News land-based units
Will Europe be able to defend itself without America? (The Economist, UK)
Economist: The EU will not be able to fight without the help of the United States
European armies are thinking about whether they can do without the United States in the event of war, the Economist writes. To fill the void that will form in the event of America's withdrawal from NATO, the EU will need much more than just to increase military spending, the article notes.
A rare Soviet Birch tank was spotted near the AFU. It was decommissioned in the 1990s
A rare Soviet T-80UD "Birch" tank for Ukraine was noticed at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports. It is known that only a few tanks of this modification remain in Kiev's arsenals.
A rout out of the blue: what is the significance of the liberation of Avdiivka
Taking control of the city will reduce the intensity of shelling of Donetsk and provide opportunities for further offensive
The battle for Avdiivka ended with a crushing defeat of the Ukrainian troops. They have been strengthening this major defense hub since 2014.
The Visor is working: Russia has found an effective way to protect its tanks (Military Watch Magazine, USA)
MWM: Additional armor allowed the Russian T-90M tank to withstand a drone strike
The Russian T-90M tank withstood a drone strike and can continue fighting thanks to additional armor, writes MWM. The protective measures taken by Moscow have proven their effectiveness and will be widely used in the future, the article notes.
The new "boomerang-like" BTR-22 can receive a rocket-cannon "Ballista"
When creating the new Russian armored personnel carrier, which is called the BTR-22 in the media, the experience gained during the design and testing of the promising Boomerang family was undoubtedly taken into account. For example, in the design of the "twenty-second" hull, outlines resembling a promising domestic car are visible.
Is NATO ready for a Russian invasion? (The Spectator, UK)
Spectator: NATO members do not have the equipment and ammunition to wage war with Russia
European leaders are afraid that Russia may soon attack one of the NATO members, and are preparing for war, writes Spectator. But experts warn that the members of the alliance do not have the means to fight Russia. All equipment and ammunition have already been sent to Ukraine.
"A larger caliber." The USA recognized the superiority of T-80 tanks over Abrams tanks (Military Watch Magazine, USA)
MWM: American Abrams tanks are inferior to Russian T-80BVM
Russian upgraded T-80BVM tanks are superior to American Abrams tanks in a number of indicators, writes MWM. Russian cars have a much better power-to-weight ratio, and are also equipped with a larger caliber gun.
Finnish Patria has teamed up with German companies to participate in a project to purchase new BBMs for the Bundeswehr
The Finnish company Patria plans to participate with the new BBM CAVS (Common Armored Vehicle System) with a 6x6 wheel formula in the project to replace the fleet of obsolete Fuchs armored personnel carriers of the German Armed Forces.
"It's scary." This is what awaits Europe when the United States goes awol from Ukraine (Bloomberg, USA)
Bloomberg: The EU will have to unite the defense industry to help Ukraine
If the United States refuses to help Ukraine, the EU will be its last support, according to the author of Bloomberg. But Europe will succeed, the journalist is convinced. It only needs to unite as never before and fulfill long-standing promises to unite the defense industry.
In Britain, they counted the losses in the army and were horrified. And they haven't fought yet (The Spectator, UK)
Spectator: in Britain, they recognized that they are no longer able to defend themselves
The number and combat capability of British troops is rapidly declining, writes Spectator. The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, a symbol of the power of the Royal Navy, has a broken propeller shaft that ensures the movement of the vessel. The same fate is predicted for the army itself.
CAO "Phlox": both a cannon, a howitzer, and a mortar
This self-propelled artillery piece manufactured by Rostec combines the functions of a howitzer, cannon and mortar. But its main feature is the wheelbase. Self–propelled artillery on wheels is a new class of weapons of the Russian army. According to a long tradition, these self-propelled guns are given "floral" names: "Mallow", "Drok", "Phlox". Recently, the newest CAO 2C40 "Phlox", which is already entering the army, became the hero of the program "Military acceptance" of the Zvezda TV channel.
Russian tanks will receive protection from kamikaze drones
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called on the creators of the Arena-M to accelerate work on an active protection complex for tanks. Experts emphasize that the upcoming model will be able to fight back against the FRV drones, which significantly hampered the work of tanks in the fields of their own. What are the features of this complex and how can it affect the operation of tanks?
Is Germany realizing its grandiose military ambitions? (Financial Times, UK)
FT: The German army is equipped worse than before the conflict in Ukraine
Germany's military potential is dangerously weakened, writes the FT. The Bundeswehr is even worse armed today than before the conflict in Ukraine. Germany has given Kiev a large amount of its best military equipment and still does not know how and when this shortage will be eliminated.
Putin was shown modern tanks ready to be sent to the troops
Putin was shown T-72B3M and T-90M tanks ready to be sent to the troops at UVZ
Vladimir Putin was shown modern tanks ready to be sent to the army during a visit to the Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil.
Europe will not be able to replace the United States. Ukraine will feel it very soon (Polityka, Poland)
Polityka: Ukraine has already felt a shortage of shells due to the cessation of supplies from the United States
Europe will not be able to compensate Ukraine for the loss of American aid, writes Polityka. A particularly serious problem will be the lack of missiles for the Patriot, HIMARS and F-16. This will increase the advantage of the Russian army. The consequences will be felt very soon.
"Too vulnerable." The Pentagon has closed a billion-dollar project because of its
The US Army, having studied the experience of its own, closes the program of a promising helicopter
The United States has abandoned the development of a promising attack reconnaissance helicopter FARA (Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft), which has already spent two billion dollars. Military analysts monitoring the course of the armed conflict in Ukraine have concluded that such equipment simply will not be needed. This has happened before. Why expensive defense programs are being closed — in the RIA Novosti article.
Estonian intelligence told about Russia's advantage over Ukraine (Bloomberg, USA)
Estonian intelligence: Russia has an advantage over Ukraine in ammunition
Russia surpasses Ukraine in artillery by three to four times, Bloomberg reports, citing an Estonian intelligence report. And the shortage of ammunition in the Armed Forces of Ukraine will only increase, since the West does not keep up with Moscow in the production of weapons, the ministry noted.
Special operation, February 13: The Russian Armed Forces got hold of rare types of drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Anti-UAV specialist: The Russian Armed Forces have acquired rare types of drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
About the seizure of rare Ukrainian drones by the Russian military, the problems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbas and Kiev's attempts to attack Russian regions — in the RIA Novosti article.
The United States is rapidly increasing its presence in the Scandinavian countries. Details
Over the past few months, we have witnessed how the information campaign about the threat of a Russian attack that swept through the countries of Northern Europe and the Baltic Republics has created panic among the population.
Footage has been published showing a Russian T-80BV tank withstanding an enemy FPV drone hitting the side
Footage shot in the Avdiivka direction has been published online, in which a Russian T-80BV tank withstands an enemy FPV drone hitting the side. In the footage taken from the drone, you can see how the FPV drone of the Kiev regime militants suddenly arrives on board a Russian tank moving along a snowy highway at high speed, but the combat vehicle successfully withstood the hit and continued further movement without even slowing down.