NATO members can't sent their newest vehicles to Ukraine, because NATO members don't have vehicles anymore... what they have are computers on wheels.
This is the interior of an Italian Army jeep. One soldier drives, the other operates the computer.
1/n
In between them is the secure, jamming-resistant, encrypted radio system. If russia would capture one of these, not only would the russians be able to hack the Italian Army's encrypted signal network... even worse
2/n
the russians would get access to various command and control (C2) systems. Like i.e. BFSA, which depicts every Italian vehicle and squad on all Italian units' maps in blue and every enemy position in red (photo).
If an enemy has access to that, it becomes really easy to 3/n
target Italian units with artillery.
These computers are in every new NATO vehicle. This gives NATO a massive advantage in combat, as NATO forces are able to combine intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data in real time, which allows NATO units 4/n
to quickly and accurately hit enemy units with all the available fire power.
Example: a recon squad discovers an enemy unit, and enters this data into the C2 system. Every adjacent allied unit and all higher ups see that information the moment it is entered into the system. 5/n
The commanding officers orders a drone to investigate and that order is also relayed via the C2 system.
The drone squad already knows where to fly, as they have the data entered earlier by the recon squad on their displays. The drone investigates and the drone squad enter
6/n
their findings into the C2 system. The commander assesses that info and then orders and artillery strike.
An artillery section receives the order via the C2 system and sends the coordinates from the C2 system to their Fire Control System (FCS). The artillery accurately hits 7/n
the enemy unit thanks to the detailed GPS coordinates taken from the C2 system.
Drone and recon squads report about the effect of the artillery strike via the C2 system.
If the commander then orders an airstrike - also the JTAC teams are logged into the C2 system.
8/n
Want to send in an infantry squad to mop up the enemy - the squad leader is also logged into the C2 system, gets his orders from it, and plans his attack by using the C2 systems satellite map and the overlaid friendly/enemy icons on it.
9/n
Need a tank or an infantry fighting vehicle to support the infantry squad - they are also logged into the C2 system.
NATO members are spending billions on these C2 systems. For a modern army it is paramount for its ability to fight that nothing compromises its C2 systems.
10/n
This is the reason why the US Army and Marine Corps are removing components from the M777 that are being sent to Ukraine. This is the reason why Italy doesn't send the newest version of the Lince (photo) to Ukraine. This is the reason the German Army reprogrammed part of 11/n
the PzH 2000 software. This is why the US removed the friend or foe identification system from the Stinger launchers it sent to Ukraine.
The reason Ukraine gets older and/or scaled down equipment is that no NATO military can risk russia capturing a working C2 system.
12/end
As people are wondering what happens if a NATO army loses a vehicle in war: there are procedures and technical solutions to render a captured vehicle useless for the enemy. Every detail about that is classified as SECRET. End.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Gripen fans continue to spam my mention with claims how fantastic Sweden's Bas 90 and Gripen combination is... and that it would work for Canada's North too...
Ok, let's quickly compare Canada's three northern territories (Yukon, Northwest, Nunavut) and Sweden... ... 1/6
Land area:
🇸🇪 450,295 km2 (173,860 sq mi)
🇨🇦 terr.: 3,593,589 km2 (173,860 sq mi)
The land area of just the three territories (without Canada's 10 provinces) is already 8 times bigger than all of Sweden...
(In total Canada's land area is 9,984,670 km2
2/6
(3,855,100 sq mi) or 22 times Sweden).
Population:
🇸🇪 10.61 million
🇨🇦 terr.: 0.13 million
Sweden's population is 81.6 times bigger than that of the three territories... and if you look at population density:
🇸🇪 23,6/km2
🇨🇦 terr.: 0,013/km2
3/6
Saab loooves to tout the claim that the Gripen can "operate from dispersed air bases".
They do that, because they know no one of you knows what it means. And every time I see someone regurgite "dispersed air bases" (or "road runways" or "short runways") I know I am dealing
1/36
with someone, who knows absolutely nothing about the topic.
So allow me to take you on a deep dive into what "operating from dispersed air bases" actually means.
Let's start with Såtenäs Air Base in Southern Sweden - the most important Swedish air base. 2/n
When the Viggen entered service, Såtenäs received it first.
When the Gripen entered service, Såtenäs received it first.
When the Gripen E entered service, Såtenäs received it first.
In the 1950s Sweden developed the Bas 60 system, which would have dispersed the Swedish 3/n
The 11th Airborne Division is the least likely to be used to invade #Greenland.
The division's deputy commander is Canadian. He is responsible for Operations. The 11th would have to arrest part of their own officers, before being able to plan a Greenland invasion.
Also
1/6
there are just 8 C-17 Globemaster aircraft at Elmendorf Air Force Base. The USAF would need to fly a dozen more up to Alaska, which of course Canada would notice. Then to reach Greenland the C-17 would have to cross Canada's North, which NORAD's Canadian officers would report
2/6
to the Canadian and Danish governments.
It is much more likely the US will inform allies that a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg will fly to the Middle East, which means the air route will take them right over Greenland. And at Fort Bragg you also have the
3/6
This is a typical clown tweet by someone, who knows nothing about WWII.
3 years before D-Day, the Soviets & nazis were in a love-feast, while the US had not entered the war; & when it did it had to cross an ocean full of nazi submarines to stage troops & materiel for D-Day.
1/14
And unlike the warmongering Soviets, which in June 1941 fielded 304 divisions, the US Army fielded just 37 divisions when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (+ two Marine Corps divisions).
Before any D-Day the US Army had to start forming new divisions (38 in 1942 and 17 in 1943) &
2/n
then ship those divisions across the Atlantic, which was teeming with German subs, while the Soviets just used trains to bring troops and materiel to the front (& if the Soviet had had to ship troops across an ocean, they would have just accepted that a third of their troops
3/n
The @RoyalAirForce - once the strongest air force in Western Europe... but now...
7 Eurofighter Typhoon squadrons are expected to fulfill the tasks, for which 35 years ago the RAF fielded 40 squadrons (31 active & 4 reserve + 5 shadow squadrons, which would have been formed
1/27
from the personnel & fighters of the RAF's operational conversion units).
At the end of the Cold War these 40 squadrons were assigned to 4 commands, each with a specific mission & enough aircraft to fulfill their mission.
No. 1 Group was tasked with striking Soviet forces
2/27
in Northern Germany, including with WE.177 tactical nukes.
The Group fielded 8 active, 4 reserve and 2 shadow squadrons, which flew Tornado GR1, Jaguar GR1A, and Harrier GR5 fighters (the reserve squadrons flew Hawk T1A). The group also included the RAF's 3 aerial
3/27
Since there are still people claiming the Gripen is the "ideal fighter for Canada"... here are the refueling stops the Gripen C/D needed to get from Ronneby in Sweden to Eielson Air Base in Alaska.
So of course this is an "ideal fighter" for Canada... as it will have to stop 1/5
at every Canadian airfield to refuel...
For the curious ones:
On 13 July 2006 five Gripen C and two Gripen D left
their base in Ronneby Sweden. They refueled at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, then flew to NAS Keflavik in Iceland, where they refueled and stayed overnight.
2/5
On 14 July the Gripens flew to Sondre Stromfjord in Greenland for another refueling, then proceeded to RCAF Iqualuit in Canada for refueling and the night.
On 15 July the Gripens flew to Churchill, refuelled and then flew to RCAF Cold Lake, where they spent 16 July to rest.
3/5