I would like to point out a few Soviet equipment that demonstrates the disposability culture of the Soviets/Russians.
This mostly applies to the Soviets, but ever since being given the internet and experience of life in western countries, Kremlin realizes that it has to design its equipment a little bit less terrible to curb rebellions from the Urbanites (the Russian military tends to avoid conscripting from these places).
This piece will analyze some of the most common, mass-produced equipment in the Soviet arsenal to back my point that Soviets had a disposability culture.
I would like to make it clear that this writing is not to dehumanize or incite hatred towards Russians and their state; my people, the Chinese, were victims of the same military tactics that had sent our people to a meat grinder again and again.
I will primarily focus on equipment rather than the abstract statistics like low reliablity of Soviet jets and pack donkey infantry.
The AK rifles
Undoubtedly, the AK rifles are excellent, but its purpose was very clear. A disposable, inaccurate, reliable rifle designed for disposable stormtroopers as a replacement of the PPSH. Indeed, it was an good firearm that US soldiers traded their M16s for wars, in close quarters battles.
Human wave tactics
Up to the 80s, the Soviets realized on mass charges in the open. Their tactic was to rush the Fulda Gap in Germany with massed amount of suppressive firepower.
The idea was to soak up as much as damage as possible (via NATO air attacks, hull down tanks, and ATGMs) and overrun the defenders.
We can see in the Soviet exercises such as the Zapad-81, where Soviet and Soviet-influenced armies (such as East German NVA) using the same run and gun tactics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAMmDIhcvxw
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg-3dqBSrdk
T-72 tank
The T-72 tank combined an autoloader, strong frontal armor, and powerful gun.
That is about all; it is cramped, slow (low power to weight), has a terrible sight (TPD-K1 with 8x zoom), 4kph reverse speed (Russian tankers in Ukraine just turned their tanks around instead of using it), and terrible hydraulics (slow turret rotation and gun laying).
It was basically designed to take as many shots to the front before a lucky shell finds its way to a weak spot, of which the chance of surviving is zero because it will explode easily.
BMP-1 IFV
The BMP-1 IFV was gold on paper — strong frontal armor, large troop capacity, powerful 73mm gun able to destroy tanks and ATGM on top of it.
The reality is that everything about the IFV is terrible and it is a morale killer for any armies buying it.
The IFV on paper had as much capacity as a M113, but it was extremely cramped and poorly protected, the gun is inaccurate with autoloader ready to injury the gunner (thankfully it wasn't powerful enough to load the arm), the Malyutka ATGM was slow, joystick guided, and had poor combat performance.
There is a reason why troops ride outside of it, even willingly expose themselves to the risk of gunfire, with fuel filled doors!!
Genuinely one of the worst things you can buy for an army; just buy a M113 instead, if only for the morale.
BMD IFVs
If you though the BMPs were nightmarish, you haven't seen the BMD series yet; intended as an air-droppable version of the BMP series, it was even more cramped than the BMP.
Recent Ukrainian records show that the BMD-4M is extremely vulnerable.
Object 911B
A 'tank' that forced the operators to prone.
1.2M tall, with a operator on prone. If the tank steps on a Czech hedgehog, the operator is literally impaled (Vlad the impaler).
BTR APCs
The "Motor rifle" counterpart of the BMP, with extremely thin armor that can't even stop 7.62mm (!!) rounds. Besides being cramped and thinly armored, so much so that the Soviet crews actually preferred to ride on top, the exits for the APCs were primarily through side doors, sitting right between the four wheels! One can imagine how that would go during heat of combat.
K-19 submarine
A nuclear submarine so bad that it was actually nicknamed "Hiroshima" by the crews.
SPO-15 Radar Warning Receiver
Usually placed in an awkward position in the aerial vehicles, it is imprecise and extremely difficult to read and comprehend in the heat of a battle. (Compared to western RWRs)
The Soviets had digital processors in the MiG-29 and Su-27, so vacuum tubes are not an excuse.
The lack of thermal sights on tanks
The Western nations had mass produced thermal sights on their tanks by late 70s. So when did the Russians had their own mass produced thermal sights for their tanks? 1990s? No. 2005!!!! The ESSA sight was only introduced for the T-90A in 2005.
In a battle between Russian tanks and Western tanks, the Russian one will always lose due to lack of thermal.
In fact, even when the gunners received their thermal sights, only the T-90M and select few vehicles have Commander's CITV/independent thermal sight!
This mostly applies to the Soviets, but ever since being given the internet and experience of life in western countries, Kremlin realizes that it has to design its equipment a little bit less terrible to curb rebellions from the Urbanites (the Russian military tends to avoid conscripting from these places).
This piece will analyze some of the most common, mass-produced equipment in the Soviet arsenal to back my point that Soviets had a disposability culture.
I would like to make it clear that this writing is not to dehumanize or incite hatred towards Russians and their state; my people, the Chinese, were victims of the same military tactics that had sent our people to a meat grinder again and again.
I will primarily focus on equipment rather than the abstract statistics like low reliablity of Soviet jets and pack donkey infantry.
The AK rifles
Undoubtedly, the AK rifles are excellent, but its purpose was very clear. A disposable, inaccurate, reliable rifle designed for disposable stormtroopers as a replacement of the PPSH. Indeed, it was an good firearm that US soldiers traded their M16s for wars, in close quarters battles.
Human wave tactics
Up to the 80s, the Soviets realized on mass charges in the open. Their tactic was to rush the Fulda Gap in Germany with massed amount of suppressive firepower.
The idea was to soak up as much as damage as possible (via NATO air attacks, hull down tanks, and ATGMs) and overrun the defenders.
We can see in the Soviet exercises such as the Zapad-81, where Soviet and Soviet-influenced armies (such as East German NVA) using the same run and gun tactics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAMmDIhcvxw
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg-3dqBSrdk
T-72 tank
The T-72 tank combined an autoloader, strong frontal armor, and powerful gun.
That is about all; it is cramped, slow (low power to weight), has a terrible sight (TPD-K1 with 8x zoom), 4kph reverse speed (Russian tankers in Ukraine just turned their tanks around instead of using it), and terrible hydraulics (slow turret rotation and gun laying).
It was basically designed to take as many shots to the front before a lucky shell finds its way to a weak spot, of which the chance of surviving is zero because it will explode easily.
BMP-1 IFV
The BMP-1 IFV was gold on paper — strong frontal armor, large troop capacity, powerful 73mm gun able to destroy tanks and ATGM on top of it.
The reality is that everything about the IFV is terrible and it is a morale killer for any armies buying it.
The IFV on paper had as much capacity as a M113, but it was extremely cramped and poorly protected, the gun is inaccurate with autoloader ready to injury the gunner (thankfully it wasn't powerful enough to load the arm), the Malyutka ATGM was slow, joystick guided, and had poor combat performance.
There is a reason why troops ride outside of it, even willingly expose themselves to the risk of gunfire, with fuel filled doors!!
Genuinely one of the worst things you can buy for an army; just buy a M113 instead, if only for the morale.
BMD IFVs
If you though the BMPs were nightmarish, you haven't seen the BMD series yet; intended as an air-droppable version of the BMP series, it was even more cramped than the BMP.
Recent Ukrainian records show that the BMD-4M is extremely vulnerable.
Object 911B
A 'tank' that forced the operators to prone.
1.2M tall, with a operator on prone. If the tank steps on a Czech hedgehog, the operator is literally impaled (Vlad the impaler).
BTR APCs
The "Motor rifle" counterpart of the BMP, with extremely thin armor that can't even stop 7.62mm (!!) rounds. Besides being cramped and thinly armored, so much so that the Soviet crews actually preferred to ride on top, the exits for the APCs were primarily through side doors, sitting right between the four wheels! One can imagine how that would go during heat of combat.
K-19 submarine
A nuclear submarine so bad that it was actually nicknamed "Hiroshima" by the crews.
SPO-15 Radar Warning Receiver
Usually placed in an awkward position in the aerial vehicles, it is imprecise and extremely difficult to read and comprehend in the heat of a battle. (Compared to western RWRs)
The Soviets had digital processors in the MiG-29 and Su-27, so vacuum tubes are not an excuse.
The lack of thermal sights on tanks
The Western nations had mass produced thermal sights on their tanks by late 70s. So when did the Russians had their own mass produced thermal sights for their tanks? 1990s? No. 2005!!!! The ESSA sight was only introduced for the T-90A in 2005.
In a battle between Russian tanks and Western tanks, the Russian one will always lose due to lack of thermal.
In fact, even when the gunners received their thermal sights, only the T-90M and select few vehicles have Commander's CITV/independent thermal sight!
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