A short thread, created due to the @russianforces's concerns regarding how it appears that the new Chinese silos (find courtesy of @dex_eve) have their tops above the normal elevation of the area.
Such a set up is fairly common for Russian sites.
Here you can see a reconstruction of a silo type structure (regimental command post) at Dombarovsky. Note that the ground level at the crane (used for the work on it) is elevated relative to surrounding area.
The steel form of the top silo part in general seems to be placed into the pit pre-assembled, which would be consistent with what we have seen so far from Chinese.
One of the drivers for this set up is quite mundane - elevated structures do not have the same risks of being flooded, easing off drainage and such requirements.
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So far it is fairly, ehh, marketing/showmanship heavy.
Not my thing.
It does provide some decent angles of the plane I guess. @TheDEWLine.
Key points:
- high altitude all weather basing
- modularity/cost reduction/logistics/post sale support
- APU
- simplified maintenance/operations
- modest AI support
- good aerodynamics/kinematics
- further emphasis on short runway use etc
- long term supersonic flight (supercruise is not mentioned specifically)
- good transportation capability (range/endurance)
- 1,8M max, 2000km+ range without tanks 7400kg payload
Many have seen the existing sources on the topic, such as the CIA reports (map related) or the books by Bruce Blair&Yarunuch.
Fortunately today we can also rely on recently de-classified archival materials.
1/20
Those materials adequately cover 1930s-1960s (and you can read more in Yurkov's book here: amazon.com/gp/product/560…) however even they are imperfect, information towards the end becomes sparse, especially for military sites and the intended uses of sites.
2/20
I would be using his and the broader #bunker703 comunity work from here onwards, all credit to archival materials goes to them.
I would be covering both the core Ramenki site (order 10-A), as well as related ones as they are recorded in archival materials up to late 1960s.
3/20
Over the recent past Russian system has nearly completed two complimenting above horizon radar layers for EW (Voronezh-M/VP and DM) as well as pushed the EW space based sensors (and comms) through IOC, with beyond horizon EW radar layer underway. 2/10
In addition to this there are some programs that appear to be BMD related in terms of sensors, those are:
Voronezh-SM (L-band)
MRIK-VKO/80P6 (S-band)
Volga modernisation
Multiband Yakhroma radar set (Crimea, possibly Chukotka) 3/10
Otherwise a decent take on the challenges in optimising the security posture.
My 50 cents would be that scale matters, being able to deploy an Army Group (or atleast strong Corps) is different to the ability to deploy a mass of brigades such force would be composed out of.
And this devolution in scale can also lead to a dangerous devolution in training and skills of military leaders and staffs.
If Yahroma is a meter band radar on the lines of Voronezh-M/VP it would make sense for it to be built in Sevastopol as well as in Chukotka (KMZ courtesy of @russianforces) as the coverage there for that band is nonexistant. 1/
Same would apply to the "high potential dm-band" site announced for Murmansk area - that is where the gap in Voronezh-DM radar coverage happens to be.
As such those two new sites (M/VP-like in Sevastopol and DM in Murmansk) would complete dual band EW coverage. 2/
So far Yahroma appears to be an improved stand alone Voronezh-M/VP based on the recent interview (tass.ru/interviews/106… courtesy of @KomissarWhipla) rather than a missile defence specific radar as previously speculated. 3/