Raketenartillerie

[Quintus Fabius]

https://www.czdefence.com/article/rocket...f-good-use

Rocket artillery can be of good use

The conflict in Ukraine shows once again that rocket artillery is definitely not old hat and still makes sense on the current battlefield. By the way, Multiple Rocket Launchers also played a significant role in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020.

The conflict in Ukraine clearly demonstrates that artillery as a whole is still a valid element on the modern battlefield, and rocket artillery in particular is widely and effectively used on both sides.

Interessant ist hier vielleicht vor allem das Plädoyer für leichte, mittlere und schwere Raketenartillerie und das darunter dann nicht nur reine Raketenwerfer, sondern auch Drohnenwerfer beinhaltet sein sollten :

Given the recent experience in Ukraine, "light" and "heavy" rocket artillery can be considered. In the future, the involvement of long-range standby munitions may then be an interesting option from an artillery perspective.

In the case of 'light' rocket artillery for the Czech Army, this could be the proven RM-70 indigenously produced rocket launcher. Both 4x4 and 8x8 variants can be considered. These variants differ from each other mainly because spare ammunition can be carried on the 8x8 chassis. Due to the fact that the RM-70 launches unguided missiles with a maximum range of only 20 km, this "light" rocket launcher can be used especially in situations where it is necessary to destroy an enemy whose units occupy a large space and the accuracy of the strike is not a priority.

The second component of the possible future missile artillery of the Czech Armed Forces may be the 'heavy' HIMARS rocket launcher. Of course, it can be mounted on a Tatra chassis. It is the HIMARS rocket launcher that can give the Czech artillery the ability to deliver long-range precision strikes as seen in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In the context of "heavy" rocket artillery, the Czech Armed Forces can take advantage of the experience of Poland, which will receive its first launcher in the course of next year. In the future, the aforementioned agreement of the Baltic States can also be used and cooperated with.

In the medium to long term, it would be advisable to consider the inclusion of long-range standby ammunition in the arsenal of the artillery of the Czech Armed Forces. In the case of standby ammunition, cooperation with the Israeli company UVision, whose products have already proven their capabilities, for example, in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is a direct possibility.

At the end of last year, UVision introduced a special MCL (Multi-Canister Launcher) for all of its wait-and-see munitions. The MCL can be mounted on an 8x8 chassis, giving the Army the option of placing this system on the Pandur II CZ 8x8 platform. As for long-range standby munitions, the Hero-900, for example, can stay in the air for up to 7 hours and has a range of up to 250 km.

The standby ammunition can then be used by artillery for precision strikes on targets that do not require the use of HIMARS missiles to destroy. These include radars, air defence launchers or smaller fortifications. At the same time, electro-optical sensors of the holding munitions can be used to reconnoitre the area in the first phase of the strike.

The conflict in Ukraine clearly demonstrates that artillery as a whole is still a valid element on the modern battlefield, and rocket artillery in particular is widely and effectively used on both sides.