"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (7 Viewers)

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Admiral Beez said:
I do worry that Ukraine has only this one chance to get their counteroffensive right. I don't think NATO will offering many more modern MBTs or rocket artillery systems, for example. With this in mind I can understand why Ukraine is waiting for the right moment. On the other hand, if Russia can somehow shatter the coming counteroffensive will Ukraine be able to regroup for another attempt and also hold back a new Russian swarm?
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Your concern is I believe right and valid. My concern is and always has been that if Ukraine can make a breakthrough, you can be sure that Russia will throw everything that can fly at the attacking forces. In that situation Ukraine will not have the fighters to protect them and the initiative will be lost, at potentially great cost
 
Glider said:
Your concern is I believe right and valid. My concern is and always has been that if Ukraine can make a breakthrough, you can be sure that Russia will throw everything that can fly at the attacking forces. In that situation Ukraine will not have the fighters to protect them and the initiative will be lost, at potentially great cost
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The Ukrainians will surely start with some "special missions" by special forces. Keep an eye for explosions, deaths, and similar events in the occupied territory.
 
Military expenditures, Ukraine and other countries.
photo_2023-04-29_16-56-48.jpg
 
I'm disappointed Canada only sent eight Leopard 2 tanks. I'd be okay with sending every operational tank we have along with all the spares, tools, ARVs, etc. We only bought them for the Afghan occupation, and we're likely never going to deploy MBTs in strength again. I'd like to keep a tracked fighting vehicle skill set by replacing the Leopards with something more apt for Canada's more usual penny packet sized deployments, like the US Army's MPF vehicle.

canadatoday.news

Mobile Protected Firepower: Meet the US Army's new light tank - Canada Today

Mobile Protected Firepower: Why the Army's New Light Tank Matters - Last month, the US Army announced that General Dynamics Land Systems had been selected to
canadatoday.news canadatoday.news
 
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I understand the US is withholding F-16s, but how do we explain why with the exception of a trio of ex-British, stripped-out Sea Kings, there have been no NATO-designed aircraft whatsoever provided to Ukraine? Even if light attack aircraft like the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet are somehow beyond the capabilities of Ukraine to support and operate, we're not seeing even simple aircraft like old UH-1s. Has NATO made a decision that outside of Russian origin types, fixed wing aircraft of any sort are off the table?

I do like the look of a well armed Alpha Jet.

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Admiral Beez said:
I understand the US is withholding F-16s, but how do we explain why with the exception of a trio of ex-British, stripped-out Sea Kings, there have been no NATO-designed aircraft whatsoever provided to Ukraine? Even if light attack aircraft like the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet are somehow beyond the capabilities of Ukraine to support and operate, we're not seeing even simple aircraft like old UH-1s. Has NATO made a decision that outside of Russian origin types, fixed wing aircraft of any sort are off the table?

I do like the look of a well armed Alpha Jet.View attachment 718385

View attachment 718384
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Where are these "old" aircraft going to come from? Europe doesn't have a boneyard of old aircraft just sitting there in case a non-NATO nation gets invaded by Russia and, contrary to expert opinion, doesn't fold in 2 weeks.

Any, and I mean ANY, aircraft provided from European nations would largely have to come from front-line forces. Aircraft are expensive and there aren't many of them. Giving away old Soviet junk makes sense for the likes of Poland because (a) Ukraine already operates the types, and (b) Poland already has plans to re-equip with more modern Western aircraft. The RAF might be able to get rid of some Tranche 1 Typhoons but those aircraft are not fully mission capable.

You mention UH-1s but, again, where will they come from. Australia, Germany and Israel all stopped flying the type years ago. I think the biggest operator is the Philippines but they're in the process of replacing them with Blackhawks due to a string of recent fatal accidents. Why would Ukraine want a potential death-trap in its inventory?

It's a challenging juggle to maintain front-line capability AND give away air assets to Ukraine. You have to ensure the gap between donation and back-fill isn't too large, and I suspect that's the main problem that people are trying to address.
 
buffnut453 said:
It's a challenging juggle to maintain front-line capability AND give away air assets to Ukraine. You have to ensure the gap between donation and back-fill isn't too large, and I suspect that's the main problem that people are trying to address.
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Good points. With this in mind, I wonder why even the three old and stripped-out Sea Kings were made available. I remain concerned that once Ukraine launches its counteroffensive the until now mostly absent VVS will roar in and overwhelm the small UAF and forward SAM capabilities and quickly gain aerial superiority over the battlefield.
 
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