American Stryker armored vehicle. (Source: Worldnewsplatform) These wheeled armored vehicles were developed in the early 2000s, but when used in combat for the first time in Iraq, it revealed the design imperfections of the whole series. Limitations The Pentagon has been using the Stryker armored vehicle since 2002, developed on the basis of the Canadian LAV III armored vehicle, a modernized version of the Swiss-made Piranha, designed in the 1970s. The American armored personnel carrier did not differ much from the prototype – the body and general layout remained unchanged. Slightly increased height, reinforced armor protection and adjusted bottom shape. The crew consists of two people, the troop compartment can accommodate 9 soldiers. The 350hp diesel engine allows the front-wheel-drive Stryker to accelerate to 100 km/h on the highway. Fuel enough to operate nearly 500 km. The front armor can withstand the impact of 14mm armor-piercing bullets or 155mm shrapnel. The side shells and rear end well protect against 7.62 mm bullets. Standard armament is a 12.7 or 7.62 mm Browning machine gun. A 40mm automatic grenade launcher can be mounted. Several versions were developed: self-propelled 120 mm mortar, reconnaissance vehicle, command staff vehicle, engineer vehicle and ambulance. There was also a heavily armed version – a 105 mm anti-tank gun, aimed at attacking fortified positions, bunkers, and armored vehicles, but the Pentagon soon decided to remove it. this release, as they identified problems with the gun and the automatic loader. The US military calculated the costs and came to the conclusion that there is no benefit in upgrading self-propelled guns. Replacing the heavy Stryker with the portable Javelin anti-tank system proved much easier. In the early 2000s, the Pentagon ordered more than 2,000 armored vehicles – immediately addressing the shortage of mobile infantry transport. At the same time, build specialized motorized brigades (Stryker brigade combat team, SBCT). Each such unit has about 4.5 thousand soldiers and officers, using 300 wheeled armored vehicles of various versions. From a tactical point of view, the SBCT is located between the highly mobile Humvee mechanized infantry and heavy tank groups. These brigades are thought to be capable of rapidly deploying and effectively dealing with various combat missions anywhere in the world. The transportation of personnel and equipment is carried out by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. In 2004, the first unit was sent to Iraq. During that year, the Americans studied the tactics of using Stryker brigades in wars. The command then noted the high efficiency of armored vehicle units, especially in urban combat. However, soldiers complained of design flaws, insufficient firepower, and weak armor. Subsequent reporting by a Pentagon special committee almost led to the program’s closure. It turns out that armored vehicles only work well on flat roads and highways – on rough terrain, the car is covered with mud or sand. Motors are often used at high speeds, causing them to fail quickly. The Stryker is significantly heavier than the Canadian and Swiss vehicles. Another serious miscalculation by the designers was armor, which only provided good protection against small arms. In real combat, the enemy prefers to use anti-tank guns. RPG anti-tank bullets easily penetrated the body of the vehicle, so the vehicles had to urgently equip the additional wire mesh. In addition, due to the large center of gravity, vehicles often overturn when hitting obstacles or mines. Furthermore, seat belts did not secure people properly, causing several soldiers to die. Chain of problems Defects are corrected. For example, anti-tank bulletproof nets and suspended steel housings were installed originally from the factory. As a result, mass increases and complications arise during air transport – some modifications that are beyond the carrying capacity of the transport aircraft. The new electronics and night vision goggles don’t make much of a difference either. The Stryker is still a car with a host of unresolved problems. In addition, the modernization required additional funding for the entire program. However, in the US military, there has long been a problem of equipping the army with armored vehicles to meet the requirements of modern warfare. The Pentagon tried several projects, but to no avail. In 2004, American generals carried out a major reorganization of the military. As part of the Future Combat System (FCS) project, they decided to create a line of manned and unmanned versions of armored vehicles. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent, the US planned to deploy the first brigade using new vehicles in 2015 and form 15 units by 2030. However, the program was unexpectedly closed. – according to official information, regarding the change in US defense strategy. After that, the Americans launched a promising infantry fighting vehicle project – Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV), which was supposed to surpass the outdated M2 Bradly vehicle in terms of protection, and lighter, more compact and more maneuverable. The resulting GCV turned out to be too expensive for mass production – in 2014 all work was suspended. The US is currently working on another program – the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV), which involves the creation of a crawler infantry fighting vehicle with artificial intelligence and remote control. . The Pentagon now has to transport infantry using the old M113 and M2 Bradly, as well as modernize the Stryker vehicle. Updated version A1 introduced a few years ago: 30mm cannon, reinforced armor, more powerful engine, transmission. A low-altitude anti-aircraft vehicle variant is also offered. But whether this Stryker vehicle will become more suitable for combat than previous versions is still unclear. Actually, the design is still the same. (according to Sputnik)

From the observations of analyst Andrey Kots, it can be seen that the Russians displayed a new variant of the Kurganets-25 infantry fighting vehicle with the 57 mm BM “Epoch” turret – different from the 30 mm cannon in the reviews. former soldiers. According to analyst Ryabov Kirill, the LShO-57 differs from the well-known 57 mm 2A91 cannon in a number of features including a shorter barrel (barrel length 40 times the size) and no recoil compensation. This design makes the ballistics more stretchable, but at the same time, it also requires the development of new ammunition such as fragmentation explosive ammunition (suitable for the requirements of anti-UAV combat as mentioned above) and armor-piercing ammunition. Kurganets-25 infantry fighting vehicle parade The Kurganets-25 is a new generation of armored fighting vehicles designed to replace the BMP-2 and MT-LB vehicles in motorized units of the Russian army. This will promise to be a line of weapons that will glorify the Russian armored forces. The Kurganets-25 is heavily armed with a 30mm 2A42 automatic cannon with 500 rounds, or a 57mm caliber 2A91 cannon with 200 rounds, in addition to a 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun, anti-tank missiles with Kornet-EM remote control, thermobaric grenade launcher. Infantry fighting vehicle Kurganets-25 In addition, the vehicle is equipped with a meteorological reconnaissance system, 2 photoelectric target reconnaissance systems and missile guidance that significantly improve the combat capability of this armored vehicle. On the other hand, the electronic systems will be part of the sensor system, serving the active defense system “soft suppression”. The body of the vehicle is also fitted with 16 grenade launchers and 4 sensors of the Afghanit “hard pressure” system to help the vehicle have excellent defense against infantry and laser-guided weapons. A light on the turret could also be part of an active defense system against second-generation guided anti-tank missiles.

According to Hot cars, a Korean company specializing in manufacturing Hanwha Defense military equipment has just completed a robotic military car called “Unmanned surveillance vehicle 6×6 – USV 6×6”. In it, this new vehicle was applied in the military after research and testing has been completed. Discover the Korean army’s first 6×6 unmanned reconnaissance vehicle After the performance of a flying device called Valkyrie Combat Drone, recently, information about the Korean USV 6×6 car was announced. This is a reconnaissance and highly combat robot car that meets the combat requirements set by the Korean military. Accordingly, this vehicle has reached level 6 readiness (TR6) for key capabilities such as autonomous driving, obstacle detection and avoidance as well as target identification and destruction. USV 6×6 and intelligent military equipment and vehicles manufactured by Hanwha Defense Company. This robot car model can be controlled remotely and can also “operate independently” according to a preset command. Thanks to the radar system, sensors, and cameras, it can self-avoid obstacles and follow the programmed route even in the event of loss of communication with the operator. According to Korea IT times, the 1.5-ton vehicle is fully electric with the main task of supporting infantry soldiers in various combat situations such as monitoring, logistics, and evacuation. casualties and combat participation. Model USV 6×6 reconnaissance vehicle will assist infantry soldiers in different combat situations. With the reconnaissance version, this vehicle is also equipped with a series of remote-controlled weapons, also designed and manufactured by Hanwha Defense such as 7.62 mm machine guns, 12.7 mm large machine guns, even including automatic grenade launcher 40 mm. Previously, in 2019, another unmanned vehicle was also developed by Hanwha Defense called the MPUGV 4×4 but with less equipment. Royal Union (According to Carscoops, Hanwha Defense, Korea IT times)

Uran-9 combat robot is 5.12m long, 2.53m wide, 2.5m high, with a total combat weight of 12 tons, is the most typical heavy fighting robot among many ground combat robots of the Russian army . Russian Uran-9 combat robot. Source: people.com.cn. The robot is equipped with various sensor modules including laser sensor, photoelectric sensor and thermal image sensor. It is capable of automatic target recognition and tracking. It can detect and track targets to a range of 3,000 meters and maneuver in either remote or automatic mode. The maximum road maneuver speed is 35 km / h and the continuous combat time is 6 hours. The robot is equipped with 1 30mm 2A72 cannon, 4 9M120 Ataka anti-tank guided missile launchers, or 6 RPO Shmel 93mm thermo-missile launchers and 1 PKT / PKTM machine gun. At the same time, the robot can also carry 9K38 surface-to-air missiles, 9K333 mobile air defense missiles and 9M133M anti-tank missiles depending on mission requirements. It can be said that robots can create “fatal” attacks against armored targets, low-range targets and infantry forces. Looking at the development and application of weapons and smart equipment of the Russian Army, it can be seen that Russia has embarked on a path of developing military equipment integrating artificial intelligence different from the West. . Especially from the development and application of the Uran-9 combat robot, three characteristics can be seen in the intelligent military development of the Russian Army. The first is to focus on the real warfare of smart technology. Compared with the West’s search for advanced intelligent technologies, the Russian Army places more emphasis on improving its practical combat capabilities. For example, the Uran-9 combat robot is strong enough to take on an armored infantry team. Heavy armored vehicles can cope with attacks from general infantry weapons and crawler chassis can adapt to complex terrain such as hills and mountains. Especially in the actual combat test in Syria, the Uran-9 combat robot has shown a high level of attack, defense and maneuverability, which can meet the actual combat needs of the ground forces. Russian troops in such missions as fire suppression, fire suppression and infiltration of enemy front lines. In general, the results achieved by the Uran-9 combat robot are due to a design philosophy that meets the practical combat needs. Second, improve the level of intelligence based on the advantages of motorized equipment. The Russian military has always had a strongly mechanized armed force, but its intelligence still has a certain distance from the West. To quickly close this gap, the Russian Army has chosen to push the development of intelligent military equipment in the direction of modularization. The Uranus-9 combat robot’s armor, weapons and chassis are the products of the era of mechanization, while sensors, fire control systems and automated algorithms are products of the age of intelligence. . Through the combination of these two methods, Russian combat robots can quickly adapt to the battlefield in the future. Based on this method of combining traditional equipment with this advanced technology, the Russian military is developing smarter weapons and equipment. Third, to address the shortcomings of conventional forces to develop intelligent weapons and equipment. Under Western containment, it was difficult for the Russian Army to develop conventional weapons and equipment on a large scale and expand its military might. In the face of NATO’s increasingly intense military pressure, Russia needed to compensate for the shortcomings of conventional military might in a manner consistent with its economic requirements. In terms of military might, the newly formed Uran-9 combat robot unit can be said to fulfill this requirement completely. Compared to the involvement of an armored infantry army, the military costs and the risk of the robot unit’s casualties are much lower on the battlefield, which is one of the key reasons why the Russian Army plans to increase. The proportion of unmanned weapons and equipment in the military by 2025 is 30%.

However, progress in military science has not stopped, in order to reduce the casualties to soldiers on the battlefield, some countries are experimenting with new forms of combat with the creation and use of systems. automatic robot. In terms of strength, they have the ability to replace a mechanized company. Russia is also not lagging behind the general trend. At present, Russia owns a number of robot combinations of different classes: Platform-M and Nerekhta weigh only 1 ton, Companion weighs 7 tons and finally heavy vehicles remotely controlled. 15 tons of Vikhr, built on the basis of the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle. Field tests have shown that the most successful option is the Uran midsize robot program, which aims to shape the appearance of a versatile and inexpensive multi-functional platform that can be easily modified for create final dedicated versions on that basis. Unfortunately, during the mission deployment in Syria, the Uran-9 robot and the Uran-6 revealed many shortcomings, leading to the need for corrections. Until 2019, the only real result of the program was that the Uran-6 remote bomb clearance vehicle was received by the Russian engineer force. The Uran-9 combat robot begins to return to the active part of the Russian Army Then came the modernized Uran-9 infantry escort robot platform, the first version of which was briefly tested in Syria. Today this combat vehicle is equipped with a 30 mm automatic cannon, 4 Ataka anti-tank missiles and six Shmel-M thermo-missile launchers. The Uran-9 robot complex is capable of destroying any armored vehicle at a distance of up to 5 km, as well as handling reconnaissance missions, suppressing enemy laser navigation systems and smoke curtain settings. The Russian army has begun to set up an experienced unit equipped with the aforementioned robot complex. According to the current plan, after the completion of the production of the order and the training of the operator, the handover of the Uran-9 to the combat units will begin. After the above process, it is likely that the Uran-9 robot will return to the Syrian battlefield to re-evaluate the shortcomings that caused it to be “disgraced” that has been completely overcome or not.

German 98K rifle

The German Army mainly used the Gewehr M1898 rifle in World War I. This traditional long barrel length is about 1.25 meters. The rifle equipped with a bayonet is more suitable for trench battles. The length of the barrel of the Gew.98 rifle is about 740mm, the total weight of the gun is 4.2 kg, and the bullet capacity is 5 rounds. The length of the Gew.98 rifle is too long, and the maneuverability is poor.

German standard rifle

Before the outbreak of World War II, various countries started the development trend of short-size rifles. Germany followed the trend and introduced a short rifle type of Gew.98 rifle. The length of the gun was shortened to 1.1 meters, the length of the barrel was shortened from 740mm to 600mm, and the weight of the gun body was reduced to 3.9 kg. The German Army Equipment Department named this rifle as a new standard rifle.

Bolt bolt

In 1935, the Mauser factory in Germany improved on the basis of the original 98 rifle by combining the technical standards of the standard rifle. These improved rifles are the famous 98k. The Kar98k rifle is the German standard version of the carbine. The body and bolt have been optimized and modified more humanely. The shooting accuracy inherits the excellent performance of the Gew.98 rifle. The German Wehrmacht officially put this standard rifle into production in 1936. A large number of early improved Kar.98b and Gew.98 old-fashioned rifles of the German army were converted into standard short-barreled Kar.98k rifles by the Mauser factory.

Bullet magazine

The Kar 98k Mauser rifle (Karabiner abbreviation, translated as carbine, k is abbreviation of kurz, translated as short) is mainly provided to the German cavalry, armored soldiers, grenadiers, and airborne troops. 98K continues the Mauser rifle’s rotating rear pull bolt and bolt linkage safety device. The double-row staggered built-in magazine is loaded with 5 rounds of bullets, and the bullet magazine is pressed into the magazine from the top of the receiver, and it can also be loaded with single rounds. The gun body adopts a downward-bent pull handle, an arc-shaped ruler and an inverted V-shaped notch-shaped front sight, and a circular front sight protective cover, which is convenient for maneuvering and installing the scope.

98K sniper rifle

The 98k rifle is a multi-purpose equipment. The 98k with better accuracy can be used as a sniper rifle with a 4x or 6x optical sight. German experienced snipers can use the Kar 98K sniper rifle equipped with a 4x scope to accurately kill enemy targets within 400 meters; if they use a 6x scope, they can shoot targets within 1000 meters. In total, the German front-line troops are equipped with more than 130,000 98k sniper rifles. The 98k can also be equipped with a grenade launcher to launch grenades. The 98K rifle is equipped with a 7.92mm caliber high-power rifle ammunition. Its effective range, shooting accuracy, and bullet velocity are outstanding. Rifle recoil is not suitable for short Asians, although the effective range of the rifle is more than 800 meters, which is far beyond the 460 meters of the Japanese 38-type rifle.

Matching scope

The Mauser 98k equipped by the German army was not the strongest, cheapest, and most accurate standard rifle during World War II. However, the German army has very high technical requirements for all aspects of guns. Many groundbreaking design ideas of the Mauser 98k have been widely used by various countries. The German army had a glorious time in the European battlefield of World War II. Every German soldier must be able to use a standard weapon, which is a 98K rifle.

German first-line infantry

In the latter part of the war, German military materials were scarce, and the production process of standard rifles became increasingly simplified, and the quality of 98k weapons also went from bad to worse. Allied forces in the European battlefield are equipped with a large number of semi-automatic rifles, with a rate of fire and intensity far exceeding the 98k rifles equipped by the Germans. Although Germany has also simultaneously introduced new semi-automatic rifles such as Gew43 and StG44, for objective reasons such as production volume and development time, it is known that the 98k rifles equipped by the German army cannot be replaced in large quantities after the war.

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