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Shorter than the normal five year plan.
Russia is modernizing some 800 T-62's they've got laying around since Gorby tore down the wall.
Reading what the planned upgrades are, it's nothing that hasn't been done by other nations to their old tanks.
What's unusual is that these appear to be destined to return to Russian service and aren't being upgraded for sale and export.
Returning to service in three years.
Will the Ukraine situation that's driven the need to refurbish these old things be resolved by then?
It makes me wonder.
I'd think that if things were going to be resolved and back to "normal" that there'd really be no need to refurb them and they could return to making their new stuff again.
Or do they expect that things will never go back?
makes you wonder...panzer guy...
ReplyDeleteThe Ukraine seems to have been doing a lot ofbupgrading tomtheir own and to captured Russian equipment. They can't do much with the chassis but improved tactics are very helpful. In the mean time, new electronics (communications, sights, navigation, etc), reactive armor, and new engines help a lot, but none of that is cheap. None of that brings the reworked vehicles up to modern levels, but the Ukrainians are not fighting the west. Upgraded Soviet equipment along with infantry equipped with javelin missiles work just fine against the Russians with their poor logistics and training.
ReplyDeleteI find it amusing that Russia is the biggest supplier of arms and ammunition to the Ukraine. Until Russia figures out logistics, that will continue. The Ukrainians are determined and creative fighters who are giving Putin's Bad Boys a run for their money.
If at all, it will be quite a few years in the future, but an erudite and detailed examination of both sides in this imbroglio could be an interesting read (I have no doubt many "interested parties" are already heavily engaged in live, on-scene information gathering daily, if not hourly). Which assumes, of course, there will actually be an end to it, and that end leaves enough living people to accomplish the review.
ReplyDeleteFrom a technical standpoint the end result should be comparable to the Israeli M60 rebuilds, especially the smoothbore gunned Sabra tanks sold to Turkey. Actually getting the components for the electronics could be a challenge, although IR optics, basic radios and ballistic computers may be less dependent on imported chips than missile guidance and EW gear.
ReplyDeleteStrategically, rebuilding a bunch of old tanks would indicate that the Russians either expect to be unable to replace losses with new construction due to economic sanctions or they expect to be involved a lot of counter insurgency and security operations where a second line tank is sufficient