Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Uncategorized

‘Target Was Destroyed’: Ukraine Video Shows ‘Excalibur’ Strike on Russian Fuel Trucks

The Russian vehicles had reportedly come under fire from Ukrainian M777 155mm howitzers, which employed the high-precision M982 Excalibur smart ordnance.

Ukraine Attack from M777. Image Credit: Twitter Screenshot.
Ukraine Attack from M777

The war in Ukraine looks to be getting ever more intense by the second – there are even fears that a coup nearly succeeded thanks to a mutiny by the Wagner Group.

What will happen next?

We know one thing is clear: Putin is under ever-increasing pressure thanks to NATO and Western weapons hitting his forces even behind the front lines. And to make matters worse, social media is capturing it all for the world to see. 

Target Destroyed: Russian Fire Trucks Destroyed in Excalibur Strike 

Video footage posted on social media by Ukraine Weapons Tracker back earlier in the year (@UAWeapons) showed the destruction of at least a pair of Russian fuel trucks at a logistical point in Kulykivka, in the Luhansk Oblast.

The Russian vehicles had reportedly come under fire from Ukrainian M777 155mm howitzers, which employed the high-precision M982 Excalibur smart ordnance.

The more than two-minute-long video was first posted back in late March. 

Recorded by multiple unmanned aerial systems (UAS), which also likely provided target coordinates to the artillery personnel, the edited clip provided a view of the facility as it was engulfed in flames. Massive plumes of black smoke were seen rising to the sky as the fire burned out of control.

Clearly, more than just a couple of fire trucks were destroyed in the fighting.

M777 Artillery Like in Ukraine. Image: Creative Commons. U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, fire a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a truck mounted multiple-rocket launcher system, during exercise Steel Knight at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Dec. 13, 2012. The battalion conducted this historic live-fire exercise, simultaneously utilizing HIMARS, M777 Lightweight Howitzer and Expeditionary Fire Support System. This is the first time all three artillery weapons systems were fired during the same exercise. (DoD photo by LCpl Joseph Scanlan, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)

M777. Marines with India Battery, Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to receive a fire mission during MEU Exercise 14 aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Nov. 20, 2014. The purpose of MEUEX is to train the different elements of the 15th MEU to work together to complete a wide variety of missions. Image: Creative Commons.

The Luhansk Oblast in Eastern Ukraine had been the scene of intense fighting as Russian forces sought to make advances at the time, even as the UK’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has suggested that the Kremlin largely had remained on the defensive.

“In places, Russia has made gains of up to several kilometers,” the MoD announced at the time, adding, “Russian commanders are likely trying to expand a security zone west from the defence lines they have prepared along higher ground.”

Drones and smart ordnance are being used to conduct partisan-style operations, and a result is a new form of asymmetric warfare that is giving Kyiv an edge in the conflict.

Author Experience and Expertise:

A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

Written By

Expert Biography: A Senior Editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,000 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

Advertisement