Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian scientific and research centers have been actively working to learn about the specifics of the use of hostile military equipment in warfare. What conclusions did they draw on the basis of m.in research on captured equipment of Western production?
On 7 February, the Russian daily Krasnaya Zvezda published an interview with the Chairman of the Military Scientific Committee of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Vasily Trushin, on the eve of the Day of Russian Science and the 213th anniversary of the establishment of the aforementioned scientific and research centre.
In addition to emphasizing activity, conducting constant work to increase the effectiveness of the Russian army and the weapons it uses, and how it has worked in Ukraine, in the interview we can read some interesting information about the work of Russian scientific and research centers.
The first is the result of the work carried out as part of the identification and implementation of new regulations and methods of conducting combat operations, as part of which more than 450 methodological recommendations were to be developed.
They concern the preparation and conduct of military operations and complement the existing manuals. These are to be constantly updated, often causing multiple changes to individual applications on the basis provided by soldiers from the front.
In addition, the Russian Military Scientific Committee conducts analyses of all battles that took place in Ukraine, which are important for individual branches of the armed forces.
Research related to increasing the effectiveness and reliability of Russian drones (including FPV) and combating them is currently expected to account for 12% of the total volume of all work carried out by Russian research and development centers.
Those aimed at supporting the war effort in Ukraine are to account for 65-70% of the total. According to General Truszyn, the conclusions from them are being actively implemented in units, as exemplified by the effective elimination of the ATACMS and Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles used by the Ukrainians.
This could indeed increase, but the aforementioned combat equipment is still effectively damaging Russian facilities. Research unrelated to the fighting in Ukraine has now been set aside.
Author. U.S Army
Another example of analytical work on the use and operation of about 500 types of weapons and military equipment in combat conditions.
The result is to be a decision to modernize over 190 types of equipment and eliminate many shortcomings that were noticed during operations in battles. An example of this was the installation of additional shields and jammers on vehicles, or the installation of UMPK modules on aerial bombs to increase their effectiveness and range of destruction.
The resistance of Russian weapons and equipment to jamming caused by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems was also to be increased. Information on the advantages and disadvantages of own and enemy weapons reaching the Russian Ministry of Defense is first to pass through research centers under its control. They, in turn, share them and their analyses with the companies of the defense industry.
Interestingly, the research and its results, which are used by the research centers of the Russian Ministry of Defense, also come from volunteers, grassroots social organizations and regional authorities.
We are talking about “samples” (probably proposals) of several hundred unmanned aerial vehicles, communication systems or electronic warfare. Many of them are to be the result of the work of the “people’s defense industry” and are to be acquired by the Ministry of Defense in the future.
Representatives of industry, design offices and research centers are to regularly travel to military units to conduct various types of research, experiments and tests of new types of weapons. Some of them later become the beginning of research and development works.
Over the past year, more than 150 experiments have been carried out alone, and more than 400 since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
Author. Russian Ministry of Defense
The general listed examples of military equipment captured in Ukraine, which has been examined by Russian scientific and research centers.
We are talking about M777 towed howitzers, armored vehicles (Kirpi, Kozak-2M, Warta, Mastiff), anti-tank grenade launchers (RGW90, AT4), M224 mortar, anti-fire launcherNLAW guided missiles and the ATACMS short-range tactical ballistic missile.
The information obtained from them is intended to help determine and clarify the tactical and technical requirements for Russian armaments and military equipment developed and produced in the domestic industry. In addition, soldiers are to receive information about the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of weapons used by enemy units.
The number of tested weapons is obviously greater and was determined by General Truszyn at over 90 different “samples” for last year alone.
The conclusions drawn from the analyses, research and tests carried out so far were to be used to create more than 70 documents revealing the advantages and disadvantages of the Western type of armament (probably also the one produced by the Ukrainian industry).
As part of the above-mentioned journals, 40 collections of materials were created concerning the analysis of the use of individual models and classes of weapons, the results of military-technical experiments, and experiences in use and operation. The effects of the tests and research are to be very valuable not only for soldiers, but also for engineers, constructors and military officials.
Author. Rostekh
M777 is a British-built towed howitzer manufactured by BAE Systems developed for the U.S. Army to replace the older 198mm M198 artillery systems.
155 mm. Since 2002, more than 1000 copies have been delivered. The key feature of the “Triple Seven” is its very low weight, which is why this howitzer is described as ultra-light. Some of the M777 components are made of titanium instead of steel.
The weight of 4200 kg allows it to be transported by air on an external sling under helicopters such as the UH-60 Black Hawk. The range is specified at 30 km with the use of a projectile with a gas generator or 40 km with the use of M982 Excalibur precision ammunition.
When using standard high-explosive ammunition, the range of destruction is 24.7 km. Currently, M777 howitzers of various variants are used, m.in, by the Armed Forces of Colombia, Australia, India, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Canada and Ukraine.
Author. Eugen Warkentin/U.S. Army
Guard is a Ukrainian mine-resistant vehicle (MRAP) in a 4×4 system developed by Ukrainian Armor (Ukrarmor) on the basis of the KrAZ-5233 truck.
The vehicle provides the crew with ballistic protection in accordance with level 3 according to STANAG 4569, the engine compartment itself is to withstand fire from 100mm ammunition. 7.62×39 mm.
According to the manufacturer, the vehicle is to withstand the explosion of mines or improvised explosive devices with a force of up to 8 kg of TNT. The crew consists of two people, and the landing can be up to eight soldiers. The vehicle is powered by a 6-cylinder turbocharged engine with 380 hp and 1460 Nm of torque, which is to allow this 16-ton vehicle to accelerate to over 100 km/h.
The vehicle can be armed with various types of machine guns, automatic grenade launchers placed on a turntable or in an unmanned weapon module. In addition to them, it is also possible to integrate very short/short-range anti-tank guided or anti-aircraft missiles on the vehicle.
Author. Ukrarmor
Kirpi is a Turkish MRAP mine-resistant armored vehicle designed and manufactured by the Turkish company BMC. This vehicle can carry up to 13 people, including the driver, weapons operator and commander, as well as 10 soldiers.
The vehicle is available in two versions: 4 × 4 and 6 × 6. The first is powered by a 271 hp Cummins diesel engine, and the second is powered by a 345 hp Cummins engine. As a result, both versions of the vehicle can reach a top speed of up to 105 km/h with a maximum range of 800 km with a combat weight of 20 and 26 tonnes, respectively.
In addition to Turkey, countries such as Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia and Turkemenistan have also decided to purchase this vehicle (not counting the vehicles supplied by Turkey to the National Accord militias in Libya as part of military aid).
Author. Copyleft, Wikipedia
Kozak-2M is a family of 12-ton multi-purpose armored vehicles in a 4×4 configuration with a self-supporting body, equipped with STANAG 4569 level III armor, providing protection against 7.62×51 NATO anti-tank missiles, while the reinforced hull protects against the explosion of the equivalent of 8 kilograms of TNT.
The drive is a 279 hp engine. Depending on the needs, the armament can be a wide range of machine gunslocated in a turntable or a remote-controlled weapon module. Vehicles of this type were officially accepted into service by the land forces in 2019, and earlier they were delivered to the National Guard and uniformed services of Ukraine.
Author. VoidWanderer/Wikipedia
NLAW (New Generation Light Anti Tank Weapon) is a disposable launcher of anti-tank guided missiles weighing 12.5 kg. It is used to eliminate armored targets, e.g. main battle tanks, also on the move.
The HEAT warhead can penetrate over 500 mm of RHA, at a distance of 20-800 m (max. 1000 m). The 102 mm projectile takes off from the launcher “cold”, and the marching engine is started only after traveling a few meters.
This allows for safe firing of NLAW from closed rooms with a relatively small cubature, which is important, for example, when fighting in a city or using fortified positions. It is possible to use the missile in the top attack mode, which allows you to attack the target from above, where the vehicle’s protection level is much weaker.
NLAW missiles are currently used by countries such as Ukraine, Finland, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Malaysia and Switzerland, m.in. In the future, France will join the group of users.
Author. Saab
RGW 90/Matador is a disposable anti-tank grenade launcher developed by Dynamit Nobel Defence, Rafael and the Singapore Armed Forces as a result of an analysis of the experience of DND and the armed forces of several countries related to the use of Panzerfaust grenade launchers and Armbrust light weapons.
The RGW 90 in the most popular HH version is able to penetrate armor over 500 mm thick RHA with a HEAT warhead. However, it also has the ability to combat fortifications – after inserting the probe with the warhead, it operates in the HESH (High-Explosive Squash Head) mode, which has a high-explosive effect of detonation in contact with an obstacle, causing it to crumble and generate a shock wave and secondary debris.
The firing range is between 20 and 500 meters, it can be increased if the Dynahawk aiming device is attached. The fired projectile has an initial velocity of about 240 m/s. The grenade launcher is characterized by the ability to fire from closed rooms. There are also several other versions available, differing primarily in the combat payload.