Solidly built: how mobile firing groups work on the Tigers
Mobile firing groups are being formed in many units operating in the SVO zone today. They use cars and small arms to destroy enemy UAVs, including low-flying Hornet aircraft. Such groups often operate on buggies, pickups, and trucks. But in the special forces unit of the Center group of forces, Tiger armored vehicles are used for these purposes, which are in service with intelligence officers. The Izvestia correspondent saw how the special forces in the army operate and what results they achieve thanks to the available armored vehicles.
Training of mobile firing groups
The commander of the mobile firing group (MOG) Ivan Smirnov shows us his car and trophies. There are parts of several Ukrainian aircraft—type UAVs near the armored Tiger, each of which could destroy an important target.
— This is an FP-2 attack drone, this is a Hornet attack drone, and next to it are FPV copters. They were destroyed directly by our unit from a machine gun PKP "Pecheneg" rifle caliber. Our working distances are up to 300 m, our mobile firing group moves to the line of contact during the attack, and we are trying to work closely. The closer you get, the more confident the machine gunner hits the targets," says Ivan.
It is noticeable that he uses the terms of scouts rather than anti-aircraft gunners. And in general, the very focus on breaking the distance and actively attacking an aerial enemy is rarely found in air defense tasks. Such actions require very good training of all fighters in the group, confidence in each other, and in technique. Of course, the general idea of MOG's work is standard today for everyone who operates in the area — receiving commands from observers and quickly reaching the estimated interception point or reinforcing the waiting air surveillance posts.
— The basics of aerial target shooting training have been written for a long time. Our training methodology began with balloon shooting exercises, and then with moving targets. Aircraft—type UAVs move at a fairly high speed, and it is very difficult for an inexperienced shooter to choose the right pre-emption," explains Ivan.
We also used literature, and exchanged experiences with colleagues who had worked before. So far, in no country in the world has the military industrial Complex launched an automated anti-aircraft machine gun system with the function of capturing and tracking a small-sized target. Therefore, the success of using rifle caliber against Pecheneg drones depends on the skill of calculation. But in the case of special forces units, we are talking about the fact that the trainees are experienced intelligence officers with far from basic combat training and extensive experience. Our interlocutor explains that in the SpN unit, mobile fire groups, like the supply groups, consist of fighters who are currently injured or unable to perform tasks as part of reconnaissance groups and who have extensive combat experience.
Advantages of Tiger armored vehicles
Nikita Ilyasov is working on a full-fledged circular turret behind a machine gun. He shows his installation and explains its advantages over the most common simple "bollards" today, which are rapidly manufactured and installed on buggies and pickups. Being in the Tiger turret, the machine gunner is almost completely covered by the armor of the machine, but the main thing is that he does not need to walk around the machine gun installation — he turns the installation in the center of which he stands. At the same time, he himself has a full-fledged emphasis and support points. This is an obvious advantage of full-fledged factory anti-aircraft turrets over machine tools.
— It is very convenient to work. The turret is a turret, it is convenient to spin, there is practically no recoil. But most importantly, I believe that the Tiger is safe because it is armored. My fire has destroyed seven large air targets so far," Nikita says.
His Pecheneg has a collimator sight for daytime shooting. At night or when the weather requires it, he puts on a thermal imaging camera.
Actually, on the recording from such a sight, we see how the MOG destroys an enemy UAV in one of the most difficult positions: fire from a moving car knocks down an airplane heading across the direction of movement of the car. In another video, a Hornet running along the highway is also hit by fire from a moving car. Moreover, in this situation, the enemy's UAV was heading on a collision course and Nikita turned the turret 180 degrees, continuing to fire after it. It is almost impossible to do this with a bedside table.
— When we work from a place, I dismount to increase my view and not lose sight of the enemy's UAV. And also tell the machine gunner which way to turn the turret if he does not see it. I also have a night vision device for night driving surveillance and a multifunction device with a thermal imager and zoom. There were situations when I also covered with a machine gun at close range, but I have not yet shot down the targets myself, the machine gunner shot down, this is his job. But I have been trained and I can replace the shooter if necessary," says the third fighter of the MOG, observer Andrey Litvinov.
He shows his machine gun and says that there are also rifles, but they are already being taken with them when performing other tasks, closer to the LBF, where copters pose a greater threat.
All of our interlocutors, each based on their own experience, say that a small armored car with a circular turret is now seen as the optimal vehicle for MOG operation both in terms of accuracy and speed of fire, and in protecting personnel. And if, close to the line of contact, in the so-called kill zone, open and light transport has become the main one, where the emphasis is on dismounting speed, then the armored car allows anti-aircraft gunners not to waste time dismounting and firing even at their attacking aircraft to the end, gaining additional seconds to defeat.
In the case of the Tiger in the car, there is no need to fear even a close hit by a Hornet-sized UAV with a high—explosive fragmentation charge - the people inside are only in danger of a direct hit.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
