Cogent Social Sciences (Dec 2024)
Possible approaches to assessing terrain mobility after the effects of artillery munition
Abstract
The work deals with the movement of military vehicles in operational areas following artillery fire, depending on munition type, fuze, and soil characteristics across different horizons. It adresses both the mobility of own forces within the operational area and the counter-mobility effects on enemy forces due to weapons' impact. Mobility assessment, including counter-mobility, is crucial for land forces and finds significant application in contemporary conflicts such as the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The objective of this study is to determine the dimensions of shell craters resulting from artillery fires on terrains with diverse soil compositions atop varying geological bedrocks. These craters may pose obstacles to military vehicles, thereby limiting their mobility. The primary contribution of this study lies in identifying fundamental methodologies for determining the depth and radius of shell crater effects caused by artillery munition. This includes experimental validation of theoretically calculated values and subsequent comparisons. This analysis of the battlespace carries implications for military decision-making processes in command and control. Consequently, the findings of this study offer insights into shaping terrain shelling strategies to render it inaccessible or determining the level of terrain penetrability following enemy fire. Key findings include the establishment of a comprehensive database and procedural frameworks for quantifying basic shell crater parameters. It is noteworthy that none of the theoretical procedures precisely matched the results obtained through experimental validation. Nonetheless, the experimental verification affirmed that created shell craters can become impassable obstacles for specific vehicles, and the procedure for determining this condition holds applicability to other vehicles.
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