The most urgently needed item from what I’ve seen is not “advanced new weapon systems.” It’s good old fashioned artillery rounds. I know it could take months to get online, but maybe someone should start setting up a manufacturing plant for those 105 and 155mm rounds. Seems like a good future investment. Especially since I expect that even after the war, there will be a lot of international customers for those rounds.
One of our plants, I think in Pennsylvania has stepped up production by a lot.
This should be googable.
Scranton Army Ammunition Plant has been in full expanded swing for close to a year now. That’s the metal parts (the shell). More than doubled to date. Iowa AAP does the load, assemble and pack (melt pour the HE, paint/mark, palletize and ship). A second metal parts plant is nearing operation in Texas. Propellant charges come out of Radford AAP. Fuzes and primers from other manufacturers. Rounds have been procured from South Korea and eastern Europe. And there are 4 million rounds of 155mm DPICM rounds that could be released if agreeable to Ukraine. The grenades in those rounds have a higher than acceptable dud rate adding to the UXO problem in Ukraine but to blunt a Russian offensive, they would be decisive. ATACMS missiles are becoming available in increasing numbers (better to shoot than expire - shelf life).
Why the hell we haven’t shipped over 150 - 200 more M109 SP howitzers is unfathomable. Their sole purpose was an artillery war in Europe, there’s no Pacific theater use. PATRIOT missile production is in full swing. Javelin missile production is ramped up. Just releasing the funding was the key.
So it IS taking months to come online, but it’s happening.
Ukraine hit another Russian ship. They claim damage that will keep it from being operational. Not sure why this one was targeted.
Opportunity?
This is a little sad. It was commissioned in 1915. To me, that makes it ‘historic’.
Getting ready to hit the bridge in Crimea? Maybe just clearing the area?
Maybe just for the fun of it!
It’s a do-all Navy tow truck. something they seem to need of late.
Its purpose is deep-sea work, raising submarines and sunken cargo.
The Russians have had a fair number of sunken ships in the past two years …
Nice:
Seems to me, part of the answer is here:
Kommuna is the only rescue vessel of that class on the Black Sea. Its purpose is deep-sea work, raising submarines and sunken cargo.
If any of the other ships that have been hit lately are potentially recoverable, getting rid of this ship just made those recovery efforts more difficult. It’s the same reason they’ve targeted drydocks and the like; put a ship out of commission, and keep it out of commission.
Targeting a large and ancient salvage ship is totally a legit war goal. The vessel is on active duty and required money, manpower and materiel to keep it in operation. It fulfilled a useful function for the Russian navy and damaging it results either in the loss and expenditure of additional Russian military resources needed to restore it to usable condition, or alternatively, the loss of the vessel’s capabilities to aid in their war effort. It’s yet another form of attrition intended to add a little more friction to the Russian war machine.
Has anyone told the Tsar he lost another ship?
No, but Anastasia screamed in vain.
America’s SOP for European wars.
It kinda looks like that Great War german tank??? 
This is interesting-
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/24/us-long-range-missiles-ukraine-00154110
The Biden administration last month secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine for the first time in the two-year war — and Kyiv has already used the weapon twice to strike deep behind Russian lines.
In March, the U.S. quietly approved the transfer of a number of Army Tactical Missile Systems with a range of nearly 200 miles, said a senior Biden administration official and two U.S. officials, allowing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces to put at risk more Russian targets inside Ukrainian sovereign territory.
The new Pentagon aid package is the 56th round tranche of equipment provided from the Defense Department to Ukraine under Presidential Drawdown Authority, which means it is coming from existing U.S. stocks.
The capabilities in this announcement include:
- RIM-7 and AIM-9M missiles for air defense;
- Stinger anti-aircraft missiles;
- Small arms and additional rounds of small arms ammunition, including .50 caliber rounds to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS);
- Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
- 155mm artillery rounds, including High Explosive and Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions rounds;
- 105mm artillery rounds;
- 60mm mortar rounds;
- Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles;
- Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs);
- High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
- Logistics support vehicles;
- Tactical vehicles to tow and haul equipment;
- Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
- Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
- Precision aerial munitions;
- Airfield support equipment;
- Anti-armor mines;
- Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
- Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing; and
- Night vision devices; and
- Spare parts, field equipment, training munitions, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.
Most have been pre-positioned in Europe for quick response.
Well shit, I guess the Ukrainians do have their limits. Hopefully the new US Aid will restore morale.
The 47th Mechanized Brigade has been fighting for nearly a year without a break. They pulled back and the other unit refused to step up and hold the line. I think the lack of ammunition and artillery shells must be a factor.
I thought the brigade was wiped out during the siege of Mariupol. It’s good they’ve recovered with new recruits.