We invite you to familiarize yourself with the overview of events and materials from the week, the brief descriptions of which we have compiled for you in this article.
Russian Mini-Rocket "Soloist"
Recently, for the first time, Russia publicly showcased a new development from its defense industry - the solid-fuel mini-rocket "Soloist," which the enemy positions as a hybrid of a drone and precision weaponry.
The launch of this mini-rocket occurs from a TPK "in a mortar-like manner," with a length of 1.2 meters and a launch weight of up to 20 kilograms. We explain how the new enemy mini-rocket operates, which is guided like an FPV drone.
Rwanda vs. Wagner PMC
Despite the fact that the African nation of Rwanda relies on an army of only 32,000 personnel, equipped with just 34 tanks, this has not prevented it from competing for presence in Mali with the so-called "African Corps", a reincarnation of the Russian private military company "Wagner."
UAVs, Drones, and Missiles
Russian military "theorists" do not understand how to utilize tanks on the battlefield at this stage of the war, thus they suggest focusing on guided aerial bombs, drones of various types, and long-range missiles as types of weaponry that could provide a military advantage for Russia.
0This is evident from an article by Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Russian "Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies," which was disseminated by Russian propaganda resources and can essentially be considered a declaration of the "drone production race" from the enemy at a doctrinal level.
FPV Drones on Fiber Optics
Drones controlled via fiber optic cables were initially regarded as an ultimate solution, as they cannot be affected by electronic warfare measures, and moreover, the operators' positions cannot be detected even by radio technical reconnaissance. However, there is no weaponry in the world without drawbacks, and alongside the cost and weight of the spool and certain maneuverability limitations, practice has shown that fiber optic drones have yet another disadvantage.
1This was discovered by fighters from the "Phantom of Khortytsia" UAV battalion of the National Guard's 15th Brigade. The published video demonstrates that the fiber optic cable unwound by Russian drones serves as an excellent indicator of the operators' locations.
French Aviation
Current assessments indicate that the French Air Force has such a limited stock of various types of missiles and other munitions that it would only suffice for about three days of active combat, considering the realities of modern warfare; for Meteor-type missiles, the actual stock is just one day of combat.
2Furthermore, a separate problematic issue is the French aviation itself, which consists solely of fourth-generation aircraft, and the best combat aircraft in France, the Rafale, during various training exercises, struggles to perform against fifth-generation "conditional adversary" aircraft.