https://sputnikglobe.com/20230717/reverse-engineering-in-action-russia-finds-himars-weak-spot-1111940155.html
Reverse Engineering in Action: Russia Finds HIMARS’ Weak Spot
Reverse Engineering in Action: Russia Finds HIMARS’ Weak Spot
Sputnik International
President Putin has indicated that Russia wouldn’t rule out the reverse engineering of sophisticated Western military equipment captured by Russian forces in Ukraine.
2023-07-17T14:23+0000
2023-07-17T14:23+0000
2023-07-17T14:25+0000
military
russia
ukraine
russian army
nato
high mobility artillery rocket system (himars)
leopard 2
patriot
pantsir
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"The enemy also produces modern equipment. And if there's an opportunity to look inside and see if there's something there that we can use, well, why not?" Putin said in an interview with Russian media on Sunday.The United States and its allies have poured over $94.5 billion in military equipment into Ukraine over the past 18 months, draining their own armories to send everything from the latest modifications of Leopard 2 tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to HIMARS precision rocket launchers, Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, and Caesar howitzers.As the conflict progressed, Russian Army troops and Donbass People’s Militia militiamen began capturing this equipment, with reams of footage emerging online showing troops strutting around near trophy Leopards and Bradleys, or engaging in training using seized Javelin and Stinger missile systems. Earlier this month, Russian troops got their hands on an intact Storm Shadow missile, dismantling it and taking it away in a truck to a rear area for further analysis.“Take for example the Leopard tank, which is interesting to us in terms of the components of its armor, and the fire control system of its tank gun. The Bradley IFV is also of interest, in terms of the projectiles used by its 25 mm cannon,” the retired colonel, whose military record includes service in the Soviet Group of Forces in East Germany, Afghanistan and Syria, said.Successes of Reverse EngineeringMatviychuk says there’s plenty of evidence showing that Russian forces are already taking advantage of the analysis of captured NATO equipment, particularly in the field of missiles.Russian air defense troops in the field confirmed in January that their Pantsir platforms had been outfitted with a new thermal imager and software update to dramatically increase the interception rate of HIMARS rockets.Last week, a senior executive from Russian technology giant Rostec said the effectiveness of upgraded Pantsir missile/gun systems had reached "100 percent" effectiveness against HIMARS rockets on the battlefield in some cases.Now, the issue is getting enough upgraded air defense systems to the 1,000 km front line, given Ukrainian forces’ tendency to use their Western-provided equipment to attack not only Russian forces, but to deliberately target civilian areas, particularly in the Donbass.
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reverse engineering, himars, storm shadow, pantsir, russia, ukraine, nato, proxy war, proxy conflict, russia reverse engineering western weapons, can russia use trophy weapons, what weapons used against russia
reverse engineering, himars, storm shadow, pantsir, russia, ukraine, nato, proxy war, proxy conflict, russia reverse engineering western weapons, can russia use trophy weapons, what weapons used against russia
Reverse Engineering in Action: Russia Finds HIMARS’ Weak Spot
14:23 GMT 17.07.2023 (Updated: 14:25 GMT 17.07.2023) President Putin has indicated that Russia wouldn’t rule out the reverse engineering of sophisticated Western military equipment captured by Russian forces in Ukraine. Russia has already amassed quite a bit of success in this area, says retired Russian military intelligence officer Anatoliy Matviychuk.
"The enemy also produces modern equipment. And if there's an opportunity to look inside and see if there's something there that we can use, well, why not?"
Putin said in an interview with Russian media on Sunday.
The United States and its allies have poured over $94.5 billion in military equipment into Ukraine over the past 18 months, draining their own armories to send everything from the latest modifications of Leopard 2 tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to HIMARS precision rocket launchers, Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, and Caesar howitzers.
As the conflict progressed, Russian Army troops and Donbass People’s Militia militiamen began capturing this equipment, with reams of footage emerging online showing troops strutting around near
trophy Leopards and
Bradleys, or engaging in training using seized
Javelin and
Stinger missile systems. Earlier this month, Russian troops
got their hands on an intact Storm Shadow missile, dismantling it and taking it away in a truck to a rear area for further analysis.
"Any trophy equipment we capture on the field of battle is valuable in terms of its design features, certain design solutions for some of its components," retired military intelligence officer and military analyst Anatoliy Matviychuk told Sputnik.
“Take for example the Leopard tank, which is interesting to us in terms of the components of its armor, and the fire control system of its tank gun. The Bradley IFV is also of interest, in terms of the projectiles used by its 25 mm cannon,” the retired colonel, whose military record includes service in the Soviet Group of Forces in East Germany, Afghanistan and Syria, said.
"All the equipment we capture is carefully studied by our military engineers. We compare it to our own equipment and immediately make methodological recommendations about the means to combat this equipment on the battlefield. And, in the future, it's possible that some elements can even be introduced in our own equipment," Matviychuk explained.
Successes of Reverse Engineering
Matviychuk says there’s plenty of evidence showing that Russian forces are already taking advantage of the analysis of captured NATO equipment, particularly in the field of missiles.
"The HIMARS we’ve captured were once able to evade our Pantsir air defense systems quite well. Not anymore. We have found their weak spot, found their control system’s frequencies, and our air defenses systems now destroy them superbly. As for the Storm Shadow missile we’ve captured, we also see now in reports from the Defense Ministry that nearly 90 percent of these missiles are shot out of the skies by our air defense systems," the observer said.
Russian air defense troops in the field confirmed in January that their Pantsir platforms had been outfitted with a new thermal imager and software update to dramatically increase the interception rate of HIMARS rockets.
Last week, a senior executive from Russian technology giant Rostec said the effectiveness of upgraded Pantsir missile/gun systems had reached "100 percent" effectiveness against HIMARS rockets on the battlefield in some cases.
"Any weapon is modernized and improved based on the results of its combat employment. This is a continuous process. For example, after the enemy received HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, specialists at High Precision Systems upgraded the Pantsir to intercept these rockets. Today we see examples of HIMARS strikes successfully countered by our surface-to-air missile/gun system. There are precedents when all 12 rockets launched from an American MLRS were shot down," the official said.
Now, the issue is getting enough upgraded air defense systems to the 1,000 km front line, given Ukrainian forces’ tendency to use their Western-provided equipment to attack not only Russian forces, but to deliberately target civilian areas, particularly in the Donbass.
