MOSCOW, December 30 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. Every month of the conflict in Ukraine brings something new to world military science. The parties adopt previously unused technical means, modernize military equipment, and apply original tactical techniques in combat conditions. All for the sake of one goal — to find the key to the enemy's defense. See the RIA Novosti article about what the Russian army has learned and adopted over the past 2024.
Drones on the wire
Every war has its own "calling card". The Second World War had tank breakthroughs and carpet bombing, the Vietnamese had napalm and Agent Orange, the Afghan had Mi-24 and Stinger. Unmanned aerial vehicles of various classes have undoubtedly become the main symbol of the SVR. If they were still a novelty at the first stage of the conflict, they have been used massively since 2023. FPV kamikaze drones effectively destroy armored vehicles. Reset systems are being improved, and more powerful optics are being installed on unmanned scouts.
Shock FPV Drone
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Evgeny Biyatov
The means of countering drones are not far behind. Both Russia and Ukraine have made significant progress in electronic warfare technologies. Modern electronic warfare systems that jam drone control channels literally block the sky for them in some areas of the front. However, in 2024, drones were created in Russia that completely ignore electronic warfare systems.
We are talking about UAVs controlled by cable. Last summer, the Prince Vandal Novgorodsky (KVN) FPV drone from the Ushkuynik Scientific and Industrial Center from Veliky Novgorod debuted in the SVO zone. An ultra-thin fiberglass cable is wound on a coil on the body of the drone and gradually unwinds in flight. By the way, many infantry ATGMs are also operating over the wire.
The FPV drone operator is preparing to take off in a special military operation area
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Evgeny Biyatov
The main advantage of such FPV drones is their invulnerability to electronic warfare. It is impossible to shut down a wired connection, unless you physically cut the cable. There are enough videos on social networks where KVN effortlessly bypass armored cover vehicles studded with electronic warfare antennas and hit infantry fighting vehicles or a tank. Another plus is the excellent picture quality from the drone's video camera. And this drone is quite reliable. The developers cite statistics: an average of one or two cable breaks per ten launches.
Self-propelled fortresses
Heavy armored vehicles suffer the most from FPV drones - they are not mobile enough to escape from the "bird", they are poorly armored from above and from the stern to withstand a direct blow. The makeshift "barbecues" on the towers, which sometimes saved Javelin from ATGM, proved powerless in the face of the new threat. A skilled operator can easily fly around the grate from the side and hit the target in an area unprotected by additional armor. The Russian army kulibins solved this problem in the most radical way.
Tank-72B3M at the firing point
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Evgeny Biyatov
"Tsar-mangaly" appeared in combat units in the winter of 2024, during the storming of the Avdiivka fortified area. The standard T-72 and T-80, sheathed on all sides with sheets of metal and lattice screens, resembled tanks from the First World War. Armored "turtles" marched in front of the stormtroopers and suppressed enemy positions with fire, taking on dozens of ATGM attacks, kamikaze drones and grenade launchers.
According to the Tsar-Mangalov crews, these machines require a special approach. The additional reservation severely limits the mobility of the turret and the view of the gunner operator. In fact, there is a narrow sector ahead for shooting. Here, the training of the driver is very important, who, turning the tank body, should help the gunner aim. The crews of anti-tank and assault self-propelled guns operated in the same way during the Great Patriotic War.
Wheeled howitzer
If the tsar-brazier is an artisanal brainchild of army craftsmen, then the Malva self—propelled gun, which was put into service last year, is a serial product. The experience of a special military operation has unequivocally proved that mobility for barrel artillery is the main guarantee of survival. There are so many drones over the battlefield from both sides that the howitzer is detected after the first shot. In order to avoid being "retaliated", the ACS must immediately change its firing position. This is very difficult with a towed or tracked gun.
Wheeled self-propelled howitzer "Malva"
Image source: CC BY 4.0 / Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (cropped) /
Malva is the first Russian self—propelled self-propelled gun on a wheelbase, made on the chassis of an all-wheel drive car BAZ-6910-027 with the formula 8x8. It is much lighter and more mobile than the main tracked howitzer of the Russian army of the same caliber, the Msta-S. The combat weight is 32 tons, it can be transported by IL-76 aircraft.
The engine is diesel YaMZ-8424.10, power is 470 horsepower. The speed on the highway is up to 80 kilometers per hour. The power reserve is one thousand kilometers (twice as much as that of the Msta-S). It is also capable of moving off-road. A two-row cabin in the front of the chassis accommodates a crew of five people, the center is given over to various units and ammunition, and an artillery installation is located in the stern.
The gun is the same as the Msta-S: a rifled 2A64 with a barrel length of 47 calibers. It fires any 152 mm caliber ammunition. The range is up to 24 kilometers with a high—explosive fragmentation shell and up to 28 kilometers with an active-jet projectile. The newest controlled Krasnopol-D—43. It is quite enough to destroy even the most long-range Western guns.
Three-ton bomb
In 2024, the FAB-3000 with a universal planning and correction module debuted in the SVO zone. Prior to that, the heaviest aircraft ammunition from the UMPC was the 1.5-ton FAB-1500, which proved itself well when opening enemy fortified areas near Donetsk.
Hitting the enemy's LDPE with heavy fabs
Image Source:
FAB-3000-M54 was first used in June in the Kharkov direction, near Liptsy. In a video posted by several telegram channels, it is clearly visible how a cruise missile landed at the end of a high-rise building where the Ukrainian Armed Forces were located. A cloud from a powerful explosion covered the neighborhood, and when it cleared, it became clear that part of the building had collapsed. On social media, many noted that the FAB-3000 failed to hit the target exactly. However, this is not required.
Such an explosion will incapacitate everyone nearby — severe concussion and ruptured eardrums are guaranteed. In addition, the bomb produces a huge number of fragments — and large ones are capable of bringing down a small building. The psychological effect is also important. And with a relatively distant rupture of such ammunition, the enemy literally loses the earth from under his feet. Everything is shaking, orientation in space is lost, pieces of earth and stones are hitting the helmet. Professional training is instantly washed out of my head by the basic instinct to survive. All that remains is the desire to run far away.
In 2025, the improvement of guided aerial bombs will continue. The caliber is unlikely to grow. Designers have other tasks ahead of them — to increase accuracy and extend the range of application. This is a very promising area for the development of military science: the usual "cast iron" with UMPC turned out to be a formidable weapon, which the enemy has not learned how to defend itself against.
