"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (3 Viewers)

[Admiral Beez]

What does the Turkish Air Force use that F-16s are to replace?

I think it's adding to their existing early model F-16 force, including those made under license in Turkey.

Turkish Air Force - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

What they really wanted are F-35s. But I suspect the US is not ready to offer those to the Muslim world just yet.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/05/4-jarring-signs-of-turkeys-growing-islamization/276425/

 

[buffnut453]

I think it's adding to their existing early model F-16 force, including those made under license in Turkey.

Turkish Air Force - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

What they really wanted are F-35s. But I suspect the US is not ready to offer those to the Muslim world just yet.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/05/4-jarring-signs-of-turkeys-growing-islamization/276425/

The F-35 issue has nothing to do with "the Muslim world" and everything to do with Turkey's purchase of Russian strategic SAM systems which must be integrated with Turkish and NATO IFF and other identification and communication measures. Turkey had signed up to purchase F-35s but that order was turned off because of Turkey's purchase of Russian SAMs.

Russian contractors help maintain and configure those strategic SAMs and would require technical information about the F-35 to integrate them into the Turkish defensive system. It would be incredibly foolish for the US to give away technical information about the F-35 to Russian nationals.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The F-35 issue has nothing to do with "the Muslim world" and everything to do with Turkey's purchase of Russian strategic SAM systems which must be integrated with Turkish and NATO IFF and other identification and communication measures. Turkey had signed up to purchase F-35s but that order was turned off because of Turkey's purchase of Russian SAMs.

Russian contractors help maintain and configure those strategic SAMs and would require technical information about the F-35 to integrate them into the Turkish defensive system. It would be incredibly foolish for the US to give away technical information about the F-35 to Russian nationals.

And Qatar is working out a potential sale.

 

[ARTESH]

On a parallel world ...

" It's still too early for them to fly these hight-tech machines "

 

[Escuadrilla Azul]

And Qatar is working out a potential sale.

The potencial sale of F-35 is on the freezer, AFAIK, due to israelí concerns on losing the qualitative edge in the region.

Don't forget that SA & UAE blocked that country due to alleged ties with Irán.

 

[GTX]

I can't say for surw about Sweden, but Finland would most likely send missiles back.

Russia seems to forget that Finland is a charter member of the "f**k around and find out" club.

Yeah, a bunch of AGM-158s might find a use very quickly.

 

[Glider]

What's the point of building two expensive flattops if you don't procure airplanes to base upon them?

I will bet almost any money you want no one from the current government will give a decent response to that question

 

[GrauGeist]

And Qatar is working out a potential sale.

Indonesia has expressed interest in buying some.

 

[RogerdeLluria]

Tweets that didn't age well

This one is specially meaningful today that turkey has raised his veto to Finland and Sweden

 

[buffnut453]

Scott Ritter...that guy's a real piece of work!

 

[SaparotRob]

I have never heard of the fellow before. Is he an otherwise reliable source of non-biased commentary and news?

 

[MiTasol]

I think he doubles down on a certain TV network using a name like Trucker something

 

[buffnut453]

I have never heard of the fellow before. Is he an otherwise reliable source of non-biased commentary and news?

No, he's a self-aggrandizing jerk who made his name criticizing American policy regarding Iraq. I have no problem with that but lately he's become a mouthpiece for Russia because he refuses to accept the western media's portrayal of the invasion of Ukraine. Oh….and he's been arrested twice and convicted once of making inappropriate approaches to underage girls online, including exposing himself. I respect his military service but in all other respects the guy is a douchebag.

 

[gumbyk]

No, he's a self-aggrandizing jerk who made his name criticizing American policy regarding Iraq. I have no problem with that but lately he's become a mouthpiece for Russia because he refuses to accept the western media's portrayal of the invasion of Ukraine. Oh….and he's been arrested twice and convicted once of making inappropriate approaches to underage girls online, including exposing himself. I respect his military service but in all other respects the guy is a douchebag.

What?!? He's American?

 

[buffnut453]

What?!? He's American?

A retired USMC intelligence officer.

 

[GrauGeist]

What?!? He's American?

Sadly, yes...

 

[buffnut453]

He also famously declared of the invasion of Iraq, "The United States is going to leave Iraq with its tail between its legs, defeated. It is a war we can not win ... We do not have the military means to take over Baghdad and for this reason I believe the defeat of the United States in this war is inevitable ... Every time we confront Iraqi troops we may win some tactical battles, as we did for ten years in Vietnam, but we will not be able to win this war, which in my opinion is already lost."

 

[FLYBOYJ]

A retired USMC intelligence officer.

He's the poster child, "Military Intelligence is an Oxymoron."

 

[GrauGeist]

I suspect that he, and other noise-making clowns like him, get some form of kickback from Moscow.

Russia is very skilled in the art of information wars and getting high profile mouthpieces like Ritter to spew crap and confusion in their favor cannot be a coincidence.

 

[buffnut453]

I suspect that he, and other noise-making clowns like him, get some form of kickback from Moscow.

Russia is very skilled in the art of information wars and getting high profile mouthpieces like Ritter to spew crap and confusion in their favor cannot be a coincidence.

If not, then they're a virulent internal threat to the US. He's loudly promoted the idea that the Bucha Massacre was conducted by Ukraine and that Russia wasn't to blame for it. I'm all for free speech but sometimes it really bites when idiots like him directly undermine actual evidence.

I understand his antipathy to the western media but what about western intelligence services? Are they all part of the great conspiracy against Russia? Oh, and not forgetting the UN's war crimes investigators. If Ukraine perpetrated these crimes, why would they actively invite investigators to view the scenes and gather evidence? Yes, it could be staged but the scale of stuff that's been reported as under investigation means it would be impossible to perfectly mock-up all the evidence.

He's another of these oxygen thieves who makes bold claims and when called on them jumps straight to conspiracy theories. He's incredibly arrogant, and firmly of the opinion that he's right and everyone else is an idiot...and yet, AFAIK, he only made it to major in the military. There simply aren't words....