ammo as well (for six vehicles it's 216 ready rounds in 9 minutes).
  21. Beer
    LOM Prague will conduct another and quite large modernisation of all 15 Mi-171Š of Czech air force (they were already modernised step by step before, mainly in terms of NATO equipment). These helicopters are from 2006-2007 when they were delivered from Russia as a payment for the interstate debt. They will serve at least till 2035. The helicopters will receive new navigation systems, transponders, cockpit displays, communication equipment and some more modifications for better EW resistance etc. Three helicopters will receive lighter ballistic pannels and one will receive new MEDEVAC equipment. https://www.czdefence.cz/clanek/ministerstvo-obrany-a-lom-praha-uzavrely-smlouvu-na-modernizaci-vrtulniku-mi-171
  22. Beer
    Additional information about Dana M2 for Ukraine. The article quotes ukrainean sources including official military standards and the MOD deputy. https://www.armadninoviny.cz/houfnice-dana-m2-nasazeni-na-ukrajine-do-deseti-hodin.html In short. For guaranteed destruction of a point target by unguided ammo at a range of 20 km it is statistically needed 540 rounds (with CEP50 being 130 meters at 20 km - and 460 meters at 40 km). For 2S3 or D20 it is even more because they need rocket assisted round to reach such distance and that is said to be 25% less accurate (675 rounds needed). They compared time needed to fire 90 rounds on the target by a battery of six guns. According to the article it is 45 minutes for 2S3 Akaciya, 35 minutes for 2S19 Msta-S and 25 minutes for Dana M2. Then they compare price of a given task (the said destruction of point target at 20 km) by ammunition produced in Ukraine (explicitely stated that imported ammo is up to twice more expensive). The result of the calculation was 675 thousand USD for 2S3, 620 thousand for 2S19 and 615 thousand for Dana M2. The Ukrainean media also states that the fire-data from the new Dana M2 FCS are around 30-35% more accurate than for the 2S19 in service. They also state that the main advantage of Dana M2 is its operational and strategical mobility. They say it is able to reach on its own any place in Ukraine in 10 hours which is completely impossible with tracked vehicles. The MOD deputy also confirms that currently Ukraine isn't able to produce 155 mm ammo hence why such guns are at the moment out of question but the development of 155 mm SPH Bogdana nevertheless continues. The last and very interesting although unconfirmed information is that part of the production will be done entirely in Ukraine and that Ukraine will probably buy also a license for Tatra trucks production.
  23. Beer
    There is similar discussion ongoing here in CZ. The reason is we have Bushmaster II on Pandurs and from logistical point of view the Rheinmetall MK-30/2 simply is a problem and it makes no sense to pretend it is not.
  24. Beer
    Some historical but relevant stuff. What could have been but was not. In Lešany museum near Prague you can find a prototype of Czechoslovak SPAAG Strop II. This system placed on a modified Dana chassis was being developed during late 80' and early 90' but ended with the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. I'm posting it because it had a completely unique targeting system which is IMHO still relevant for the future because it was completely passive. It combined passive radioelectronic locators with optical guidance. It had two passive locators, one for survilance (PRUS-P), the other for targeting which was used to direct the optical channel towards the target (PRUS-Z). The passive locators also worked as a passive IFF (there was active IFF as well). The system had only daylight channel but it was meant to be updated later. The system was armed with 2A38 autocannon and Igla-1 missiles (both for standardization with the WARPAC armies at the time when the development started). It could not fire on the move but just like the night channel this feature was planned to be added later. Photo is my own (many more in the linked article).
  25. Beer
    Our army uses interesting combo in this role. It's the SAAB RBS-70/70 NG V-SHORAD missile system combined with light 2D Retia ReVISOR digital radar (equipped with IFF). The radar can be placed up to 20 km away from widespread launchers and has around 30 km effective range (less for small UAV). It can be operated with the crew being hidden outside of the radar and it's integrated in our AD system. The antena rotates in two modes either 30 or 45 rpm. The system was tested to succesfully engage small UAVs in NATO excercises in Baltics (with the old-gen RBS-70 at that time). RBS-70/70 NG with the new Bolide missile has 9000 meters range and 5000 meters ceilling. Of course the missiles are more expensive than the SPAAG ammo but it has reasonable range advantage. I don't know if these laser-guided missiles are cheaper than the IR/UV ones but I guess they should be.
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