War in Ukraine

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#81,104
GTy7CbYXcAEw0B4
 
#81,107
#81,107
Good job by Puddinhead’s admin in getting something right. Hopefully they will both be back on US soil soon. And hopefully US citizens will cease in making poor choices and putting themselves in positions where they are likely to be taken captive. Russia clearly does not respect any journalistic protections.

WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich released by Russia in prisoner swap; Paul Whelan also being freed

WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich released by Russia in prisoner swap; Paul Whelan also being freed
 
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#81,108
#81,108
05_never_again said:
This is great news.

www.theguardian.com

Russia prisoner swap involving US journalist Evan Gershkovich under way

Gershkovich and ex-marine Paul Whelan have been freed and are en route to a destination outside Russia, say reports
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
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Any US citizen who enters Russia from now on, should be forced to sign a waiver before leaving the United States, acknowledging that they know they are placing themselves in harms way, and that the United States will no longer trade actual criminals and spies to free them from being held hostage by the Russian mafia state.
 
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#81,109
#81,109
BeardedVol said:
Any US citizen who enters Russia from now on, should be forced to sign a waiver before leaving the United States, acknowledging that they know they are placing themselves in harms way, and that the United States will no longer trade actual criminals and spies to free them from being held hostage by the Russian mafia state.
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I'm glad he's back home, but personally I think Whelan was probably up to something. I see why the Russians arrested him; we would have done the same thing to a Russian who was behaving that way in the United States. Especially one who was ex-Russian military.

I don't buy the "I was just here for a wedding and my buddy was giving me a flash drive with pictures on it." It's an absurd story, frankly.
 
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#81,111
BeardedVol said:
For the resident vatniks, is this sort of talk escalatory?

www.newsweek.com

Russian state TV slips in ominous US threat: "our Alaska"

State TV propagandists, including Olga Skabeyeva, have often floated the idea of seizing NATO territory during the war.
www.newsweek.com www.newsweek.com
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$0.02 per acre.

Possibly a good purchase on our end.

Possibly not such a good decision on Russia's end.

On that note, one of the few Trump actions I agreed with was his offer to buy Greenland. In a couple more decades, most the ice may be gone. Regardless, it'd be a steal on every level.
 
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#81,113
BeardedVol said:
Apparently you don't need an actual navy to own the Black Sea.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Putin's prized £275million submarine is obliterated by Ukraine

The kilo-class vessel, named Rostov-on-Don, was hit during a huge missile barrage on Sevastopol, which also took out air defence systems, Ukrainian forces confirmed.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
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And, reportedly, Ukraine took out 4 S400 AA batteries.

Putin Doubles Army Recruitment Bonus as Russian War Losses Mount​

  • President raises payment to 400,000 rubles for new recruits
  • Russian army has incurred huge casualties in war in Ukraine
 
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#81,114
How much longer until Ukraine takes out he Kerch bridge?

With the long range ordinance available to their new F15s, I'd think a significant MALD led barrage is in the offing.
 
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#81,115
Per WSJ:

Russia’s economy has adapted to international sanctions and the demands of the war far better than Western officials had predicted. But Ms. Nabiullina’s move on Friday underscored the risks, as the government pumps enormous sums of money into the Russian economy to finance the military operation. Facing a tight labor market, made worse by the number of men drafted to fight at the front, Russian firms have been forced to raise wages, driving up inflation.

“Labor force and production-capacity reserves have been almost exhausted,” Ms. Nabiullina said.
 
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#81,120
norrislakevol said:
I have my doubts about how well the Ukrainian pilots can do as far as avoiding SAMs. These aren't U.S. pilots (Best in the world by far) flying these things here. Guess we shall see.
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I doubt they would be as good as US pilots in US equipment too but I feel absolutely certain they are today better than prior Ukrainian pilots in Russian equipment. The type cross training to employ the F-16 self defense systems had to have included tactics
 
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NorthDallas40 said:
I doubt they would be as good as US pilots in US equipment too but I feel absolutely certain they are today better than prior Ukrainian pilots in Russian equipment. The type cross training to employ the F-16 self defense systems had to have included tactics
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This.

Russia's (mind-numbingly slow) advances over the past year have largely been due to their adoption of glide-bombing. Their fighter/bombers release them way behind enemy lines, and the only defenses Ukraine have mustered are Patriots and hand-held SAMs. When Ukraine got aggressive with positioning some of their Patriots batteries very close to the lines - close enough to potentially intercept the glide-bombers - Russia found them and took some of them out. I doubt they'll do that again. Instead, Ukraine has been lobbing some of its own glide-bombs, but still slowly losing ground through Putin's intentional attrition.

The F-16 should allow Ukraine to potentially intercept Russian glide-bombers over Russian territory presuming we provided them with the more advanced versions with long range.

Excerpts...

It's unclear exactly which AIM-120 variants Kyiv is receiving or how many. Earlier models of the missile have a range of over 20 miles, while the newest one — the AIM-120D — is said to reach beyond 100 miles. The earliest AIM-120 design was fielded in the early 1990s.

A Ukrainian Air Force official said last year that the US would offer the country with AIM-120 missiles that can travel more than 100 miles, pointing to one of the newer variants. Some airpower experts, however, have expressed skepticism that Kyiv would actually get newer weapons because the technology may be too sensitive for the US to risk losing.

On the other missile Ukraine is receiving, the AIM-9X is a short-range air-to-air missile with an infrared seeker and is the newest variant in the Sidewinder family. Like the AIM-120, its specific range is classified. Ukraine already owns the AIM-9M, which has a range of up to 18 miles. The earliest Sidewinder versions entered service in the mid-1950s. Though the AIM-9 is an older system, it's considered to be highly successful.

Incoming Western equipment could offer a second way to neutralize glide bombs. Ukraine may soon acquire European F-16 fighters and two Swedish airborne early warning and control, or AEW&C, aircraft.

Pairing them would create a new capability, especially if the U.S. provided long-range (or 20-plus-mile) Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles. They could strike many aircraft before bombs were launched. Radar-guided AMRAAMs have a range longer than glide bombs.

Saab AEW&C aircraft will be a force multiplier. They can identify targets out to some 250 nautical miles and detect airborne and ground-based radars. This is essential to track and destroy distant aircraft and air defenses.
 
#81,124
#81,124
MontyPython said:
This.

Russia's (mind-numbingly slow) advances over the past year have largely been due to their adoption of glide-bombing. Their fighter/bombers release them way behind enemy lines, and the only defenses Ukraine have mustered are Patriots and hand-held SAMs. When Ukraine got aggressive with positioning some of their Patriots batteries very close to the lines - close enough to potentially intercept the glide-bombers - Russia found them and took some of them out. I doubt they'll do that again. Instead, Ukraine has been lobbing some of its own glide-bombs, but still slowly losing ground through Putin's intentional attrition.

The F-16 should allow Ukraine to potentially intercept Russian glide-bombers over Russian territory presuming we provided them with the more advanced versions with long range.

Excerpts...

It's unclear exactly which AIM-120 variants Kyiv is receiving or how many. Earlier models of the missile have a range of over 20 miles, while the newest one — the AIM-120D — is said to reach beyond 100 miles. The earliest AIM-120 design was fielded in the early 1990s.

A Ukrainian Air Force official said last year that the US would offer the country with AIM-120 missiles that can travel more than 100 miles, pointing to one of the newer variants. Some airpower experts, however, have expressed skepticism that Kyiv would actually get newer weapons because the technology may be too sensitive for the US to risk losing.

On the other missile Ukraine is receiving, the AIM-9X is a short-range air-to-air missile with an infrared seeker and is the newest variant in the Sidewinder family. Like the AIM-120, its specific range is classified. Ukraine already owns the AIM-9M, which has a range of up to 18 miles. The earliest Sidewinder versions entered service in the mid-1950s. Though the AIM-9 is an older system, it's considered to be highly successful.

Incoming Western equipment could offer a second way to neutralize glide bombs. Ukraine may soon acquire European F-16 fighters and two Swedish airborne early warning and control, or AEW&C, aircraft.

Pairing them would create a new capability, especially if the U.S. provided long-range (or 20-plus-mile) Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles. They could strike many aircraft before bombs were launched. Radar-guided AMRAAMs have a range longer than glide bombs.

Saab AEW&C aircraft will be a force multiplier. They can identify targets out to some 250 nautical miles and detect airborne and ground-based radars. This is essential to track and destroy distant aircraft and air defenses.
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What I’m wondering is if they included any F-16CJ’s in the transfer. That is the current Wild Weasel platform. I highly doubt they did but if Ukraine has them those guys are going to be top notch pilots to run all of the systems.
 
#81,125
#81,125
NorthDallas40 said:
What I’m wondering is if they included any F-16CJ’s in the transfer. That is the current Wild Weasel platform. I highly doubt they did but if Ukraine has them those guys are going to be top notch pilots to run all of the systems.
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I think I've read that the F16s primary purpose is intended to be more air to air than SEAD.
 
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