Chad McCoy’s Post

An interesting article, worth the read. Reminded me of the ideas within "The Kill Chain - Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare" by Christian Brose The battlefield in Ukraine is teaching us critical lessons about modern warfare and technology. While advanced Western weapons like the Excalibur artillery round and Himars systems initially showcased their prowess, Russian electronic warfare quickly adapted, reducing their effectiveness. This ongoing cat-and-mouse game highlights the importance of rapid innovation and adaptation. Precision-guided munitions have shown value, but traditional unguided artillery is indispensable against electronic jamming. As we support Ukraine, it’s clear that blending old-school resilience with cutting-edge tech is key. To stay ahead, we should focus on agile development and swift implementation. Ukraine’s fast-paced innovation cycle offers a model worth emulating. 📒 Summary aka TBDR (Too Busy, Didn't Read): 1. Excalibur Artillery Round: Initially highly effective against Russian targets, but quickly neutralized by Russian electronic warfare, making it obsolete by mid-2023. 2. Western Weapon Limitations: Several advanced Western weapons, including Himars systems and Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs, have seen reduced effectiveness due to Russian countermeasures. 3. Successful U.S. and Allied Missiles: Some weapons like ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles remain effective but are expected to face similar countermeasures soon. 4. Adaptation Cycle: New weapons prompt adversaries to develop countermeasures, leading to a continuous innovation race. Russia's electronic warfare success is closely monitored by China. 5. Precision vs. Mass: Western reliance on precision over mass is challenged. Unguided artillery, immune to jamming, regains importance. 6. Innovation and Bureaucracy: Rapid adaptation is crucial. Ukrainian innovations outpace Western bureaucratic processes, highlighting the need for faster development cycles. 7. Legacy Systems and Modernization: Many U.S. weapons supplied to Ukraine are older systems, with little incentive for manufacturers to upgrade them. More sophisticated systems are withheld to prevent Russia and China from developing countermeasures. 8. Electronic Warfare History: Russia's electronic warfare capabilities, developed since the Cold War, effectively counter modern Western precision weapons. 9. Current State: GPS-guided weapons like Excalibur and GMLRS face significant jamming, reducing their precision. Enhanced Russian munitions and jamming equipment exacerbate the challenge. 10. Future Outlook: Modernization and better tactics are needed to maintain effectiveness. Continuous adaptation and rapid innovation are vital in this evolving battlefield. https://lnkd.in/eTqQnJWY #ModernWarfare #Innovation #Technology #Defense #Ukraine

High-Tech American Weapons Work Against Russia—Until They Don’t Moscow is learning how to defeat Western precision munitions in Ukraine "The Excalibur artillery round performed wonders when it was introduced into the Ukrainian battlefield in the summer of 2022. Guided by GPS, the shells hit Russian tanks and artillery with surgical precision, as drones overhead filmed the resulting fireballs. That didn’t last." „Within weeks, the Russian army started to adapt, using its formidable electronic warfare capabilities. It managed to interfere with the GPS guidance and fuzes, so that the shells would either go astray, fail to detonate, or both." "By the middle of last year, the M982 Excalibur munitions, developed by RTX and BAE Systems, became essentially useless and are no longer employed, Ukrainian commanders say." "Several other weapons that showcased the West’s technological superiority have encountered a similar fate. Russian electronic countermeasures have significantly reduced the precision of GPS-guided missiles fired by Himars systems" "A brand-new system, the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb munition, manufactured by Boeing and Sweden’s Saab, has failed altogether after its introduction in recent months, in part because of Russian electronic warfare, Ukrainian and Western officials say." The basic issue is that wonder weapons system, such as Excalibur shells, Himars missile and others are highly, highly effective for a few weeks. Russia has learned very much about the state of the art U.S. arms to know how to make them useless in just weeks …. Now the time has come for negotiations! Not a new Afghanistan in Ukraine!

The Excalibur artillery round performed wonders when it was introduced into the Ukrainian battlefield in the summer of 2022. Guided by GPS, the shells hit Russian tanks and artillery with surgical precision, as drones overhead filmed the resulting fireballs. That didn’t last. Within weeks, the Russian army started to adapt, using its formidable electronic warfare capabilities. It managed to interfere with the GPS guidance and fuzes, so that the shells would either go astray, fail to detonate, or both. By the middle of last year, the M982 Excalibur munitions, developed by RTX and BAE Systems, became essentially useless and are no longer employed, Ukrainian commanders say. Several other weapons that showcased the West’s technological superiority have encountered a similar fate. Russian electronic countermeasures have significantly reduced the precision of GPS-guided missiles fired by Himars systems, the weapon credited for reversing the momentum of the war in Ukraine’s favor in the summer of 2022, Ukrainian military officials say. A brand-new system, the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb munition, manufactured by Boeing and Sweden’s Saab, has failed altogether after its introduction in recent months, in part because of Russian electronic warfare, Ukrainian and Western officials say. It is no longer in use in Ukraine pending an overhaul. The Pentagon declined to discuss the performance of specific U.S. weapons systems, citing operational security. Recently provided Western precision weapons, including U.S.-made ATACMS ballistic missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles from the Franco-British-Italian defense company MBDA, have continued to strike high-value Russian targets. These weapons have devastated several airfields, command centers, and communications facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea and other parts of the country this year. Russia’s vaunted S-400 air defense batteries were among the successful hits. For these weapons, too, it’s only a matter of time before Russia learns how to reduce the effectiveness and improve interception rates, Ukrainian military officials and Western defense experts say. “We should assume that adaptation will always occur, and the Russians have adapted to a variety of things,” said Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. “The capabilities will be most effective immediately after they are introduced, and adversaries will develop countermeasures over time.” Russia’s success in electronic countermeasures—closely watched by China —poses a strategic problem for the U.S. and allies. Western military doctrine has long relied on a belief that precision can defeat mass—meaning that well-targeted strikes can cripple a more numerous enemy, reducing the need for massive expenditure on troops, tanks and artillery. That proposition, however, had not been tested in a major war until Ukraine.

“Western military doctrine has long relied on a belief that precision can defeat mass—meaning that well-targeted strikes can cripple a more numerous enemy, reducing the need for massive expenditure on troops, tanks and artillery. That proposition, however, had not been tested in a major war until Ukraine. The introduction of Western weapons there showed that what may have worked against Saddam Hussein’s army, the Taliban or Islamic State guerrillas won’t necessarily perform against a modern military like Russia’s or China’s.” #nationalsecurity #militarypower #defenseindustrialbase

War in Ukraine is challenging longtime US military assumptions: “Russia’s success in electronic countermeasures—closely watched by China, with whom Moscow is believed to share some of its battlefield lessons in dealing with Western weaponry—poses a strategic problem for the U.S. and allies.” “Western military doctrine has long relied on a belief that precision can defeat mass—meaning that well-targeted strikes can cripple a more numerous enemy, reducing the need for massive expenditure on troops, tanks and artillery.” “That proposition, however, had not been tested in a major war until Ukraine. The introduction of Western weapons there showed that what may have worked against Saddam Hussein’s army, the Taliban or Islamic State guerrillas won’t necessarily perform against a modern military like Russia’s or China’s”. “‘We have probably made some bad assumptions because over the last 20 years we were launching precision weapons against people that could not do anything about it,” said retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe. “Now we are doing it against a peer opponent, and Russia and China do have these capabilities.’l “One of the lessons learned in Ukraine is about the continuing importance of old-school unguided artillery shells, the manufacturing of which is only now beginning to pick up in the U.S. and Europe after decades of decline, said Lt. Gen. Esa Pulkkinen, the permanent secretary of Finland’s defense ministry. “They are immune to any type of jamming, and they will go to target regardless of what type of electronic warfare capability there may be,” he said.” #usmilitary #defense #defenseindustry #warinukraine #greatpowercompetition

Moscow is learning how to defeat Western precision munitions in Ukraine

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022, the U.S. and its allies have sent Ukraine about $100 billion worth of ammunition, missiles and tanks through the end of October, according to the Kiel Institute, a research group. Now, Ukraine wants to wean itself off Western weapons and start producing more of its own supplies. Rebuilding Ukraine’s arms industry could help secure the country’s long-term security and boost its economy, government officials say.

🇺🇦Now, Ukraine wants to wean itself off Western weapons and start producing more of its own supplies. Rebuilding Ukraine’s arms industry could help secure the country’s long-term security and boost its economy. 🇺🇸This week, the U.S. government is hosting Ukrainian ministers and weapons makers for a two-day conference aimed at encouraging joint production with American companies. U.S. arms makers expected to attend include Lockheed Martin. ✔️BAE Systems is in discussions with several Ukrainian companies and aims to make spare parts in the country within the next few months. In time it says it could start making a light howitzer too. ✔️Further out, Rheinmetall’s ambition is to produce its new Panther tank and air-defense weapons in Ukraine. 🎙Vadym Yunyk, the co-founder of drone maker ISR Defence, said he planned to talk to U.S. companies at the conference in D.C. about supplying parts and potentially setting up joint ventures. He has already visited British, French and Czech companies and arms fairs to secure components. ✔️To reduce that risk, Ukraine is trying to source more components domestically. One prototype drone being developed is made entirely from Ukrainian components, said Gvozdiar. ✔️ISR’s Yunyk said foreign companies could learn from working with Ukrainian manufacturers that have quickly modified weapons based on lessons from the battlefield. For example, ISR has tweaked its drones to account for changes in Russian electronic warfare, which can block or confuse navigation signals. 🔗Read more via The Washington Post https://lnkd.in/dBQaybDM With Nataliia Kushnerska Sergiy Koshman #Brave1 #defensetech