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ZenithA's avatar

Dear Don, thank you! Regarding shaped charge (actually EFT) usage video against spaced armour. I think it is quite significant, just to mention a few things. All of current tank protection is built in spaced layers, and that is to protect against shaped charge which is a stream of molten metal, that loses it's potential quite fast with distance. Unlike shaped charge, EFP is a piece of copper that stays below melting temp, and stays intact flying with super high speed. Basically NLAW warhead is built on this principle, and it is just a very current engineering. I could not find the video of that warhead and it's test now, but basically it is quite large can, with copper lid looking down. And magnetic detonator. So I would say UA have now fully caught up with that development, with them having effective EFPs, and magnetic detonators as in for example PTM-3 equivalents that Magyar birds are producing. That is pretty serious advanced technology.

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Donald Hill's avatar

Magyar's first production of mines were effective on explosive power alone. This should make them even more deadly.

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JG's avatar

That's particularly frustrating regards the defensive positions 🤦🏼‍♂️. Need to grab every advantage!

Hopefully someone is paying attention and looking to avoid this in the future.

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Martin Belderson's avatar

Sigh. It really should not be this hard to build good positions. Aren't there enough experienced but partially disabled veterans who could supervise construction?

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Jan 13Edited
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Martin Belderson's avatar

LOL. He does like to exaggerate. Most military analysts seem to think 2026 is more likely. Maybe Ukraine should try to get General Surovikin to defect. Now he's been exiled to a desk job for daring to be competent at building defensive lines, he might be interested in repeating the feat.

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Jan 15Edited
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Cliff Pennalligen's avatar

We have discussed it on the last update and I am inclined to agree. The pressure is not enough. If the war is to end via economics, we need to see, so to speak, people running around in Moscow with their hands in the air shouting at each other.

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Denys's avatar

Nobody is going to invite them

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Marmot's avatar

A classic soviet kind of arrogance.

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Denys's avatar

Or indifference

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Rex Cajanding's avatar

I have never understood why they gave the job of building defensive positions to a government bureau. I can understand if combat engineers and officers were leading it but from the looks of things it just opened up a means for contractors to get government money without really doing something right in terms of defense.

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Donald Hill's avatar

Many in the ZSU have wondered the same thing.

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RSentongo's avatar

Thank you so much for this very interesting about the trenches and how poorly built they are

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Anyone's avatar

Would definitely like to comment on the defensive part illustrated but I feel that I’m not getting full picture here with fields of fire, elevation, mine fields, who was in charge of what, plans and executions, big picture etc. It simply looks as a battalion (-) just moved in, sat down and dug-in where it was as a forward element, completely ‘detached’ from anyone else. No demarcation lines (too small area but anyway), no comm, no nothing.

Vaguely, it might show that there seems not to be any planning in as coordinating things in to a defensive sector, something that is coordinated with adjacent units (and higher command). This might sound a little bit odd but in my tactical vision I miss a small grey Preussian dude with a Kübelwagen and binoculars moving along the area of the defense showing directions and taking notes with the commanders assigned to the sector, you know, laying out the details, LOC’s etc. Someone who is in charge.

On the other hand with all sattelites, RU glide-bombs, artillery, drones and infected morale issues, I have no idea what a defensive position really looks like nowadays.

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