Fabian Hoffmann
@FRHoffmann1
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Doctoral Research Fellow @NuclearOslo @UniOslo . Defense policy, missile technology, and nuclear strategy. Views are strictly my own. Speaks 🇬🇧🇩🇪🇫🇷.
Oslo, Norway
Joined April 2019
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In this thread, I will explain why we are much closer to war with 🇷🇺 than most people realize and why our time window for rearmament is shorter than many believe. In my opinion, we have at best 2-3 years to re-establish deterrence vis-à-vis 🇷🇺. Here's why 👇 1/20
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If I was a Russian nuclear strategist today, I would be very worried. You just received proof of concept that Western air and missile defenses can intercept 100% of your tactical nuclear delivery vehicles (SRBM, BM, aircraft) in a time-coordinated, multi-vector attack.
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Let's face it, Ukraine's largest power station being permanently disabled is really bad. We are witnessing the failure of the appeasers and escalation managers' strategy in Ukraine.
Not providing Ukraine with the means to disable Russian launchers was never sustainable. 1/3
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Reminder that in the early stages of the ATACMS debate, a key argument against delivering ATACMS was the aim to deter Iran from providing SRBMs to Russia. How did that strategy unfold? 1/3
🚨 🇮🇷🇷🇺🇺🇦 BREAKING: Iran has provided Russia with approx 400 ballistic missiles, including many from the Fateh-110 family, such as the Zolfaghar. In contrast with North Korean BMs, Iranian made ones are known to be considerably more accurate.
This is a major escalation in
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Here's the thing: The ongoing war in Ukraine is teaching Russia a crucial lesson - that the West lacks resolve. Domestic disunity and endless discussions about escalation only reinforce Russia's belief that NATO will back down when push comes to shove. 14/20
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Thread 🧵on the Storm Shadow land-attack cruise missile delivered by the UK that provides Ukraine, in principle, with an extremely potent long-range strike capability against hardened targets at operational and strategic depth. 1/12
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What we need, especially in Europe, is whole-of-society effort to get our affairs in order. There's no denying that this will come with a significant cost, but I fail to see any other viable option. Considering worst-case scenarios, as we should, time has already run out. 20/20
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Here is a long thread about conventional missile fuzes. It explains why Taurus offers a qualitative edge over Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG when engaging certain targets, and why it’s one of the most advanced conventional weapons currently in the arsenals of Western states. 👇🧵1/21
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Thread about the April 2018 missile strikes against Syria, carried out by 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇫🇷. Not many people are aware of it but it constitutes, in my opinion, a major reason why Putin knows that he cannot cross certain lines in 🇺🇦, especially by escalating to the nuclear level. 1/11 👇
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One common mistake in analyzing the threat posed by Russia is falling into the trap of 'mirror-imaging'. This means assuming that Russia views a potential conflict with us in the same way we view a potential conflict with them. Nothing could be further from the truth. 2/20
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I am with the Eastern European states that we have at best 2-3 years from today to re-establish a credible deterrence posture vis-à-vis Russia. Otherwise, we run the grave risk that Russia is going to challenge us, sooner rather than later. 16/20
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Our lack of preparedness, both in the physcial space but also in terms of our cognitive ability to think through these scenarios, is encouraging 🇷🇺. Since 2014, Russian intellectuals have debated extensively and publicly how to win a war against NATO. Where is our debate? 19/20
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It seems that the Biden Administration has made the decision to provide Ukraine with MGM-140 ATACMS maneuvering missiles. In this thread, I want to explore the warhead effects of ATACMS, specifically discussing overpressure, fragmentation, and penetration effects. 🧵👇 1/25
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Scholz PR once again on point.
Can he at least pretend to see a purpose in being there?
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We must also have a serious discussion not only about how to deter a war with 🇷🇺 but also about how to fight one. Are we prepared to retaliate against Russian critical civilian infrastructure in case Russia strikes ours first? How do we react to Russian nuclear first use? 18/20
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Russian thinking on a war with NATO revolves around the concept of escalation control and escalation management. Russia's primary objective in a war with NATO is to effectively manage escalation and bring the war to an early end on terms that are favorable to Russia. 5/20
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This is why Russia pursues this type of strategy. Russia does not need to match NATO's conventional power. As long as NATO gives in first amid mounting psychological pressure due to a lack of resolve, Russia can walk away with a victory. 13/20
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In addition, it is important to be cautious about extrapolating too many lessons from Ukraine & assuming that a war with 🇷🇺 would unfold in a similar manner, albeit on a larger scale. In reality, a war between NATO & Russia would likely take on a different form altogether. 3/20
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What happens if Russia employs a nuclear weapon? The reality is that no one really knows.
However, what is equally true is that NATO is prepared for this type of scenario, and we have capabilities and contingency plans in place.
Some thoughts on what this might entail. 👇🧵 1/7
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I mean in the world of missile systems, this thing is basically a flying brick with a radar cross-section larger than Norway's sovereign wealth fund.
Why is Russia incapable of shooting down these targets with air defense systems or scrambling fighter jets for interception?
The Ukrainian drones are in fact slow-flying ultralight planes. They flew at least 1,300 km - likely even 1,500 km - before hitting the refinery in Bashkortostan. The Russian air defense is not existent.
Source: Telegram / Mash
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NATO must credibly deny Russia the ability to seize any substantial part of NATO territory or to threaten strikes against NATO critical infrastructure. This is needed to escape the coercive conundrum that aggressive sancturization and de-escalation strikes pose. 17/20
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Imagine what would have happened if we hadn't failed Ukraine and started to provide long-range artillery, MBTs, IFVs, and F-16s in March/April. This thing may well have been over by now.
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This is the South Korean Hyunmoo-2B. She has a range of up to 800 km, depending on the payload. She thinks it's very unfair that her mean North Korean cousin gets to play in Ukraine, while she has to stay home. Is there anything we can do about that?
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This would entail, in particular, long-range strikes against critical civilian infrastructure across European NATO countries early on. The message to NATO governments: Don't come to the support of your Eastern European allies, unless you want to see your population suffer. 8/20
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This type of warfighting scenario is not a contest of forces, but primarily a risk-taking competition. The question becomes: Who will be the first to back down when confronted with the prospect of largescale war, including potential exchanges of strategic nuclear warheads? 11/20
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This means Russia does not have to wait until its conventional power is reconstituted. Scenarios where we have 5-10 years to rearm following the end of the war are way too optimistic, in my opinion. 15/20
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🇷🇺 does not plan for the type of large-scale conventional war with NATO that we are currently seeing in Ukraine & for which we are primarily preparing. Already before taking substantial losses on the 🇺🇦 battlefield, 🇷🇺 knew that it would be inferior in such a scenario. 4/20
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As Cold War historians know, the balance of military power is not deterministic of outcomes in risk-taking competitions. Instead, they are often determined by the balance of resolve; i.e., the relative willingness to remain steadfast even as risks are increasing. 12/20
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Terminating hostilities early is necessary, given that 🇷🇺 must secure a victorous outcome before NATO's conventional superiority comes to bear, most notably that of the United States. Two key concepts play a crucial role: de-escalation strikes and aggressive sanctuarization. 6/20
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Rather than comprehensively defeating NATO in a prolonged ground war, similar to what we see in Ukraine, Russian doctrine suggests that Russia would attempt to coerce NATO into submission by signaling the ability to inflict progressively greater amounts of damage. 7/20
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Simultaneously, Russia would extend its nuclear umbrella over any NATO territory it managed to capture in an initial assault. This sends a second message: Any endeavor to retake that territory, particularly by external NATO forces (USA), will result in nuclear escalation. 9/20
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The psychological fear of escalation, which may ultimately result in unacceptable damage, is supposed to open the door for negotiations about the future of NATO and the security architecture in Europe - of course, on Russia's terms. 10/20
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To no one's surprise, it took around 24h for the secret information that was referenced in the parliamentary debate on Taurus to leak. This information pertains to the processing power required for inputting & processing targeting data. Some thoughts: 1/10
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BREAKING: Exactly two months after the UK announced the delivery of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, Macron stated that 🇫🇷 would follow suit and deliver the French equivalent “SCALP-EG”. Here is a thread with everything you need to know about the implications: 👇🧵1/12
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Looking forward to the 🇩🇪 Chancellor explaining why it's necessary for German soldiers to input targeting data into South Korean Taurus KEPD-350K so that South Korea can preemptively destroy North Korean launchers and decapitate its leadership prior to a nuclear launch.
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Three thoughts on this:
1) The longer Ukraine resists, the more time we have for our own rearmament efforts. If Ukraine wins, the Russian threat might recede for decades to come.
2) We are already overcommitted to Ukrainian victory - whether you like it or not. A hedgehog
Nobody knows the exact timeline of Russia's madness, but we know Ukraine is buying us time and paying for it with blood. If Ukraine wins, Russia's expansionism will be halted. If not, we will be wishing we had used the bought time more efficiently.
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Regarding the Taurus disaster: German soldiers or staff would only be required in Ukraine if the Chancellor does not trust Ukrainians to input the targeting data into the software themselves. So yes, this confirms that the Chancellor fundamentally doesn't trust Ukraine. Pathetic.
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You must also wonder what this means for the Russian (or Chinese for that matter) strategic nuclear deterrent. Yes, shooting down ICBMs is a whole different kind of challenge and may never be feasible. But the "what if" must loom large today.
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Once again,
@MBDADeutschland
confirms that Ukraine could use Taurus without direct German involvement and without German soldiers on the ground. Anyone claiming otherwise, whether it's the Chancellor or anyone else, is not telling the truth.
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There's a discussion on missile production capacities in Europe. I have a forthcoming piece on that, but the tldr is that it's a huge problem.
Neither UK's Storm Shadow, nor Germany's KEPD 350 Taurus are currently produced and haven't been so for a while. 1/5
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The West must stop playing games and start providing Ukraine with a robust long-range strike capability to allow Ukraine to attack Russian critical infrastructure and strike military bases. If sending complete missiles is not an option, send the necessary components. 1/4
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Approximately 12 months ago, 🇷🇺 initiated a large-scale long-range strike campaign against Ukraine. I have gathered data on the long-range strike (LRS) weapons employed by Russia and Ukraine's success in intercepting them. This thread provides a summary of the findings. 👇🧵 1/14
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Can people with a better understanding of Russian economy/Russian oil production tell me when they expect these strikes to start showing systematic degredations in Russian military logistics/capabilities?
Several drones attacked two oil refineries in Samara Oblast🇷🇺, located 1,235 km from🇺🇦, in the early morning of 16 March.
In Syzran, Samara Oblast, a fire broke out over an area of 500m2. Several other drones also attacked the Novokuibyshevsk refinery in the oblast, causing a
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I don't know about you, but I'm more concerned about the possibility of Putin achieving even a fraction of his objectives in Ukraine than dealing with potential escalation risks related to Taurus deliveries. 1/3
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Escalating Russian attacks on Kharkiv, a major population center that remains largely inhabited, constitute another clear example of how Russia purposefully escalates the conflict without having to fear any reciprocal action from the West. 1/3
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It's absolute madness that this fact isn't unanimously accepted in European capitals and Washington D.C. The West is paving its own path to destruction. I'm appalled by the cowardice of our decision-makers. 3/3
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The leaked Taurus audio is alarming. It unequivocally indicates that Taurus deliveries to Ukraine were viable under several configurations. However, the extensive technical details disclosed about the weapon system are deeply troubling. This poses a threat to national security.
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In a recent interview I was asked an interesting question: Why are European missile defense arsenals so empty when acquiring such weapon systems, due to their purely defensive nature, should have been politically easy, even in the post-Cold War environment? A short thread. 👇1/11
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At this point, the only sensible and long-overdue solution is to supply Ukraine with significant numbers of long-range strike weapons, including ATACMS, Taurus, and anything else you can find in Western arsenals, while drastically ramping up our production. 2/3
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There is also ample evidence that US & NATO officials have signaled such a response. This, in my opinion, is the number one reason why 🇷🇺 is deterred from employing nuclear weapons in 🇺🇦, even if it can overlook the dire political consequences a nuclear strike would have. 11/11
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How long would it take to get a Taurus production line running? There are two aspects to consider:
1) Setting up the physical production line (physical spaces, tools/machines, hiring workers)
2) Establishing the supply chain necessary for production. 1/10
Die Produktion von
#Taurus
kann kurzfristig wieder angeschoben werden.
👉 Möglichkeit dabei neue technische Fortschritte zu integrieren. Das bedeutet einen Fähigkeitserhalt des Auftraggebers für die nächsten Jahrzehnte.
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I derive no satisfaction from this, but I have to ask those historians, political scientists, & military strategists on this platform who for months have argued against "technocentric" solutions & downplayed the role of missiles in 🇺🇦: How does this picture make you feel? 3/3
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At this stage of the war, state capacity is the crucial factor. We rightly commend 🇺🇦 for having found a way to undermine Russia's state capacity with indigenous long-range drones. But at the same time we are content to stand by and watch Ukraine's state capacity burn? 2/3
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It's funny how I continuously believe Western decision-makers couldn't be more wrong, naive, unprepared, or helpless when it comes to dealing with the 🇷🇺 threat, only to be proven wrong yet again.
At some point we must hit rock bottom, right? Or is it just downhill from here?
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It's time to reassess Ukraine's consumption of Storm Shadow/Scalp-EG missiles and the sustainability of its remaining land-attack cruise missile arsenal. The analysis shows that in order to ensure a robust long-range strike capability, 🇺🇦 requires Taurus cruise missiles. 1/14
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This missile strike would immediately and once and for all put an end to Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine and finish off whatever is left of the Russian army. Putin knows it. Russian politicians know it. Russian generals know it. NATO officials know it. 10/11
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There is nothing fundamentally surprising about the Taurus decision; we saw it coming. Yet, I can't help but feel disgusted by my government. It's a slap in the face to the Ukrainians who are sacrificing their lives for Europe. "Sure, you can die for us, but we can't trust you".
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Ukraine is executing a textbook strategic-level long-range strike campaign aimed at strategic interdiction.
The objective is to undermine Russia's state capacity to reduce the amount of war materials available to the Russian state at the pre-deployment stage. 1/2
Rosjanie byli sprytni i fabrykę Szachedów umieścili 1200km+ od Ukrainy. Poza zasięgiem jej znanych dronów. Ukraińcy jak zwykle byli sprytniejsi i przerobili na drona-kamikaze samolot cywilny - awionetkę. Która doleciała i elegancko trafiła w "specjalną strefę ekonomiczną" w
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A NATO cruise missile strike would sink 🇷🇺's black sea fleet, destroy every known 🇷🇺 command center and relevant logistical 🇷🇺 target on Ukrainian territory, and likely extent into Russian territory, in particular military headquarters and army bases close to the border. 9/11
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As it turns out, Oktoberfest is only the second best thing to have come out of Bavaria, after TDW’s PIMPF. Deliver Taurus without targeting restrictions and see Kerch Bridge (and other bridges) go up in flames.
#FreeTarus
/END
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Rheinmetall supplying a 100 km-range 155mm artillery shell is interesting.
Longer range than your typical rocket-propelled artillery shell (70-85 km).
Nammo is working on a ramjet-propelled 155 mm shell with a range of 150 km. I don't think it's something similar though.
In addition to a six-digit number of “regular” artillery shells that
#Ukraine
will receive from Rheinmetall this year, Rheinmetall will also supply prototypes of artillery shells with a range of 100 kilometres!
A very interesting detail which the CEO of Rheinmetall Papperger
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My nth op-ed on Taurus in German media (I lost count). The chancellor's hesitance to deliver Taurus, regardless of the motivation behind it, not only undermines Ukraine's defensive capabilities but also sends disastrous political signals to Russia. 1/3
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Some thoughts on the "national security interests" argument, which has recently emerged as a second key point in the discussion about why 🇩🇪 is unable to supply Taurus to 🇺🇦.
I believe the argument lacks coherence but will ultimately be effective in concluding the debate. 1/19
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I don't even know how to react to this.
Someone in the Chancellery, please advise the German Chancellor on how to present himself on the international stage, particularly regarding nuclear deterrence.
Regarding the nuclear exercise announced by Russia: It is always important to make clear that nuclear weapons must not be used in this war.
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It's astonishing to admit, and a year ago I wouldn't have foreseen this, but the united Scholz-Biden axis of hesitation, reluctance, and withdrawal might actually pave the way for a nuclear proliferation wave in Central and Eastern Europe. Who could blame them? 1/3
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When I pointed out that there are plausible scenarios in which RU could challenge us militarily soon, people called me "crazy," "alarmist," and "unhelpful."
How many officials have since then publicly stated that they consider RU military action against NATO highly feasible? 1/3
Danish defense Intel in new threat assessment finds it “very likely” that Russia will use actual military means to challenge NATO. Previous assessment was it would only use hybrid capabilities.
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If Germany takes this deal and delivers Taurus to UK in return for UK sending more Storm Shadows to Ukraine, this would make Scholz and Germany look INCREDIBLY weak and pathetic. I'm all for Ukraine getting more long-range strike weapons, but this is not the way.
Exklusiv: Großbritannien hat Deutschland einen Ausweg aus der verfahrenen Taurus-Debatte angeboten. So könne Deutschland Taurus-Marschflugkörper nach Großbritannien exportieren, London im Gegenzug Marschflugkörper vom Typ Storm Shadow an die Ukraine.
#
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This is another thread on the M48 & M57 ATACMS capability profile and why it is needed. It consolidates information from previous threads, corrects past mistakes, and provides a more robust analysis. And yes, the thread also talks about ATACMS' bridge-busting capability.👇🧵 1/21
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At this point, German leadership must seriously ask themselves why 🇩🇪 is the only country unable to trust Ukraine to confine the use of long-range strike weapons to its own borders. This reflects a pathetic lack of trust by Scholz and his government towards the Ukrainian people.
Jake Sullivan on ATACMS to Ukraine:
"I'm able to confirm as you've heard from others that in February the President directed his team to provide Ukraine with a significant number of ATACMS missiles for use inside Ukraine's sovereign territory [emphasis in tone of voice]."
"That
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Why does this event remain significant? Because it demonstrated to Putin what would happen if he were to cross certain thresholds (nuclear weapons) in 🇺🇦. The likely NATO response would be a massed cruise missile strike, similar to that in 2018, just at a much larger scale. 8/11
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In general, the good news is that command posts, logistical facilities, ammunition depots and other high-value targets outside of HIMARS range are no longer invulnerable. This will likely exacerbate Russian planning and logistics. 12/12
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The warhead is where it gets interesting. Storm Shadow is equipped with a 400 kg BROACH warhead. This is a two-stage warhead, made up from an initial shaped charge, which cuts a passage through concrete, earth, etc., allowing a follow-on warhead to penetrate the target. 4/12
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Small correction: The power station is the largest in the Kyiv region. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.
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Why is it so difficult for us to admit that NATO has overwhelming strength in the conventional domain and options to respond once the nuclear threshold has been crossed.
If we can, I'd like to avoid it. But we should absolutely be prepared to fight Russia on every level.
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In der 🇺🇦 schlagen die russischen Flugkörper vor den Augen kleiner Kinder in zivile Gebäude ein und in 🇩🇪 diskutieren wir immer noch darüber, ob es in Ordnung ist bestimmte Waffensysteme zu liefern, oder ob das Putins Gefühle zu sehr verletzt. Das macht mich so unglaublich wütend
Video des Einschlages des Iskander-K MFK welcher gestern das Hotel in Zaporizhzhia angegriffen hat.
Die Gegend war voll mit Familien und Kindern! 🤯🤬
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This will be my final comment on the Taurus issue, as I'm growing weary of repeating the same points.
Unfortunately, many in 🇩🇪 still view Taurus as optional, when in reality it is not. Without a replenishment of long-range strike weapons, 🇺🇦 will inevitably face depletion. 1/4
It's time to reassess Ukraine's consumption of Storm Shadow/Scalp-EG missiles and the sustainability of its remaining land-attack cruise missile arsenal. The analysis shows that in order to ensure a robust long-range strike capability, 🇺🇦 requires Taurus cruise missiles. 1/14
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Great read from RUSI. As Russian force quality degrades and Russia is unable to mobilize its defense industry to what is necessary, Ukrainian victory becomes increasingly likely from 2026 onwards. For us this means keep calm and increase output.
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New op-ed out in
@derspiegel
. For the first time, the 27 Foreign Ministers of the EU travelled together to Kyiev. That's good, but what 🇺🇦 really needs are weapons. Arguments in the 🇩🇪 debate against Taurus deliveries do not hold up under scrutiny. 1/7
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In total, 72 JASSM and Tomahawk cruise missiles engaged the scientific research center in Damascus. To say they destroyed the target would be an understatement. The cruise missile strike completely deleted its existence from the face of this planet. 5/11
Per
@annemp13
and
@syknapptic
, the strike demolished a bunch of buildings at the Barzeh chemical weapons site. Now you see them; now you don't.
Images from
@planetlabs
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@mtmalinen
Please read the thread and engage with what I'm actually saying. Then I'm happy to respond. But what you are saying right now completely misses my argument.
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Here's a thread discussing the range of Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG. Some have asked me to explain why I believe the range of Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG supplied to Ukraine is comparable to that of Taurus (500+ km), and why Ukraine has yet to attack the Kerch Bridge. 1/11
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The fact remains, that if there was political willingness to allow Ukraine to use Taurus, the government would find a solution that minimizes and potentially prevents any direct Bundeswehr involvement in Ukraine. The key issue is the lack of political will. 9/10
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The strike involved 3 Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN), 66 Tomahawk, 19 JASSM, 9 SCALP-EG, and 8 Storm Shadow cruise missiles launched from American, British, and French aircraft and surface vessels. 4/11
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I might be stating the obvious, but it's worth emphasizing once more. If the reported information is accurate, and
@Team_Luftwaffe
indeed only has one set of infrastructure for the Taurus central mission planning process in Büchel, then this poses an enormous vulnerability. 1/3
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Sharing some initial reflections here on the implications of last night's missile raid by Iran for the likelihood of a regional war, the role of nuclear weapons in Israel's deterrence posture, and the evolving technological landscape of modern warfare. 1/11
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“We must not be linked at any point or place to the targets that this system engages,” said Scholz.
So yes, this is fundamentally about Scholz being afraid of 🇷🇺 nuclear weapons. I can't even begin to describe how damaging this type of signalling is to our deterrence credibility
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This thread is discussing TERCOM guidance. There is a lot of mis- & disinformation circulating, partially fueled by the 🇩🇪 government itself, regarding the capabilities & requirements of TERCOM in relation to Taurus. Let's clarify the facts & set the record straight. 🧵👇 1/22
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Spain is now walking the same path of shame as Greece.
It seems that Spanish decision-makers prefer to see billions of dollars' worth of infrastructure destroyed and more Ukrainian lives lost, rather than accepting temporary capability gaps.
Shame on them.
🇪🇸🇺🇦 Spain will provide Ukraine with a small number of Patriot missiles, per the newspaper El Pais.
They remained opposed to providing any of the units themselves though. The battery deployed in Turkey since 2013 will remain there.
Link in alt text.
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It's almost like the German defense industry can deliver once they get contracts. Must be shocking news in Berlin.
The first batch of ammunition for the Gepard has been delivered from Germany to Ukraine. It took Rheinmetall only 7 month from the being contracted to establishing the new assembly line and to finally deliver the first batch (a 5-digit number).
Rheinmetall (
@RheinmetallAG
) was
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The West is its own worst enemy. The cowardice and lack of courage among our decision-makers, coupled with a profound absence of historical understanding, might just lead to our downfall.
🇺🇲🇺🇦🇷🇺 Mike McCaul says that Sullivan believes that Russia will launch a first nuclear strike against the United States if Ukraine is given too much military aid.
What planet is Jake living on?
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Confirmation that the drone is indeed powered by a 🇬🇧 turbojet engine would mark a significant breakthrough.
This could potentially open doors for Western mini-jet engine manufacturers to directly support 🇺🇦's missile industry by supplying engines or relevant components. 1/2
***UPDATE***
Notable
#Ukrainian
drone strike ongoing in Belgorod,
#Russia
, using jet powered drones, like cheap cruise missiles.
Main candidates are a Ukrainian jet drone (black one below, ), or British built Banshee.
1/n 🧵
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This thread discusses the role of 'risk' in the ongoing war and highlights the problematic approach the West has towards risk management.
In essence, my argument is that risk is a feature, not a bug in the situation we are currently in, and we have to treat it as such. 🧵👇 1/24
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Say what you will about Macron, but this is a masterclass in public communication.
The way he breaks down the issue of a potential French intervention in Ukraine and explains why it may be in France's best interest is absolutely brilliant.
Est-ce que nous allons partir en guerre ?
Il s'agit seulement de dire :
Si vous allez trop loin et que vous menacez les intérêts de la France et la sécurité de l’Europe, alors nous n’excluons rien.
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The West's most significant mistake in this war has been the consistent underutilization of its vast industrial strength, which is evident in both Europe & North America. This is just another example.
Russia can only emerge victorious as long as we continue to fear our own power
❗Some big news on Patriot production this morning.
Thomas Laliberty, President of Raytheon Land & Air Defense Systems says that they have the capacity to build 1 Patriot battery per month! This is currently underutilized though, as they only have Switzerland's order of 5
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The video below of the Taurus cruise missile (
@MBDADeutschland
) which uses a similar warhead design to BROACH (named MEFISTO) offers a great illustration of how multi-effect warheads can threaten deeply buried targets, like command-and-control bunkers. 6/12
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In response, 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇫🇷 prepared a retaliatory massed cruise missile strike against three sites involved in Syria’s chemical weapons program:
(1) Scientific research center in Damascus
(2) Equipment storage facility near Homs
(3) Command post near Homs. 3/11
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I’m not entirely sure what U.S. targeting analysts were thinking when they agreed on this missile to target allocation. It was the definition of overkill. Missile allocation for the other targets was more reasonable and provided more than enough firepower to destroy them. 6/11
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Weil man jetzt wieder vermehrt liest, dass Lieferungen von Marschflugkörpern und Kampfjets (wie Panzer zuvor) uns „dem Atomkrieg einen Schritt näherbringen“. Hier ein (langer) Thread, warum eine nukleare Eskalation NICHT in Putins Interesse ist. 1/18
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Storm Shadow entered into service in 2002 and is manufactured by the European missile manufacturer
@MBDAGroup
. The French equivalent is known as SCALP-EG. Comparable cruise missiles include the American AGM-158 JASSM and the German-Swedish KEPD 350 Taurus. 2/12
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