Tube replacement. The crews are trained to do it in the field. Takes a crane and a whole bunch of swearing. Number of rounds fired are tracked by the crew chief and the S3/J3 operations gurus.
I would assume, given how much Russia focuses on artillery, that they would have a bountiful supply of replacement tubes on hand. However we all know what happens when you assume and Russian corruption is a major theme, so who knows.
But generally I would expect this would be a bigger problem for Ukraine. Russia manufactures them, Ukraine does not.
Now I’m confused. Is “tube” the whole barrel, rifling and all? Navy, you show up at a yard and get the whole barrel replaced, and the worn one is sent off someplace to get the liner removed and replaced, then returned to the yard’s stockpile.
No way you’re going to involve regular sailors in the process. 
The whole barrel. The army tubes don’t have a separate liner as a part. The bore is plated (chromium alloy) to reduce wear. Also the propellant rounds have a bore erosion element added. Twenty page PDF on erosion additives from 2002.
I don’t know about Navy replacement. The largest current naval rifle is the 5"/54; all the large caliber rifles/ships have been retired a long time. My uncle served on a destroyer in the Pacific during WWII as a 5"/38 crewman. They’d do shore bombardment until the tubes were almost smoothbore then pitch the barrels over the side - along with a few thousand cartridge cases.
That’s why I specified 6-in and up. Here is how USS New Jersey’s deck looked after a night of shore bombardment in the Tonkin Gulf.
Not following you. Larger than 6" don’t exist. There are no naval rifles larger than the 5"/54 anymore. Largest US Army howitzers are 155mm. There may be some 8" [203mm] howitzers on display but are retired for US use. The cartridge cases shown on the New Jersey are from 5"/38 secondary armament turrets. Again, the entire tube is replaced on US Army howitzers.
What I meant was that I was not sure the five-inch rifle barrels had separate liners or not. The deck photo is definitely five-inch as New Jersey had nothing between her 5"/38s and 16"/50s and the latter were bag guns.
It’s all missiles now, anyway.
Not any more.
AFAICT, all the ships in the U.S. fleet that were commissioned with a Mod 0 gun have either been retired or upgunned with the Mod 4 version (starting in 2007, I believe). So all 5" Naval rifles in fleet service are unitary (non-lined) barrels.
The video I posted said howitzer barrels typically lasts 25,000 rounds. That’s quite a long time for training or peacetime maneuvers.
The Russians are firing around the clock. That adds up after 120 days.
Meanwhile…They have their missiles for the rear areas of Ukraine.
ISW June 25
Sievierodonetsk is now under the control of the Russian fascist invaders. Democratic Ukrainian forces tactically withdrew from Ukraine’s 44th largest city having exacted a heavy toll from Russia’s cohorts of young and middle-aged men.
It looks like there’s an interesting Washington Post article:
Russia will soon exhaust its combat capabilities, Western assessments predict
Does Ukraine consider Sievierodonetsk worth a major counterattack? That’s assuming Ukraine has the capability in a few months. Would they consider a bombed out city worth the Ukrainian lives and equipment to recapture it?
Accepting the loss of territory won’t be easy.
I think it’s more important to strengthen their military and create a military deterrent to prevent future Russian aggression.
Ukraine still has a lot of unoccupied territory to protect. Hopefully they can build missile shields to protect Kyiv and Kharkiv.
Here’s a question for the group.
Would NATO AWACS flying in Poland provide enough warning that Ukraine could respond against Russian aircraft bombers?
The recent ISW report is quite disturbing.
Tu-22M3 bombers departed from the Shaykova airbase in Belarus and launched 12 Kh-22 cruise missiles
Ukraine needs early intel to shoot those bastards down when they enter Ukrainian air space. That’s why we’ve given them the weapons to do it.
Ukraine’s radar systems are probably destroyed? They may not have any early warning systems except intel from NATO.
They made a desert and called it victory.
What is the range on an AWACS radar?
250 miles
The radar has a range of more than 250 miles (375.5 kilometers). The radar combined with an identification friend or foe, or IFF, subsystem can look down to detect, identify and track enemy and friendly low-flying aircraft by eliminating ground clutter returns that confuse other radar systems.
E-3 Sentry (AWACS) > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display - AF.milhttps://www.af.mil
So flying at the Poland and Lithuanian borders - maybe. The airbase [54° 13′ 36″ N, 34° 22′ 18″ E] is toward the far side of Belarus - my google-fu is weak on finding the distance. The bombers will have to have some altitude for launch which aids detection. Ukraine is still capable on air defense. Between NATO and their existing systems, in bound missiles are being tracked. Note that the bombers are remaining in Belarus, Russian, Black Sea airspace, not venturing into Ukraine. Ukraine still has and has been given additional S-300 anti-aircraft systems. While some Russian material is crap, their air defense equipment is considered top notch. Soviets/Russians were/are well aware of NATO air interdiction plans and have developed extensive low, medium, and high altitude systems; dense and very capable. Stealth like the F-35/F-22/next generation bomber to follow the B-2 are the only method to stay in the air against formidable assets.
I didn’t realize they were staying in Belarus airspace.
That’s the most frustrating thing about this war. Russia can murder and destroy everything while Ukraine can’t ever attack their country.
Ukraine certainly doesn’t want Belarus entering the war.
I think of it as fighting Mike Tyson with one hand strapped to your chest.
And Mike is fighting with one hand, too – the other holding a hand grenade.
More information on the recent wave of missile attacks on Ukraine from The War Zone.
.Ukraine Situation Report: Russians Renew Missile Attacks From Belarus
“A wave of six Russian Tu-22M3 “Backfire” bombers launched 12 Kh-22 cruise missiles from Belarusian airspace at ground targets in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy oblasts. The Ukrainian government claimed this is thus far the first time Russian aircraft have launched airstrikes on Ukrainian territory from Belarusian airspace.”
Includes posting from Ukraine Air Force Command with details of types and numbers of missiles used.
My… life in a nutshell.
It’s worse than anyone thought. Yes, Russia has also taken heavy casualties.
I understand now why Ukrainian forces had to pull out of Severodonetsk.
There’s also a interview with a medic. She’s completely exhausted. The medical staff is pushed to the limit.
I don’t think the US has given Ukraine any SAMs.