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☆ Elon Musk says human-piloted fighter jets like the F-35 are obsolete. Drone tech can't yet fill the gap.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-26 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In the Ukraine war, drones are surveilling and striking enemy vehicles and troop positions. Four years ago, the SpaceX founder said a remotely controlled uncrewed fighter would be a better alternative to the F-35 and argued the future is autonomous drone warfare. AdvertisementIn the Ukraine war, drones have been a priority for combatants, but Ukraine still seeks Western fighter aircraft. Some former pilots and warfighting analysts say the US military should combine drones and crewed fighter aircraft. In this situation, uncrewed systems enhance crewed systems and vice versa.

Persons: Elon Musk, Eric Schmidt, Musk, SERGEI SUPINSKY, That's, Justin Bronk, Guy Snodgrass, Andrej Tarfila, Lockheed Martin, Mark Gunzinger, Bronk, Gunzinger Organizations: Army, Trump's Department, SpaceX, Getty, Royal United Services Institute, uncrewed, Lockheed, BI, US Air Force, Concepts, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Western, AFP

☆ Andrew Webber's forever war
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Sam Fellman | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +38 min

Like others in Chosen Company, Webber had been drawn to Ukraine for reasons he couldn't quite explain. AdvertisementNow, as Webber and his fellow members of Chosen Company got acquainted in the bar, uncertainty hung over the gathering. One showed an assault team clearing a World War I-style bunker, using live rounds. AdvertisementCats are everywhere on the front lines in Ukraine; Webber rescued one from a building under fire. "It seemed like he had stuff he was working on," says O'Leary, the CO of Chosen Company.

Persons: Andrew Webber, Webber chatted, he'd, Webber, Vera, Gwen, DeeDee, He'd, Jovelle Tamayo, she'd, I'm, hadn't, Rhodesian Bush, Dee Dee, David Roller, Sweeney, Tom Mader, Mader, vomited, patting, Andrew, Matthew James When Webber, wasn't, Karla Stephens, Karla, He's, Dubs, would've, Ryan O'Leary, Thomas Waszak, Elizabeth Gil, Fenwick, —, Sayed Zuhoor, Hilarie Atkisson, who's, Joe, O'Leary, Webber wasn't, marveled, Tango, Pervomaiske, Chosen, Wayne Hallatt, Hallatt, Thomas Waszak Wearing, wouldn't, Delta, Lance Lawrence, Lawrence, CeeBee, it's, Webber couldn't, we're, Waszak, Nichole, he's, Sam Fellman, Ryan Pickrell Organizations: White Sox, Chosen Company, Army, Company, corgi, Chosen, French Foreign, Rhodesian, Ranger School, intel, Operating, Taliban, Motorized Infantry Brigade, LinkedIn, Northwestern, Fenwick & West, Big Law, United, Fenwick, Ranger, Volunteers, Delta, AK, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Webber, Business Locations: Ukrainian, Dnipro, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, America, Seattle, Bakhmut, Washington, West Point, West, Georgia, Afghanistan's, Taliban, Kandahar, Fort Benning, Russian, Donetsk, Pervomaiske, Kabul, United States, Afghan, Russia, German, Delta, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine got America's top tank without the latest and greatest armor upgrades, which are 'top secret,' but it's adding its own
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewUkraine is adding more protection to its US-provided Abrams tanks as it tries to fight back against Russia. The US started sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine in fall 2023, and altogether it has sent 31 of them. But without top armor, Ukraine needs to come up with its own solutions, he said. AdvertisementA Ukrainian tank with an added cage near the Russian border in northern Ukraine in August 2024. That confirmation indicates that the armor on the Abrams tanks, among certain other things, was downgraded prior to delivery.

Persons: —, Abrams, Ukraine didn't, Nicholas Drummond, Hamish de Bretton, Gordon, M1A2 Abrams, Pat Ryder, Charlie Dietz, Bretton, De Bretton, Drummond, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Volodymyr Zelenksyy, Ryan Pickrell Organizations: Service, Russia, US, Business, British Army, Soviet, Bradley, Nuclear, Getty, Politico, M1A2, Pentagon, BI, Department of Defense, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Abrams, Challenger Locations: Ukraine, Russian, ROMAN, Bakhmut, Soviet, Russia, Khortytsky_wind, AFP, Western

☆ Top general says Ukrainian forces have captured almost as much Russian territory in the last week as Russia has land in Ukraine this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewIn under a week, Ukrainian forces have captured around 1,000 square kilometers in their surprise offensive into Russia, Kyiv's top commander said on Monday. The amount of Russian territory that Ukraine has seized in a matter of days — roughly 386 square miles — is almost as much as Moscow has captured in Ukraine this year. Advertisement"As of now, we control about 1,000 square kilometers of the territory of the Russian Federation. According to Mitch Belcher, a geospatial analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, which tracks battlefield movements and developments, Russian forces occupied around 108,163 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory on December 31. "We assess that Russian forces have occupied an additional 1,175 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory thus far in 2024," he told BI on Monday.

Persons: —, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelenskyy, Syrskyi, Mitch Belcher, Vladimir Putin, John Kirby, Biden, Ryan Pickrell Organizations: Service, Business, Russian Federation, Ukrainian, REUTERS, Institute for, Sputnik, Kremlin, White, National Security Council Locations: Russia, Kyiv's, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia's Kursk, Kyiv, Russian, Ukraine's Sumy, Kursk, Kremlin, Kursk Oblast

☆ Ukraine's soldiers don't have time to grieve and can't risk falling apart, psychiatrist says after visiting front lines
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"It layers on, these losses, these injuries, the ungrieved pain," Brockdorf told Business Insider. Ukrainian soldiers walk past a volunteer bus burning after a Russian drone hit it near Bakhmut. Ukrainian soldiers firing mortars from trench positions. Pierre Crom/Getty ImagesSome of Ukraine's soldiers have been serving on the front lines for long stretches as Ukraine grapples with manpower shortages. AdvertisementAnd, indeed, that damage can be lasting, which is why Brockdorf says it's important to be there for Ukrainian soldiers.

Persons: —, Yulia Brockdorf, Brockdorf, she's, DAWN, Shandyba Mykyta, Vladislav Matrenitsky, Matrenitsky, Pierre Crom, Mark Hertling, Ryan Pickrell Organizations: Service, Business, Mountain Assault, AP, Center, Psychotherapy, Ukrainian, Washington Post, US Army, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Europe, Kyiv

☆ Gen. Montgomery wrote his entire D-Day invasion battle plan on a single piece of paper — here it is
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The invasion of Normandy, France, on D-Day was a massive and complex military operation involving hundreds of thousands of military personnel. Allied war planners spent months preparing for the assault, drafting up numerous plans for the spearhead into German-occupied northwestern Europe. One commanding general, Britain's Gen. Bernard Montgomery, kept it simple, scribbling out his plans for the largest land, air, and sea operation in military history on a single sheet of paper. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Allied war planners spent months planning the invasion, the beginning of the Allied spearhead into German-occupied Europe known as Operation Overlord.

Persons: Britain's Gen, Bernard Montgomery, — Organizations: Service, Nazi, Business Locations: Normandy, France, Europe

Explosions were heard in Iran, according to CNN, which cited Iranian state media outlet FARS. There's still a lack of clarity around the reported explosions, but there are multiple reports of an Israeli strike. AdvertisementExplosions were heard near an Iranian military base, and multiple reports, citing US officials, say that Israel struck Iran. CNN, citing the semi-official FARS news outlet, reported the explosions were heard in the city of Ghahjaworstan, which is located near Isfahan, Iran. The Iranian news outlet said that "the city of Ghahjaworstan is located near Isfahan Airport and the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force."

Persons: — Organizations: CNN, Service, Army Air Force, Business Locations: Iran, FARS, There's, Israel, Ghahjaworstan, Isfahan, Iranian, Isfahan Airport

☆ German warship accidentally opened fire on an American drone, nearly costing the US another Reaper in its Red Sea fight
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Jake Epstein | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A German warship accidentally tried to shoot down a US military combat drone this week. The frigate Hessen targeted the MQ-9 Reaper as it was on a mission around the Red Sea, a US official said. AdvertisementA German warship accidentally targeted an American combat drone that was operating around the Red Sea earlier this week, but a malfunction spared the US from losing another Reaper drone. A missile launches from a US Navy destroyer in the Red Sea earlier this month. Screengrab/US Central Command via XMeanwhile, with this week's engagements — which saw Germany shoot down the two Houthi drones — Berlin joins the US, UK, and France in eliminating deadly threats launched by the rebels.

Persons: —, Boris Pistorius, Sina Schuldt, Aspides, Dwight D Organizations: Service, Berlin's, Airmen, Squadron, Nevada, Air, Bomb, US Air Force, Victoria, US Central Command, Hessen, Getty, Hellfire, Prosperity Guardian, EU, US Navy, Central Command, Eisenhower Carrier Strike Locations: Hessen, American, Sachsen, Germany, Red, Yemen, Russia, France

The US and UK launched strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen on Thursday. The strikes come after repeated warnings from the US and UK over the Houthis' attacks on shipping vessels. The official said the strikes targeted Houthi radar stations and storage facilities and launch sites for drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, a Houthi official vowed revenge against the US and UK for the strikes. AdvertisementBut one series of strikes is unlikely to destroy the Houthis' ability to interfere with shipping, Ryan said.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Hussein al, Ezzi, It's, Mick Ryan, Antony Blinken, Ryan, Ryan Pickrell Organizations: US, Service, Business, CNN, Australian Army, Biden Locations: Yemen, Iran, American, British, America, Britain, Israel, Gaza

☆ Ukraine's air force dropped a wild video of a MiG-29 hugging the ground in a shockingly low pass
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new video shared by Ukraine's air force shows a MiG-29 fighter jet making a wildly low pass. AdvertisementA wild Ukrainian air force video shows a MiG-29 fighter jet making an incredibly low airfield pass in flight, hugging the ground before soaring back up into the sky. AdvertisementAnd there's lot of examples of low flying, though not usually as low as the video posted by Ukraine's air force. Flying low isn't necessarily more difficult, but it does require certain skills, according to Snodgrass. AdvertisementAs for the MiG in the Ukrainian air force video, it doesn't get much lower than that.

Persons: —, Guy Snodgrass, Snodgrass Organizations: Service, Ukrainian Air Force Locations: Soviet, Russian, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Exploding drones are proving a weapon unlike any other in Ukraine, and no one is safe, combat videos show
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

These weapons are unlike any other threat in Ukraine and are reshaping combat. AdvertisementMore and more, it isn't just tanks and armored vehicles falling prey to cheap hobby drones packed with explosives in Ukraine. "Earlier, FPV strikes took place only after it was scouted by an ISR drone," he said, referring to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. "Now, FPV drones take off and look for the target while in flight," and when they find one, "they just strike it." A serviceman of Separate 14th Regiment of Armed Forces of Ukraine, holds FPV strike drone on the front line on October 26, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine.

Persons: —, Samuel Bendett, Bendett, Vitalii Nosach Organizations: Service, Regiment, Armed Forces of Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukrainian

☆ Spora Health's founder painted a rosy portrait of his healthcare startup. The reality is more complicated.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

The way Dan Miller told it, his startup Spora Health was crushing it, providing high-quality care to "thousands" of people online. The startup had secured at least one big contract, with Apple, according to three former Spora employees and another source close to Spora. Four of them told Insider they either no longer worked with Spora or hadn't seen Spora patients in a year. Two doctors listed on Spora's website as "featured Spora providers" also told Insider that they no longer worked for the startup. Another former clinician said she only ever treated a handful of Spora patients.

Persons: Dan Miller, Miller, Spora, it's, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna didn't, paychecks, hadn't, he's, It's, —, we've, " Miller, Shelby Livingston, Rob Price, Emmalyse Brownstein, Ryan Pickrell, Gloria Dawson, Stephanie Hallett, Alcynna Lloyd, Hayley Peterson Organizations: Company, TechCrunch, Spora, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple, Aetna, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Human Ventures, MaC Venture, SEC Locations: Spora, Level's, slivingston@insider.com

☆ Ukrainian fighter pilots could soon make the jump to real F-16s that don't fly quite like the jets they know best
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Ukrainian fighter pilots learning to fly the F-16 could soon make the jump to real combat aircraft. The F-16 flies a bit different from the fighter aircraft they know, namely MiG-29s and Su-27s. AdvertisementAdvertisementTwo U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft sits parked on flight line at MacDill Air Force Base, Sept. 8, 2021. US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lauren CobinSimulator training will help ease the transition with these potential differences, but getting up to speed in an actual plane still takes time. Training has been ongoing at the Danish military air base in Skrydstrup and in the US at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Morris Air National Guard Base in Arizona.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, Yuriy Ihnat, Ihnat, Mike, Torrealday, Efrem, Julianne Showalter, you'd, Lockheed Martin, Lauren Organizations: MiG, Service, US Air Force Reserve, Ukrainian Air Force, National Museum of, United States Air Force US Air Force, Soviet, Air Force, General Dynamics, . Air Force, Falcon, MacDill Air Force Base, US Air Force, US, Lackland Air Force Base, Morris Air National Guard Base Locations: American, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Soviet, Iraq, Poland, Romania, Denmark, United States, Skrydstrup, Texas, Arizona, Ukraine

☆ Russia's Kinzhal ballistic missile performs poorly, despite Putin's hype they're unstoppable, says UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin recently said Russia will begin patrolling the Black Sea using jets carrying Kinzhal missiles. Russia has much hyped the Kinzhal missile, but experts have said its capabilities are exaggerated. Ukraine said it shot down a Kinzhal missile with a US-made Patriot interceptor in May. Days later, it claimed it shot down an unprecedented six Russian Kinzhal missiles over Kyiv. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe destruction of the Kinzhal missiles was seen as a psychological blow for Russia.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Kinzhal, Sergey Shoigu, Ryan Pickrell Organizations: MoD, Service, UK's Ministry of Defense, UK Ministry of Defense, Russian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian

☆ Russia is using missiles designed for high-value targets like warships and airfields to hit Ukraine's grain exports, UK says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has been targeting Ukraine's grain production since its invasion, hurting global food supplies. It's using AS-4 Kitchen and AS23a Kodiak missiles to hit targets like grain silos, the UK MOD said. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia is using missiles that are designed to be used on "high-value targets" to hit Ukraine's food supply and hurt global food prices, the UK Ministry of Defence said. The MOD said Russia is now using both kinds of missiles to "de-stabilise world food prices and disrupt Ukraine's grain industry." AdvertisementAdvertisementGlobal food prices have risen as a result, and experts warn of famines in some countries if Ukraine's food exports fall far enough.

Persons: —, Insider's Ryan Pickrell Organizations: AS, MOD, Service, UK Ministry of Defence, for Strategic, International Studies, ISIS, Operational Command, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS, UN Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Ukraine's Odesa, REUTERS Ukraine

☆ Putin says Russia got its troubled nuclear-powered cruise missile to work after years of failure and a deadly disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Chris Panella | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Putin says Russia tested an experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussian leadership claims the country tested one of its new "super weapons," specifically the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, and it purportedly worked. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the latest test of the cruise missile at the Valdai International Discussion Club, Russian state media reported on Thursday. Russia conducted a "successful test" of the "Burevestnik nuclear-powered global-range cruise missile," Putin said, per an AP translation of his remarks. The one-of-a-kind cruise missile has had a troubled history.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, didn't, SERGEI GUNEYEV, Moscow, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Russian Navy, Ukraine's, Sputnik, Getty, New York Times, CNBC, NATO, State Department Locations: Russia, Russian, Sochi, Moscow, United States, Nenoksa

☆ Tank battles of the kind the Abrams was built for are rare in Ukraine, where tanks aren't often killed in fights with enemy armor
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Chris Panella | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine, but the war may not give it the opportunity to do what it does best. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Abrams tanks had arrived and were "preparing to reinforce our brigades." View of American M1A1 Abrams tanks as they cross the desert during the Gulf War, Iraq, 1991. U.S. Army M1A1 Abrams tank fires during NATO enhanced Forward Presence battle group military exercise Crystal Arrow 2021 in Adazi, Latvia March 26, 2021. AdvertisementAdvertisementBeyond enemy threats, Ukraine will still face a major challenge operating the Abrams on the battlefield — and that is keeping it there.

Persons: Abrams, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden, Allan Tannenbaum, there's, hasn't, Moscow's, INTS KALNINS Organizations: Wall Street, Service, Royal United Services Institute, Army, New York Times, US Army, U.S . Army M1A1, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Iraq, Russia, Ukrainian, Adazi, Latvia

☆ Abrams tanks were 'built to kill' Russian armor, but Ukraine has its work cut out for it keeping them in the fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Chris Panella | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Ukraine has received a first batch of US-provided M1A1 Abrams tanks. It's heavy-duty, combat-proven armor that was built with a very specific mission in mind: killing Russian tanks. The promise to deliver American-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine followed plans from the UK, Germany, and other European partners to provide Ukraine with Challenger and Leopard tanks. AdvertisementAdvertisement"The Abrams was built, A1 and A2 alike, knowing we had to kill many more Russian tanks. AdvertisementAdvertisementUS M1A1 Abrams tanks needed for training the Armed Forces of Ukraine arrive by rail at Grafenwoehr, Germany, May 14, 2023.

Persons: Abrams, it's, —, Robert Greenway, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden, M1A1 Abrams, Lance Cpl, Scott Jenkins, Joe Biden, M1A1s, Pat Ryder, Gian Gentile, RAND's, Gentile, Leo, Challenger, Allan Tannenbaum, Greenway, Charlie Company ,, Brendan Mullin, there's, It's, Tylon Chapman, Douglas R, Bush, we've Organizations: US Army, Service, Ukraine, Soviet, Hudson Institute, Army, New York Times, M1A1, Iraq's, Special Forces, Marine Corps M1A1, 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Marine Expeditionary Force, US Marine Corps, Kyiv, Pentagon, Challenger, Leopard, Leopards, RAND's Arroyo Center, US, Charlie, Charlie Company , 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, United Arab Emirates, Armed Forces, US Air National Guard, Honeywell, Abrams, Acquisition, Logistics, Technology, M1 Abrams Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Pohjankangas, Niinisalo, Finland, Scott Jenkins Ukraine, Germany, RAND's Arroyo, Russian, Iraq, Soviet Union, U.S, Kuwait, Grafenwoehr

☆ Video shows Russia failing to block a Ukrainian drone attack with a net strung between 2 lampposts
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Videos show netting strung between lampposts in an apparent Russian attempt to stop drone attacks. In one widely shared video, a drone simply flew over the netting and hit its target anyway. AdvertisementAdvertisementVideos are circulating online that appear to show Russian efforts to block Ukrainian drone attacks in or near Bakhmut using simple netting hung up between lampposts. Both Russia and Ukraine have made extensive use of cheap, hobby first-person view drones, loaded with explosives — to sometimes devastating effect, as Insider's Ryan Pickrell reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementFPV drones are guided by an operator who sees the drone's view through a headset.

Persons: —, Igor Sushko, Samuel Bendett, Bendett, Insider's Ryan Pickrell, Sushko Organizations: Service, Center for Naval Locations: Ukraine, American, Bakhmut, Russia

☆ Leaked photos said to be a Russian submarine hit by Ukrainian missiles show severe damages that look beyond repair
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine's attack on the Sevastopol shipyard last week left a Russian submarine in rough shape. New photos leaked to social media indicate the submarine may be beyond repair, a naval expert says. The attack damaged two vessels, including the Kilo-class attack submarine Rostov-on-Don, and was the latest in a string of assaults on the peninsula, which Kyiv has vowed to liberate from Moscow. It also published satellite imagery showing the damaged Sevastopol shipyard, with a zoomed-in view of the submarine. Britain's defense ministry cited open-source evidence in suggesting that the Minsk had "almost certainly been functionally destroyed."

Persons: submariner, Bryan Clark, Don, Clark Organizations: Service, Fleet, Conflict Intelligence Team, US Navy, Hudson Institute, Ministry of Defense, US Army Locations: Sevastopol, Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Black, Crimea, Rostov, Kyiv, Moscow, Ukraine, Minsk, Russia

☆ Ukraine appears to be hunting Russia's formidable S-400 air defense systems in Crimea with modified Neptune anti-ship missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine modified an anti-ship cruise missile for land-attack missions. The Neptune missile, which was used to sink the Russian ship Moskva, is now hunting down air defense systems. The R-360 Neptune is a subsonic cruise missile that was initially built by Ukraine to counter adversary naval assets. The Ukrainians have long sought the US military's Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), but Washington's been reluctant to send these weapons. Smoke rises from the shipyard that was reportedly hit by Ukrainian missile attack in Sevastopol, Crimea, in this still image from video taken September 13, 2023.

Persons: Slava, Oleksiy Danilov, Washington's, Ben Hodges Organizations: Service, Sea Fleet, Ukrainian, National Security and Defense, Neptune Missile, General Staff of, Armed Forces, EG, US military's Army Tactical Missile, Russian, NATO, SA, REUTERS, US Army, Staff, Russian General Staff Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Moskva, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Crimea, Olenivka, Yevpatoriya, France, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Moscow, US Army Europe

☆ Ukrainian soldier says new Leopard tanks are better than old Soviet ones because the ammo doesn't explode, kill the crew, and blow the turret off if it takes a hit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine's armor arsenal was bolstered by Western tanks like the German-made Leopard ahead of the counteroffensive. A gunner with the 47th Mechanized Brigade says these vehicles are vastly superior to Soviet tanks. SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty ImagesWith Soviet-era tanks like the T-64 or later T-72 and T-80, crew survivability wasn't the highest priority. Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesBeyond tanks, Ukrainian service members also speak very highly of Western-made protected mobility platforms, such as armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. Other Western vehicles, like the American-made Humvee, have also received praise from Ukrainian forces.

Persons: Vladyslav, it's, SERGEI SUPINSKY, Dogukan, Ukraine Ed Ram, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds Organizations: 47th Mechanized Brigade, Service, 47th Mechanized, Strategic Communications, 2A6, —, Getty, Anadolu Agency, ABC News, Bradley, Washington, Britain's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Soviet, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Russian, Skybyn, Kyiv, AFP, Peremoha, Brovary, Zaporizhzhia Region

☆ Some of Ukraine's Western-made vehicles are getting 'killed' on the battlefield, but it's not as much of a win for Russia's forces as it was
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine has lost protected mobility vehicles in its counteroffensive, including some Western-made vehicles. Because Western vehicle design prioritizes survivability, Ukraine's crews are surviving hard hits. Western vehicles are ensuring those troops survive even the brutal front-line combat of the ongoing counteroffensive. AdvertisementAdvertisement"While Western-supplied protected mobility may be doing a good job at enabling their dismounts to survive," Watling and Reynolds wrote, "there is still a high loss rate of platforms." In their new report, Watling and Reynolds argue that "Ukraine's international partners need to ensure that the industrial support is available to make the Ukrainian military sustainable."

Persons: wasn't, Bradley, SAMEER AL, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, Watling, Reynolds, Ed Ram, Getty Images Watling Organizations: Service, Vehicles, Getty, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, West, Washington, ABC, —, Getty Images Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Wall, Silicon, AFP, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian

☆ A shortage of land mines forced Russian troops to put down irregular minefields, creating new problems for Ukraine: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia began laying minefields deeper than normal to make them harder for Ukraine to cross. The inconsistent and often improvised approach that followed, however, still created headaches for advancing Ukrainian forces. The result was that Russian minefields became irregular, which isn't necessarily out of the ordinary to begin with given terrain and time considerations. Citing conversations with Ukrainian forces, he also revealed that Russia sometimes built fake trench traps rigged with explosives. AdvertisementAdvertisementAnd the inconsistency and irregularity of the Russian minefields has only further complicated matters.

Persons: Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, Watling, Reynolds, Michael Kofman Organizations: Service, Royal United Service Institute, Russian, 35th Marine Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Donetsk

☆ Video shows massive HIMARS strike on an ammo dump used by Russia's powerful Ka-52 attack helicopters, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's military shared a video of a strike on a Russian storage site near Bakhmut. According to Ukraine's MOD, HIMARS took out a large store of 9M127 Vikhr laser-beam-guided missiles. Those missiles are used by the Ka-52, one of Russia's most deadly helicopters. The blast site served as a storage depot for 9M127 Vikhr guided missiles, which are used by Russian Ka-50 and Ka-52 helicopters, the MOD said. The Ka-52, known in Ukraine as "Putin's vulture," is considered one of the most powerful helicopters in the air.

Persons: HIMARS, Vikhr, Insider's Ryan Pickrell Organizations: Ukraine's MOD, Service, Ukraine's Special Forces, Ministry of Defense, Google, MOD, Mechanized Brigade Locations: Bakhmut, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Myronivs'kyi, Luhansk, Donetsk, It's, Russian

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