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Ukraine
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EU mulls creating 100 billion euro fund for Ukraine in next budget, Bloomberg reports
(kyivindependent.com)
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SBU claims liquidation of Russian agents responsible for killing officer in Kyiv
(kyivindependent.com)
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Inside the ghost museums of Ukraine: exhibits replaced by fragments of war and occupation
(www.skinnyguardian.xyz)
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Norway’s new K9 VIDAR howitzer meets all expectations as Ukraine war confirms artillery relevance
(armyrecognition.com)
According to FFI, the Ukrainian battlefield experience reinforced Norway’s decision to prioritize artillery systems capable of achieving more than 40 kilometers in range and better survivability, and led to a reassessment of ammunition acquisition strategy, favoring volume and cost-effective accuracy improvements over limited high-cost precision rounds. The evaluation judged the acquisition to be economically sound and aligned with modern operational requirements, despite noting that long-term viability would depend on integrated force protection and continued ammunition procurement.
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The K9 VIDAR is a Norwegian variant of the South Korean K9 Thunder, configured to meet national requirements. It is equipped with a 155 mm L52 gun and designed for indirect fire support at ranges exceeding 40 kilometers. The platform is powered by a 1,000-horsepower MTU diesel engine and has a maximum speed of 67 km/h. With a five-person crew, the system measures 12 meters in length, 3.4 meters in width, and 3.5 meters in height, and weighs approximately 48 tons.
It features a rate of fire of up to eight rounds per minute and a burst capacity of three rounds in 15 seconds. It can relocate within 30 to 60 seconds between firing positions, reducing exposure to counter-battery fire. The hydropneumatic suspension minimizes shock and enables stable operation across diverse terrain and weather conditions. Norwegian trials confirmed the system’s ability to fire Nammo’s 155 mm IM HE-ER rounds to a range of 43.6 kilometers. A maximum range of 54 kilometers has been reached under test conditions. The K9 VIDAR is compatible with the BONUS 155 mm sensor-fused top-attack munition and is expected to integrate future ramjet-assisted rounds with ranges up to 100 kilometers.
Due to South Korean arms exports limitations it is highly unlikely the K9 will see service in defense of Ukraine, but I think it is important to keep providing simple but direct evidence of my arguments about the general media's lack of recognition of how important 155mm artillery systems are in comparison to the more flashy drones and missiles that strangle the imaginations of people.
Patriot missiles are a major thing for Ukraine, but 155mm shells don't need to wait around to swat down Putin's war effort, they actively leap into the sky, seek out the Russian war effort and apply themselves to stopping it with vigor.
South Korea is looking at the war in Ukraine and concluding that armored 155mm artillery is essential for their defense, and so is Norway. Two different countries each facing the realistic medium term prospect of an armored fullscale land war from different countries are both looking at Ukraine and concluding they need more of what Ukraine has in the 155mm department (well, Ukraine has the M109 and other 155mm artillery systems including the domestically produced Bohdana in towed and armored wheeled self propelled variants not the K9 but you get my point).
I will repeat the calculus for this war right now is brutally simple, Ukraine has a superior towed and self propelled 155mm artillery gun production domestically, it has domestic production capacity for 155mm shells and the international community has recently consolidated around ensuring Ukraine will continue to have that capacity both in cannons and ammunition for said cannons. At every level Ukraine's approach to applying artillery fire is more integrated in a dynamic combined arms sense than Russia's which is dependent on more structured doctrine and higher volumes of artillery shells available to fire (which Russia can no longer count on having access to), and finally Ukraine's fire control systems for artillery derive from the M109 Paladin systems which is one of the most fearsome weapon systems on earth.
Also it hardly needs to be said but Ukraine has far superior UAV drone spotters for coordinating friendly artillery... by a long measure...
Most crucially though to the calculus of the war, Ukraine has invested in thorough counter-artillery capacity while simultaneously investing seriously in keeping its own highly trained artillery crew alive. The longer the artillery crews survive the more ruthless and lethal they become in terms of being able to decisively support friendly infantry and armor. Especially given the sophisticated digital fire control systems Ukraine is using in their artillery.
This coupled with the fact that Russia clearly cannot even defend its artillery adequately enough to make effective use of it spells disaster for Russia. This is how land warfare has always worked since gunpowder entered into the equation.
Do not believe the media blitz right now, it must be a very scary time to live in Ukraine (it is scary enough to watch from an international perspective), but the media blitz is happening to attempt to cover up that this is the last serious chance Putin has to make decisive progress in the war in Ukraine and that window just slammed on Putin's fingers. The window slamming in this metaphor being the production graph for towed and armored self propelled 155mm artillery and ammunition for/in Ukraine. Compare what Ukraine states now for Bohdana production vs. a year ago, the difference cannot be expressed in words adequately in terms of battlefield impact.
Now the international powers that be are more interested in entering into weapons contracts with Ukraine than they are "stepping back and letting Russia continue the war" (i.e. selling vital electronics components to Russia for their fighterbomber jets?) and the longer Russia continues the war the more they underline how international powers stand far more to gain by working with Ukraine and gaining access to their advanced technology and innovative tactics than they do partnering with Russia and gaining access to outdated equipment, doctrine and armored vehicles that simply cannot protect their crews and passengers period.
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Ukraine deploying interceptor drones to defend Kyiv amid surge in Russian attacks
(kyivindependent.com)
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Ukraine's DIU destroys Russian command post in occupied Melitopol in joint operation with partisans
(kyivindependent.com)
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[UK] will provide for the delivery of more than 5,000 air defence missiles from Thales, which will not only significantly strengthen the UK's defence capabilities but also help Ukraine continue its resistance in the war launched by Russia.
The UK also confirms the provision of up to £283 million in bilateral assistance to Ukraine over the coming year.
"This announcement underlines our continued support for Ukraine – boosting their air defences against devastating drone and missile attacks and supporting the critical work to reconstruct this nation and provide the hope that they need," the government press service quoted UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner as saying.
The United Kingdom will allocate up to £10.5 million for the Governance Reform Programme and up to £1 million to support Ukraine's Green Transition Office in the 2025–2026 financial year.
The deal concerns the FZ275 LGR, a 70mm guided missile developed by Thales. Originally an unguided aviation rocket, the FZ275 LGR has been upgraded with a semi-active laser guidance system, giving it a strike range of up to 3,000 meters.
The missile is capable of intercepting drones, including those used in Russian attacks, and is compatible with the Vampire air defense systems currently deployed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
This compatibility will allow mobile fire teams to supplement machine guns with guided munitions, providing a cost-effective alternative to more expensive air defense missiles.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2FECb2L45t8
I imagine the idea is to use a tried and true high quality but ultimately basic 70mm tube missile and aim it really smart which is a good cost effective way to deal with swarms.
EMONTS: That’s the main external difference between the two weapons. The guided rocket – or missile – does not need to spin, like their unguided counterparts which have ‘curved clams’ on the rear end. It needs to maintain a flat flight path. Therefore, we put canards behind the front. The canards maintain the flight trajectory after the engine is spent which takes around one second.
After the engine is spent, it becomes a ballistic munition and utilises gravitational forces to glide onto the target which has been established by the launching-platform via its Wescam sensor or by an external source such as a single soldier or UAV.
The gliding mechanism is what distinguishes the system from traditional missiles. However, the main benefit is that the FZ275 LGR is compatible with all current launchers that we have delivered to our customers. There are over 2,000 launch pods in use all over the world, and for each one a guided solution is feasible.
We have also developed lock-on-before-launch functionality, greatly reducing potential waste and unwanted collateral damage. This, in turn, improves survivability, since a helicopter can remain lethal outside of effective MANPADS range.
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