Does the US have ships I the Black Sea? I'm not, maybe we should. Just in case another drone goes down, so we can have assets to retrieve it. :wink2: bt USN Ships in the Black Sea would be very vulnerable. That's probably not in the cards a least for now. Something, however, needs to be done to mak...
Jump to postNATO forces were ready to act upon the terms of the treaty. Doing nothing and hoping that the war - which involves the nation NATO was created to defend against - will not spill over and outside of Ukraine would be incompetence that even the Russian may not be capable of. It may be that they are po...
Jump to postThis southern front area around Kherson is likely to be decisive for the whole conflict. Most of the last intact front-line Russian Army units are located in this area and they are being aggressively pursued and engaged by the Ukrainian forces. If those Russian units are destroyed or encircled, it c...
Jump to postStill wonder if using mini-guns would work against those drones. They might have to mount them on high rises but mounting AA guns like that that was done in WWII and N. Vietnam. Thought about minigun. But probably better with something with a prox fuse. For those tiny drones, the pressure wave from...
Jump to postI favour the waterborne IED theory over the truck theory but I am baffled as to how the Ukrainian forces could get it to the bridge without detection. Can anyone explain how such a large object (purportedly a barge) could reach the bridge without being spotted? I too am leaning in that direction. T...
Jump to postIrrespective of the goings on of Finland and Sweden, the larger issue is only growing in magnitude: that Russia finds itself as a lone actor on the global stage, increasingly more isolated in a global economy and more inter-connected world. That's not healthy for anyone and the consequences could h...
Jump to postDo either of them believe that they will be able to get unanimous support, especially from Hungary and Turkey? I am certain that they will get much closer military integration, but Article 5 protection, no, but politically on the home front, the politicians will be secure that they followed the nat...
Jump to postIrrelevant if those A333 are "owned" by Aeroflot or not...since the Russian airlines decided to stole hundreds of aircrafts from lessors breaking all the rules of commerce, being partners with a nut job like Putin, their assets should be seized abroad without distinction, no mercy. With r...
Jump to postNATO in its entirety isn't on a war footing, but the individual planes are. Just like you don't see RuAF planes buzzing NATO planes or ships or illuminating them with radar nowadays. It's serious business. Yes NATO is on a war footing: the entirety of NATO forces in Eastern Europe are on a war foot...
Jump to posthttps://mobile.twitter.com/CaucasianRebel/status/1522567718599286784 Possible unconfirmed footage of the ship burning. If that is this particular ship, it's in big trouble. The foredeck where that large fire appears to be is where several ammunition magazines are located. Even if it doesn't sink, i...
Jump to postWell,... this explains why and how all these Russian general officers were getting themselves killed; combine very capable US intel with half-assed Russian OPSEC and ,.... Boom.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/us/p ... raine.html
Israel has deep Russia ties. Something like 10% of the population is Russian/Soviet-born, with an overall 15% of the population with Russian/Soviet links. So for political, business/trade and family reasons scuttling relations with Russia is not something that would be popular nor without significa...
Jump to postBut if Ukraine did it - why do they deny it then? Wouldnt it be a huge propaganda effort? Strange. They didn't deny it. The statement was "We can neither confirm or reject the claim". In my view that is a confirmation. It's classic DoD or MoD speak. We did it, but we're not going to tell ...
Jump to postI don't think that Russia will have the capabilities to pay reparations to Ukraine if it remains heavily sanctioned. A crippled economy cannot generate wealth. Sanctions could be lifted relatively quickly if all troops get the hell out of the country and Putin is removed from power and put on trial...
Jump to postIt would have been better if said by others. Any change of borders from those that existed prior to 24 February or even February 2014 will result in western sanctions staying in place. Prediction, if there is a peace settlement, removal of some sanctions will happen. A Russian ceasefire should cert...
Jump to postSo questions: anyone knows how much time it takes to train for the M-1 tanks, MRLS , Patriot Air defense, the Harpoons ground base missiles? bt Months probably several (6-12). I think those advanced systems are probably off the table at this point. I think eventually Ukraine will be supplied with w...
Jump to postRussia has lost 40% of its combat power committed to Ukraine, according to Frank Ledwidge, former military intelligence officer and senior lecturer in strategy at the University of Portsmouth. From the linked article it's unclear what that really means. Are 40% of Russian units combat ineffective? ...
Jump to postRU trying to buy out leased aircraft https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/russia-offers-to-buy-out-jetliner-fleet-from-foreign-lessors/ar-AAVnfTS?ocid=entnewsntp I wonder if they are trying to use the frozen cash assets in the West to make that purchase. At any rate, the horse is out of the barn I...
Jump to postThe implication of that question suggests MiGs are a counter to chemical weapons or their deployment would prevent use of chemical weapons. Not deterrence, but escalation. If the concern was escalation by delivering the MIGs then the use of chemical weapons is another form of escalation that would ...
Jump to postThe Mig-29's still? Ever thought there might be operationally viable reasons why it has become a non starter, for now anyway? If chemical weapons is used by the Russian, then is it reasonable to hold back the Migs any more? bt The implication of that question suggests MiGs are a counter to chemical...
Jump to postOf course, Russia has now made the above meaningless as they fell into the trap of proving everyone they were a threat after all. But still, one has to wonder if the nebulous policies and standards of NATO did not contribute to this whole mess. That is nonsense Sir. Basically what you're saying is ...
Jump to postVarious news sources are reporting that Komsomolskaya Pravda accidentally just posted the Russian Ministry of Defence's 'real' Russian casualty figures - 9,861 dead and 16,153 injured. The article was apparently rapidly pulled and replaced by a version not containing any figures. Link in the Indepe...
Jump to postI think when this Ukraine thing gets settled, assuming it does not escalate, the US will be moving one or more heavy Army divisions and a Corps HQ back to Europe. That is very expensive, but if the Russians are going to engage in Cold War type behavior, like invading Ukraine, then we have to engage ...
Jump to postIn February, Poland lost the wargames they conducted to simulated Russian forces: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-poland-just-lost-russia-massive-wargame-and-what-it-means-178578 So yes, I believe there is a real risk. If Poland receives F-35s in 4 years, that means in 5 years they will ...
Jump to postIf the Ukrainians do indeed receive the switchblade drones, would they have enough range to strike the artillery pieces firing from across the border in Belarus and Russia? Short of using tactical nukes, if Russia is able to continually shell Ukraine's cities, eventually there won’t be anything lef...
Jump to postThere is no win for Russia. They are not considering all the long term consequences. Lightsaber Or maybe Putin is considering longer term consequences than we are. Assuming Putin stays in power, this will force Russian aerospace to develop all the systems they need instead of relying on the West. A...
Jump to postYou cannot stop a bully without fighting until the bully cries uncle. It is too early, unfortunately, for peace. When Russians care enough about their boys it stops. Until the compromise ceases being a surrender, there is no compromise. Lightsaber You are absolutely correct. Now is not the time to ...
Jump to posthttps://amp.usatoday.com/amp/7031496001 Some details a about the strike over the weekend. bt I'm not advocating for a no-fly zone here but having the control of the Ukrainian airspace would have given more options to intercept these missiles before they would have hit their target. Unless you are p...
Jump to postReports on Sky News that there may have been some progress in the peace talks . I wonder if Putin realises along with his bully boys that they need to get out of this before its too late ! My take is that Russia would have to withdraw. Where I'm conflicted is in regards to Donbass and Crimea. While...
Jump to postReports on Sky News that there may have been some progress in the peace talks . I wonder if Putin realises along with his bully boys that they need to get out of this before its too late ! I think it was "too late" two weeks ago. I guess that depends what you mean though. Too late for Put...
Jump to postFor those folks who saw the tank ambush video, answer me this. Why was then column was already turned around and heading back when the supposed first tank got hit (in the ass - thus the black smoke)? The second point would be of the three vehicles disabled, how did they manage to kill the commander...
Jump to postJust seen this. . If true it means that they dont want the leased planes to be impounded when abroad.. and they intend to operate them in Russia. ‘Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency just grounded all flights headed abroad. Any airlines with plans registered in foreign registries (all foreign-mad...
Jump to postVicenza wrote:And how do you suppose (whoever 'somebody' is) they do it?
Unprecedented or not, it's an outright stupid thing to do. They will have stolen airplanes that they still will not be able to use for very long, unless they start cannibalising on an ever bigger portion of the fleet. It buys Russia's airlines very little time, but does them great harm for the futu...
Jump to postAre we sure the Russian airlines definitely will hand back the leased aircraft on time ? Is there any possibility of a Russian Govt decree or law which makes handing back / reclaiming the aircraft more difficult ? Maybe some decree which incorporates all Russian registered passenger aircraft into s...
Jump to postWhy are new photos on Airliners showing up in my browser as WEBP images? Seems to be for photos just in the last day or so. Is this an intentional change or a mistake?
Jump to postI think the KC390 needs to prove itself for several years of actual operations before the US Military feels comfortable considering it as a C-130 replacement.
Jump to postPlaneflyer wrote:Good question, other than to provide recon and top cover I have no idea how an F22 could support ground forces.
If Trump wants to spend scarce money on military stuff, I'm not sure ICBMs would be a priority, there are probably other things to buy that provide more jobs to unskilled workers. Trump doesn't get to decide how much is spent on much of anything. Federal spending is determined by the US Congress. I...
Jump to postThe "little" flutter problem seems to need two additional years to be rectified, if no further delays happens. Two years for a fix? I'm seeing statements that the 19 tankers will be delivered within two years, not that it will take two years to resolve the flutter issues. Your posts seem ...
Jump to post<table border="0" align="CENTER" width="95%" class="quote"><tr><td><font size="2" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva" color="#9A9DA0">Quoting <a href="/profile/kanban" class="quote" target="_blank">kanban</a> (<a href="#152" class="quote">Reply 152</a>):<br/><i>The hardware relief valve system the compa...
Jump to post<table border="0" align="CENTER" width="95%" class="quote"><tr><td><font size="2" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva" color="#9A9DA0">Quoting <a href="/profile/Max+Q" class="quote" target="_blank">Max Q</a> (<a href="#9" class="quote">Reply 9</a>):<br/><i>Er, I wouldn't, I can guarantee whatever it is i...
Jump to post<table border="0" align="CENTER" width="95%" class="quote"><tr><td><font size="2" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva" color="#9A9DA0">Quoting <a href="/profile/Stitch" class="quote" target="_blank">Stitch</a> (<a href="#39" class="quote">Reply 39</a>):<br/><i>Be interesting to know if said suppliers wou...
Jump to post<table border="0" align="CENTER" width="95%" class="quote"><tr><td><font size="2" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva" color="#9A9DA0">Quoting <a href="/profile/ptrjong" class="quote" target="_blank">ptrjong</a> (<a href="#2" class="quote">Reply 2</a>):<br/><i>Not quite. They've had QRAs throughout the C...
Jump to postThat is a very well done video. Ever since 9/11 countries around the world have alert aircraft just waiting for the worst. I fear one of these days the "target" aircraft will not respond appropriately and will be shot down. That would be a profoundly difficult responsibility to shoulder.
Jump to post<table border="0" align="CENTER" width="95%" class="quote"><tr><td><font size="2" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva" color="#9A9DA0">Quoting <a href="/profile/Dreadnought" class="quote" target="_blank">Dreadnought</a> (<a href="#79" class="quote">Reply 79</a>):<br/><i>Many people are jumping with glee ...
Jump to post<table border="0" align="CENTER" width="95%" class="quote"><tr><td><font size="2" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva" color="#9A9DA0">Quoting <a href="/profile/bgm" class="quote" target="_blank">bgm</a> (<a href="#25" class="quote">Reply 25</a>):<br/><i>Perhaps if you took your own advice, the US may pr...
Jump to post<table border="0" align="CENTER" width="95%" class="quote"><tr><td><font size="2" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva" color="#9A9DA0">Quoting <a href="/profile/einsteinboricua" class="quote" target="_blank">einsteinboricua</a> (<a href="#17" class="quote">Reply 17</a>):<br/><i>The fact is we've grown in...
Jump to post<table border="0" align="CENTER" width="95%" class="quote"><tr><td><font size="2" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva" color="#9A9DA0">Quoting <a href="/profile/KarelXWB" class="quote" target="_blank">KarelXWB</a> (<a href="#239" class="quote">Reply 239</a>):<br/><i>So to meet the delivery schedule, Boei...
Jump to post<table border="0" align="CENTER" width="95%" class="quote"><tr><td><font size="2" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva" color="#9A9DA0">Quoting <a href="/profile/B8887" class="quote" target="_blank">B8887</a> (<a href="#31" class="quote">Reply 31</a>):<br/><i>Aircraft crashes involving prototypes, nearly ...
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