Mil News Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, South Caucasus, Central Asia Military

[Soldier35]

The Ukrainian army has begun to equip the IRIS-T SLM air defense system command posts, previously received from Germany, with additional armor. The additional armor was developed by the Ukrainian Metinvest Group and is designed to protect the IRIS-T SLM air defense system from fragments; the company does not report whether the armor protects against drones. The additional armor consists of 8 mm thick plates made of 30ХН2МА steel. When equipping the IRIS-T SLM air defense system with armor, the weight of the IRIS-T SLM command post increases by 2.6 tons. According to Metinvest, this does not affect the mobility of the system.

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Technical information about the German IRIS-T SLM air defense system used by the Ukrainian army

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[Soldier35]

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has launched an investigation into the supply of defective 120 mm mortar shells to the Ukrainian army. It is worth noting that Ukrainian servicemen have already begun to report defective 82 mm mortar shells as well. As reported by Ukrainian soldiers themselves, the 120 mm mortar shells supplied by Ukroboronprom got stuck in the mortar barrel, fell after firing next to the mortar, or did not work at all. According to media reports, the defective batch turned out to be quite large - more than 100 thousand pieces. At the same time, Ukroboronprom, which produces these shells, accused the Ukrainian military of negligent storage of ammunition.

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[Soldier35]

Ukrainian servicemen showed homemade grenades created by one of the units. The design of the grenades is very simple, a stick, two 400 g TNT blocks and a fuse are used. How and where Ukrainian homemade grenades are used is not reported.

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[Soldier35]

Footage from the Ukrainian drone operator training simulator. The drone simulator is intended for the Ukrainian military and is not distributed among civilians. The peculiarity of the Ukrainian drone simulator is that all the maps in the simulator are real and allow not only to practice the skills of a drone operator, but also to study the terrain of Ukraine. The video in the simulator shows an episode of the interception of a Russian-made Orlan drone.

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[BravoZulu]

Lithuania will increase its defence spending to between 5% and 6% of GDP starting in 2026 due to the threat of Russian aggression in the region, the Baltic nation's President Gitanas Nausėda said on Friday.

Nausėda said the "historic decision" was taken by the the country's State Defence Council on Friday to achieve that level of spending from 2026 to 2030.

"The possibility of Russian military aggression is still real, but not imminent. We need to increase our efforts to strengthen defence and deterrence significantly, devoting more resources to this end," Nausėda said at a press conference in Lithuania's capital Vilnius.

The NATO and EU member, which borders Russia and its ally Belarus, currently spends slightly more than 3% of GDP on defence.

Reaching the 5% target would make Lithuania the NATO country spending the most on defence as a percentage of its GDP. The current leader is Poland, which spends more than 4% of its GDP on defence and is projected to approach 5% by the end of the year.

Lithuania's announcement comes after US President-elect Donald Trump this month called for NATO allies to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP — a level currently unmatched by any member of the military alliance — up from the current 2% target.

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/...ng-to-5-6-of-gdp-to-combat-threat-from-russia

 

[haze99]

Estonia receives HIMARS (wheeled MLRS)

The U.S. delivers the first six new HIMARS Artillery Systems to equip the Estonian Army

As part of a security package aimed at strengthening the defensive capabilities of NATO's eastern flank countries, the United States has completed the

www.zona-militar.com

 

[BravoZulu]

The U.S. military transferred around 90 Patriot air defense interceptors from storage in Israel to Poland this week in order to deliver them to Ukraine, three sources with knowledge of the operation tell Axios.

In recent days, U.S. Air Force C-17 planes arrived at an air base in southern Israel and departed for Rzeszów in Eastern Poland, a hub for moving weapons into Ukraine.

• The sources said the flight transferred roughly 90 patriot interceptors that can be used by Ukraine with its current patriot batteries.
• The flights carried around 90 interceptors, which Ukraine can use with its current batteries. Additional equipment, like radars and other gear, will first be transferred to the U.S. to be refurbished.

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/28/us-patriot-missiles-ukraine-israel

 

[TheKiwi]

Interesting. I wonder why the missile in the picture has Chinese writing on it. Stock footage maybe?

 

[BravoZulu]

Interesting. I wonder why the missile in the picture has Chinese writing on it. Stock footage maybe?

There was no image in the article, it's the only PAC-3 I could find at short notice

 

[Soldier35]

The Ukrainian company Robotic Systems demonstrated the Plush robotic platform. The tracked drone is designed to accommodate communication repeaters, as well as electronic warfare stations, and is equipped with a 10-meter retractable mast. The Plush robotic complex is controlled via radio communication at a frequency of 5.8 GHz, which provides a range of up to 10 km in open terrain and up to 3 km in rough terrain. To control the drone, 1-2 operators are required, who work through the video channel of the optical module. The Plush ground drone can deploy the mast in 80 seconds and return to its original position in 60 seconds. The maximum speed of the Plush complex is 9 km / h, the cruising range is 40 km

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[Soldier35]

Footage of a Ukrainian dummy, a Soviet BMP-1, the video was filmed in the area of Velyka Novosilka. It is worth noting that Ukraine has better quality dummy military equipment, but for some reason this example is used. The fact that this is a dummy can be recognized from any drone with high-quality optics.

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[haze99]

Ukraine Received Cold War-Era Air Defenses, But Instead of Roland It's Soviet Kub SAM | Defense Express

The expectation that there might be lots of unneeded air defense equipment in Europe has played out in quite an interesting way

en.defence-ua.com

 

[haze99]

UK for Ukraine

Where the UK Might Have Sourced T-72 Tanks for Ukraine, Which European Countries Still Have Them | Defense Express

There is an intrigue in the new aid package for Ukraine that is difficult to solve

en.defence-ua.com

Brother, can you spare a T-72?

 

[Soldier35]

The Ukrainian army, following the Russian one, has begun to protect roads from drones. The first footage was presumably filmed in the Sumy region of Ukraine. In the video, you can see installed poles and stretched wire, it is unknown whether a net will be stretched. The first to use this type of protection were Wagner units, the use of a net complicates the work of drone operators.

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[Soldier35]

Ukrainian servicemen showed an M113 armored personnel carrier with additional lattice protection of the "Tsar-mangal" type. This type of protection helps to resist drone attacks. M113 armored personnel carriers were developed in the United States in 1957 and are now widely used in the Ukrainian army. M113 armored personnel carriers are also used by the Russian army.

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[Soldier35]

The Ukrainian army has shown footage of the construction of defensive structures in the Pokrovsk direction. Note that the trenches are equipped with ready-made lattice metal structures with protection against drones. Ready-made pillboxes are also being installed. All this allows fortifications to be erected in any place in a short time.

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[Soldier35]

Rare footage of the Ukrainian MIM-104 Patriot air defense system, there is almost no video of them. In the video, a Ukrainian serviceman shows the Patriot air defense system and thanks the United States for the air defense system provided. Earlier, flash mobs began in Ukraine, thanking the United States for the military equipment provided. The other day, they also showed an F-16 aircraft. Now, US President Donald Trump has ordered a suspension of military aid to Ukraine, after a scandalous conversation with the President of Ukraine. As Bloomberg reported, if the United States does not resume arms supplies, Ukraine's weapons reserves will last for several months, which could lead to defeat.

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[Soldier35]

The Ukrainian company Ptashka Drones demonstrated a miniature hand-held drone interception system. The device is quite small and is equipped with a net that is fired in the direction of the drone's flight. The net launcher is convenient to use as individual protection for soldiers against drones. It is still unknown whether there will be large-scale production. According to the developer, the device fires a 3.5-meter net at drones at a distance of up to 30 meters. Examples of the device and its prototype in action are shown in the video.

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[santana]

Ukraine’s Best European Missile Just Shot Down Its First Russian Jet​

One of Ukraine’s two SAMP/T surface-to-air missile batteries has shot down a Russian warplane for the first time. That’s obvious good news for Ukraine, which could rely more on the Franco-Italian air defense system—Europe’s answer to the American Patriot.

But the news belies the scarcity of SAMP/Ts—and their Aster missiles—not just in Ukraine, but everywhere.


“There is a confirmed aircraft,” Yuriy Ihnat, a Ukrainian air force spokesman, said at a recent industry event. Ukraine has received separate SAMP/T batteries, each with radars and launchers, from France and Italy. A $500-million SAMP/T battery can hit aircraft and missiles from 90 miles away.


It’s the only Western alternative to the Patriot, around six batteries of which Ukraine has received from the United States, Germany, Romania and The Netherlands.


Kyiv is badly in need of a backup plan for intercepting Russian planes and missiles amid the geopolitical chaos triggered by the increasingly Russia-aligned administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

link

Ukraine’s Best European Missile Just Shot Down Its First Russian Jet

The Ukrainian air force has two SAMP/T batteries—and needs more.

www.forbes.com

 

[Soldier35]

The Ukrainian army has started using a new UAS SETH attack drone. The drones were given to the servicemen by the charity foundation "Turn Alive". Visually, the drone is a smaller copy of the Russian Geran drones. The UAS SETH drone is reportedly easy to operate and has automatic targeting, but judging by the video, the drone's targeting is adjusted. The UAS SETH drone has a short flight range and is designed to hit targets in the frontline zone. Technical details are unknown.

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