Sid Guttridge wrote: ↑28 Jan 2023 09:44
For a couple of decades Russia has been devoting much of its budget in developing its military.
This includes evolving such advanced weaponry as hypersonic missiles, Su-57 aircraft, Armata tanks and Terminator infantry fighting vehicles. Yet none of them have made any discernible impact in Ukraine.
1)
Hypersonic missiles. As far as I can establish, Russia claimed to have used a couple of hypersonic missiles in the opening days of the war, but as they were used among a swarm of conventional cruise missiles, it is difficult to differentiate what damage they did. There don't seem to have been any reports of their use in months.
2)
Armata main battle tank. The Armata tank was meant to be in service about 5 years ago, but none are in unit service. Russia this week announced that the Armata is being sent to Ukraine in response to the donation of Western MBTs to that country. However, as full scale production is still apparently not under way, it is likely that these will be a small number of pre-production vehicles of questionable reliability as the development programme is not yet completed.
3)
SU57 "5th generation" combat aircraft. There are reportedly only a couple of dozen of these and they, too, seem essentially to be pre-production machines. They were briefly experimentally used in Syria a few years ago, but this appears to have been essentially a propaganda exercise. None seem to have operated over Ukraine. India has cancelled its order for this aircraft.
4)
Terminator urban combat vehicle. There are apparently only about a dozen of these, so again they look like a pre-production run. They were reportedly used with some media fanfare in Severodonetsk in May 2022 but we haven't heard anything of them since.
You need to add all fantastic Russky stories, empty talk and primitive propaganda for the Russian dummies on the subject of the Russian A2/AD aka anti-access bubbles, aka impenetrable bubbles, aka no-go bubbles. These bubbles exploded and Russia is a laughing stock. During Putler's aggression against Ukraine this Russky mythology of their A2/AD turned out to be fantasy literature, like their "hypersonic" Kh-47M2 Kinzhal (shot down by the Ukrainians on May 4th, 2023) which turned out to be hyperbullshit, not "hypersonic" missile "impossible to shoot down" according to Russky propaganda.
In the night of April 1st, 2022, two Ukrainian Mi-24s attacked big fuel depot in Russian Belgorod town and destroyed it. Both helos were highly modified with the NVG equipment. Did Russian "A2/AD" react then? Never. The same goes for Ukrainian daring air attacks on the Snake Island. The same goes for hundreds of the other cases when Ukrainian drones do what they want over occupied territories and over Russia. The Ukrainian HARM-armed MiG-29s and Su-27s do what they want too with Russky radar stations both over occupied territories and Russia. The A2/AD? No, Russky laughing stock and nothing more.
At least one the newest Russky mobile ECM system was captured in ideal undamaged condition by the Ukrainian intelligence in the first three weeks of this war. Is it Russky "A2/AD" or Russky disgrace? The same slightly damaged ECM system was captured as well.
Russky air superiority over Ukraine does not exist. High altitude air combats over Ukraine? Low to medium-altitude dog fights over Ukraine under cover of Russky "A2/AD" (except early phase of war)? Misunderstanding. Russky Su-24s, Su-34s and Su-35s last time were seen over Ukraine 10 to 11 months ago. Vast majority of them were shot down by the Ukrainian AA systems without any international help then. Since that time every Russky Su-25 which enters Ukraine is shot down by the MANPADS of various international models and by the IRIS-T SLM highly specialized for shooting down helicopters and the aircraft in their NOE flights.
Who generated the A2/AD aka anti-access bubbles, aka impenetrable bubbles, aka no-go bubbles over Ukraine? Russia? Never. Ukraine. The Russian pilots terribly afraid to fly into Ukrainian territory because they know this is one-way-ticket for them. Western-delivered Patriot, Crotale NG, Hawk, IRIS-T SLM, SAMP/T, NASAMS as well as ex-WarPac (now NATO) members-delivered highly modified 9K33 Osa and S-125 Neva SC anti-aircraft systems are waiting for the Russian Federation heroes in their combat aircraft to welcome them in Ukraine, but… no one wants for a long time.
At night, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a massive airstrike on the facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of Ukraine. Several dozen Geranium UAVs and strategic aviation were involved.
