Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots faces delays and uncertainty
The Washington Post ^ | Aug 11, 2023 | Isabelle Khurshudyan , Emily Rauhala and Missy Ryan

Posted on 08/10/2023 11:51:16 PM PDT by McGruff

A first group of six Ukrainian pilots is not expected to complete training on the U.S.-made F-16 before next summer, senior Ukrainian government and military officials said, following a series of delays by Western partners in implementing an instruction program for the sophisticated fighter jet.

The timeline reflects the disconnect between Ukraine’s supporters, who envision F-16s as a key tool in the country’s long-term defense, and Kyiv, which has desperately requested that the jets reach the battle space as soon as possible, viewing them as critical for the current fight against occupying Russian forces.

President Biden, after denying Ukrainian appeals for the F-16 for more than a year, reversed course in May and said he backed the idea of training Ukrainian pilots on the jets, and supported the transfer of the planes by other countries.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Ukraine; War
KEYWORDS: tothelastukrainian; wasteofmen; wasteoftime
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-86 next last
To: Phoenix8

For a while here, maybe a couple or a few months some posters were really trying to push that meme as legit.

So much about Zelensky isn’t true, especially the memes, but it also applies to what appears to be some professional rumor-planting about home ownership, his wife’s fake shopping spree, extraordinary wealth, and so on.


41 posted on 08/11/2023 7:07:36 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Phoenix8

“Too much false propaganda going around.”

Is there any other kind? I mean, if something is true or factual it isn’t propaganda is it?


42 posted on 08/11/2023 7:21:07 AM PDT by Freedom4US
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: McGruff

The war will be over by then. Putin has 250,000 troops primed to take Kiev.


43 posted on 08/11/2023 8:21:37 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Freedom4US

Yes propaganda can be factual just biased.

We see this in the news all the time in the USA. For example the mass media constantly pushed any narrative or story that showed any weakness of Trump. For example his “grab them by the p” comment, yet they purposefully ignored sordid behavior by the Biden’s. Like Hunters whites and illegitimate child he abandoned or Joe’s likely rape of Tara Reade.

Other examples are the almost non-stop coverage of Jan 6 while ignoring the BLMTIFA attacks on federal buildings in the Floyd riots in Washington (wasnt it?). You could literally write a book on it.

As a matter of fact the BEST propaganda has a little fact in it because it’s harder to both detect and disprove.


44 posted on 08/11/2023 8:31:31 AM PDT by Phoenix8
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: Phoenix8

Hunters whites=hunters whores

Spelling autocorrect


45 posted on 08/11/2023 8:32:51 AM PDT by Phoenix8
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: Gunslingr3

Like the Russians would allow that.


46 posted on 08/11/2023 8:32:58 AM PDT by A strike (Words can have gender, humans cannot.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: Georgia Girl 2
“Putin has 250,000 troops primed to take Kiev.”

I don't think Russia ever wanted to take Kiev, just the ethnic Russian areas.

47 posted on 08/11/2023 8:48:22 AM PDT by McGruff (Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f*** things up - Barack Obama)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: McGruff

I don’t think Putin ever wanted to take Kiev either but the military operation he planned to carry out sort of grew organically due to the EU/NATO continuing to supply Zelensky with hardware and munitions. I think now in order to obtain his original objective he has to at least temporarily occupy the entire country to make sure its demilitarized.


48 posted on 08/11/2023 9:11:48 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: A strike

The only option the Russians have to stop it are nukes.

Their military, particularly their Air Force, are demonstrably inept.

Imagine if we invaded Mexico, got pushed back from half the territory we seized in the first three weeks, and were still putzing around a year and half later while Mexican drones hit D.C. and Blackwater contractors went on a road trip shooting down military planes and helicopters while threatening to overthrow the Chairman of the Joint Staff because of the suicidal front line orders issued month after month?

Putin’s Special Military Olympics have been a sight to behold.


49 posted on 08/11/2023 9:28:56 AM PDT by Gunslingr3
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: Gunslingr3

“The only options the Russians have to stop it are nukes.”
You think the Russians cannot kick NATO butt? Don’t be such a vampiress Nuland dumb@$$.


50 posted on 08/11/2023 10:34:46 AM PDT by A strike (Words can have gender, humans cannot.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: A strike
You think the Russians cannot kick NATO butt?

No, I don't think they can. They'd get smoked. They have all they can handle with poor little Ukraine. They simply have nothing like our professional military that has been conducting operations around the globe for over 30 years. Their logistics don't even use pallets, fer crissakes!

Again, try to imagine the U.S. getting handed their ass like this:


51 posted on 08/11/2023 10:58:54 AM PDT by Gunslingr3
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: Gunslingr3

“They’d get smoked.” Not without ammunition. or doesn’t that pierce your ‘thinking’.
Don’t be such a vampiress Nuland dumb@$$.

If Ukraine/NATO/US coulda done it, they woulda done it.
Since you’re not too smart, this IS a US/NATO-Russia war.


52 posted on 08/11/2023 11:15:42 AM PDT by A strike (Words can have gender, humans cannot.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: A strike

Ukraine doesn’t have 2000+ combat aircraft, half of which are 5th gen stealth fighters, the worlds best SEAD capabilities, a fleet of 600+ ships, thousands of long range missiles, unlimited supplies of aircraft munitions, etc.

You are making irrelevant assumptions about one category, of 155mm howitzer ammo, being used in a way that doesnt match NATO doctrine.

NATO will destroy all air defenses, obtain air supremacy, “isolate” any battlefield, destroy all tactical systems in it including all enemy artillery, and then roll over the remnants.


53 posted on 08/11/2023 1:30:15 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: A strike

One needs to do a bit of research first.
I suggest you start here.

https://www.scribd.com/document/633387830/The-Military-Balance-2023-pdf


54 posted on 08/11/2023 1:44:27 PM PDT by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: Reverend Wright

What you say makes sense as I agree with the Operative that the F16’s aren’t about to approach the line of contact, but the test will be when the F16s are several hundred miles to the east and the Russians fire off their S400s. The S400 travel at 3 miles per second, so in about 100 seconds, they’ll go 300 miles (500 clicks, as we say in military lingo). The question is whether the F16s can make it to the ground and somehow protected from the S400 ready to run up their Afterburner Butt, in under 2 minutes.

I guess we’ll find out.


55 posted on 08/11/2023 2:20:49 PM PDT by BobL (Trump has all the right Enemies; DeSantis has all the wrong Friends)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: McGruff

“I don’t think Russia ever wanted to take Kiev, just the ethnic Russian areas.”

They CLEARLY did not, and even the Operatives know that. But wars almost always develop in unexpected ways, and so the Russians, at this point, likely have no choice other than to liberate Kiev (or Keev, for the Leftists).


56 posted on 08/11/2023 2:29:29 PM PDT by BobL (Trump has all the right Enemies; DeSantis has all the wrong Friends)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: BobL

My guess is the F16 will fail just like the Bradleys and Leopards.

Huge hype, with major underperformance, and really no better than the Russian vehicles, and in some aspects worse.

They they will start demanding F35s.


57 posted on 08/11/2023 2:29:52 PM PDT by Reverend Wright ( Everything touched by progressives, dies !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: Georgia Girl 2

” I think now in order to obtain his original objective he has to at least temporarily occupy the entire country to make sure its demilitarized.”

Well stated.


58 posted on 08/11/2023 2:30:36 PM PDT by BobL (Trump has all the right Enemies; DeSantis has all the wrong Friends)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: Gunslingr3

“The only option the Russians have to stop it are nukes.”

Makes it REALLY EASY to know not to bother with your posts.


59 posted on 08/11/2023 2:31:26 PM PDT by BobL (Trump has all the right Enemies; DeSantis has all the wrong Friends)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: Reverend Wright

“They they will start demanding F35s.”

Good point, might as well accept that the demand for F35s will be next.


60 posted on 08/11/2023 2:33:15 PM PDT by BobL (Trump has all the right Enemies; DeSantis has all the wrong Friends)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-86 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson