Articles by Christian D. Villanueva López

The S-80 Plus class submarines are platforms of a complexity that is difficult to explain. On many occasions, this type of program is compared to space programs, partly for marketing, but also to try to summarize, in a few words, the enormous number of systems and subsystems that make them up. Throughout the next three articles we will explain one by one which are the systems that, structured by the Combat System, will allow the S-81 “Isaac Peral” and its twins to be among the most capable conventional submarines in the world. For this we will talk, in this first article, about the sonar suite. Later, in a second installment, we will focus on surface sensors, communications, platform control and navigation systems, and countermeasures systems. Finally, a third article will be dedicated to weapons, since it is such a complex and controversial topic that [Keep reading…]

Since the first M23 HIMARS system arrived in Ukraine on June 142, rivers of ink have been written about its role in the war. There is no doubt that, thanks to its mobility, versatility, precision and range, it has allowed Ukraine to inflict real damage on Russian logistics, limiting its ability to coordinate large-scale operations and therefore limiting its advances. In this sense, the HIMARS and its brothers, the M270 and the MARS II, have changed the direction of the conflict. However, it has not been their only notch, as they have previously played an important role in other conflicts, including Afghanistan and the fight against Daesh. What is more important, everything seems to indicate that we are only at the beginning of its operational life, since improvements and new ammunition continue to be developed that promise an intense future. (Continues…) Dear reader, this article is [Keep reading…]

The Kharkiv offensive has allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to recover more than 8.000 square kilometers of territory in a period of just one week, which is equivalent to approximately 8 percent of the land that Russia had taken since 2014. The most significant thing about this victory However, the operational issue is not the ominous withdrawal into which the Russian Army has been forced, but rather the way in which the planning, accumulation and disinformation campaign that preceded it have been carried out. All in such a way as not to arouse the suspicions of a Russia focused on the threat to Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, while Ukraine fell with just a few thousand men on a target of opportunity. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Revista Ejercitos taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through [Keep reading…]

The War in Ukraine has served to confirm something that has been widely speculated about in recent years: modern warfare favors the defensive over the offensive. At least as far as the land and air domains are concerned, since the generalization of anti-tank weapons and the multiplication of sensors on the battlefield in the case of the former, as well as the extension of integrated air defense networks in the case Second, they make combined arms operations in depth increasingly difficult, unless there are a series of capabilities that currently only seem within the reach of the United States, such as Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). It is not the first time throughout history that something similar has happened. The construction of Italian-style fortifications throughout much of Europe [Keep reading…]

At the recent NATO Summit in Madrid and in a certainly extraordinary way since it is the first time that something like this has happened, the company Escribano Mechanical & Engineering had the opportunity to show several of its most cutting-edge products to the political leaders of the Member States and the rest of the invited nations. There they took their hardkill anti-drone solution, which is part of the C-UAS CERVUS III project developed by TRC and the 31st Regiment of the Army, the FGK guidance kit and two of their electro-optical systems: the well-known OTEOS, in service for some time and the new APOLO, mounted on the latest version of the Guardian 30 tower that will equip the 8×8 VCRs, as well as the Guardian 2.0 that was also present. It is to these two systems that we will dedicate this article. Before getting into the matter, perhaps it is worth explaining, although [Keep reading…]

The choice of combat system for the S-80 submarines is an issue that has never been properly clarified. In fact, it has gone relatively unnoticed compared to other issues, with overweight problems or those related to the design and construction of the AIP plant taking center stage. Now, given the dates on which the surprising choice of Lockheed Martin's SUBICS system took place, the desperate situation of the naval sector in Spain and several other issues that we will address throughout the text, the decision regarding the combat system was potentially more important than any of the above. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.