Read more about the article Back to Basics: Europe’s Struggles and Successes with 155mm Shell Production
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Back to Basics: Europe’s Struggles and Successes with 155mm Shell Production

The early days of the war in Ukraine seemed to favour agile and relatively innovative capabilities which appeared to be the new protagonists of future battlefields. In fact, the fate of the war appeared to rest on Stingers and Starstreaks, Javelins and NLAWs, FPV commercial drones and on the Bayraktar TB2. However, as the chaotic first phase of the conflict ended, the focus shifted to the centuries-old king of battle: artillery. Much has been written on the rediscovered importance of artillery at the tactical and operational levels (Oltei, Potin, & Clarke, 2024). In contrast with the precision-oriented doctrine prevalent in the West, the war in Ukraine is revealing how precision- guided munitions can only complement and not substitute conventional indirect fire. The industrial capacity to produce this military ordinance en masse can indeed still determine victory on the battlefield. This analysis will thus focus on the 155mm NATO-standard artillery shell, the European states’ ability to produce it, and their significant shortcomings and progress.

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30 April 2024
Read more about the article Mobilising Artillery – Developments, Challenges and the Russo-Ukrainian War
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Mobilising Artillery – Developments, Challenges and the Russo-Ukrainian War

As a key instrument in the long-range destruction, neutralisation, and suppression of enemy positions, artillery has long been indispensable in warfare, evolving from early contraptions used to hurl rocks and shoot arrows to the modern battlefield’s exceptionally mobile and accurate cannons launching highly explosive projectiles (Defense Technical Information Center, 1983). On the modern battlefield, artillery possesses several unique abilities. It can operate close to and in cooperation with ground forces to destroy and degrade enemy ground capabilities near the front lines, its range allows it to target vast swathes of territory with heavy indirect fire, it can be operated day and night, is fairly mobile, and can be concealed to boost survivability (McGrath, 2013).

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26 April 2024
Read more about the article Ammunition Aid: Kosovo’s Contribution to Ukraine’s Defence
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Ammunition Aid: Kosovo’s Contribution to Ukraine’s Defence

The announcement made by Ejup Maqedonci, Kosovo's Minister of Defence, during the 20th Meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on 19 March 2024 is a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Kosovo's pledge to provide military aid to Ukraine underscores the country’s political alignment with both the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) and its willingness to join collective efforts in support of Ukraine's defence. Kosovo has committed to supply two military aid packages, which includes essential resources such as trucks, tactical vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, and mortar artillery shells. This is the first time the country has provided military assistance to Ukraine. Amidst Ukraine's acute shortage of ammunition, a confluence of factors including the political deadlock in the US Congress and production constraints in Europe have accentuated the severity of this situation. This prompts a closer examination whether Kosovo's military aid package, though undoubtedly valuable, sufficiently grapples the enormity of Ukraine’s ammunition crisis.

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9 April 2024
Read more about the article Ground Robotics in Modern Combat
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Ground Robotics in Modern Combat

The automation of military vehicles and systems has long been a feature of warfare, but the emergence and development of ground robotics are revolutionising modern combat. Since their deployment in conflicts such as in Afghanistan and Iraq, ground robots have evolved into increasingly capable and autonomous entities integrated into military operations (Rosenberg, 2024). Fuelled by recent conflicts such as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Russia-Ukraine War, which have highlighted the significant impact of military robotics on the battlefield, interest in the further development of this field continues. The development of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) has proceeded slowly, with ongoing challenges and questions surrounding their integration into military operations and ground forces (Gosselin-Malo, 2023). This paper aims to outline the advancements in ground robotics, explore the rationale for their increased proliferation in warfare, outline potential challenges in their widespread integration, and briefly analyse the deployment of such ordnance in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War.

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27 March 2024
Read more about the article Ukraine-Russia Conflict Enters Third Year: Reflecting on Two Years of Warfare
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Ukraine-Russia Conflict Enters Third Year: Reflecting on Two Years of Warfare

The war between Ukraine and Russia has now entered its third year since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a ‘Special Military Operation’ on 24 February 2022. The seeds of this conflict date back to 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in south-eastern Ukraine.

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21 March 2024