We have already discussed recently the news about a new option for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which should be the self-propelled gun "Bogdana". The news is news, but it is still worthwhile to figure it out: what if there really is a reversal?
Of course, on August 24, we may also see the procession of peremogs in the form of the Sapsan OTK, the Alder and Verba MLRS, and of the Bogdan self-propelled gun.
Perhaps we will see, perhaps not. In Ukraine, anything can happen, at least, we are used to the transformation of peremoga into zrada.
It is possible that it will be necessary to take a closer look at the miracle weapon raised to this high rank. It is possible that "Sapsan", "Alder", "Verba" will need to be given additional attention. Perhaps. But - after 24 August.
We will touch "Bogdana" now, because it is not promised a ceremonial life, but a very fighting one. In the Donbass. Experts, officials and employees of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine speak about this.
So, "Bogdana". God-given.
Not really. God has nothing to do with it, he has a 150% alibi. But to skip this creepy comedy - do not respect yourself.
It is worth asking the question: who is to blame for a good half of the Ukrainian adventures? The smart ones will understand: we must look towards Poland!
Exactly. It is the Poles who are the root or primary sources of self-propelled artillery miracles.
The case began 20 years ago, when the Polish army began to think that it would be nice to solve a number of problems in one fell swoop. By the list.
1. To update the fleet of self-propelled guns, since the Soviet "Carnations" were already turning into scrap metal, the Czech "Dans" were still holding out, but no one doubted the same fate for them.
2. The Polish army continued its heroic transition to NATO standards, therefore it would be highly desirable to have a single-caliber self-propelled gun (155-mm) instead of two at once (152-mm for "Dana" and 122-mm for "Carnation").
3. Well, in general, a more modern ACS is a more modern one. And it is more convenient, and should continue to shoot, and so on.
And most importantly, in Poland there was (well, in general, and is now alive) an enterprise that was ready to develop and build this new ACS for symbolic money. We are talking about the HSW company from the town of Stalova Volya.
In general, HSW is used as a brand in Poland; the company's products are sold to foreign markets under the Dressta brand. And, I note, it is selling well. Bulldozers, loaders, scrapers, mining equipment. A very well-known and respected company.
As you know, there is never a lot of money. And HSW decided that military equipment is great too. Moreover, everyone in the government was completely in favor of attracting domestic producers.
However, no one took into account the cockroaches. No, not those that are pests, but cockroaches in the heads of Polish designers.
And there the fantasy was raging in earnest. As a result, a creepy hybrid project appeared at the exit, which received the name "Crab".
They decided to take the chassis from the PT-91 "Twardy", the main battle tank, which, in general, was nothing more than a Soviet licensed T-72. But the chassis of the T-72 was just wonderful, so why not take it? Moreover, the production was not only mastered, it was also established.
The chassis is half the battle. We also need to put the wheelhouse / turret with a cannon on the chassis.
The brave Polish guys from HSW decided to take the tower from the British ACS AS-90, since the British had nothing against it. The self-propelled gun was quite fresh for that time, it managed to fight in Iraq and showed itself pretty well there.
The Poles liked the version of the AS-90 "Braveheart", with a longer barrel (52 caliber instead of 48). At the exit, it is quite possible that it would have turned out exactly what was required: a long-range ACS with a good suspension. Dream…
Two turrets from AS-90 "Braveheart" were quickly bought in Great Britain, the Poles even paid for a license to produce turrets at home and, armed with hammers, sledgehammers and curls, began, as it were, to attach an English turret to a Russian chassis.
And then they began. Zrada. The first (here, without the intrigues of Russia, there was simply no way) was that the Soviet / Russian chassis from the T-72, albeit called the RT-91, but did not want to take over the English tower.
Not at all. Neither this nor that. Zrada. And HSW are inept zradniki. Let the bulldozers continue to rivet.
Then other guys entered the circus arena, no less brave. They were called "Bumar Labedy". The new company has promised to make a new case for the "Crab". Yes, using the PT-91 "Twardy" assemblies, but completely new.
It is especially worth noting that the 155-mm swinging part of the gun was bought from the French from Nexter Systems.
The corps was done, and even the tests began. True, the tests ended as soon as they began. Clear business, full of zrada.
At the test site, it turned out that the "Bumar Labedy" hulls do not know how. And what has been done, for some reason, is covered with microcracks, which quite realistically threaten to become not "micro", but quite normal cracks. In armor.
The second "surprise" was the news that although the S12U diesel engine produces 850 hp according to the passport, it can only move the ACS weighing 55 tons at a depressing speed of 28 km / h. On the highway.
It is quite natural that the Poles began to urgently look for a more powerful engine. And then the third zrada in a row slammed. It turned out that a more powerful engine was not produced in Poland.
But that's not all!
While they were looking for a replacement, the manufacturer of the S12U diesel engine, the PZL Wola plant, went bankrupt and closed. At this point, the question of the production of self-propelled guns, albeit with low-power, but assembled in Poland motors, was also closed.
How the Poles extinguished the burning places, I do not know. But what was extinguished is as clear as daylight. When the smoke cleared, the fifth points cooled down, work began.
What, you ask? And on the search for a new / next engine for the "Crab".
The USSR, England, France have already made their contribution, it was Germany's turn.
The Germans cordially offered their MTU-881 KA 500 1000 hp diesel. with. An excellent motor, fast, high-torque and reliable.
But this diesel engine had one single drawback. But what … He did not get into the engine compartment of the "Crab" under any lubricant! Just because it was developed, yes, for an ACS, but a completely different project.
This diesel was developed for the South Korean K9 "Thunder" self-propelled guns and (glory to Jesus!) The licensed version of the T-155 "Firtina" self-propelled guns produced in Turkey.
Hysterics? Probably.
Squeaking with everything they could, smoking, sparkling and moaning, the Poles from HSW abandoned the use of their own undercarriage and armored hull from Bumar Labedy on the Crab.
The dancing started over again.
The South Koreans are far away, but the Turkish brothers-allies are actually nearby. It is clear that it was to the Turks that the Poles went to bow. On September 2, 2013, just 12 years after the start of work on the ACS, HSW signed an agreement with the Turkish company MKEK on the use of armored hulls and the chassis of the Turkish ACS T-155 "Firtina" for the Crab.
It seems to me that although I am not an expert, it would be much more logical for the Poles to simply buy the whole SPG. Apparently, they did not give the eternal Polish ambition and the strangling toad. I wanted "my own, Polish". Plus, in the case of buying a Turkish self-propelled gun with the money spent on the license for the production of towers from the AS-90 "Braveheart", one could say goodbye.
They saved money, but in vain … The miser pays twice, but in our case … In our case, everything has become even worse. Another zrada was not long in coming, it was not possible to mount the AS-90 "Braveheart" tower, equipped with a swinging part from Nexter Systems, on the new Turkish-South Korean hull.
Habitual smoke, sparks, burning parts of organisms …
The Poles again bowed to the Germans. The Germans, saying, "gut, vir mahen", that is, okay, let's do it, sold the 155-mm swinging part of the Rheinmetall company to the Poles. Then it took a long time and dreary, and, by the way, quite for a lot of money, the Germans nevertheless stuck the tower into place. At the same time, almost all the British turret filling from the AS-90 "Braveheart" had to be thrown away.
As a result, Poland still received "its own" 155-mm self-propelled guns. The South Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled gun chassis from Samsung, the German 155-mm swinging unit from Rheinmetall and the British Vickers turret stuffed with brand new equipment.
The French swinging part remained at a loss, the Russian chassis from the T-72 too.
Probably, it's time to take the author by the trunk and ask threateningly: why are you wasting your time here? Three sheets of a comedy about the Polish "Crab", assembled to the envy of "Mad Max" from the action movie. Where is the Ukrainian "Bogdana"?
Yes, here it is … All this time I've been talking about "Bogdana" and explaining to you, if anything.
Why? Because inspired by the example of the Poles and overwhelmed by the desire to dance on a rake, the brave Ukrainians also decided to wash down their own self-propelled guns.
By landing the tower of the Polish "Crab" on the chassis of the Ukrainian "Oplot", aka the T-84U tank.
From this moment you can go back upstairs and re-read everything again.
We have repeatedly noted on our pages that the APU has not only a problem with the ACS, the situation is really catastrophic.
Despite the richest Soviet legacy, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have by now lost most of their SPGs.
Something was trivially sold. Something just fell into disrepair. Something was rendered unusable in Donbass or damaged. Yes, the saturation of the Armed Forces on the line of contact with towed artillery systems began (God, with wheeled guns removed from storage, whom we are trying to deceive!), But this is still not an option. Neither in mobility, nor in survivability, towed artillery systems could not compete with self-propelled guns and will never be able to.
Rake? They are the most. But that's not all.
In 2018, the Ukrainian Armed Forces really began to feel a serious shortage of rounds and barrels for 152-mm guns. The fact is that there was no production of both barrels and shells in Ukraine, and now there will not be.
Yes, the tension of the situation was somewhat relieved by the purchase of ammunition and barrels abroad. However, the possibilities of the Baltic republics and trade hubs with military scrap metal such as Romania are not endless. And the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, waging at least a sluggish, but war, will only increase in the future.
Try to set up production using the leftover resources of Ukrainian factories?
Not funny. When Ukraine was selling tanks left and right, one of the conditions for the purchase was the equipment not with modern Ukrainian barrels, but with Soviet ones, from old stocks. This is a fact, because resources are incomparable.
I am very skeptical about the idea of "themselves spooky". And since the Ukrainians frankly did not work with the trunks, it is unlikely to burn out with ammunition. They say that Ukroboronprom Group of Companies was able to master the production of 152-mm shells of its own production. But so far no one has seen them.
So, against the background of all these rotations, the transition to a 155 mm caliber with the subsequent purchase of both self-propelled guns and ammunition for them looks very logical.
Moreover, this is the same direct path to the NATO standards so desired by the leaders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
A! And here on the horizon again the Poles appear. And for good reason. But here the Ukrainians are to blame, because as soon as the Poles smelled of ready-made "Crab", they immediately showed interest in the self-propelled gun.
But everything worked out as always between the Ukrainians and the Poles. The latter broke such a price for their work that the question of buying the entire ACS somehow disappeared. But the need for inventions is cunning not only in Poland, because in Ukraine they decided that “we can too”. And, since there is not enough money, we will buy what we do not have. And what is there, we will somehow add it.
So in 2015, the first statements appeared on the topic of Ukraine's intentions to create a 155-mm self-propelled gun for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The state concern Ukroboronprom was appointed in charge. From the information that became common property, it followed that from the Ukrainian side, the work on the implementation of the project was entrusted to the state enterprise Malyshev Design Bureau from Kharkov, and from the Polish side - to the already familiar HSW.
The essence of the project, or rather another misalliance, was to combine the tower of the Polish self-propelled guns in some incomprehensible way with the T-84U "Oplot" hull. The exit will be the self-propelled gun "Bogdana".
Considering that the T-84U is slightly larger in size than the T-72, there is some rational grain in this.
But I have a question, albeit of a slightly different sense: where to get the T-84 hulls themselves? With the letter "U", without it …
No, we are all aware that Ukraine was able to produce 10 or even 12 Oplot tanks. Nevertheless, where to get the case? The Russian style “if the Motherland orders” here, forgive me, does not channel. Even if the Motherland orders it, it is doubtful that, at the wave of a magic mount, the production of something that does not exist and is not yet planned will suddenly begin.
And another question. Again about money. If in Ukraine they could not master the production of 152-mm shells for old Soviet howitzers, excuse me, where will the 155-mm be drawn from? Again, "if the Motherland orders, we will draw"? Doubtful.
So buy. Buying is money. Which are not.
I apologize for turning everything around in a circle, but since I try to consider all this clownery more or less impartially, it turns out that we are walking in a circle.
We are looking for money, then we are trying to shove something that is not shoved somewhere again.
Poles are great. To wash down such a hodgepodge, and even bring it to a workable state, is a feat in its own way. But the Poles have money, unlike the Ukrainians. And it is quite understandable their desire to sell their construction (until the language does not dare to call this "Lego") to the Ukrainians and at least slightly compensate for the costs.
Probably, Ukrainian colleagues explained to the Poles for a long time that it is simply criminal to leave the military-industrial complex of Ukraine without work. Especially to those who can bite off their military orders. Or saw off. Although it is unlikely that the Poles have it differently, judging by the knees that they broke off when mining their own self-propelled guns, They say that the case is so far off the ground that there is already a prototype "in metal". Although it is quite possible that this is another layout. Even self-propelled.
Is there an opportunity to bring it to mind? In my opinion - not the slightest. Well, it's just not about schadenfreude, it's a fact. A country that cannot master the release of ammunition for a cannon is unlikely to be able to cut down the cannon itself.
And if we talk about serious equipment … Where is the BTR-4 "Bucephalus"? Where are at least dozens of T-64BM "Bulat"? T-84U "Oplot" and BM "Oplot"?
About the same place we will be able to see "Bogdana". With a probability of 95%.
