Posted on 03/28/2024 5:54:04 AM PDT by McGruff
Russian President Vladimir Putin scoffed at the possibility of his country launching an attack on a NATO member, calling it “sheer nonsense,” but warned that any Western air base hosting U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets that are slated for deployment in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for the Kremlin’s forces.
“Their statements about our alleged intention to attack Europe after Ukraine is sheer nonsense,” Putin said late Wednesday, referring to warnings in the U.S. and Western Europe that Russia could turn its sights on other countries unless it is stopped.
He noted that the U.S. defense budget is more than 10 times higher than Russia’s. “In view of that, are we going to wage a war against NATO? It’s ravings,” he told military pilots during a visit to an air base.
The F-16s require a high standard of runways and reinforced hangars to protect them from bombing attacks when they are on the ground. It is not clear how many Ukrainian air bases can meet those requirements, and Russia would be certain to quickly target a few that could accommodate them once the jets arrive.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
August 25, 2023
https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-f16-decision-russia-64538af7c10489d7c2243dadbad31008
first of all Putin is a liar. 2nd of all, Putin considers most of Europe and the middle east Russia, so he wouldn’t be attacking NATO but defending Russia from that perspective.
I am so tired of this soviet wanna be, can someone please just take him out.
Idiocy
Yes, because after Putin there are unicorn riding globalists…
I am so tired of this soviet wanna be, can someone please just take him out.
———-
I am confused, are you talking about Senile Joe?
F-16’s require massive support. As Vlad has already proved his Kinzhals ( and other missiles) have pin point accuracy over long distances, expecting any F16 base to be able to operate is nonsense. They will go the way of all the other western wonder weapons have gone- up in flames….M1’s, Leopard’s, Bradley’s, M113’s, Strykers,Patriots, etc…as we have witnessed time and time again.
That said I, I don’t believe in Unicorns and really wish the war cheerleaders would get off that Hopium drug.
Yes, whole premise is nonsense, because Ukraine's jets are currently NOT operating from bases, otherwise they would have been destroyed long ago.
They will go the way of all the other western wonder weapons have gone- up in flames….M1’s, Leopard’s, Bradley’s, M113’s, Strykers,Patriots, etc…as we have witnessed time and time again.
LOL, sure Russia with the #2 military in the world is trapped in a 25 month endless war because the small amount of western support has all "gone- up in flames". Okay
God bless President Putin and may a pox decend on all the houses of his enemies.
You mean dictator Putin who murdered Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny and imprisons peaceful protestors. You mean the boy-kisser pedophile Putin who makes the world safe for oligarchs and Moscow’s pedophile rings. You mean the Neo-Soviet Putin who bemoans the loss of the earlier Soviet Union and who dedicates NEW Stalin statues. You mean the one who invaded the Republic of Georgia and Ukraine while threatening other neighbors. You mean the Putin who flattens cities and slaughters children. You mean the same guy who sends armored columns flying hammer and sickle flags. You must really love your Bolshevik faggots.
F-16s will do absolutely nothing for Ukraine, even if some manage to make it there. Ad it to the long list of failed “wonder-weapons” the fake-news media breathlessly announces every time - it started with Javelins, and then ATACMS and Himars, then went to Abrams and Patriots. The globohomo puppet regime in Kiev is still losing.
Russia is engaged in a real, kinetic war, while the West is running a propaganda and PR war.
You don’t really want to bring up dictators do you?
Russian forces launching attacks on NATO forces will be legitimate targets for NATO forces.
There is only one dictator who has been in power for about a quarter of a century and is grasping for more years of precious power and that is Putin. Don’t give me any more of your Moscow lies about legitimate President Zelensky. We’ve already refuted your Moscow talking points many times yet you Bolshevik pigs keep repeating them.
F-16s Are No Magic Bullet for Ukraine, but They Are a Game Changer with the Right Munitions
By Michael Bohnert
This commentary originally appeared on Defense News on October 3, 2023.
Now that Ukraine is in line to receive F-16s, opinions surrounding their effectiveness span from being counterproductive to war-winning for Ukraine. While most discussions have focused on the fighters' air-to-air performance and the platform itself, the broader effect of their deployment with the right munitions will be decreased Russian ground strikes.
Neither the Ukrainians nor the Russians have air superiority over the battlefield. Surface-to-air missiles, or SAMs, and anti–air artillery provide the majority of air control for both sides. And yet, Ukraine is too vast for SAMs to cover, as most require line of sight, limiting maximum ranges at lower altitudes. The mobility and line of sight of fighters makes them well suited to defend areas with sparse SAM coverage. Fighters can also avoid adversary SAMs by flying low while also being able to engage aircraft doing the same.
Neither the Ukrainians nor the Russians have air superiority over the battlefield.
The aircraft's first role will likely be supporting air defense by intercepting cruise missiles. Given Russia's low monthly capacity for missile strikes on Ukraine, only a few F-16s are necessary to intercept cruise missiles that enter Ukrainian airspace—providing needed relief to Ukraine's overtaxed SAMs. Some commentators have highlighted the F-16's ability to deploy cruise missiles and other munitions for strikes and interdiction such as the Storm Shadow missiles. However, those weapons are scarce, and F-16s provide only limited additional capacity unless Ukraine receives a large influx of air-to-ground munitions.
As Ukraine gains proficiency with F-16s, the next mission will be suppressing Russian SAMs, a mission that is more involved than stand-off strikes. F-16s are well suited to operate the AGM-88s that Ukraine has been supplied to suppress forward Russian SAMs. These destroyed Russian SAMs are expensive and unlikely to be replaced quickly. Attritting these systems is critical for Ukraine to gain local air superiority, improving the survivability of its drones and ground forces in the process.
The two missions described are possible with the initial pledged F-16s. Of the approximately 60 F-16s promised, only around a dozen are expected by early next year. As more arrive, higher-impact missions become possible.
Russia's limited capacity of stand-off munitions has not hindered its ground attack aircraft and helicopters from striking Ukraine. Initially, Russia resorted to flying below line of sight of Ukrainian SAMs while employing “dumb” bombs. Russia has since adapted to use precision, stand-off glide bombs. Russia has also employed its multi-role aircraft in air-to-ground roles as it faces little resistance in the air. F-16s can target the latter and force the former to air-to-air roles. Whether Russia diverts aircraft to air defense, takes higher risks, or performs fewer strikes, the result is fewer effective Russian air-to-ground strikes.
There will also be downstream effects on Russian operations. Russia has, for example, expended large quantities of its long-range SAMs for ground attacks. Given the high overlap of SAM, ballistic missile, and air-launched missile components, increasing production of SAMs for replenishment will likely come at the expense of other missile production, which means even fewer Russian ground strikes against Ukraine.
F-16s alone are not enough. They require training, support crews, communications, early warning, upgraded avionics, and munitions. This infrastructure takes years to develop and is not likely to be fully fielded in the conflict timeframe. To date, little public discourse exists on exactly what the pledged F-16s will have in terms of capabilities and supporting infrastructure.
Beyond a high probability that Ukraine will receive more AGM-88s and Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), no other public disclosures of F-16 munitions have been announced. NATO's most capable long-range, air-to-air missiles (AAMs) are the U.S. AIM-120D and the UK Meteor. These are necessary to overcome Russia's long-range AAMs, yet neither has been pledged. Even if Russia has been inefficiently using its R-37s by firing from long range and leaving the fight, Russia likely retains large quantities of R-77 missiles. It remains uncertain how many of the AIM-120 variants previously provided for air defense are still available. An F-16 with any AAM is still an improvement over Ukraine's current MIG-29s.
If Ukraine's F-16s are expected to strike ground targets, they will require the right munitions. F-16 munitions designed for fighting Cold War–era ground formations are the upgraded variants the CBU and Rockeye series. Soon these will need decommissioning and will lack host aircraft. Stand-off glide bombs like the GBU-39 are already being offered as ground-launched variants and the air-launched variant could provide needed survivability for the F-16 to strike ground targets.
Will F-16s win the war for Ukraine? No. Only ground victories and unacceptable Russian losses will force Putin to negotiate. The most important support to Ukraine is still artillery, medical equipment, infantry weapons, ground vehicles, and drones. However, a long-term commitment to supporting a well-equipped, sizable F-16 force will improve the likelihood of Ukrainian success even if an F-16 never shoots a Russian fighter.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2023/10/f-16s-are-no-magic-bullet-for-ukraine-but-they-are.html
Of course he will not start a war with NATO. He can’t even conquer Ukraine!
“Bolshevik Pigs”
“Bolshevik faggots”
“boy kisser Pedophile Putin”
Are you off the aripiprazole today? Remember what the doctor told you....
Of course , NATO can respond with force but WWIII is not a good thing at the moment.
I do but speak the truth. It is just sad that Boris Nemtsov was silenced while he was documenting everything I said as an understatement.
There are many brave Russians. Just like in the old Soviet Union, Russia cannot keep its prima ballerinas and Olga Smirnova will keep speaking out even though it is still dangerous for her while out of the country.
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