The AGS-17 Playma (“Flame”) is a powerful infantry support weapon, a machine-gun firing seven 30mm grenades a second and laying down a lethal curtain of fire. It was the U.S.S.R.’s answer to the American Mk-19 which proved effective in Vietnam. First fielded in the 1970s, the Plamya is widely used by both Russian and Ukrainian forces. But the Ukrainians are now employing a new twist to make it far more effective.
The Plamya is usually fired in direct mode where the gunner can see the target and aims using the basic iron sights. It can also be fired indirectly, lobbing grenades at a high angle at targets which are out of sight, with a maximum range of 1700 metres. This type of blind firing is highly inaccurate, but firing an entire belt of 29 grenades, especially with multiple weapons firing at the same time can blanket a wide area. The Vog-17 grenades throw out a large number of fragments and have a claimed kill radius of over 20 feet, and can injure at much greater distances. (The lightweight grenades are often adapted as drone bombs).
In recent weeks Ukrainian forces have released a number of videos like this one showing a new firing technique in which the Plamya is used in conjunction with a drone spotter. The drone, a DJI Mavic quadcopter, locates a target and hovers nearby, keeping it in sight and giving the gunner the location. The gunner, firing indirectly at a high angle, looses an initial burst; the drone operator, standing next to the gunner observes where the rounds land and gives directions to adjust aim. (In this video – with a U.S. supplied Mk 19 – the gunner actually looks over the drone operator’s shoulder to see the fall of shot second after he has fired.)
With a couple more tries, the gunner puts the pattern of explosions right on top of the target. The crew then pick up the 70-pound weapon and move off before the Russians can locate them and return fire.
This technique has two huge advantages. One is that an aerial observer can easily spot enemy troops who are lying down, crawling or behind cover which would make them invisible to observers on the ground. The grenades, plunging down at a steep angle, can hit targets who would be immune to direct fire, like those in the first section of this video.
The second advantage is the accuracy gained by step-by-step fire adjustment. With just a few bursts the Plamya can hit pinpoint targets at extreme ranges, making it effective a precision antipersonnel weapon.
Some Russians seem to be copying this tactic, but their chronic shortage of both drones and trained operators mean it is likely to be on a limited scale. (And this video of a comical mishap suggests some Russian units lack basic competence when it comes to using the Plamya).
Ukrainian artillery units now appear to be universally supplied with drone spotters, which has greatly increased their effectiveness. Ukrainian tank gunners are also using indirect fire, using drone spotters and a software system called Nettle to score kills against other tanks from unprecedented range. The latest videos suggest that drone-directed fire is now taking place at the lowest tactical levels. And, unlike traditional artillery fire, it seems to be on a basis of one drone per gun rather than one per battery, making the most efficient use possible of ammunition.
The fact that a $1,000 drone can turn a 1970’s weapon into a precise, lethal indirect weapon should be an eye opener. This is very much an improvisation in the field with off-the-shelf kit. Military gear designed to work together, with the drone and grenade launcher forming an integrated system, should be far more effective in terms of rapidly acquiring targets and directing fire on to them. Only a little further ahead we should see multiple drones and other sensors networked together to provide a complete picture of the battlefield, giving any gunner eyes on every target within range, already identified and prioritized. The risk is that trying to build such a system could lose the rugged simplicity which makes the Plamya plus drone combination so effective.
Article From & Read More ( Drones Give Ukraine’s Grenade Machine Guns A Deadly New Trick - Forbes )https://ift.tt/YgT08VR
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