Posted on 05/19/2023 8:04:10 AM PDT by Timber Rattler
Two Ukrainian pilots proved they can master the American-made F-16 fighter jets in just four months — more than four times faster than the Pentagon previously predicted — in a performance that is likely to ratchet up the growing pressure on the Biden Administration to send the lightweight warplanes to Ukraine.
Yahoo News on Thursday obtained and published an internal US Air Force assessment that detailed the F-16 training two Ukrainian pilots underwent at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona, in late February and early March. Over the course of eleven and a half total hours in nine separate simulations, the Ukrainian airmen outperformed US expectations in their quick ability to learn the ins and outs of the aircraft, according to the document.
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Four experienced US air force instructors assessed the Ukrainian pilots and determined the pilots could perform several "relatively technical" maneuvers, including landing after losing an engine and withstanding mock attacks, Yahoo News reported, citing the assessment.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
i think you are over-thinking it.
for many of them, it is what we are told in broader terms goes on all the time - it is a job.
the accounts that pop in with almost identical talking points at once on threads presumably are being coordinated.
I’m aware of the Schism but my Catholic teachings (many of it prior to the implementation of Vatican II) never had anything negative to say about the Orthodox. Actually the Orthodox are probably closer to Catholicism than any other Christian sect.
What are the actual results of neocons “undaunted defense of Ukraine democracy?”
Lost Crimea
Lost 20% of Ukraine territory
lost 50% of Ukraine Industry
Ukraine Population cut in half
entire young generation dead or emigrated
they are doing the SAME with American defense capabilities. They are feeding US weapons and intel into Ukraine at just a steady enough rate to allow Russia to monitor, learn, capture each system.
When this war is over, Ukraine won’t exist, and Russia/China will have seen every battlefield weapon and tactic the US/NATO have.
WELL DONE NEOCONS!!
“Do you want us to give Ukraine nukes, too?”
They already have them. Does anyone think that all of the nukes in Ukraine prior to 94 were successfully removed?
Its mainly about the authority of the Pope. Otherwise, both the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church have the exact same sacraments, and Catholics recognize the Orthodox as having legitimate apostolic succession and their sacraments as valid.
One should focus on the 99% that unites us, vs. the 1% that doesn't
“Its mainly about the authority of the Pope.”
Yes you are correct about all that. My best friend is Greek Orthodox and I was surprised to find their sacraments and practices totally mirror Catholicism. These day even many Catholics are starting to question the legitimacy of the current Pope.
Back in the Reagan days, and even Bush I, there was a mutual respect with Russians, at least with the fact that we could both destroy each other.
What changed? The collapse of the Soviet Union, particularly in the 1990s, turned Russia into a basket case. The USA was the sole global superpower. We could roam the earth and sanction or kick the ass of small nations we didn't like. Serbia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, etc... We had the military, we had the debt and we had the printed fiat money the whole world had to use. It all seemed so easy.
Every Fed.gov political climber, DoD apparatchik, and neocon hack was born and grew up in that system. Combine that with self-righteous woke neo-marxism, and you have a very powerful psychotropic drug working on the minds of people in DC.
The issue is not how many hours the IP have in the F-16, it's how many hours the students have.
Deploying the F-16 as an effective weapons platform in actual combat is not an easy thing to do.
Agree at least from what this outside can see!
Here are the religious bones of contention.
Growing pressure from whom?
Just to be fair, I would not object to Cuba telling the USA to leave Guantanamo Bay and if they chose to lease it to someone else that would be their business.
It’s called “sovereignty” and it’s best to respect it.
their air and missile defense systems have always been top notch.
—
Then, waxy, why does the UA Air Force still exist? BTW: their vaunted systems do do so hot against the Israeli AF either.
“The Ghosts of Kiev”
The point was that the evaluation was not just some random tests.
Both student have many combat hours in the air, not on F-16s, but on SU27s and MiG-29s. Its not like they are greenhorns. No one said deploying them was easy.
No jets for you! ...
...says the jet Nazi.
Patriot Radar Station and Five Missile Batteries Destroyed in Russian Hypersonic Strike on Kiev
Following a major strike on the Ukrainian capital Kiev in May 16, which involved use of multiple missile classes including deployment of Kinzhal ballistic missiles against Ukraine’s Patriot air defence systems, new information regarding the strike has continued to emerge. With Western sources having confirmed that a Patriot system was taken out of action, the Russian Defence Ministry on May 18 reported: "According to verified information, as a result of a strike by the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system in the city of Kiev a multifunctional radar station, as well as five launchers of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system manufactured by the United States were hit and completely destroyed on May 16, 2023.” It was previously only confirmed that the radar station, which provides command and control for each Patriot unit, was destroyed. Ukraine received two units of Patriots from mid April, with the first delivered less than a month before the recent strike. The United States repeatedly proved reluctant to provide the assets or to allow its European allies to do so, not only because this would deplete the relatively limited arsenals available to the U.S. Military and its allies, but also because of their extreme cost and the significant reputational damage which their destruction in combat could cause. The system’s failure was widely predicted in light of its highly modest combat record against much simpler missiles than those in Russia’s arsenal.
Three primary factors thought to have influenced Washington to eventually approve transfers of Patriots to Ukraine included sustained pressure from European allies, the danger of Ukrainian population centres becoming unliveable due to Russian strikes on critical infrastructure, and the very serious depletion of Ukraine’s existing air defence network built around Soviet S-300 and BuK systems which the country inherited in considerable quantities in 1991. Patriots are by far the most costly military assets Ukraine has in service, and their delivered has absorbed a high portion of the funds allocated to aiding the Ukrainian war effort - an investment which it was long argued by multiple analysts would be far from cost effectively. The Patriots were assigned to protect the capital following major Russian strikes on critical infrastructure, with their much lower mobility and more limited arcs of fire than even Soviet era variants of the S-300 system limiting their suitability for use near the frontlines in Eastern Ukraine. The Patriot system targeted reportedly fired 32 interceptors at the Kinzhal ballistic missiles that targeted it, all of which failed, with this salvo alone having cost approximately $96 million.
Push the stick forward and the trees get bigger.
Pull the stick back and the trees get smaller.
Pull the stick back TOO LONG and the trees get REALLY big.
How many F-16s do you suppose are plausibly available to send to Ukraine, in the areas of the World inclined to do so? 100? 10,000? I’ve never seen a number thrown out.
If we sent them F-16s, does that mean we could dump our obsolete A-10s there too, the ones our Air Force seems so hell-bent on decommissioning?
Both student have many combat hours in the air, not on F-16s, but on SU27s and MiG-29s. Its not like they are greenhorns. No one said deploying them was easy.
I think a good metric for transition time would be the time for qualified American pilot to transition into an F-16. It is common for US IPs to transition from a plane lie FA-18 and other aircraft into an F-16 for adversary training of pilots.
Like I said, it’s a very small motivating contingent. Goes all the way back to the Teutonic knight era. I don’t think it’s a big part of the Uke cheerleaders. But it does exist. Especially strong among the Ukrainian fans from Poland.
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.