Pretty wild video of the incendiary shells being fired by Russians over Ukranian cities to set them on fire.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrAWJvuAwHA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

23 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Pretty wild video of the incendiary shells being fired by Russians over Ukranian cities to set them on fire.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrAWJvuAwHA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Looks like a mutated firework. 

A much ballyhooed and feared Russian Hypersonic Missile that was thought to be indefensible, was shot down by Ukrainian forces using a US supplied Patriot Missile System. Early reports were varied but confirmation has been coming out today.

Once again Russian technology doesn't seem to live up to its reputation. 

Russia continues to use the 100+ year old playbook for Russian Military success. That playbook basically says, "we don't care how many troops have to die, we are willing to sacrifice them."

Now some rumblings that the Wagner Group of paid mercenaries may be looking to pull back due to issues of supplies and leadership coming from the Russian military command.

 

Ukrainian pilots are going to be trained on flying the F16. 

2 hours ago, theguru said:

Ukrainian pilots are going to be trained on flying the F16. 

The F16 is a bad boy...it's a little long in tooth but it's still more capable than anything the Ukrainians have had so far. It is more susceptible to SAMs than F35s, F22s and F15s...but again there isn't a plane in that theater on either side that the F16 wouldn't be an overwhelming favorite against.

6 minutes ago, Jumper_Dad said:

The F16 is a bad boy...it's a little long in tooth but it's still more capable than anything the Ukrainians have had so far. It is more susceptible to SAMs than F35s, F22s and F15s...but again there isn't a plane in that theater on either side that the F16 wouldn't be an overwhelming favorite against.

I hear all that but I assume Russia has something on at least equal footing as a 16 and probably better.  My concern is this could be a huge escalation.

14 hours ago, theguru said:

I hear all that but I assume Russia has something on at least equal footing as a 16 and probably better.  My concern is this could be a huge escalation.

It could be an escalation, but other European countries are already supplying Russian built fighters to Ukraine.

The difference here is they now will be sending US made planes. The incentive for them is they can replace their F16s sent to Ukraine with new F35s from the US.

Never underestimate the ability the Russians to overstate their technology. They may have a handful (a dozen or so) of planes that are technically superior to F16s but in practice they have been afraid to commit them to the battle for fear of 1) losing them and 2) having NATO find out how inept they really are. 

5 minutes ago, Jumper_Dad said:

It could be an escalation, but other European countries are already supplying Russian built fighters to Ukraine.

The difference here is they now will be sending US made planes. The incentive for them is they can replace their F16s sent to Ukraine with new F35s from the US.

Never underestimate the ability the Russians to overstate their technology. They may have a handful (a dozen or so) of planes that are technically superior to F16s but in practice they have been afraid to commit them to the battle for fear of 1) losing them and 2) having NATO find out how inept they really are. 

I asked Google what is the best Russian fighter jet and got:

Although the Su-57 "represents the best of Russian aviation" and exceeds the capabilities of fourth-generation fighter jets such as the F-15 and F-16, "it is no match for the F-22 or F-35." Jan 9, 2023

==================

Then I asked Google how the Su-57 and F16 compare:

The Su-35 offers many performance advantages over the F-16. It boasts a faster top speed (more than Mach 2), a greater range (more than 3,600 km), and a more powerful radar system. Mar 10, 2023

==================

One poster on Quora also had this to say:

The Russian Su-57 and the F-16 are both advanced fighter jets, but it is difficult to directly compare their capabilities as they were designed for different purposes and have different strengths and weaknesses.

The Su-57 is a fifth-generation, multirole fighter aircraft designed for air superiority and ground attack missions. It features advanced avionics, stealth capabilities, and the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously. It also has advanced sensors and weapons systems, including long-range air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and precision-guided munitions.

The F-16, on the other hand, is a fourth-generation, multirole fighter aircraft primarily designed for air-to-air combat, but also capable of air-to-ground missions. It is known for its agility, high speed, and low altitude maneuverability. It is also equipped with advanced avionics and weapons systems, including radar-guided and infrared missiles, and precision-guided munitions.

In terms of raw performance, the Su-57 is faster, has a longer range, and can carry more weapons than the F-16. However, the F-16 has a proven combat record and is known for its reliability and ease of maintenance. It is also currently in service with many air forces around the world, including the US Air Force.

In summary, both the Su-57 and the F-16 are capable fighter jets, but they were designed with different priorities and missions in mind, and their capabilities should be evaluated in the context of specific mission requirements.

42 minutes ago, theguru said:

I asked Google what is the best Russian fighter jet and got:

Although the Su-57 "represents the best of Russian aviation" and exceeds the capabilities of fourth-generation fighter jets such as the F-15 and F-16, "it is no match for the F-22 or F-35." Jan 9, 2023

==================

Then I asked Google how the Su-57 and F16 compare:

The Su-35 offers many performance advantages over the F-16. It boasts a faster top speed (more than Mach 2), a greater range (more than 3,600 km), and a more powerful radar system. Mar 10, 2023

==================

One poster on Quora also had this to say:

The Russian Su-57 and the F-16 are both advanced fighter jets, but it is difficult to directly compare their capabilities as they were designed for different purposes and have different strengths and weaknesses.

The Su-57 is a fifth-generation, multirole fighter aircraft designed for air superiority and ground attack missions. It features advanced avionics, stealth capabilities, and the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously. It also has advanced sensors and weapons systems, including long-range air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and precision-guided munitions.

The F-16, on the other hand, is a fourth-generation, multirole fighter aircraft primarily designed for air-to-air combat, but also capable of air-to-ground missions. It is known for its agility, high speed, and low altitude maneuverability. It is also equipped with advanced avionics and weapons systems, including radar-guided and infrared missiles, and precision-guided munitions.

In terms of raw performance, the Su-57 is faster, has a longer range, and can carry more weapons than the F-16. However, the F-16 has a proven combat record and is known for its reliability and ease of maintenance. It is also currently in service with many air forces around the world, including the US Air Force.

In summary, both the Su-57 and the F-16 are capable fighter jets, but they were designed with different priorities and missions in mind, and their capabilities should be evaluated in the context of specific mission requirements.

I asked Google how many SU-57s there were...

There are just not that many of them, as multiple public reports say there are currently somewhere between 4 and 15 operational Su-57 aircraft, and Russia's TASS news agency has reported plans for the country to acquire 76 Su-57s over the next five years.

Which is my point, they built a couple that have widely published but unverified abilities. Even their unbeatable hypersonic missiles are getting shot down left and right.

Russia China both talk about the incredible abilities of their military technology, both (especially Russia) seem to rarely get past the demo models.

22 minutes ago, Jumper_Dad said:

I asked Google how many SU-57s there were...

There are just not that many of them, as multiple public reports say there are currently somewhere between 4 and 15 operational Su-57 aircraft, and Russia's TASS news agency has reported plans for the country to acquire 76 Su-57s over the next five years.

Which is my point, they built a couple that have widely published but unverified abilities. Even their unbeatable hypersonic missiles are getting shot down left and right.

Russia China both talk about the incredible abilities of their military technology, both (especially Russia) seem to rarely get past the demo models.

I have a feeling we will get to see a bit of what China has soon.  Unfortunate but seems likely. 

26 minutes ago, sportsfan41 said:

I have a feeling we will get to see a bit of what China has soon.  Unfortunate but seems likely. 

I assume China would wipe the floor with F16s. 

2 hours ago, sportsfan41 said:

I have a feeling we will get to see a bit of what China has soon.  Unfortunate but seems likely. 

 

2 hours ago, theguru said:

I assume China would wipe the floor with F16s. 

China is a different animal for sure.

Taiwan has a couple hundred F16s in different variations as their front-line defense and a few Mirages. So we could very well see them going head to head sooner rather than later. 

If the US got involved F35s and F22s would carry the fight forward with F22s flying Air Dominace missions. 15s, 16s and 18s would fly mop up missions after earlier F35 and cruise missile strikes.

1 hour ago, TheDeuce said:

I think that is an understatement.  In less than 18 months we have gone from debating how many stingers to send Ukraine to sending all of the below items:

United States security assistance committed to Ukraine includes:

Over 1,700 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
Over 10,000 Javelin anti-armor systems;
Over 60,000 other anti-armor systems and munitions;
Over 160 155mm Howitzers and over 2,000,000 155mm artillery rounds;
Over 7,000 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
Over 14,000 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems;
100,000 rounds of 125mm tank ammunition;
10,000 203mm artillery rounds;
Over 50,000 152mm artillery rounds;
Approximately 40,000 130mm artillery rounds;
40,000 122mm artillery rounds;
60,000 122mm GRAD rockets;
72 105mm Howitzers and over 500,000 105mm artillery rounds;
Over 300 tactical vehicles to tow weapons;
54 tactical vehicles to recover equipment;
30 ammunition support vehicles;
18 armored bridging systems;
38 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and ammunition;
47 120mm mortar systems;
10 82mm mortar systems;
67 81mm mortar systems;
58 60mm mortar systems;
Over 345,000 mortar rounds;
Over 4,000 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
Rocket launchers and ammunition;
Over 1,800,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition;
Precision-guided rockets;
10 command post vehicles;
One Patriot air defense battery and munitions;
Eight National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and munitions;
HAWK air defense systems and munitions;
RIM-7 missiles for air defense;
20 Avenger air defense systems;
Nine c-UAS gun trucks and ammunition;
10 mobile c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems;
Anti-aircraft guns and ammunition;
Equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s air defense systems;
Equipment to sustain Ukraine’s existing air defense capabilities;
High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);
Precision aerial munitions;
Over 6,000 Zuni aircraft rockets;
Over 7,000 Hydra-70 aircraft rockets;
Munitions for Unmanned Aerial Systems;
20 Mi-17 helicopters;
31 Abrams tanks;
45 T-72B tanks;
120mm and 105mm tank ammunition;
Over 120 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles;
Four Bradley Fire Support Team vehicles;
Over 2,000 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
Over 100 light tactical vehicles;
68 trucks and 124 trailers to transport heavy equipment;
Eight logistics support vehicles and equipment;
89 heavy fuel tankers and 105 fuel trailers;
100 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers;
300 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers;
250 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles;
Over 500 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs);
Six armored utility trucks;
Mine clearing equipment;
Over 35,000 grenade launchers and small arms;
Over 200,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades;
Over 100,000 sets of body armor and helmets;
Switchblade Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS);
Phoenix Ghost UAS;
CyberLux K8 UAS;
Altius-600 UAS;
Jump-20 UAS;
Puma UAS;
Scan Eagle UAS;
Two radars for UAS;
Laser-guided rocket systems and munitions;
Unmanned Coastal Defense Vessels;
Over 70 counter-artillery and counter-mortar radars;
20 multi-mission radars;
Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems and equipment;
Counter air defense capability;
21 air surveillance radars;
Two Harpoon coastal defense systems;
62 coastal and riverine patrol boats;
Port and harbor security equipment;
M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
Anti-tank mines;
C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment for obstacle clearing;
Obstacle emplacement equipment;
Tactical secure communications systems and support equipment;
Four satellite communications antennas;
SATCOM terminals and services;
Thousands of night vision devices, surveillance systems, thermal imagery systems, optics, and laser rangefinders;
Commercial satellite imagery services;
Explosive ordnance disposal equipment and protective gear;
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment;
200 armored medical treatment vehicles;
Medical supplies to include first aid kits, bandages, monitors, and other equipment;
Electronic jamming equipment;
Field equipment, cold weather gear, generators, and spare parts;
Support for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.

https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-ukraine/

Here is one line from Foxnews.com:

Armed rebels with the Wagner Group are moving north through Russian territory and appear to be heading for Moscow, according to multiple reports.