The thread on the Fulda Gap got me thinking, specifically the post that our spy planes would have alerted us the moment the Russians started loading ammo. I know we had the SR-71, but what was the Russian equivalent? What did they have to do for flyovers? I saw another post that said Spetsnaz would have the ability to infiltrate and would have been noticeable with their suppressed weapons. What were these weapons?

Don't limit posts to things relating just too these two examples, if you know anything about any countries war tech please post it. I didn't want to hi-jack an already awesome thread.

Myasishchev M-55





M-17/17R/55

Myasishchev/Molniya M-17 "Mystic" (Ram-M) was designed originally as high-altitude aircraft with a dorsal gun turret, to shot down US reconnaissance balloons floated over the USSR after WWII. Subsequently it was developed as single-seat reconnaissance and research aircraft. The first two prototypes (Mystic-A) had a single RKBM Rybinsk RD-36-51V turbojet of 15,430 lb trust. Twin-jet version M-55 (Mystic-B) designated M-17R. Soviet U-2 is twin-boomed aircraft of high aspect ratio wing. Deputy general manager of Molniya Scientific and Industrial Enterprise (which absorbed Myasishchev Bureau) G. P. Dementiev revealed that a production two-seat twin-engine (Aviadvigatel PS-30-V12 turbojets) aircraft was under work.
The single engine prototypes were used for aerodynamic and atmospheric research: to develop a laminar-flow wing for high-altitude and geophysical studies. M-17 wearing Aeroflot marking CCCP-17103 was retired to Monino museum. Current modifications used for ozone "hole" research and protecting crops from hail.
Cameras and other sensors are housed in a large compartment in the lower fuselage. The aircraft was reported to have an ability to loiter for more that 4 hours at 65,500 ft and for 5 hrs at 55,775 ft.


Performance
max speed at height 435-466 mph, ceiling 65,600 ft, landing run 5,745
ft, max endurance 6 hr 30 min.
Dimensions
span 122 ft 11 in, length 75 ft, height 15 ft 5 in.

Tsybin Strategic-Reconnaissance Aircraft/NM-1




In 1953 Pavel V. Tsybin at the Letno-Ispytatel'nyi Institute (LII) at Zhukovskii started development of RSR (reactivnyi strategicheskii razvedchik) capable of Mach 2.8 flight at altitudes around 100,000 ft. The design was optimized for light weight, low drag and large fuel capacity. Aircraft had a long fuselage, thin trapezoidal wing, and the engines mounted at the wingtips. RSR had only one landing gear ala U-2. Two outriggers were fitted under engine nacelles and a support unit was placed under the tail. Somewhat less capable subscale technology demonstrator was build and flown in 1959-1960. NM-1 had a skid landing gear and jettisonable main skid wheels for take off and low-drag retractable cockpit. Aircraft had a poor handling characteristics at low speed (like other supersonic a/c of that time) and after completion of the tests by the end of 1960, the RSR project was canceled. The failure to develop the turboramjet for RSR was one of the reasons.

Info From Here

VSS Vintorez







The VSS (Russian: Винтовка Снайперская Специальная, Vintovka Snayperskaya Spetsialnaya or "Special Sniper Rifle"), also called the Vintorez ("thread cutter"[1]), is a suppressed sniper rifle developed in the late 1980s by TsNIITochMash and manufactured by the Tula Arsenal. It is issued primarily to Spetsnaz units for undercover or clandestine operations, a role made evident by its ability to be stripped down for transport in a specially fitted briefcase.

VSS "Vintorez" had been designed around a proprietary cartridge, designed solely for stealthy shots in the presence of enemy forces, the SP-5/SP-6. Measuring 9x39 mm, it is loaded with a heavy bullet, which travels with subsonic speeds thus carrying considerable more energy that smaller and faster rounds. The SP-5 is standard ammo, while the SP-6 is a special armor-piercing round.

Info From Here

And Here

170mm M-1978 Koksan gun
North Korean Artillery





The M-1978 (KOKSAN) 170mm self propelled (SP) gun, of North Korean design and manufacture, is probably mounted on a T-54 chasis. The M-1978 Koksan gun was first noted in a parade in 1985.

Max Range 40,000 m
Max Rate of Fire1-2 rds per 5 min (estimate)
Max Speed40 km/hr approx
Road Range300 km approx

A number of these self-propelled guns were supplied to Iran. Some of these were captured by Iraq in the late 1980s during Iran-Iraq war

The M1978 Koksan is armed with a 170-mm gun of a previously unknown type. It may be a Soviet naval or costal gun, supplied in the 1950s. It has been mounted on top of the chassis in an open mount. This artillery system is based on a modified Chinese Type 59 medium tank chassis (copy of the Soviet T-54A)

Info From Here

And Here

1 to 2 rounds every five minutes?  Why would it take so long to reload?

PF-98 120mm
Chinese





The Type 98 (PF-98) is a 120 mm anti-tank rocket system developed by Norinco for the People's Liberation Army as a successor to the Type 78 and Type 65 recoilless gun.

The reusable tube launcher is fibreglass-wrapped and weights under 10 kg. Two variants are available, both are equipped with nightvision. The reaction time (from acquiring the target to firing) is about 10 seconds.

The HEAT (High Explosive Anti Tank) projectile is armed with two tandem warheads and an electronically timed fuse. The round can pierce the reactive armor of a main battle tank, and has an armour-piercing depth of about 800 mm (under 90 degrees) at a maximum range of 800 m.

The multipurpose High Explosive round has a warhead with 120 steel balls and incendiary material. This round is capable of piercing 400 mm armor (under 55 degrees). Due to the fragmented nature it kills the crew inside, or produces fragments to kill other personnel within 25 m of the point of impact. The maximum range is 1,800~2,000m.

The launcher consists of the tube (with a life of over 200 fires)
optical sight with night vision channel (range of 500m)
The rear of the launcher tube has a lock to prevent the the rocket from slipping out when aimed at a high angle.
The firing system includes a laser rangefinder, ballistic calculator, and LED display.

Info From Here

And Here

Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov
Indian (eventually)







Crew
1,960
Aircrew
626
Flagship Staff
40
Length
302.3m
Length at Waterline
270m
Beam
72.3m
Beam at Waterline
35.4m

The term used by her builders to describe the Russian ships is tyazholyy avianesushchiy kreyser (TAKR or TAVKR) - “heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser” - intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and naval missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian Navy.

The Admiral Kuznetsov's main fixed-wing aircraft is the multirole Su-33. It can perform air superiority, fleet defense, and air support missions and can also be used for reconnaissance and searching for naval mine

For take-off of the fixed wing aircraft, the Admiral Kuznetsov uses a ski-jump at the end of its deck. On take-off aircraft accelerate toward and up the ski-jump using their afterburners. This results in the aircraft leaving the deck at a higher angle and elevation than on an aircraft carrier with a flat deck and catapults. The ski-jump take-off is less demanding on the pilot, since the acceleration is lower, but on the other hand results in a clearance speed of only 120–140 km/h (75-85 mph) requiring an aircraft design which will not stall at those speeds.

Admiral Gorshkov has not been operational since 1988 but, in January 2004, India signed an agreement to buy the vessel which is to be extensively refurbished with new propulsion systems, weapons and modernisation of the deck for the new aircraft.

Info From Here

And Here

I have no clue, hopefully someone in the know can fill us in

Ababil UAV
Iranian







The Ababil has a canard configuration, along the general lines of the Sperwer, with a pusher piston propulsion system. It is launched by a pneumatic catapult off the back of a truck; it can also be launched by rockets off a trolley. It can be recovered by parachute or skid landing. There are surveillance and SIGINT variants, as well as an attack variant, capable of carrying a 40 kilogram (88 pound) warhead.

Ababil is equipped with the Shahid Noroozi guidance and control system designed and manufactured in Iran

The Ababil has a CCD TV camera and IR Charge (Flare) systems. Also carried is a Miss Distance Indicator (MDI), a system that works based on the acoustic measurment. The distance of the fired bullets from the aircraft geometric center and bullet motion path can be measured by the system

Info From Here

And Here

Favorite weapon in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. lol

ZM-87 is a laser designed as a countermeasure to electro-optical sensors

wiki link

I used to have the annotated version of the "1987 Guide to Soviet Military Power", but can't find it since my last move, along with an "East German Army Times" claiming a Mig-23 would be moar better than an F16 due to better wing load characteristics.

I think I have an extra copy, if you really miss yours...

The official one, or the annotated version that was full of "won't be fielded until 1998 at the earliest" notes?

Red Cover..."Soviet Military Power, 1987" with all of those cartoon-y DIA illustrations on the inside?

tqag

The closest thing the Russians had the the SR-71 were MiG-25RB recce Foxbats.Obviously,they didn't have anything close to the strategic range but they were high and fast enough that the Israelis couldn't bag them.

 DPRK supplied some  to Iran and a couple were captured by Iraq,one of which has been hauled off by us:

Zhi 10 Attack Helicopter
China







Internet source photos revealed that the Z-10 has a conventional attack helicopter layout, with the pilot and weapons operator seated in tandem, stepped cockpits. The helicopter has a five-blade main rotor and a four-blade tail rotor. Two engines are podded to the helicopter just to the rear of the cockpit. The fuselage has a sloped side to reduce its radar cross section (RCS), and is slender and tapered to the rear, with fixed landing gear

The helicopter is thought to be fitted with a ‘fly-by-wire‘ (FBW) control system, and a modern glass cockpit with multifunctional display (MFD) screens. The helicopter crew may also be equipped with a helmet-mounted sight (HMS) for head-up display of information and weapon control.

The helicopter is fitted with a cannon (23mm?) mounted under the nose. Two stub wings provide four stores stations for external ordinance. A new-generation anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) HJ-10 is currently in development. The missile is thought to be comparable to the U.S. AGM-114 Hellfire.

Three types of chain-fed autocannons are available for WZ-10, with the first being a 23 mm automatic chain gun indigenously developed by China. Like all other chain guns, this 23 mm gun covers a sector of 130 degrees. The largest caliber of chain gun carried by WZ-10 is a 30 mm automatic gun, a Chinese development of the Russian 2A72 autocannon for aircraft use

The turret is flexible enough to incorporate configurations such as a single barrel machine gun and an automatic grenade launcher with calibers ranging from 30 mm to 40 mm, as in the AH-1 Cobra.

Info From Here

And Here

Gaz 2975
Russia







The GAZ-2975 Tigr was officially taken into service at the end of 2006 and manufactured in 2007. The vehicle is intended to carry and protect personnel. It can accommodate up to 10 officers armed and in full gear.

Its armor can defeat 7.62-calibre ammunition and can withstand shell fragments.

The GAZ 2975 as Tigr [which means Tiger] is equipped with a powerful diesel engine with the turbocharging and air cooling system and a five-level manual gearbox.

On the automobile is a turbodiesel with intercooler - Cummins B-180 (USA) - with a manual gear box. Installation of more powerful engines up to a volume of 6 litres both Russian, and foreign manufacture is possible. Equipped with independent suspension of all wheels, Tigr is capable to move on roads and impassability with speed of 120-140 kms / h. Exclusive flotation ability is promoted by the increased ground clearance and automatic regulation of pressure in tires. The automobile is equipped with the steering booster. Carrying capacity of Tigr is 1.5 tons.

The vehicle is very expensive now (by the Russian standards, of course), 60-65.000 US$ a piece. The main problem is the lack of appropriate Russian-made diesel engine. Now all Tigrs use the US engines Cummins ?-180 or B-215. This partly explains the high cost and unwillingness of the army to purchase this version.

Info From Here

Cool

One of these?  Check eBay.  They have a few they also have the 1988 version but it doesn't have a Red Cover they switched to a picture of a Typhoon Crew standing on the deck of their ship.

tag

Tosan
Iran







The Tosan (Wild Horse) is based on the FV101 Scorpion light tank, however it is re-engined and re-armed. Iranian army acquired 250 of the British Scorpions in the late 1970s. A large number of them are still operational.

The Tosan light tank It is intended to support infantry units. Vehicle is armed with 90-mm gun

Some sources claim that front armor of the Tosan provides protection against 12.7-mm rounds. All-round protection is likely to be against 7.62-mm rounds and artillery shell splinters.

It is worth mentioning that other tanks are usually carried by tank transporters over long distances. In Iran this armored vehicle is referred as the quick reaction tank, because of it's rapid response capability. Vehicle is not amphibious.

Info From Here

The Russian YAL-1

The A-60 Russian Airborne Laser. Wiki link

Is it equivalent to the one we've fielded?

Camel, Sopwith...  Motorized kite with 2 vickers machine guns... Oh yes!

9K38 Igla
Russia







The SA-18 GROUSE (Igla 9K38) is an improved variant in the the SA-7 & SA-14 series of manportable SAMs. As with the earlier SA-14, the SA-18 uses of a similar thermal battery/gas bottle, and the SA-18 has the same 2 kilogram high-explosive warhead fitted with a contact and grazing fuse.

The new seeker and aerodynamic improvements extend its effective range, and its higher speed enables it to be used against faster targets. The SA-18 has a maximum range of 5200 meters and a maximum altitude of 3500 meters. The 9M39 missile SA-18 employs an IR guidance system using proportional convergence logic. The new seeker offers better protection against electro-optical jammers; the probability of kill against an unprotected fighter is estimated at 30-48%, and the use of IRCM jammers only degrades this to 24-30%.

Info From Here

I really don't know.  My guess, based strictly off of its age from the wiki article, which itself is from Russian enthusiaists site (which I can't read) would be no.  Probably on par with some of the flying testbed NKC-135s that we had in the 1980s.  Apparently, the NKC-135s were able to intercept Sidewinders and the like in flight, so a cool fricking laser beam, either way.

If you want a way better thread than this and your team do a search for The Military Equipment of World War III started by Swindle1984. It's probably in the archives but that thread kicked this ones ass

What would that do to an Abrams?

Type 094 Jin-class Ballistic Missile Submarine
China







Link To A Really Good Picture

Construction of the first-of-class began in 1999 and the submarine was launched in July 2004. A second hull was launched possibly in 2007 and may be commissioned in 2010. Both submarine have been undergoing sea trials, with no test launching of the ballistic missile from the submarine reported so far. The initial operational capability of the submarines may not come until 2012~2015.

The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) predicted in December 2006 that the PRC will need to build a total of five Type 094 SSBNs in order to maintain a near-continuous at-sea SSBN presence, with at least one boat available and ready for missile launch at all times.

The dive displacement of the submarine was estimated to be 8,000~9,000 tonnes.

The Type 094 has the capacity to carry 12 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). The JuLang 2 SLBM designed and developed by CASIC 4th Academy is a three-stage, solid-propellant strategic ballistic missile.

Each JuLang 2 can carry a single thermalnuclear warhead of 25~1,000kt yield. Alternatively, the missile was said to be able to carry three or more 90kT multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV),  though this cannot be confirmed.

The submarine has six 533mm bow torpedo tubes, and carries a total of 12 Yu-3 (SET-65E) torpedoes, which is equipped with both active and passive homing. The torpedo, with a 205kg warhead, has a maximum range of 15km and a top speed of 40kt.

The submarine is fitted with sophisticated sonar systems, including bow-mounted sonar and H/SQC-207 flank-mounted sonar. Three flank-mounted sonar arrays are clearly visible on the hull of the submarine.

The submarine’s propulsion system is believed to be nuclear, turbo-electric arrangement, consisting of one pressurised water reactor (PWR), with one shaft.

Info From Here

KSVK 12.7
Russia





Caliber(s): 12.7x108 mm (.50 Russian)
Operation: manually operated, bolt action rifle
Barrel: 1000 mm
Weight: 12 kg w/o scope
Length: 1400 mm
Feed Mechanism: 5 rounds detachable box mag.

KSVK is currently used in small numbers by various Russian Special Operation units in Checnya as a counter-sniper rifle, capable of penetrating a brick or a thick wooden walls and disabling terrorists hiding behind it.

KSVK is a bullpup configured, bolt operated, magazine fed rifle. It is equipped with massive muzzle device which acts as an effective muzzle brake and a sound damper. KSVK is equipped with standard Russian side-mounted scope rail, and can be fitted with variety of day and night scopes.

Info From Here

The russian equivalent to the SR71 was the recon version of the MiG 25 Foxbat

Are we still using Cold War naming rules for Russian equipment?  If we are, I see a Cockfag transport plane in Russia's future.

That's an fv101 scorpion without the ugraded suspension and
a heavier gun... Front profile gives it away.

Pretty cheap vehicle too

Bump for an answer