Friday, May 19, 2023

Russian MSTA-S with an exploded barrel.

 


20 comments:

  1. It's okay.
    It's not like anybody mentioned months ago that at the rate they were firing their artillery pieces, they were going to burn through their entire service life in weeks instead of decades, and render their tubes unsafe and unserviceable.

    But the Russians, being brilliant strategists, would never do anything that stupid and short-sighted in a pyrrhic quest for an unachievable victory, right?

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    1. Aesop IF the Russians just HAPPEN to drive us out of Ukraine will you admit that? Or explain it away like our failures in Vietnam and Afghanistan?

      Been many decades since the US has won anything that meant anything. I'm think of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" and that Iraq has all but tossed us out already.

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    2. 0bama surrendered to Putin aft er he couldn't back up his 'line in the sand' in Syria. Comrade Zero could bow very low.

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    3. Michael, are you high? The Russians are struggling just to hang on to *part* of what they conquered. And that's with mostly with Ukrainians doing the fighting and dying.

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    4. Larry have you given thought to a job as a CNN reporter?

      Or maybe a Stand Up Comedian? :-)

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    5. Well Bakmut just fell, so there’s that…

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    6. It must have fallen. The Russians just said so on TV, and they never lie...

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  2. Would that have killed the crew? And what are those little rectangular plates for?

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    1. Not necessarily, but I'll bet a change of undershorts was probably necessary. The "little rectangular plates" are spare track sections for the treads.

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    2. The breech block is much thicker than the barrel tube. It probably held.

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  3. I've seen similar problems encountered by Elmer Fudd.

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  4. They could cut it down like a shotgun.
    Not sure what the tax stamp would cost.

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  5. If what we are looking at as the barrel is the barrel liner, then that machine probably could be repaired and firing again in short order.

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    1. They don't do "barrel liners", AFAIK. We certainly don't.

      They're homogenous ordnance steel, from breech to muzzle.
      But when you shoot them at 40-300x the daily recommended usage, and do zero PM, little flaws become big problems.

      As predicted.

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  6. That IS a possible Consequence of Firing at Maximum Rate all Day - but considering that the Red Army fires More Shells before Lunchtime than every Munitions Factory in NATOstan combined makes in a Month, I think this type of Failure may not be unusual. What it Isn't, though, (unlike ignorant critics may say) is any sort of "Failure on the part of the Russian Army" in the Ukraine. Guns Fail, Gunners get Injured or Killed (not likely for this Crew in an Armored Turret) and that's just a Cost of doing War.

    Several Months ago, there was a Vid showing a Howitzer Battery (of this Type) having Barrels Changed by an Ordnance Team in the Field - Tool Truck, Crane Truck, Semitrailer filled with Barrels in Crates. Takes about an Hour per Gun. The Subtitles on the Vid was the Battery Commander explaining that His Unit was tasked with Precision Fires, giving Grunts the "Danger Close" support; thus they were Changing Barrels at about 1/3 the usual number of Rounds Fired. With the Operations now tending to "Paaschendale, WWI" Cannon Barrels will be Shot until the Rifling is mostly Gone.

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    1. That's a Plan to Fail. Russia can't crank out the entire assembly, and this one is out of action pretty much indefinitely.
      When the cost of war reaches 100% of available forces, you just surrendered.
      It's not 1975 anymore; Russia has no bottomless well of equipment and men.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. " Most people believe that the 20th century was a death struggle between Communism and Capitalism, and that Fascism was but a hiccup. But today we know better. Communism was a fool's errand. The followers of Marx gone from this earth, but the followers of Hitler abound and thrive. Hitler however, had one great disadvantage. He lived in a time when Fascism, like a virus... like the AIDS virus... needed a strong host in order to spread. Germany was that host. But Germany did not prevail. The world was too big. Fortunately, the world has changed. Global communications, cable TV, the internet. Today the world is smaller and a virus does not need a strong host in order to spread. The virus... is airborne. One more thing. Let no man call us crazy.

    >>> They called Hitler crazy. But Hitler was not crazy. He was stupid. You don't fight Russia and America. You get Russia and America to fight each other... and destroy each other." <<<<
    - The Sum of All Fears

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