War in Ukraine: Kropyva, the Android application used by Ukrainian gunners

Stalin called the artillery the “God of war” and, in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s troops drowned the enemy positions in a deluge of fire. Faced with this numerical superiority as regards the howitzers, Ukraine plays the card of precision and velocity. From 2014, with the annexation of Crimea and the first fighting in the Donbass, the Ukrainian army had to show flexibility and rely on numerous support from patriotic organizations to hold the front line.

This is the case of Army SOS, an organization which has developed a application for android smartphone for Ukrainian gunners. baptized Kropyva (nettles), this mapping application allows you to mark an enemy position. The algorithm will then search for parts ofartillery nearby and within range to coordinate their fire.

Thanks to her, the howitzers scattered in different areas will synchronize their shots to hit the target massively. With Kropyva, the reaction time is reduced, which makes you less vulnerable. Thus, the time required to deploy a battery of howitzers is reduced to 3 minutes against 15 previously, and the targeting of a target is reduced from 3 to 1 minute. For communication between the different artillery pieces, the data is transmitted by an encrypted link or by satellite. In any case, the application can be used with any model of howitzer and in particular the 152 mm guns of the Soviet era which equip both the Ukrainian and Russian armies.

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Over the years, the developers have improved the app with feedback from gunners. It has become versatile and can now also be used for mine clearance. Due to its effectiveness, the app had been targeted by cyberattacks from the hackers of Fancy Bear. This Russian group, supporting the Kremlin, launched attacks on satellite connection hubs to disrupt communications from the start of the invasion.

But, thanks to the network star link of SpaceX who took over, the functioning of Kropyva was not disturbed. Since its deployment, the Kropyva application has also been noticed by Western armies for its flexibility, smartness, efficiency and low cost. While the American gunners are equipped with equivalent equipment of the same type, they consider it as well accomplished, even more flexible.