"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (8 Viewers)

[GrauGeist]

Great overview, Biff

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Here it goes.

First, the F-16A and the MiG-29A are a pretty close fight performance wise, with the Viper having better legs, better man machine interface (by a large margin) and better weapons.

The later block F-16s with big engines (GE F-110 or PW F100-229) have a large performance advantage over most of the late model MiG-29s.

Second the Russian Air Force has had a stressful relationship with the MiG-29, maintenance problems, suffering extended groundings, and of course lots of crashes. On top of that their upgrade programs have been sporadic, and not all encompassing (quite a few aircraft received little or no upgrades).

Third, and most importantly the average Russian fighter pilot gets substantially less flying training than his Western counterparts. Emphasis on substantial. Not only does he / she get less flying, the quality is also in my opinion, MUCH less.

Of note the Ukrainian fighter pilots have been training for years with the Western fighter pilots and are fully versed in our methodology. They are flying outdated Russian hardware and doing some great work in my opinion.

Also of note is the Russians are dropping iron bombs (non-smart or unguided weapons) from more "modern" equipment. Indicates lack of smart weapons stockpiled or lack of training on them. Or both. Resulting in modern, expensive aircraft that have to get close to hit their targets, exposing them to simple defenses that appear to be wreaking havoc among them.

To directly answer your question I would put money on the Western trained Viper pilot over either the Russian MiG or SU driver. I think we are seeing that the 800lb Gorilla weights 350lbs and has a bum leg.

They do however have a nuclear ace up their sleeve.

Cheers,
Biff

Thanks Biff - always welcome your input!

Now throw F-16s armed with AIM-120 AMRAAMs into the mix. Are the Ruskie MiG-29 drivers "smoked caviar"?

 

[BiffF15]

Thanks Biff - always welcome your input!

Now throw F-16s armed with AIM-120 AMRAAMs into the mix. Are the Ruskie MiG-29 drivers "smoked caviar"?

The Russians have an AMRAAMski called the AA-12 Adder. However, I'm not sure which aircraft have been modified to carry it. The late F-15C models, tails 85-xxx and 86-xxx came from the factory with the hardware (not software) to shoot AMRAAMs. All other F-15A-Ds had to be modified to carry the AIM-120. The Russians have AA-10Cs and Ds, which are also capable weapons.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Here it goes.

First, the F-16A and the MiG-29A are a pretty close fight performance wise, with the Viper having better legs, better man machine interface (by a large margin) and better weapons.

The later block F-16s with big engines (GE F-110 or PW F100-229) have a large performance advantage over most of the late model MiG-29s.

Second the Russian Air Force has had a stressful relationship with the MiG-29, maintenance problems, suffering extended groundings, and of course lots of crashes. On top of that their upgrade programs have been sporadic, and not all encompassing (quite a few aircraft received little or no upgrades).

Third, and most importantly the average Russian fighter pilot gets substantially less flying training than his Western counterparts. Emphasis on substantial. Not only does he / she get less flying, the quality is also in my opinion, MUCH less.

Of note the Ukrainian fighter pilots have been training for years with the Western fighter pilots and are fully versed in our methodology. They are flying outdated Russian hardware and doing some great work in my opinion.

Also of note is the Russians are dropping iron bombs (non-smart or unguided weapons) from more "modern" equipment. Indicates lack of smart weapons stockpiled or lack of training on them. Or both. Resulting in modern, expensive aircraft that have to get close to hit their targets, exposing them to simple defenses that appear to be wreaking havoc among them.

To directly answer your question I would put money on the Western trained Viper pilot over either the Russian MiG or SU driver. I think we are seeing that the 800lb Gorilla weights 350lbs and has a bum leg.

They do however have a nuclear ace up their sleeve.

Cheers,
Biff

Thank you for taking the time to lay that out, bud.

 

[ThomasP]

I had to laugh a bit at the final comment by one of the posters on Facebook re the Reuters article that Dimlee referenced in his post#8,075:

"Something is seriously wrong with Russia."

Fact Check-Russian TV show clip predates the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

A clip of a Russian television show segment shared on social media websites predates the February 2022 war in Ukraine. The video clip, from the program “60 Minutes”, initially aired in early December 2021, not March 2022, as suggested by some social media users, and shows...

www.reuters.com

 

[SaparotRob]

I was clicking through various news articles. I saw one from the NY Post, a news outlet I usually disregard. It's article stated that rockets were fired from Belorussia into Ukraine. Any confirmation on this?

 

[GrauGeist]

I was clicking through various news articles. I saw one from the NY Post, a news outlet I usually disregard. It's article stated that rockets were fired from Belorussia into Ukraine. Any confirmation on this?

Rockets and bombers.

It appears Belarus is still allowing Russia to use it's territory.

Ukraine reports 'massive' attack from Belarus

Ukraine said it came under "massive bombardment" Saturday (25 June) from neighbouring Belarus, a Russian ally not officially involved in the conflict, the day after announcing a retreat from the strategic city of Severodonetsk.

www.euractiv.com

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Mussoshenko is still at it, eh?

 

[GrauGeist]

Yep, still dangling from Putler's teat...

 

[SaparotRob]

Bet there are some tasty logistical centers and airbases in Belorussia.

Mussoshenko is still at it, eh?

Douche-A! Douche-A! Douche-A!

 

[Glider]

Bet there are some tasty logistical centers and airbases in Belorussia.

Douche-A! Douche-A! Douche-A!

If Russia continues to use Belarus, then in theory there is nothing to stop Ukraine using say Poland.

 

[GrauGeist]

If Russia continues to use Belarus, then in theory there is nothing to stop Ukraine using say Poland.

But there is the thread-worn Russian whine of "NATO".

 

[Glider]

But there is the thread-worn Russian whine of "NATO".

Let them. Or alternatively launch precision strikes against Belarus from Ukraine. As Sparatrob rightly points out, there must be some very important and probably lightly defended targets. Right now there are no consequences in letting your land be used by Russia. Let them know that there are consequences.

Right now Putin and his cronies have a slow brutal approach, that tragically is working. The Status Quo has to be broken somehow.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Just make sure the IFF is active, otherwise the UAF's trigger happy MANPADS lads will own goal them.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Mussoshenko is still at it, eh?

It's only a matter of time before the Belorussians do a Ceaușescu. Especially once they see Ukraine begin postwar reconstruction, join the EU and accelerate their westernization. The grass will definitely look greener across the border, and the Belorussians won't stand for it.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

It's only a matter of time before the Belorussians do a Ceaușescu. Especially once they see Ukraine begin postwar reconstruction, join the EU and accelerate their westernization. The grass will definitely look greener across the border, and the Belorussians won't stand for it.

I hope you're right.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Just make sure the IFF is active, otherwise the UAF's trigger happy MANPADS lads will own goal them.

As pointed out in the discussion upthread, MANPADs generally don't have IFF receivers.

 

[GTX]

Russian fighter fired and lost a secret missile in Ukraine

Russian fighter jet lost a secret air-to-air missile during strikes into northern Ukraine, according to social media posts from Voyennyy Osvedomitel. Ukrainian emergency services have found and unearthed wreckages of Russian-made R-77-1 medium-range air-to-air missile, also known as Izdeliye...

defence-blog.com

 

[GTX]

Russia's war in Ukraine: Fighting for Ukrainian sovereignty and global order - His Excellency Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Just make sure the IFF is active, otherwise the UAF's trigger happy MANPADS lads will own goal them.

Most Manpads are heat seeking so IFF will not do much for you.