re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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Putin knows that and as much as I hate on Putin I have to admit that he is not stupid. Putin miscalculated when he thought that his invasion of Ukraine would cause a rupture in NATO that would allow him to go after the Baltic countries. Despite what the Kremlin says Putin is not stupid enough to FAFO with NATO.

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The head of any bureaucracy, whether football coach, CEO, or nation is only as good as his subordinates. Putin has surrounded himself with yes men. He may not be that stupid but could well have those who want to please his desires

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It will no doubt free up the F-16s for more combat sorties, particularly SEAD.

The mythical F-16s. Are any of these in the fight yet? The delays are ridiculous.

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Pilots and ground crews still in training. The UAF has said that they will not announce their arrival in Ukraine or combat debut until after it happens.

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Safely is a tricky word. The S-400 is still a formidable weapon but it was greatly enhanced when it paired with the A-50’s range. It will no doubt free up the F-16s for more combat sorties, particularly SEAD. They are going to light them the frick up with HARM missiles coming off the F-16’s rail compared to the Mig-29 which they had to basically rig together. The HARM will be much much more effective when it’s being used on the F-16 because the f-16 “talks” to the HARM more efficiently than that of the Mig-29. The Russians would have rather lost 10 Su-35s than that one A-50.

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Funny that you should mention the Su.

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Unconfirmed...

Visegrád 24
@visegrad24

BREAKING:

Ukraine just shot down another Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber over the Kherson region

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Per Cypher they just got another one.

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You have no idea what actually goes into training pilots to fly these aircraft and learn tactics and the proper way to fight the aircraft. This almost goes double for their ground crews. They are learning a whole new type of bird than they are used to fixing. Then you have to make sure you have the infrastructure on the ground to safely operate these planes like good runways because the nose gear on the F-16 is not as tough as on the Mig-29. You need hardened shelters because Russia is going to come after these aircraft like maniacs with their missiles trying to take them out. Having the F-16 in country with an undertrained ground crew and pilot with soviet air bases will not work the F-16. I’m thinking they use commercial airfields where the runways are in better shape but you have to have somewhere to keep them safe while they are on the ground.

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I think that it would be easier to repave the airstrips at military bases than civilian airfields. All civilian airports have been shutdown in Ukraine for 2 years. Sudden activity at one or more of them would be a dead give away that is where the F16s are. Plus the military airfields already have SAMs protecting them and hardened shelters built. Just my 2 cents though.

You’re probably right by that but I think they move them around constantly like a shell game to keep the Russians off balance and guessing. That’s how their current fighter fleet has survived and it has worked. Also one thing you brought up about another Su-34 going down. These are very good aircraft along with the Su-35 and Su-30, etc because they can carry a heavy load over long distances without needing to air to air refuel and they still perform well with a heavy load. Not many people understand their greatest weakness though, which is being exploited like a son of a bitch by Ukraine right now. The price you pay to carry all those bombs and fuel is the aircraft is huge for a fighter or fighter bomber which gives off a huge radar signature when the Ukrainians turn their Patriot battery radar on. From there it’s just waiting for the PAC-3 missile to blow their arse out of the sky.

Wall or not, illegal immigration was very much held in check under Trump.

Guess you're also cool with drag queen story hour for your grandkids.

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I'm seeing remarks on twitter that it was out of Patriot range. Lots of speculation.


If the track was predictable enough, which knowing the Russians it probably was:

Storm shadow guided by GPS with a jury rigged infrared seeker for when it gets close enough, or just command detonated at the predicted intercept point.

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Maybe the Ukrainians sent a Mig or Su out there and it thought it was Russian fighter and got close enough to fire a heat seeking missile. Maybe the Russians were stupid enough to shoot down their own AWACs plane. Maybe it just crashed because after all it is a Russian/Soviet aircraft which are not beacons of reliability.

Wtf I thought we were mates now

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Wall or not, illegal immigration was very much held in check under Trump.

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In check? You are so incredibly full of it.

Illegal border crossings during the Trump administration were higher than they were during either of Obama's terms, and the illegal border crossings during the Obama administration were bad enough that "Build the Wall" was a Trump campaign slogan.

Again, I'm not saying this to attack Trump. I'm just sick of the stupid hypocrisy.

EDIT: LINK

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If you ask me the Russians actually were stupid enough to shoot down their own plane. Their IFF system (friend or foe) is complete shite compared to ours. I believe they misidentified and didn’t stop to think that a Ukrainian aircraft wouldn’t be operating all the way in the Rostov on Don area and fired anyway. Never underestimate the idiocy of a Russian. They can do some incredible things that you just scratch your head and think a monkey can do a better job.

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I agree with all of that. However, what I can't figure out is why they would admit it. I would deny it or blame it on a technical failure or aliens.