The UK is taking apart Russian armored vehicles captured in Ukraine to learn more about how to defend itself against future attacks, the UK’s chief of defense staff told Sky News on Tuesday.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said that the UK has scientists working to a “really forensic level” to understand how a piece of equipment works, and to understand: “How can we defeat it? How can we have even better armor? How can we disrupt their communications?”
He also said that examining Russian gear is “really important because we’re in a club of nations that when we get hold of Russian kit, or other nations’ kit, that might be a danger to us in the future, we share that knowledge.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked new efforts by countries to understand Russia’s military technology, as well as efforts by Russia to learn more about Western weaponry.
Ukraine reportedly captured an advanced Russian T-90M “Proryv” tank last year, and analysts said NATO and the West could learn crucial details from it.
Russia has also shared videos of its own soldiers examining German-made tanks, and Western officials have been trying to ensure that technologies like advanced chips, drones, and tanks don’t end up in Russian hands.
Radakin was speaking at the launch of a new strategy for the UK’s armed forces.
He also described the war in Ukraine as a “wake-up call” for his forces and the kinds of equipment they have.
Radakin said the conflict was a “wake-up call for us to be faster with our acquisition, to be more bold with the kit that we introduce — particularly when we’re in a technological race — to be more aggressive in terms of how we look after our own nation and to strengthen our resilience.”
The UK’s Defense Minister Ben Wallace said the UK was updating its strategies in light of lessons being learned in Ukraine, including the importance of electronic warfare “either to act as a decoy or to act as a defense.”
Wallace told the BBC that Ukraine has “tragically become a battle lab” for new war technology.
Source: Business Insider
