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Focus - Analysis - Photo report
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A new wave of rumors and disputes about the third option of the tank combat support vehicle (BMPT) made it necessary to clarify the development trend of the hardware in the coming 5-10 years. The Izvestia daily writes why the vehicle is necessary and which missions it has to fulfil.
The Russian defense industry is facing two tasks because of the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty and subsequent Russian suspension of it. It has to create ground-based Kalibr cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 km and a hypersonic intermediate ballistic missile. The Izvestia writes how complicated the projects are and whether they can be fulfilled on time.
Nearly 40 Oregon Army National Guard soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, traveled to British Columbia, Canada, Jan. 24-28, 2019, to participate in the Westie Avalanche Exercise alongside the Royal Westminster Regiment (RWR), 39th Canadian Brigade Group (CBG). Sgt. 1st Class April Davis reports on the US Army's website.
The large-scale Israeli air raid on Syrian facilities on the night of January 21 is widely discussed by Russian and world media. Some experts hurried to describe it as a rout of the Syrian air defense and others said Russian air defense was routed in Syria. However photos and videos and satellite pictures provide a more objective picture, the Izvestia daily writes. This time, the Israeli aircraft selected both Iranian targets and air defense systems in Syria. The latter acquires experience and downs precision weapons. As a result, Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) attack was launched against it.
President Trump has warned Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro that a military action is an option in case he orders armed intimidation against self-declared Venezuelan ad interim president Guaidó and the Venezulan opposition. U.S. forces are preparing a possible intervention, starting namely from the Colombian soil, it seems. So, Maduro is sending his army, currently loyal to him, to that border.
The Field Artillery Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) implemented a new change to its capstone exercise, Red Leg War, giving students a more realistic experience before entering their respective units. Daniel Malta, Fort Sill Public Affairs, explains.
As explained by Joy Mitra on The Diplomat, on the heels of the first and the second nuclear ages, respectively shaped by bipolar nuclear competition and nuclear non-proliferation concerns, the dawn of a “third nuclear age,” a much-debated concept, seems incumbent with the world witnessing a renewed strategic competition between the three superpower states of the United States, Russia, and China. The United States also faces a nuclear rivalry with regional powers like North Korea, which continues to modernize its arsenal, and Iran, which could pursue an intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM).
North Korea has been operating at least 20 missile sites not reported — including one that serves as the headquarters for the military unit in charge of ballistic missiles, a new report details, echoed by Tom Squitieri on TMN.
The 2-million strong PLA, China's army, has cut the size of its ground forces by about 50 per cent but significantly boosted its navy and air force as part of an "unprecedented" strategic shift designed to transform the People's Liberation Army (PLA) into a comprehensive modern force, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported quoting a state-run Xinhua report. Shanghai-based military analyst Ni Lexiong said the overhaul marked a significant strategic shift from having a homeland-based defensive force to one with the capacity to allow Beijing to flex its muscles beyond its national borders and to protect its interests overseas.
In early 2016, several military districts used the 2S7M Malka 203 mm self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) after a long period of storage. The crews fired high-explosive fragmentation shells at a distance of some 25 km, using HE-Frag rounds.
With the Chinese military mounting new weapons and equipment in recent years such as Type 99A tanks and J-20 fighter jets, officers and soldiers were urged to develop new techniques and tactics to integrate with the new weapons systems, as reported by Liu Xuanzun in Global Times.
The operation in Syria has revealed some drawbacks of serially produced armored vehicles. In order to fix them, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) has intensified the development of upgraded platforms, including the T-90M and T-80BVM main battle tanks (MBTs). At the same time, the previously developed T-90A has demonstrated very high protection performance.
During the operations in Syria, the newest communications and reconnaissance systems, electronic warfare devices, and the Ratnik combat gear have been successfully tested. Both serially produced and advanced systems have been operated in combat, according to Russian officials.
As of early 2017, the Syrian governmental troops operated some Soviet-made BMP-1 and BMP-2 IFVs. The BMP-1 is supposed to be the backbone of the Syrian mechanized infantry.
As of early 2017, the tank inventory of the Syrian governmental troops comprised several types of main battle tanks (MBTs), including T-55A, T-55AMV, T-62, T-72AV, T-72, T-72B, and T-72M1. The exact number of the vehicles in service is still unknown; however, the Syrian Armed Forces operated some 2,500 MBTs, including 1,200 T-55s, 500 T-62s, no fewer than 700 T-72s, and 800 stored T-54 prior to the conflict. It was therefore T-55 that formed the backbone of the Syrian armor units. At present, the governmental troops intensively use upgraded T-55s, with part of them equipped with explosive reactive armor (ERA) tiles.
Civil unrest. Loss of communications. Narrow, congested roadways. No line of sight on the enemy. These are some of the conditions that shape the nature of fighting in dense urban areas now and into the future. But with technology and the world changing so rapidly, how will soldiers operate? What weapons and equipment will they carry? Audra Calloway reports on U.S. Army's website.
Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley has consistently stressed three priorities since he assumed the Army's top position in 2015: personnel readiness, training readiness, and equipment readiness.
When you think of the M1A2 Abrams and Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, stealth does not come to mind. They do not glide, they rumble. They do not avoid obstacles; they maneuver through them. They do not poke holes, they pulverize. The large, heavy metal vehicles evoke power and strength, but they require a crew and a master of its weapon systems to be lethal. Staff Sgt. Jennifer Bunn reports.
For the last three years, engineers and project officers from Marine Corps Systems Command have descended on the island of Oahu to put new technology to the test. Monique Randolph, MCSC Office of Public Affairs and Communication, Marine Corps Systems Command, reports.
On Monday, December 17, 2018, Czech defense ministry has announced the four candidates shortlisted for one of the biggest defense tender of the Czech Republic to acquire a new tracked armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The Czech Ministry of defense plans to replace old BVP-2 tracked armored IFV, a Soviet-made BMP-2 produced under license in Czech Republic.
From the military point of view, anti-satellite weapons negatively affect strategic stability, as the country which is the first to deploy them in space can control adversary access to the near-Earth orbits and impede the use of the main space communication, navigation and intelligence systems. All the agreements which deterred such developments are collapsing. The Military-Industrial Courier writes how Russia can respond.
