Ukrainian Ground Forces:

Have you seen the factory that welded this?

Unfortunately, I didn't see it

Actually the 2S1 is an excellent vehicle and with modern electronics and C4IR behind it it would be a very capable support weapon.

The Russians have large numbers of these vehicles too and lots of spares and they converted them to 120mm gun/mortar calibre in the 2S34 Hosta.

Don't know how far this has progressed, but the idea seems pretty sound... the 120mm gun/mortar has similar range to the 122mm gun.... 13km range instead of 15kms, but a calibre that is used for mortar rounds and also howitizer like shells and the guided missiles of the 122mm Kitilov and also 120mm Gran missiles too.

Sounds like a versatile round with a good HE mortar bomb and HE shell when needed.

In Ukraine, a new XADO Snipex Laska K-2 large-caliber machine gun was presented. 

At the military exhibition "Weapons and Security 2021" held in Kiev, the Ukrainian company "XADO-Holding" presented a new Snipex Laska K-2 large-caliber machine gun.

As stated in the company itself, the developed machine gun for the 12,7x108 mm cartridge "made a splash". The machine gun is offered to the Ukrainian army as a single one for use both in the infantry version, and with installation on armored vehicles and helicopters.

According to the press release, the length of the machine gun is 1840 mm, the weight without a machine gun is 29 kg, the rate of fire is 500-600 rounds per minute, the sighting range for ground targets is 2000 m, for air targets – 1500 meters. Automation works on the principle of a short stroke of the barrel with lever accelerators. The barrel is quick-release, the number of rifling is 8. It is possible to install various sighting devices thanks to the Picatinny rail.

The power supply of the machine gun is tape, depending on the configuration, cartridges can be supplied both from the right and from the left side. The tape is plastic for 80 rounds. The cartridge used is a 12.7x108mm caliber of all types. It is stated that the machine gun can be quickly converted to fire cartridges of the NATO standard, in particular - .50BMG (12.7x99).

The machine gun has already passed preliminary tests and is being prepared for the state, following which a decision will be made to adopt it for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The machine gun has already passed preliminary tests and is being prepared for the state, following which a decision will be made to adopt it for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

So they are licence producing Browning HMGs in a Russian calibre... a bit odd that they have not converted to HATO calibres already, but I suppose the cost of conversion would be too high... just like the troops in the South Ossetia invasion in 2008 from Georgia.

comment moved to suitable thread...

Also noticed "the strongest army in Europe" graduated 572 new lieutenants from it's military academy yesterday (sorry cannot get link to attach at the moment)

Meanwhile, those dastardly Russians graduated over 10,000 new lieutenants. Heck, the Rosgvardia Military Institutes graduated over 800 themselves.

https://topwar-ru.translate.goog/184226-zelenskij-ukrainskaja-armija-stanovitsja-silnee-minimum-v-572-raza.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=ajax,se

Puts things in perspective, and really makes you wonder why the Ukraine is so keen for a fight they clearly cannot win... rather odd really... especially when the military guy in charge of their forces said moving their troops forward that they could probably take on the rebels if they are not supported by Russia (very optimistic of course), but if the Russians join in they have no show (a reality obvious to even the most hardened Ukr Nazi zealot....).

Will move Francos comment to a relevant thread..., that reply is relevant to the thread on the Hosta.

Ukranian FM said they will use the Turkish UAVs to defend Ukraine , he added "drones are needed to deter Russia so that Russia thinks twice before planning escalation or large-scale attack on Ukraine " .

No wondering the politicians there don't know what they are doing .

Well to be fair Georgia managed to take South Ossetia and Abkhazia and made it all the way to the gates of Moscow with their Israeli drones... or maybe they didn't...

The irony is that all this experience in combating drones has made the Russians pretty well equipped and trained and experienced in dealing with such problems.

In comparison I think western forces might actually struggle in a similar situation...

I'm just curious, have y'all heard of this company?


John Casara, From Agent for a Military Company to Commander in Zacatecas
By Sol Prendido 6/22/2021 07:10:00 AM 9 comments
"Sol Prendido" for Borderland Beat

He is a retired agent of the Colombian National Police, who faces a direct accusation for the kidnapping and murder of Iván Espino Colunga, an 18-year-old boy whose body was found last Wednesday, June 6.


A private security company with military and police operations in 26 nations, including regions such as Eastern Europe and countries at war such as Lebanon and Ukraine, was responsible for contacting Colombian John William Casara Luna with the police forces of Mexico.

Casara Luna is a retired agent of the Colombian National Police who now faces a direct accusation for the kidnapping and murder of Iván Espino Colunga, an 18-year-old boy whose body was found last Wednesday, June 6, a few hours after he was taken out of his house, located in the municipality of General Pánfilo Natera, by alleged state police of Zacatecas.


The European Security Academy (ESA) offers training courses for police forces, escorts and even military contractors who are obliged to protect private facilities in war zones.


The company was founded in 1992, has its headquarters in Poland and has extended its operations to Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, where it operates with two subsidiaries called Colombolatina and ColomboLatina Mexico. These companies are the only ones authorized to teach the certified courses offered by the European Academy of Safety.

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2021/06/john-casara-from-agent-for-military.html

Ukraine launches production of DShKM 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. 

Ukraine launches production of the DShK heavy machine gun. An upgraded version of the Soviet 12.7 mm machine gun will be assembled at the Mayak plant.

It is reported that the company has already demonstrated a localized version of the DShK machine gun to the delegation of one of the African countries that visited the plant. Moreover, the weapon was demonstrated not only in statics, but also in action at shooting ranges.

According to the statement of the Mayak management, the upgraded version of the 12.7 mm DShK machine gun is at the stage of factory tests and is being prepared to pass state tests, following which it should be adopted by the Ukrainian army. In addition, the management hopes that the machine gun will go well for export, given that it is still popular in the Middle East, Africa and a number of Latin American countries.

Source: https://topwar.ru/184658-ukraina-zapuskaet-proizvodstvo-krupnokalibernogo-pulemeta-dshkm-127-mm.html?utm_source=website&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=group

Object 478DU — version of the T-80UD on the chassis of the T-64

T-64BV with Crab upgrade package

T-64BM2 Bulat

The place of the gunner-operator of the Ukrainian BTR-3

Bogdan Motors has been declared bankrupt now.

https://thepage.ua/news/bankrotstvo-bogdan-motors-komu-i-skolko-dolzhna-avtokompaniya

The wave of bankruptcies is coming on hard and fast it seems. Just earlier this week we had the final liquidation of the Black Sea Shipyard.

Bogdan Motors had been billed as post-Soviet Ukraine's first great independent success in machine-building.

Of course, while the corporation did indeed see some success for a while, that viewpoint is only partially true. In reality, Bogdan Motors was largely based off of 2 Soviet-era factories;
ChARZ (in Cherkassy), and LuAZ (in Lutsk)

ChARZ was only a repair facility in the Soviet-era, with production being introduced during the post-Soviet years to eventually encompass a range of bus models.
While LuAZ was a pretty major producer of off-road and amphibious cars during its time, for both the military and the civilian sector, while in the post-Soviet era it was switched to specialize in the production of Trolleybuses
Bogdan Motors also built a new factory in Cherkassy in the 2000s, mostly to build light trucks, medical vehicles and armoured vehicles - such as the Bars-8 - for military needs. In practice, these were mostly license-produced Belarussian MAZ designs or Chinese Great Wall designs.

Anyway ChARZ (or Cherkassy Buses as it became known), was seperated from Bogdan Motors in 2011. It continues to produce to this day under the Ataman brand, albeit it's having less and less orders itself.

As for the 2 factories still in Bogdan Motors; LuAZ and the new one in Cherkassy, the later has ceased new production as of last year and started to lay off staff, while I'm not sure about LuAZ.

Ukraine was left without "Oplot".

Ukrspetsexport has not yet received the Oplot-T tank, which must be shipped no later than June 30. The amount of the contract signed with the state-owned Malyshev Plant at the beginning of the year is almost 4.6 million US dollars. 

The contract with the Kharkiv state enterprise includes the supply of one tank unit with weapons, ammunition and related parts, according to local TV channel ICTV. According to journalists, even the body of the combat vehicle has not yet been welded. The manufacturer promises to organize the work in several shifts, possibly even around the clock. However, there are doubts that the new tank will appear at the parade on August 24, dedicated to the Independence Day of Ukraine.

Problems with the implementation of the contract also arose with another tank-T-64, now only a quarter of the total order is ready. These vehicles must undergo upgrades to increase power, speed, and maneuverability. They were also expected to take part in the parade on August 24.

The company explained the delay from the schedule by the cold weather and the delay in financing. "It was a very cold winter, and we can't perform casting at sub - zero temperatures, there will be a marriage," explained the general director of the plant Vasily Krylas. Employees of the company also reported delays in the payment of wages. This is not the first case at the plant this year.

Source: https://rg.ru/2021/07/15/reg-pfo/ukraina-ostalas-bez-oplota.html

Ukraine has created an improved tank gunner's sight for upgraded T-64s. 

Ukraine has created an improved tank gunner's sight, which is highly efficient and compact, as it is written about in a number of Ukrainian media.

Representatives of the development company claim that their brainchild provides the gunner with timely data about the environment, regardless of the time of day. At the same time, the device allows you to effectively recognize armored vehicles at a distance of more than 3.5 km.

In addition, an important feature of the new multisensor electro-optical system is its compactness. Thus, the improved gunner's sight, equipped with a cooled thermal imaging matrix, has smaller dimensions than devices based on uncooled matrices. According to the developer, this effect was achieved thanks to the use of the latest modern technology.

At the moment, the device intended for installation on upgraded T-64BV tanks of the 2017 model of the year has already been tested. The company is waiting for the conclusion of a contract with the Ministry of Defense and the start of deliveries of a new tank gunner's sight to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Earlier in Ukraine, it was stated that the aforementioned version of the tank received a new dynamic protection that can effectively counteract all modern anti-tank weapons. In addition, the upgraded T-64 received a digital radio station "Lybid (Swan) K-2RB", which provides reliable, protected from interference and interception, communication at a distance of up to 70 km.

Source: 

A promising Speca mobile flamethrower system, which is made on the basis of Dozor-B and shoots 122 mm thermobaric missiles RS-122TB Speca

The Ukrainian Armed Forces received another batch of restored BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles. 

Zhytomyr Armored Plant has restored and overhauled another batch of BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles. The equipment has already been handed over to representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the press service of the enterprise reports.

As explained, the infantry fighting vehicles were restored as part of the state defense order. During the repair and modernization, all vehicles were restored to combat capability, faulty devices were replaced, and the operation of weapons was checked.

It is reported that the upgraded systems received modern navigation systems, optical instruments and sights of Ukrainian production. As additional equipment, infrared headlights and lighting lights with modern diode lamps were installed.

How many vehicles were transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not disclosed, in the photos published by the press service of the plant, you can see three or four BMPs.

Meanwhile, it became known that acting as a partner of the Zhytomyr Armored plant for the supply of crawler belts for the BMP-2 Kharkiv Plant named after Malyshev refused to supply it. At least Kharkiv residents, for unknown reasons, stopped bidding for the supply of tracks for the restored infantry fighting vehicles. Now private companies will be engaged in delivery.

Source: