On 12/19/2022 at 5:41 PM, Mlodj said:

It's an IFV, not a tank. In any event, the readiness of Germany's military is pathetic.

 

 

Germany and manufacturing equipment with ish transmissions.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

Russia’s defense chief proposes re-establishing Moscow, Leningrad military districts

Quote

MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Two strategic territorial formations, the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts, need to be re-established in the Russian Armed Forces, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at this year’s final Defense Ministry board meeting with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

"Considering NATO’s plans to beef up its military potential near the Russian borders and to expand the North Atlantic alliance by admitting Finland and Sweden … two multiservice strategic territorial formations, the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts, need to be established," Shoigu said.

The Russian defense chief also pointed to the need to improve the structure of military branches of the Russian Armed Forces and raise responsibility of operational military commands for training and employing large units and armies.

Shoigu proposed re-establishing the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts and setting up ten new divisions: five artillery, two air assault and three motorized infantry formations (with two of the latter to be stationed in the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions).

The existing brigades will be used as the basis for deploying another seven motorized infantry and five marine infantry divisions, the defense minister said.

Shoigu also spoke for setting up three operational commands of aviation divisions, one fighter and eight bomber aviation regiments and six army aviation brigades in the Russian Aerospace Forces. Each combined arms army and tank army should have a composite aviation division and an army aviation brigade of 80-100 combat helicopters, he said.

Putin backed the defense chief’s proposals. He assured that the Russian Armed Forces would be developing "calmly, rhythmically, without any haste and persistently" while the country would not repeat mistakes of the past. "We will not engage in militarization of the country and militarization of the economy," he stressed.

Russia’s special military operation
On February 21, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions as of the beginning of 2014.

Russian President Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance, he had decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.

From September 23 to September 27, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic as well as the Kherson Region and the Zaporozhye Region held a referendum where the majority of voters opted to join Russia.

On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the DPR, the LPR, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions signed treaties on their accession to Russia. Later, the State Duma and the Federation Council (the lower and upper houses of Russia’s parliament) approved legislation on ratifying these treaties, as well as federal constitutional laws on the accession of the four regions to Russia.

Part of a plan to increase Russia's standing military by 30% up to 1.5mil..

Jacinda's got it going on.

13 hours ago, Bill said:

Germany and manufacturing equipment with ish transmissions.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Don’t drive German cars, do you?

9 hours ago, Mlodj said:

 

The Hungarians have had some success in reversing these trends through incentives in the tax code.

Married and have 4 kids? No income tax for life.

7 hours ago, TEW said:

Don’t drive German cars, do you?

Don't drive German tanks, do you?

You know things are changing when the Canuckians start spending money on defense.

 

Quote

OTTAWA — The war in Ukraine has identified critical gaps in the Canadian Army's ability to fight and survive on the battlefield, leading to an unanticipated rush to buy new military equipment.  In an interview with The Canadian Press, Canadian Army commander Lt.-Gen. Joe Paul said that includes anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles as well as systems to protect against drones.  The Army is also hoping to purchase the types of long-range, precision missile systems that have given Ukrainian forces a distinct advantage over their Russian foes, and state-of-the-art command-and-control technology.   "These are the capabilities that are making a difference right now in Ukraine," Paul said. "We have paid a lot of attention to that right now."

The new weapon systems the Army is hurrying to purchase were not included in the Liberal government's defence policy when it was released five years ago.  But Paul said the Canadian Armed Forces has studied the fighting in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, launching Europe's largest war in generations. As a result, the Army has identified deficiencies in its equipment, including the need for weapons to defend against traditional threats like tanks and aircraft ⁠— and new threats such as drones.  "I'm moving forward on these three programs to satisfy my really immediate needs," Paul said.

Not all of the gaps are a complete surprise. For example, the Army has repeatedly warned that it needs weapons and other defences to protect Canadian troops from air attack. But while there have been plans to buy a new system for years, little has happened.  There is now a sense of urgency, particularly as the Army prepares to send hundreds more soldiers to Latvia to shore up a Canadian-led NATO battle group designed to help protect eastern Europe in the event of a broader war with Russia.

While details on the planned reinforcement are still up for discussion, Canada has committed to acquiring and deploying anti-tank weapons, counter-drone and air defence systems, ammunition and explosives as part of that effort.  Paul indicated the Army is looking to buy portable anti-aircraft missiles as a first step toward addressing the broader need to protect against air attack, while working on a more comprehensive system over the medium term.  "There's a few ticket items out there that maybe I'm going to be telling myself and the rest of my team: 'OK, we have something off the shelf right now. It's not optimal, but it's good enough,'" he said. 

The war in Ukraine has also revealed the advantage of long-range missile systems that are capable of striking with precision, Paul said. The U.S. has donated such weapons to the Ukrainian military and they have proved decisive on the battlefield.  The Canadian Army currently relies on M777 howitzers for artillery support, which provide about 30-40 kilometres of worth of coverage. "Range does matter," Paul said. "The nature of warfare is evolving. So we need to be in a position where a battle group and a brigade, their area of influence is more like around 100 to 125 kilometres."

The evolving nature of war has also underscored the need for commanders to have a better idea of what is happening on the battlefield and the ability to issue commands and control units in real time. That will involve AI and other advanced computing.  "You need hundreds of sensors and you need to be able to take the data and process the data quickly," Paul said. "You need to leverage the machine."  At the same time, the Army commander said one real challenge in obtaining the equipment is that many of Canada's allies have come to the same conclusions about what they need and are moving to buy the same stuff.  "We're looking at the options, we're looking at what's available," he said. "Keeping in mind that all the western democracies are right now knocking at the same companies' door to try to procure these same weapon systems."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2022.

 

17 hours ago, Mlodj said:

You know things are changing when the Canuckians start spending money on defense.

 

 

Outside of JTF2, the Canadian military is a joke. Good on them for getting their heads out of their butts.

On 12/30/2022 at 1:39 AM, Bill said:

Don't drive German tanks, do you?

Nope!

I like 4 wheels and 0-60 < 5 seconds.

18 minutes ago, TEW said:

Nope!

I like 4 wheels and 0-60 < 5 seconds.

I couldn't. My fat a** in a Porsche would the the car version of fat guy in a little coat.

The only car I could comfortably drive in was a Buick LeSabre, and they don't make a front bench seat anymore. These days when I'm in a car I feel wedged in like a fighter pilot with how big the center consoles have gotten.

 

But anyway, back in the 40s the Germans were having transmission issues with their tanks when they were trying to crank them out. (They had issues against French tanks, oddly enough, because their guns couldnt knock them out as they had hoped, so they quickly designed and pushed out their newer tanks.) Obviously the tanks were great for what they were, but the Tiger and Panzer final versions were overweight of what they were designed for, so the transmissions tended to break down a lot. The Germans nationalized their heavy equipment manufacturers to produce their heavy and medium tanks, wheras the US went with auto manufacturers to produce their medium tanks so it was easier for them to get their numbers instead of having to rush them like the Germans did.

Of course, the US had a similar issue with the Pershing tanks, but let's be honest when you think US tanks for that war it's the Sherman and nothing else.

For awhile there it seemed like the Germans had their ish together with the Leopard I and II but lately they've been phoning it in.

7 minutes ago, Bill said:

I couldn't. My fat a** in a Porsche would the the car version of fat guy in a little coat.

The only car I could comfortably drive in was a Buick LeSabre, and they don't make a front bench seat anymore. Anymore when I'm in a car I feel wedged in like a fighter pilot with how big the center consoles have gotten.

 

But anyway, back in the 40s the Germans were having transmission issues with their tanks when they were trying to crank them out. (They had issues against French tanks, oddly enough, because their guns couldnt knock them out as they had hoped, so they quickly designed and pushed out their newer tanks.) Obviously the tanks were great for what they were, but the Tiger and Panzer final versions were overweight of what they were designed for, so the transmissions tended to break down a lot. The Germans nationalized their heavy equipment manufacturers to produce their heavy and medium tanks, wheras the US went with auto manufacturers to produce their medium tanks so it was easier for them to get their numbers instead of having to rush them like the Germans did.

Of course, the US had a similar issue with the Pershing tanks, but let's be honest when you think US tanks for that war it's the Sherman and nothing else.

For awhile there it seemed like the Germans had their ish together with the Leopard I and II but lately they've been phoning it in.

You should look at the early 2000’s BMW M3 and M5. I’m not fat, but at 6’2” and 190 I had plenty of room. Those are some of the most fun cars to drive ever made. You can find them under $20K if you look around and the hard tops are actually appreciating in value now due to the enthusiast market.

17 minutes ago, Bill said:

But anyway, back in the 40s the Germans were having transmission issues with their tanks when they were trying to crank them out. (They had issues against French tanks, oddly enough, because their guns couldnt knock them out as they had hoped, so they quickly designed and pushed out their newer tanks.) Obviously the tanks were great for what they were, but the Tiger and Panzer final versions were overweight of what they were designed for, so the transmissions tended to break down a lot. The Germans nationalized their heavy equipment manufacturers to produce their heavy and medium tanks, wheras the US went with auto manufacturers to produce their medium tanks so it was easier for them to get their numbers instead of having to rush them like the Germans did.

 

As good as they were, roughly half of the Tigers and Panthers lost in WW II were due to mechanical breakdowns, primarily of the drive train.  Whenever you hear of large numbers of a vehicle type breaking down on exercises it's inevitably a drivetrain issue.  The French AMX-30 and the Brit Chieftan MBTs were notorious for those issues.

I can't believe they got Tate.

What kind of topsy-turvy world do we live in where heroes are cast as as villains?

1 hour ago, TEW said:

You should look at the early 2000’s BMW M3 and M5. I’m not fat, but at 6’2” and 190 I had plenty of room. Those are some of the most fun cars to drive ever made. You can find them under $20K if you look around and the hard tops are actually appreciating in value now due to the enthusiast market.

I'm 6'1", and since I've been over here I've cut weight down to 250. For me it's always the leg room. I'll have to check those out.

1 hour ago, Mlodj said:

As good as they were, roughly half of the Tigers and Panthers lost in WW II were due to mechanical breakdowns, primarily of the drive train.  Whenever you hear of large numbers of a vehicle type breaking down on exercises it's inevitably a drivetrain issue.  The French AMX-30 and the Brit Chieftan MBTs were notorious for those issues.

Makes me wonder how it's going to go with the new Abrams since they ditched the turbine engine.

@DrPhilly  

Is this true?

 

 

 

6 hours ago, The_Omega said:

@DrPhilly  

Is this true?

 

 

 

Mostly yes. There has been a wave of violence since Xmas. Some sort of gang thing back and forth. Couple shootings and some small explosion type stuff. Sometimes grenades are used. All of it in Stockholm suburbs where our version of low end housing is found and where the concentration of immigrants can be found. Media is all over it though. Tons of articles, tv coverage, etc. He is right about the basic bombings but seems to be spicing it up as click bait a bit  

Approx 65 murders via gang shootings this year which is a record here. The no go zones aren’t actually no go per se. More limited as they won’t send in a single patrol car or an ambulance on its own. It is bad for sure.