Posted on 04/04/2014 8:06:36 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
KIEV, April 4 (RIA Novosti) Several mothballed Mikoyan Mig-29 Fulcrum fourth-generation fighter jets were returned to combat service in western Ukraine, the countrys Defense Ministry said on Friday.
Specialists of our team have already returned several planes to service, the ministry quoted an unnamed commander of an Air Force unit near Ivano-Frankivsk as saying. We are now conducting test flights. Soon, more mothballed fighter jets will take off again.
The state of Ukraines armed forces came under close scrutiny when the new government took office in late February, after months of violent uprising.
Kiev launched extensive combat readiness checks of its armed forces in early March, following Crimeas announcement that it was ready to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.
Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh said in his report to the president that the checks revealed unsatisfactory condition of the armed forces.
He said that out of 507 combat planes and 121 attack helicopters, only 15 percent are serviceable. Air Force crews lack proper training and only 10 percent of them are capable of performing combat tasks.
Now, this is an instance where US / NATO / Ukrainian cooperation could be very useful. We train Ukrainian pilots and in the process have more pilots of our own with hands on experience of what the Russki Mig-29’s can do.
Weren’t the German Panzers and Tigers superior to American Shermans?
This is true, but the planes have to actually take off and land without crashing, blowing up in midair, or having parts fall off after a few missions. The pilot can only do so much.
“Werent the German Panzers and Tigers superior to American Shermans?”
Our strategies adjusted to their superiority and identified the weaknesses of the Panzers and German strategies, but to a great degree we won with our quantity over their quality. The Russians did this to a great degree also. Their guns didn’t shoot straight but they did shoot under almost any conditions and they made lots; I’ve read that the T-34’s castings and forgings weren’t even cleaned up after manufacture (obviously, they were made in a bit of a hurry and under very tough conditions) and the crews inside kept getting injuries just by driving around! But, who won?
probably zero, all the engines and guts are taken out. anything flying now probably have upgrades the old ones wouldn’t.
UKRAINE needs to be infiltrating Russia and establishing sabotage cells in every major Russian City. In fact they should be making thing go pop NOW.
They won’t match the Russians with Aircraft and Tanks but will with mines, mortars, and many easy to accomplish soft target sabotage.
Heh - Great stuff!
I often said that if I was Ukrainian and wanted to be a true jagoff to the Russians, I’d load up dynamite on the dome at Chernobyl or if not, find a way to blow the dome using a Mi-24 or MiG from a distance when the winds are right. The radioactive fallout will go over Russia and let the mayhem ensue.
and then wafts over western europe. bonehead scheme.
What? Do you moonlight as a retarded comic book villain or something?
My R/C Fulcrum is modelled after that plane’s colors. Woot!
You are right. Visiting the Ukrainian war museum in Kiev they have several war era T-34s there. Talk about rough. Look like they were made by a high school shop class. Worked though
Wasn't a big problem with using poison gas in World War I that wind tends to change direction?
Wouldn’t take a whole lot to beat the Russian military. Just leave a BUNCH of vodka behind as you retreated and then come back after they’ve passed out.
The problem exists in both directions.
Yes, primarily because America had not been preparing for war, the only proven way to avoid it.
That is actually a good idea, as far as training and experience go, but we must not get sucked in to flying combat in a dispute between foreign nations.
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