> 「……いずれにせよ、砲撃にあたり前進観測機が必要なのは長距離砲兵型 **と変わらない** 。今のところ砲自体も沈黙したままだ」

86─エイティシックス─ 安里アサト

Does the と変わらない mean "the same as" here? If not, how should I interpret it
more accurately?
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2022-05-08T16:30:30.057
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question
grammar phrases
Understanding と変わらない
Basically yes, the structure of the sentence is [砲撃にあたり...必要なの] は
長距離砲兵型と変わらない. So literally, _That (it) requires ... is not different from (the
same as) 長距離砲兵型_.

Another slightly different parsing would be to interpret 必要なのは as a topic
describing the aspect of difference: _in requiring .. at the time of firing,
(it) is the same as 長距離砲兵型._

In terms of translation, translating と変わらない adverbially may fit more easily,
so it is _just as_ rather than _same as_ : _(It) requires .... in firing, just
as 長距離砲兵型._
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2022-05-08T21:37:13.617
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answer
Your interpretation is correct. To be precise it's "not different", but "not
different" is not different from "the same as", so your interpretation is not
wrong, which is not different from correct. There are reasons we use
expressions like double negatives, so the author probably has its reasons to
chose 変わらない over 同じ.

* * *

> 砲撃にあたり前進観測機が必要なのは長距離砲兵型と変わらない

This could be written verbosely. I assume something like:

  * 砲撃にあたり前進観測機が必要 **であるという事実は** 長距離砲兵型と変わらない

  * _(The fact that it needs 前進観測機 for 砲撃 is no different from that of the 長距離砲兵型's)_

or

  * 砲撃にあたり前進観測機が必要 **であるという特性は** 長距離砲兵型と変わらない
  * _(Its characteristic is no different from that of 長距離砲兵型's, in terms of requiring 前進観測機 for 砲撃)_
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answer