You'd think after Russia's time in Afghanistan, they'd have an idea on how to counter US guided missiles. But Stingers and Javelins are racking up the kills by the day.
You'd think after Russia's time in Afghanistan, they'd have an idea on how to counter US guided missiles. But Stingers and Javelins are racking up the kills by the day.
Keep in mind that there are multiple generations of guided missiles for infantry use, with the Ukrainian's been giving the newest generation for use in defense.
You'd think after Russia's time in Afghanistan, they'd have an idea on how to counter US guided missiles. But Stingers and Javelins are racking up the kills by the day.
Because there is no real way to counter them. Stingers can track by UV so flares and ECM can't jam them and while Javelins can be jammed since they rely on IR, they're designed to attack the tops of enemy AFVs and their tandem warheads nullify reactive armor, and no Russian AFV currently in service has effective countermeasures against that sort of attack.
You'd think after Russia's time in Afghanistan, they'd have an idea on how to counter US guided missiles. But Stingers and Javelins are racking up the kills by the day.
Besides what the others have noted, there's also the factor that institutional knowledge decays fast, especially in conscript armies like the Russian one. +3 plus decades (or even a mere +2 decades if going by their experiences in the Chechen wars) might as well be a century. Not only are all the vets got out, but all the guys who knew the guys would also have gotten out as well as a few other of the following cadres.
Because there is no real way to counter them. Stingers can track by UV so flares and ECM can't jam them and while Javelins can be jammed since they rely on IR, they're designed to attack the tops of enemy AFVs and their tandem warheads nullify reactive armor, and no Russian AFV currently in service has effective countermeasures against that sort of attack.
The counter is proper combined arms tactics, with infantry protecting the tanks from shoulder-fired weaponry ambushes and the tanks protecting the infantry from heavy weapons. You stop a Javelin before it's fired. After it's fired is too late. The Russian Army's problem is that they have a lot of poorly-trained conscripts who don't know how to do that.
