High losses lead to invention: Ukraine is sending a new tank tractor to the front. But can he help the counteroffensive achieve a breakthrough?
Kiev – In the Ukraine war, it is not only the number of weapons that counts, but also their quality. Expert debates have been increasing since the heavy fighting in Ukraine. What is certain is that both warring parties will have to improvise with their weapons. Because of the high losses, weapons manufacturers are constantly coming up with new inventions, replicas or new designs.
Among other things, Russia is now making do with the “Frankenstein tank”, in which old rocket launchers were simply mounted on two Russian MT-LBs. But Ukraine is also creative, but a new tank model is currently causing problems on the battlefield, according to the US news magazine Forbes reported. Because the replica of an armored personnel carrier now lacks, above all, speed. A person on foot is said to be faster than the “BMP-1LB”.
Losses in counteroffensive: Russia wipes out Ukrainian tanks
In recent months, Ukraine has suffered enormous losses in its tank fleet. At the beginning of the fighting, the Ukrainian armed forces are said to have had around 1,200 armored personnel carriers, most of them former Soviet BMP-1 armored personnel carriers. But Russia has already destroyed a large part of it, writes Forbes. That’s why Ukraine is now bringing the “BMP-1LB” into play, the US business magazine claims to have learned.
The BMP-1LB apparently has little to do with its “predecessor,” as it is an “armored MT-LB tractor from the 1970s with additional armor and a remotely controlled weapon station.” It can be interpreted like this: Russia is going into the Ukraine war with “combat tractors” – and so is Ukraine.
New tank tractor: Can the “BMP-1LB” provide a breakthrough at the front? Experts skeptical
But loud Militarynyi The “sophisticated” tank tractors have serious disadvantages in helping the counteroffensive to break through and decisively shifting the front line in the Ukrainian war. According to the military, when moving through forests, the vehicles only reach the speed of soldiers traveling on foot, according to the report Forbes. “That’s slow.”
But each BMP-1LB could be “better than nothing” for the Ukrainian armed forces, which would lose “about one infantry fighting vehicle per day,” it says Forbes further. The conclusion of the article is that instead of more armored personnel carriers, Ukraine actually needs modern armored personnel carriers – and lots of them. Western allies have promised Ukraine a total of 3,000 additional combat vehicles. But they weren’t enough, says the US magazine.
Ukrainian tank losses: Lack of weapons makes Ukraine creative
The signs of desperation on the Ukrainian side cannot be overlooked even by laypeople. The resulting creativity apparently also produces success: “cardboard drones” are said to have destructive power. A hybrid of captured Russian tanks is being dubbed the “Terminator” by some. And the demand on the front for the “wild hornets” is said to be huge.
Russia is also suffering from a lack of materials. There are reports of ancient modifications on vehicles and hand spades as offensive weapons. In addition, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s military is also mounting old water bomb launchers on transporters. (frs)
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