Headlines early on in the invasion of Ukraine warned about the sheer power of Russian artillery, with advances following massive ‘fire curtain’ barrages, but, David Hamblin explains, Ukraine has been successful at countering Russian artillery:
Any gun firing can be spotted by counter-artillery radar, like the U.S. -made AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder, which tracks shells in flight and calculates their source. New Ukrainian-made acoustic detectors which recently went into mass production are likely to figure increasingly.
“The radar is typically the first step. It can detect the approximate area of a firing position, but it’s not precise,” says Michael. “Depending on distance and terrain, it may narrow the location down to a 200-by-200-meter area, which is too broad for a direct strike.”
Pinpointing the exact firing location is a job for the drones.
“Drones are essential for confirming the exact location of artillery,” says Michael. “We use fixed-wing drones, some with real-time video, others capturing high-resolution photos, for wide-area reconnaissance. These platforms allow us to assess whether the artillery is still in position and provide up-to-date imagery.”
[…]
“Artillery is easiest to spot when it’s firing — muzzle flashes, smoke, or movement of the crew make it visible,” says Michael. “Also, we can identify the artillery by its silhouette, even if it’s partially hidden somewhere in the trees or buildings. In covered areas, we look for signs like tracks, disturbed ground, or heat if thermal optics are available.”
[…]
“FPV drones, both quadcopters and fixed-wing types, have become more effective than traditional artillery in terms of precision engagement,” says Michael. “A high-quality FPV drone for now is the most effective way to destroy the artillery system.”
Several different types are used depending on the range, with fixed-wing FPVs typically having longer reach.
Surprisingly, drones are preferred because they are faster. It is highly counter-intuitive that 100 mph drone will reach a target quicker than a 700-mph artillery shell, but what counts is how long it takes to hit the target.
[…]
Dynamic conditions may mean a situation where a self-propelled gun fires off a few rounds and speeds away down a track. An artillery shell arriving after thirty seconds will miss by hundreds of meters. A drone which arrives later can spot the vehicle, follow it, and carry out a precision strike.
Towed guns are less likely to get away. But they are harder targets because they are not packed with fuel and ammunition like self-propelled guns.
[…]
Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi says Russia’s long-range striking power has been halved, but on the front line there are still plenty of shells coming down.
Counter-battery radar can track back a ballistic trajectory to a 2 by 2 meter area. It had this capability 20 years ago. We used it against terrorists with mortars in Iraq.
And Russian counter electronic warfare would have a reconnaissance drone looking for that counter battery radar within minutes. Probably the reason why the article mentions passive acoustic detectors.
No wonder that Putin is not playing ball with Trump when so many Russians are killed by American weapons and munitions. Without the military might of the US behind it, Ukraine would have collapsed years ago.
Michael van der Riet says:
Putin is not playing ball with Trump because there is no ball, and he knows it.
I am a moderately clever random chuckleduck on internet, but already see two compelling evidence points why Trump cannot possibly be in control.
Putin obviously is not just going by OSINT, and his own early career was in an intelligence agency within an intelligence agency… within an intelligence agency one more time. What do you think he can know reasonably well?
For that matter, he already made it clear he feels no obligation to go along with kayfabe churned out by CFR or whomever when it’s not to his advantage (specifically about this proxy war, at that). From this, the expected behavior would be to pretend POTUS actually matters when this helps to hinder his enemies or bypass unproductive squabbles, but otherwise waste no time. Which seems to be the case.