Ukraine: The Aristoblyats

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > Ukraine: The Aristoblyats

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Arrath: Apr 14, 2011

God drat that must have made a noise

# ? Apr 18, 2023 04:25

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# ? Jun 5, 2024 22:58

Turrurrurrurrrrrrr: Dec 22, 2018; I hope this is "battle" enough for you, friend.

mikerock posted:

WHOOPSIES!!!

https://twitter.com/MarkHertling/status/1648118059318534146?s=20

Western tanks can't even launch turrets good. NATO so weak.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 04:29

Kraftwerk: Aug 13, 2011; i do not have 10,000 bircoins, please stop asking

Can that tank be fixed?

# ? Apr 18, 2023 04:53

HelloSailorSign: Jan 27, 2011

Kraftwerk posted:

Can that tank be fixed?

It still works for indirect fire.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 05:05

Herstory Begins Now: Aug 5, 2003; SOME REALLY TEDIOUS DUMB SHIT THAT SUCKS ASS TO READ ->>

Kraftwerk posted:

Can that tank be fixed?

don't forget to spay and neuter your tanks

# ? Apr 18, 2023 05:16

mikerock: Oct 29, 2005

Kraftwerk posted:

Can that tank be fixed?

*fires up the old buffing tool*

I got this one boys

# ? Apr 18, 2023 05:42

cr0y: Mar 24, 2005

It will be fine as long as those threads aren't stripped and they don't crossthread it when they screw it back on.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 05:47

Fearless: Sep 3, 2003; DRINK MORE MOXIE

I'm sure there are some CF vehicle technicians that could have that thing back in working order. The poo poo that the Sea King technicians had to do to keep their charges in the air bordered on necromancy.

They have no other choice because there's no budget or timeline for a replacement

# ? Apr 18, 2023 05:49

mikerock: Oct 29, 2005

The barrel being hosed up strikes me as probably catastrophic. Might be able to salvage it as a driver training vehicle.

I am not a tank mechanic.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 06:02

SerthVarnee: Mar 13, 2011; It has been ~~two~~ zero days since last incident.; Big Super Slapstick Hunk

That thing belongs in a tank mechanic school. Specifically it needs to be there as a reminder to everyone of the kind of people that will be providing the mechanic with work in the future.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 06:42

mikerock: Oct 29, 2005

Turrurrurrurrrrrrr posted:

Western tanks can't even launch turrets good. NATO so weak.

Beautiful

# ? Apr 18, 2023 07:25

Zudgemud: Mar 1, 2009; Grimey Drawer

mikerock posted:

WHOOPSIES!!!

https://twitter.com/MarkHertling/status/1648118059318534146?s=20

A fender bender.

https://twitter.com/pprussel14/status/1648130522667778054?t=OhhmTxW_dTIywDmh9rrDYg&s=19

# ? Apr 18, 2023 07:57

orange juche: Mar 14, 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPX1CieUkFY

Guy made a thing re: the eventual Ukrainian counteroffensive going over the observed dire state of Russian supply, and potential possible outcomes of the eventual offensive.

orange juche fucked around with this message at 08:24 on Apr 18, 2023

# ? Apr 18, 2023 08:07

Valtonen: May 13, 2014; Tanks still suck but you don't gotta hand it to the Axis either.

mikerock posted:

The barrel being hosed up strikes me as probably catastrophic. Might be able to salvage it as a driver training vehicle.

I am not a tank mechanic.

Funny thing is, I don�t see any barrel damage in the pictures. The bulge in the middle is not a solid part of the barrel but a fine extractor which is a replaceable part. That�s what first caught my eye when everyone started calling this a barrel hit- a force to push a turret out of place would make that barrel way more wile e coyote- like.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 11:11

A.o.D.: Jan 15, 2006

yes, that tank is fixable, but it's a depot level repair (or whatever the German equivalent is). I was a mechanic in the US Army. I've fixed worse than that.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 11:18

psydude: Apr 1, 2008

A.o.D. posted:

(or whatever the German equivalent is).

So they'll be waiting at least 6 weeks for an appointment.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 11:20

Alan Smithee: Jan 4, 2005; A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms.

Enthusiasms, enthusiasms...

Der panzerarzt

# ? Apr 18, 2023 11:40

Invalido: Dec 28, 2005; BICHAELING

Valtonen posted:

The bulge in the middle is not a solid part of the barrel but a fine extractor which is a replaceable part.

My crew had to replace one of those! We were going pretty fast with the gun at three o'clock and there was a big pine tree there that went flying. I didn't catch much hell for it as a commander since it was the driver's job to tell the gunner the traverse limits from obstacles, but the whole crew got night duty replacing the ejector as punishment. It's just a fiberglass can more or less, and if you had the right tool for the threaded ring fixing it in place it isn't a big job as I recall it

# ? Apr 18, 2023 12:51

Valtonen: May 13, 2014; Tanks still suck but you don't gotta hand it to the Axis either.

Invalido posted:

My crew had to replace one of those! We were going pretty fast with the gun at three o'clock and there was a big pine tree there that went flying. I didn't catch much hell for it as a commander since it was the driver's job to tell the gunner the traverse limits from obstacles, but the whole crew got night duty replacing the ejector as punishment. It's just a fiberglass can more or less, and if you had the right tool for the threaded ring fixing it in place it isn't a big job as I recall it

Yep; on both m1 and Leo it�s part of routine maintenance before gunneries to clean underneath it and make sure it�s serviceable. Completely busted ones might be harder to remove / replace labor-wise if there is damage to the threads or the locking part.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 12:54

Splorange: Feb 23, 2011

drat, I didn't realize how many you sickos itt have been, or been near to treaded coffin jockeys :v:

# ? Apr 18, 2023 13:10

Icon Of Sin: Dec 26, 2008

Splorange posted:

treaded coffin jockey

That�s a good username if I�ve ever seen one :stwoon:

# ? Apr 18, 2023 13:14

MonkeyLibFront: Feb 26, 2003; Where's the cake?

Valtonen posted:

Yep; on both m1 and Leo it’s part of routine maintenance before gunneries to clean underneath it and make sure it’s serviceable. Completely busted ones might be harder to remove / replace labor-wise if there is damage to the threads or the locking part.

Strange as a CR2 commander it would have been 100% my fault in people's eyes 😂

Also CR2 fume extractor if dented and needs to be removed is a pain in the dick as it won't just slide off due to tolerances and it's made of steel so requires an angle grinder.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 13:17

Itchy_Grundle: Feb 22, 2003

MonkeyLibFront posted:

Strange as a CR2 commander it would have been 100% my fault in people's eyes 😂

Same here. The TC is responsible for everything on the tank. More so if you're a platoon leader.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 13:18

Arishtat: Jan 2, 2011

MonkeyLibFront posted:

No cannons installed, any us armour peeps comment? Is it similar to the UKs warrior where you can literally unscrew the cannon for maint?

It's been a minute, but as I recall it took two people (it's heavy) and not a lot of time to remove or install it. They're removed for rail moves and stored in the crew compartment. There might even be a tie down specifically for it.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 15:20

Antigravitas: Dec 8, 2019; Die Rettung fuer die Landwirte:

I thought it would go closer to this. Instead, they misunderstood what turret tossing is all about, smh my head.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 15:59

Orthanc6: Nov 4, 2009

Antigravitas posted:

I thought it would go closer to this. Instead, they misunderstood what turret tossing is all about, smh my head.

I'd say they discovered new tech in the great sport of turret toss; not having one's body atomized during the toss.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 18:50

HelloSailorSign: Jan 27, 2011

Orthanc6 posted:

I'd say they discovered new tech in the great sport of turret toss; not having one's body atomized during the toss.

The quiet quitting of tank tossers. For shame.

# ? Apr 18, 2023 19:07

Invalido: Dec 28, 2005; BICHAELING

Itchy_Grundle posted:

Same here. The TC is responsible for everything on the tank. More so if you're a platoon leader.

Of course the TC is technically responsible for everything. Still there's the very necessary division of labor. The TC can't use use his sight helping the gunner spot and pretend to shoot simulated enemies to the left like he's supposed to if he also has to look out the vision blocks over his shoulder to make sure the driver doesn't forget to call out obstacles, which my boss and his boss both understood perfectly well. I did my fair share of fuckups in my short stint in the army but this one wasn't on me and everyone knew it. Doesn't mean I didn't get chewed out half-heartedly for it though, because that's how the hierarchy worked. More generally there were so many trees in close proximity to where we were driving (northern Sweden) that if the TC was tasked with keeping track of them he'd never get to do anything else. Many, many trees fell down due to small and large mistakes. There was this buddy of mine who's CV90 got into some marshy terrain by mistake and rather than turning around on soft dangerous ground he just floored is straight across and returned by going around it. Though all the trees. Hundreds of them, for kilometers. Given the nature of marshes in that part of the world it was generally agreed he'd made the right call. Those things are essentially overgrown lakes with enough biomass on the surface to prevent an armored vehicle from sinking for a while. Maybe.

e:oops, I said "gun at three o'clock" in the last post but it was obviously at nine.

Invalido fucked around with this message at 20:17 on Apr 18, 2023

# ? Apr 18, 2023 20:14

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

It feels like Norway has a "tank sunk in marsh during exercise, two died" accident every ten years or so - the parts of the country where we prepare to fight are just not great tank terrain. That's what's between us (both) and Russia, though.

E: Looks like it's actually been 20 years since the last loss of life in a marsh; 17 if you count "driving onto the ice on a big open lake".

Computer viking fucked around with this message at 09:23 on Apr 19, 2023

# ? Apr 19, 2023 09:19

Invalido: Dec 28, 2005; BICHAELING

Yeah, a small snow covered frozen lake can be hard to distinguish from a forest clearing in daylight let alone at night. We received training about it and on one exercise at least a few such lakes were marked for safety reasons. Still, sinking through the ice was a nightmare scenario for me. If the turret hatches are open the TC and loader have a decent chance of living I guess but the driver is gonna die unless insanely lucky.

# ? Apr 19, 2023 10:11

Set: Oct 30, 2005

Copying this article I translated for the GBS-thread, as I thought you might be also interested in it! There is also a 3 part documentary connected to this, with the first part now released, but Yle sadly only has Finnish and Swedish subtitles for it.

Russian ships have been sighted quite clearly looking for vulnerabilities in civilian infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, and near Britain and Norway. Power and internet cables are extremely vulnerable, and them being damaged can both literally and figuratively leave millions in a black-out, making them a high priority target in either an all-out war between Russia and the Western nations or as a way to terrorize and threaten the nations who rely on these connections staying intact.

This is a Yle article on Russian ship activity and information gathering up in the Nordics. The article itself does not contain any shocking imagery nor text, but clicking further on Yle's webpages may lead you to such material.

Author: Maria Bonnor
Release date: 19.04.23
Link to untranslated article: https://yle.fi/a/74-20027675

quote:

A Russian ship delayed near wind farms in the Baltic Sea - it's about mapping weak points in electricity distribution, experts say

Russian ships have surveyed, among other things, the electrical cables of wind turbines located at sea. According to experts, the goal of this information acquisition is at worst sabotage.

Description of video contents: The Russian research vessel Admiral Vladimirsky sits in the water, with its AIS-transponder turned off. An armed guard can be seen, as well as several onlookers looking at the Danish journalists' boat circling them.

Russian military and civilian ships are moving in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, mapping the critical infrastructure of the seabed. The object of interest are gas pipes, telecommunications cables and especially wind farms and their electrical cables.

Russian intelligence activities were revealed when the Nordic broadcasting companies DR, NRK, SVT and Yle investigated the radio traffic and location information of Russian ships sailing in the area.

According to experts, Russia's goal is to acquire information that would allow it to sabotage the electricity distribution of Northwestern Europe.

Russian intelligence activities are discussed in the three-part documentary War of the Shadows, the first episode of which will be shown on TV1 on Wednesday, April 19.

Ships move at sea with their AIS transmitters turned off

In November 2022, radio traffic intercepted by the Russians revealed to Danish journalists that the ocean research vessel Admiral Vladimirsky was moving in the Kattegat Strait.

There was no official information on the matter, as the ship had turned off its AIS transmitter.

The AIS system is used to identify ships and determine their location, so shutting off the transmitter suggested concealment or mischief.

The reporters went to look for the vessel in the place where it was moving based on encrypted radio traffic. That's also where it was found.

Masked men were moving around on the deck of the 148-meter research vessel. One of them had a uniform, a bulletproof vest and an assault rifle. The journalists' boat was observed and photographed from the deck.

Based on radio traffic, the Admiral Vladimirsky is by no means the only Russian ship that wants to keep its movements secret.

Description of video contents: A cool strategic display map showing the travels of the Admiral Vladimirsky, showing how it during its 6 month voyage surveyed at least 7 wind energy parks on the coasts of the Netherlands, Great Britain as well as Denmark.

Intercepted radio traffic also revealed the route Admiral Vladimirsky sailed during the month. It traveled along the Baltic Sea and through the Danish straits to the North Sea.

The ship slowed down at the wind farms off Scotland. The trip continued to the south, near the English Channel, where large offshore wind farms are also located.

On the way back, it went past the power plants built on the northern coast of the Netherlands and in the Kattegat Strait.

Admiral Vladimirsky's route was investigated and analyzed by former intelligence officer "James" of the British Navy (Editors note: lol). He does not appear in the program under his own name to protect his privacy.

James estimated that the reconnaissance carried out by the ship was one of Russia's first visible attempts to find out how it could disrupt electricity production and distribution in Western Europe.

- Russia is looking for vulnerabilities that provide it with economic weapons. What would happen if all of Copenhagen suddenly went dark? Or the London Stock Exchange?

A former intelligence officer says that the Admiral Vladimirsky and other warships send the information they collect to the Russian intelligence system.

It is used, among other things, by GUGI, the main administration for deep sea research of the Ministry of Defense.

It is one of the most secretive units of the Russian Ministry of Defense, whose job description also includes military intelligence. GUGI maps, among other things, underwater infrastructure and the opponent's underwater surveillance systems, and prepares to destroy them.

The troop department operating under the unit is stationed in St. Petersburg and Murmansk.

Hundreds of civilian ships available for use by the Russian Navy

The reporters also investigated the movements of Russian ships moving in Norwegian territorial waters. They went through the AIS data of several hundred ships from 2013.

The survey revealed 50 vessels whose movements appeared to be intelligence activities. The ships had sailed, for example, over oil and gas fields or in the vicinity of NATO exercises.

According to Russian legislation, the navy can take civilian ships and their crews into use in wartime conditions. This means, for example, fishing, transport and research vessels.

Lecturer St�le Ulriksen from the Norwegian Defense Academy estimates that several hundred civilian ships are available. According to Ulriksen, the biggest threat is mines.

- It is quite easy to lay mines from a civilian ship in strategic places. If the plans have been made and there are a couple of hundred vessels available, they can be placed where they want them, says Ulriksen.

A trawler named Taurus stood out among the vessels observed by the reporters. It is owned by Norebo, which is one of the world's largest fishing groups. It is headed by Russian oligarch Vitaly Orlov.

Taurus' home port is Murmansk, but according to AIS data, it visited the ports of northern Norway significantly more often than Russia. In less than ten years, Taurus visited Norwegian ports 51 times, but only 34 times had fish in the cargo.

For example, in the fall of 2018, instead of the northern fishing waters, Taurus headed south, to �lesund in Western Norway. A NATO exercise of 50,000 soldiers organized in central Norway fell along the route.

At the beginning of last December, Taurus left Tromssa. It was on its way to the Barents Sea, even though there was almost a month until the beginning of the fishing season.

Taurus postponed its departure several times. It also canceled the pilot boat it had ordered, even though there was heavy fog.

While flying through the Gr�tsund strait to the open sea, it passed the Americans' new, almost silent nuclear submarine. It had come to restock before heading across the Atlantic back home.

Description of video contents: Some more cool strategic maps as well as real footage showing the harbor in Tromssa, where the Russian trawler Taurus wanted to have a peek at the US nuclear sub USS South Dakota.

Last summer, Russia updated its national maritime policy guidance document, or maritime doctrine.

It emphasizes the threat created by NATO's expansion, says Ville V�nsk�, commander of Suomenlinna's coastal regiment. The main enemy is the United States. Russia has also strengthened its military presence in the Black Sea and the Arctic region.

A bomb placed on undersea cables would stop the supply of electricity

We were reminded of the vulnerability of the seabed infrastructure last fall, when an unknown party blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines running on the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

Along with gas and telecommunication cables, the electrical cables of wind power parks are also vulnerable.

Independent British naval analyst H. I. Sutton is sure that Russia sent Admiral Vladimirsky specifically to study the seabed. You can easily find out the location and size of wind farms even from satellite images.

- Wind power parks have their weak points. Beneath them are bundles of cables, where a placed bomb would cripple the transmission of electricity to the mainland, says Sutton.

- It suggests that Russia is interested in seabed warfare and the possibility of sabotaging infrastructure.

Cutting the power lines would affect, for example, the operation of hospitals, economic life and communication between people, says Tobias Liebetrau, a researcher familiar with seabed infrastructure from the University of Copenhagen.

� If the energy or communication infrastructure located on the seabed is destroyed, part of the country's or society's activities may come to a standstill.

Embassies and shipping companies rarely comment

Public broadcasting companies asked the Russian embassies in Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm to comment on the main critical aspects of the War of the Shadows series.

The Russian embassy in Denmark was contacted numerous times, but neither it nor the Russian Ministry of Defense commented on information related to Admiral Vladimirsky.

Only the Oslo ambassador commented by email.

"The work of research projects is coordinated through diplomatic channels and is in accordance with international legislation," writes ambassador Teymuraz Ramishvili.

According to him, Russian trawlers operate in Norwegian territorial waters in accordance with local and international rules.

Last year, 122 Russian fishing vessels operated in Norwegian waters. They have permission to use three ports in northern Norway, which are Troms�, B�tsfjord and Kirkkoniemi.

Many shipping companies also failed to respond to messages sent by journalists.

However, a representative of Norebo, which owns Taurus, assures by email that the company complies with international legislation. According to the shipping company, the claims about intelligence connections are untrue and border on political paranoia.

# ? Apr 19, 2023 11:14

psydude: Apr 1, 2008

Can someone better versed in maritime law explain to me how that didn't immediately trigger a response from the Royal Navy?

# ? Apr 19, 2023 12:42

Karate Bastard: Jul 31, 2007; Soiled Meat

yle posted:

Description of video contents: A cool strategic display map

Description of video contents: Some more cool strategic maps

Do they mean "chilling"?

# ? Apr 19, 2023 13:14

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Karate Bastard posted:

Do they mean "chilling"?

"Cool" seems applicable.

# ? Apr 19, 2023 13:56

Arishtat: Jan 2, 2011

psydude posted:

Can someone better versed in maritime law explain to me how that didn't immediately trigger a response from the Royal Navy?

NATO response: :nsa:

# ? Apr 19, 2023 14:22

Rude Dude With Tude: Apr 19, 2007; Your President approves this text.

psydude posted:

Can someone better versed in maritime law explain to me how that didn't immediately trigger a response from the Royal Navy?

The Russian ship isn't a trawler so our submarines are powerless to use their time honoured tactic of dragging it under the water.

(real talk we are almost certainly also doing :nsa:

so it's not worth the diplomatic fuss)

# ? Apr 19, 2023 16:36

PurpleXVI: Oct 30, 2011; Spewing insults, pissing off all your neighbors, betraying your allies, backing out of treaties and accords, and generally screwing over the global environment?
ALL PART OF MY BRILLIANT STRATEGY!

Couldn't Russian vessels just be barred from the national waters of NATO members? They could still do some bullshit, but suddenly considerably less.

# ? Apr 19, 2023 16:42

RBA-Wintrow: Nov 4, 2009; Clapping Larry

That would keep the russian fleet in port. There's little water russia controls. Like, Norway and Denmark (through Greenland) control the water into the northern icecap. And lol at russian Baltic sea territory.

RBA-Wintrow fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Apr 19, 2023

# ? Apr 19, 2023 17:13

bennyfactor: Nov 21, 2008

PurpleXVI posted:

Couldn't Russian vessels just be barred from the national waters of NATO members? They could still do some bullshit, but suddenly considerably less.

Warships can be asked to leave under UNCLOS, but other foreign ships in territorial waters that are just travelling/stopping are exercising "innocent passage" and the coastal state can't prohibit that.

RBA-Wintrow posted:

That would keep the russian fleet in port. There's little water russia controls.

That's a map of EEZs (~200nmi), not territorial seas (12 nmi). Not exactly any better to get a warship out of St Petersburg and into the Atlantic, though:

Only registered members can see post attachments!

# ? Apr 19, 2023 17:26

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# ? Jun 5, 2024 22:58

FrozenVent: May 1, 2009; The Boeing 737-200QC is the undisputed workhorse of the skies.

You can still get innocent passage if there�s no other way though.

Those ships aren�t doing anything illegal, there�s probably a NATO submarine up their butt.

# ? Apr 19, 2023 17:29

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > Ukraine: The Aristoblyats

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