ALERT RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE - Consolidated Thread
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bw
Fringe Ranger
Would you care to share it with us?
informed opinion on the possible next russian offensive
synopsis: he thinks no matter where the go, they are a spent force
15 min
View: https://youtu.be/A2UAqWB59AU
synopsis: he thinks no matter where the go, they are a spent force
15 min
bw
Fringe Ranger
Shoot straight up and wait for the earth to rotate below it.
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I've been reading "The Forgotten Soldier" an autobiography by Guy Sajer, which some on here have recommended, and it is a good read and thanks to all especially Doc1 for the recommendation.
I'm at the part where he recounts the retreat from Belgorod.
As noted here: Belgorod–Kharkov offensive operation - Wikipedia
The Belgorod–Kharkov strategic offensive operation, or simply Belgorod–Kharkov offensive operation, was a Soviet strategic summer offensive that aimed to recapture Belgorod and Kharkov, and destroy the German forces of the 4th Panzer Army and Army Detachment Kempf. The operation was codenamed Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev (Russian: Полководец Румянцев), after the 18th-century Field Marshal Peter Rumyantsev and was conducted by the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts (army groups) in the southern sector of the Kursk Bulge. The battle was referred to as the Fourth Battle of Kharkov (German: Vierte Schlacht bei Charkow) by the Germans.[7][8]
The operation began in the early hours of 3 August 1943, with the objective of following up the successful Soviet defensive effort in the Battle of Kursk. The offensive was directed against the German Army Group South's northern flank. By 23 August, the troops of the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts had recaptured Kharkov. It was the last time that Kharkov changed hands during the Soviet-German War. The operation led to the retreat of the German forces in Ukraine behind the Dnieper River and set the stage for the Battle of Kiev in autumn 1943.
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Belgorod-Kharkov offensive operation | |||||||
| Part of the Eastern Front of World War II | |||||||
Map of the offensive | |||||||
| |||||||
|
| ||||||
| Erich von Manstein | Ivan Konev | ||||||
| 200,000 men 237 tanks and assault guns at the outset | 1,144,000 men[1] 2,418 tanks[2] 13,633 guns and rocket launchers[2] | ||||||
| 25,068 - 26,289 8,933–10,154 killed or missing 16,135 wounded[3] 240 tanks lost[4] unknown guns | 177,586–255,566 43,282–71,611 killed or missing 183,955 wounded[5] 1,864 tanks lost[6] 423 artillery guns[6] 153 aircraft[6] |
posted the above to illustrate the men engaged and their loses on both sides. The Russians won.
And in the book Guy mentions the human wave of soldiers, who he called "The Siberians" who did not stop even after being decimated.
Even though Russia today has upgraded their arms, sending waves of men, is still in their playbook.
It's not WOULD have died, but rather DID die.
And just like Hitler, Zippy doesn't mind using up his people. I will add neither does Putin, it's just that he has more of them.
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
EU To Train 30,000 Ukrainian Troops As Kiev's Losses Mount
Authored by Kyle Anzalone & Connor Freeman via The Libertarian Institute,The European Union doubled its pledge to train Ukrainian forces from 15,000 to 30,000 troops. The EU made the announcement shortly after Berlin found Kiev was losing hundreds of soldiers a day fighting in just one Eastern Ukrainian city.
"This will be reached probably before the end of the second quarter of this year and there will be a new additional target of a further 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained by various European countries,” an EU official said on Wednesday. The official added, "that will bring the number of Ukrainian soldiers trained in this scheme to 30,000."
Kiev is hosting a summit for the EU beginning on Friday. While Ukraine hopes to receive a path to EU membership during the summit, that now appears unlikely. The increase in the number of troops to be trained is expected to be unveiled at the conference in Kiev.
Members of the EU pledged to send German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Kiev last week. It’s unclear what training the 15,000 Ukrainian troops will receive, including if they will learn how to operate the tanks.
The war has dragged on for nearly a year and Ukraine has suffered significant losses. In November, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said 120,000 Ukrainians had been killed. She claimed that about 20,000 civilians have been killed, along with over 100,000 soldiers. More recently, the German foreign intelligence service has assessed that Kiev is losing a "three-digit number" of forces every day as Ukraine and Russia battle for Bakhmut.
Kiev has used mass conscription to fill out its ranks, the government has gone as far as barring all fighting-age men from leaving the country. Indicating some of the Ukrainian trainees’ inexperience, Maj. Craig Hutton, a British officer who was overseeing a training program in August, said "we are running a basic infantry course, which takes Ukrainian recruits and teaches them to shoot well."
The U.S. recently expanded its training program for Ukrainian forces in Grafenwoehr, Germany. The Pentagon’s goal is to – in six to eight weeks – put 500 troops through "combined arms" training. The British currently have a similar program. In Oklahoma, the Pentagon is training about 100 Ukrainian troops on how to operate Patriot missile defense systems. As with the Americans and the British, the EU member states are inching toward direct conflict with Moscow by deepening their involvement in the war.
While addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock recently declared "we are fighting a war against Russia."
EU To Train 30,000 Ukrainian Troops As Kiev's Losses Mount | ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com
Boy am I behind the times, I thought Ukraine was fighting the war against Russia, my bad. I also wonder if it sounds as bad to the Ukrainians as it does to me.
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
UK Military Would Run Out of Ammo In One Day of Fighting Russia, Warns General
The British military’s supply of ammunition would run dry in just one day in a direct engagement with Russia as a result of years of spending cuts to the nation’s defence, a former top general has warned.
General Sir Richard Barrons, who formerly served as the Joint Forces chief, claimed that spending cuts have depleted the British military to such an extent that, in a hot war with Russia, the UK would run out of ammunition and artillery shells within just one day.
According to research conducted by The Sun newspaper, the United Kingdom’s ammunition plants would need at least one year to produce the amount of shells currently used by the Ukrainians in their conflict with Russia.
“This is truly shocking. But it is true. And we must fix it,” General Barrons wrote. “The UK spends more on defence than any EU ally and our brave Armed Forces have long been one of Britain’s most influential levers around the world.”
“Yet for decades they have been hollowed out by spending cuts,” he added, saying that the government would need to spend an additional £3 billion per year on the military to fall in line with the top level of the NATO alliance.
The Ministry of Defence, for its part, said that while ammunition levels are “highly classified”, it was boosting spending on ammunition stockpiles to “more than pre-invasion levels” with an extra £560 million earmarked by the Treasury.
The MoD also suggested that judging Britain’s readiness by the current conflict’s standards was disingenuous.
“The war in Ukraine is an example of Soviet doctrine which uses vast quantities of artillery. We do not, nor ever have, used artillery in such methods, so to try and draw such conclusions is misleading,” they claimed.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also said this week that the United Kingdom’s defence apparatus has been “hollowed out and underfunded” — although he neglected to mention who was responsible for this.
“There’s a recognition that as the world gets more dangerous, unstable, defence should continue to get a growing proportion of spend, we can then debate how much that proportion should be,” he said.
In the first seven years after the so-called Conservative Party came into power after 2010, annual defence spending fell by £6.6 billion in real terms — a reduction of 14.6 per cent compared to the 2009-10 budget.
While slashing the military budget, the supposedly right-wing government has poured billions into left-wing projects such green energy and foreign aid, ironically including money for other nations’ militaries.
However, last year the government finally promised to increase military spending, pledging £7 billion in extra funding for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which should see defence spending rise to £51.7 billion.
Despite the apparent lack of military readiness, war hawks in the Conservative Party such as former prime minister Boris Johnson and the head of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood, have both called this week for Britain to double down on its support for Ukraine, with Mr Johnson calling for the government to send fighter jets to the Ukrainians.
Ellwood, meanwhile, said that Britain should engage “directly” with Russia in Ukraine rather than letting the local fighting force “do all the work”, despite noting that currently the British military is in a “dire” state, with 10,000 fewer troops than necessary.
“It is up to the Treasury and Number 10 to recognise the world is changing — we are now at war in Europe, we need to move to a war footing,” Ellwood said.
UK Military Would Run Out of Ammo In One Day Against Russia: General
The British military's supply of ammunition would run dry in just one day in a direct engagement with Russia, a former top general has warned.
www.breitbart.com
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AlfaMan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Plus the hull down shoot capacity on a leopard is similar to a t 62- 4 degrees. A T 72 could eat a leopard 1s lunch!
Countrymouse
Country exile in the city
Bet we're well-supplied in fingernail polish for our 'generals,' however..............UK Military Would Run Out of Ammo In One Day of Fighting Russia, Warns General
The British military’s supply of ammunition would run dry in just one day in a direct engagement with Russia as a result of years of spending cuts to the nation’s defence, a former top general has warned.
General Sir Richard Barrons, who formerly served as the Joint Forces chief, claimed that spending cuts have depleted the British military to such an extent that, in a hot war with Russia, the UK would run out of ammunition and artillery shells within just one day.
According to research conducted by The Sun newspaper, the United Kingdom’s ammunition plants would need at least one year to produce the amount of shells currently used by the Ukrainians in their conflict with Russia.
“This is truly shocking. But it is true. And we must fix it,” General Barrons wrote. “The UK spends more on defence than any EU ally and our brave Armed Forces have long been one of Britain’s most influential levers around the world.”
“Yet for decades they have been hollowed out by spending cuts,” he added, saying that the government would need to spend an additional £3 billion per year on the military to fall in line with the top level of the NATO alliance.
The Ministry of Defence, for its part, said that while ammunition levels are “highly classified”, it was boosting spending on ammunition stockpiles to “more than pre-invasion levels” with an extra £560 million earmarked by the Treasury.
The MoD also suggested that judging Britain’s readiness by the current conflict’s standards was disingenuous.
“The war in Ukraine is an example of Soviet doctrine which uses vast quantities of artillery. We do not, nor ever have, used artillery in such methods, so to try and draw such conclusions is misleading,” they claimed.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also said this week that the United Kingdom’s defence apparatus has been “hollowed out and underfunded” — although he neglected to mention who was responsible for this.
“There’s a recognition that as the world gets more dangerous, unstable, defence should continue to get a growing proportion of spend, we can then debate how much that proportion should be,” he said.
In the first seven years after the so-called Conservative Party came into power after 2010, annual defence spending fell by £6.6 billion in real terms — a reduction of 14.6 per cent compared to the 2009-10 budget.
While slashing the military budget, the supposedly right-wing government has poured billions into left-wing projects such green energy and foreign aid, ironically including money for other nations’ militaries.
However, last year the government finally promised to increase military spending, pledging £7 billion in extra funding for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which should see defence spending rise to £51.7 billion.
Despite the apparent lack of military readiness, war hawks in the Conservative Party such as former prime minister Boris Johnson and the head of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood, have both called this week for Britain to double down on its support for Ukraine, with Mr Johnson calling for the government to send fighter jets to the Ukrainians.
Ellwood, meanwhile, said that Britain should engage “directly” with Russia in Ukraine rather than letting the local fighting force “do all the work”, despite noting that currently the British military is in a “dire” state, with 10,000 fewer troops than necessary.
“It is up to the Treasury and Number 10 to recognise the world is changing — we are now at war in Europe, we need to move to a war footing,” Ellwood said.
UK Military Would Run Out of Ammo In One Day Against Russia: General
The British military's supply of ammunition would run dry in just one day in a direct engagement with Russia, a former top general has warned.
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yep and lipstick. And don't forget to carry the black eyebrow pencil so you can put your beauty mark on your cheek.
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
As noted at the bottom, Ukraine in what ever shape it ends up in now, no longer will have an outlet to the sea due to the constant escalation the DS has pushed. Stupid choices sometimes have bad consequences.
So sad that so many have died, and will die, all for the power lust of the DS.
@@@@
German tanks with crosses disrupt Russian genetic memory like nothing else on earth
4th February 2023
by Peter Yermelin
Moscow considers the competition for the supply of tanks between NATO countries as an escalation of hostilities. On February 2, speaking in Volgograd at a concert in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, Russian President Putin said that German tanks once again threaten Russia.
« Incredible, but true: German Leopard tanks with crosses on them threaten us again. Once again they will fight against us on the land of Ukraine by the hands of Hitler's descendants – by the hands of Bandera supporters said Putin.
Moscow does not send tanks to the border of states that drag European countries into the new war against Russia. However, Moscow knows how to react.
« The modern war with Russia will be completely different for them said Putin.
German tanks adorned with crosses disturb and disrupt the genetic memory of Russian soldiers and civilians.
Deliveries of Leopard and Abrams heavy tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the amount of 100-150 combat vehicles are scheduled for April.
Announcing the delivery of 31 Abrams tanks, US President Joe Biden said the Ukrainians were preparing for a counteroffensive. The White House hopes the arms transfer will help Ukraine regain lost territory, including Crimea.
Western journalists have already started talking about an opportunity for strikes on Russian targets using long-range missiles. The next step was also defined: the closure of the skies of Western Ukraine. Until recently, they ruled out such a possibility, but this is how they discussed a possibility of supplying tanks as well.
According to the Pentagon's design, the tanks help the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack the cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia with a view to reaching Crimea. It is obvious that the offensive must be thwarted, otherwise the losses will be heavy.
Russia must make every effort to ensure that NATO tanks are not delivered to Ukrainian troops.
We want to believe that the Russian special operation command understands this necessity. Russian forces staged additional operations on the fronts of the Zaporizhzhia region and the Donetsk People's Republic, in the direction of Vuhledar. It was reported that Russian troops entered the city and took control of the highway leading from Pokrovsky to Vuhledar.
Immediately after Joe Biden announced that Washington was ready to supply Abrams tanks, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a drone attack in the direction of kyiv, Dnepropetrovsk (at an industrial enterprise), as well as in the part of the region of Kyiv-controlled Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odessa regions.
Then, on Jan. 26, about six Tu-95s took off from the Murmansk region and launched missiles at targets in Ukraine, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said. Attacks were confirmed in Odessa (probably on a substation in Usatovo), in Vinnytsia and in the region, in the Kyiv region (possibly on the kyiv pumped storage power plant, the Darnitskaya thermal power plant or car repair shop).
Destroying the energy system and the military bases of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is far from enough. The primary objective is to prevent the arrival of NATO tanks in Ukrainian military units. They must be destroyed at border checkpoints when crossing the Ukrainian border and changing the gauge of railway tracks.
The more aid Ukraine receives from the West, the wider the borders of the special operation. Security Council Deputy President Dmitry Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel that “ the kyiv regime will soon have no outlet to the sea ". It can be assumed that Russian forces will take control of the city of Odessa.
Reference: During the Great Patriotic War, Nazi Germany used Tiger tanks which were marked with the symbols of the Wehrmacht – the Balkenkreuz crosses.
So sad that so many have died, and will die, all for the power lust of the DS.
@@@@
German tanks with crosses disrupt Russian genetic memory like nothing else on earth
4th February 2023
by Peter Yermelin
Moscow considers the competition for the supply of tanks between NATO countries as an escalation of hostilities. On February 2, speaking in Volgograd at a concert in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, Russian President Putin said that German tanks once again threaten Russia.
« Incredible, but true: German Leopard tanks with crosses on them threaten us again. Once again they will fight against us on the land of Ukraine by the hands of Hitler's descendants – by the hands of Bandera supporters said Putin.
Moscow does not send tanks to the border of states that drag European countries into the new war against Russia. However, Moscow knows how to react.
« The modern war with Russia will be completely different for them said Putin.
German tanks adorned with crosses disturb and disrupt the genetic memory of Russian soldiers and civilians.
Deliveries of Leopard and Abrams heavy tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the amount of 100-150 combat vehicles are scheduled for April.
Announcing the delivery of 31 Abrams tanks, US President Joe Biden said the Ukrainians were preparing for a counteroffensive. The White House hopes the arms transfer will help Ukraine regain lost territory, including Crimea.
Western journalists have already started talking about an opportunity for strikes on Russian targets using long-range missiles. The next step was also defined: the closure of the skies of Western Ukraine. Until recently, they ruled out such a possibility, but this is how they discussed a possibility of supplying tanks as well.
According to the Pentagon's design, the tanks help the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack the cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia with a view to reaching Crimea. It is obvious that the offensive must be thwarted, otherwise the losses will be heavy.
NATO tanks won't even hit AFU units
Russia must make every effort to ensure that NATO tanks are not delivered to Ukrainian troops.
We want to believe that the Russian special operation command understands this necessity. Russian forces staged additional operations on the fronts of the Zaporizhzhia region and the Donetsk People's Republic, in the direction of Vuhledar. It was reported that Russian troops entered the city and took control of the highway leading from Pokrovsky to Vuhledar.
Immediately after Joe Biden announced that Washington was ready to supply Abrams tanks, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a drone attack in the direction of kyiv, Dnepropetrovsk (at an industrial enterprise), as well as in the part of the region of Kyiv-controlled Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odessa regions.
Then, on Jan. 26, about six Tu-95s took off from the Murmansk region and launched missiles at targets in Ukraine, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said. Attacks were confirmed in Odessa (probably on a substation in Usatovo), in Vinnytsia and in the region, in the Kyiv region (possibly on the kyiv pumped storage power plant, the Darnitskaya thermal power plant or car repair shop).
Destroying the energy system and the military bases of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is far from enough. The primary objective is to prevent the arrival of NATO tanks in Ukrainian military units. They must be destroyed at border checkpoints when crossing the Ukrainian border and changing the gauge of railway tracks.
The next objective of the special operation is Odessa
The more aid Ukraine receives from the West, the wider the borders of the special operation. Security Council Deputy President Dmitry Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel that “ the kyiv regime will soon have no outlet to the sea ". It can be assumed that Russian forces will take control of the city of Odessa.
Reference: During the Great Patriotic War, Nazi Germany used Tiger tanks which were marked with the symbols of the Wehrmacht – the Balkenkreuz crosses.
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wait-n-see
Veteran Member
The actual question is ..... will Ukraine ever see these missiles as it will be 9 months from now even if they start production on them today.
Odds are more that the US will keep them for our own defense as Ukraine will not be in a position to accept any more weapons by then.
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Ukraine may receive long-range GLSDB missiles in nine months, says Bloomberg
Fri, February 3, 2023
These nine months start from from the moment the manufacturing contract was signed, Bloomberg noted.
The bombs have never been manufactured for export, manufacturer Boeing said.
"No more than $200 million would be allocated to the Boeing weapon initially," one of the officials said to Bloomberg.
The GLSDB bombs are a ground-launched small diameter bomb with the addition of a rocket motor – the same used in M26 rockets for HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. The range of the bomb is extended to approximately 150 km via additional "wings" that open during flight. An on-board GPS System-aided Inertial Navigation System helps to improve the precision of the munition.
In addition to these "smart bombs", an upcoming U.S. military aid package to Ukraine will also include Claymore anti-personnel mines, 155-mm Excalibur GPS-guided shells, Patriot missile support equipment, Mk 153 portable missile launchers, and winter clothes, Bloomberg wrote.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier called the provision of long-range missiles one of Ukraine’s three military priorities (alongside tanks and fighter jets) that have no consensus among Ukraine's partner nations.
Partner nations only agreed to send modern tanks to the country – in particular the German Leopard 2, UK Challenger 2 and U.S. M1 Abrams – in January.
On Jan. 20, the United States announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $2.5 billion that will include Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles, Avenger Air Defense Systems, 155-mm high precision shells and much more.
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Doc1
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have no inside sources, but I very strongly suspect that there is ongoing communications and negotiations behind the scenes between Ukraine/NATO and Russia. Recall also that Blinken (supposedly) recently made a peace offer to the Russians offering 20% of Ukrainian territory in return for an end to the war.
You will also notice that there have been no recent attacks on the Kerch Bridge or other important strategic sites. Similarly, we aren't hearing of any serious Russian attacks on Kiev or other important, western Ukrainian targets. Additionally, the various attacks inside Russia seem to have stopped. Note specifically that I'm not saying that there have been no attacks; only that the tempo seems to have slowed considerably. Russia and NATO both have the capability to inflict far more (conventional) damage than either has thus far, though for reasons of distance if nothing else attacks are much easier for the Russians.
Again, I suspect that there is a flurry of behind-the-scenes negotiations currently taking place, which accounts for this seeming lull in the fighting. This could well be the 'calm before the storm' if the negotiations fail. If the Russians wanted to take Kharkov or Kiev, they could effectively flatten those cities with missile attacks before going in with ground forces.
Personally, I believe that Russia's ultimate interest is grabbing Odessa and creating a land bridge to Transnistria. This would be of far more utility to them than taking Kharkov or Kiev.
Currently, all of us on this board are like spectators at a bull fight, wondering whether the bull or the matador will be bested.
We shall see.
Best
Doc
Excellent short range weapon - especially for attacking trenches - BUT - yes always a BUT-
The range of this weapon is only around 10 km for the standard round - they can go up to 19 km with rocket-assisted shells - so what is the chance Ukraine still has any of the rocket-assisted ammo?
But even with them - 19 to 20 km range - well within the range of Russian artillery which has been VERY effective in counter battery actions - once the M240 is fired it can take 25+ min to pack up and move - this gives the Russian a good half hour to target this system - again another good PR piece from Ukraine. Not so good for the actor/troops when the Russian counter strike comes in - more dead Ukrainians - but at least they succeeded in getting a good twitter shot off!
Info on the M240 and related self-propelled 2s4
2S4 Tyulpan 240 mm Self-Propelled Mortar | Military-Today.com
The 2S4 Tyulpan self-propelled mortar was developed in the late 1960s. It was accepted to service with the Soviet Army in 1971. Around 400 of these vehicles were built.
www.military-today.com
going for Odessa now would be a stretch.
they can't cross the Dnipro at Kherson with heavy stuff, and it is also up hill. and the northern route would involve taking Zaporozhe and keeping it.
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
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What ever could be the reason the DS wants so badly to splinter Russia and take it over?
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View: https://twitter.com/NoMoreNATO/status/1621465386007908353?cxt=HHwWgsC-ya-LzYAtAAAA
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Our current state of ABM capability in the USA!
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View: https://twitter.com/runews/status/1621611231575515139
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How many of us feel this way today???
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View: https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/status/1621434892549586947?cxt=HHwWhoC8zbWcv4AtAAAA
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Guess that Russia is not the only one who has incompetent service personal?
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View: https://twitter.com/thesiriusreport/status/1621145110665916421?cxt=HHwWisDTqfK4u_8sAAAA
What ever could be the reason the DS wants so badly to splinter Russia and take it over?
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View: https://twitter.com/NoMoreNATO/status/1621465386007908353?cxt=HHwWgsC-ya-LzYAtAAAA
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Our current state of ABM capability in the USA!
@@@
View: https://twitter.com/runews/status/1621611231575515139
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How many of us feel this way today???
@@@
View: https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/status/1621434892549586947?cxt=HHwWhoC8zbWcv4AtAAAA
@@@
Guess that Russia is not the only one who has incompetent service personal?
@@@
View: https://twitter.com/thesiriusreport/status/1621145110665916421?cxt=HHwWisDTqfK4u_8sAAAA
bw
Fringe Ranger
Why are bolts getting broken? Something is under more stress than it was designed for. Not comforting.
jward
passin' thru
Samuel Ramani
@SamRamani2
5m
BREAKING: Portugal agrees to supply Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine
Portugal will secure parts from Germany to revitalize inoperable Leopard-2 tanks Portugal says it has calculated the number of tanks that will be dispatched but won't release the number yet
@SamRamani2
5m
BREAKING: Portugal agrees to supply Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine
Portugal will secure parts from Germany to revitalize inoperable Leopard-2 tanks Portugal says it has calculated the number of tanks that will be dispatched but won't release the number yet
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
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Even the Ukrainian people are disgusted with the amount of corruption in their own government. Hey, lets dump billions of dollars to that same government with no accounting of where it goes! Nothing could go wrong, right?
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View: https://twitter.com/SprinterBV0000/status/1621905226922967040?cxt=HHwWgIC-4b2NlYItAAAA
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More canon fodder for the glory of Zippy!!
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View: https://twitter.com/SprinterBV0000/status/1621904998153031680?cxt=HHwWgMC8pZWAlYItAAAA
View: https://twitter.com/SprinterBV0000/status/1621899647135481857?cxt=HHwWgoC8jdnIkoItAAAA
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Too bad that those who plant the seeds for wars are not the ones who have to do the actual fighting.
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View: https://twitter.com/SprinterBV0000/status/1621878900379746305?cxt=HHwWgoCw3YmRiYItAAAA
View: https://twitter.com/yanvonzeebroeck/status/1621793385479651328?cxt=HHwWgIC-ibqf4oEtAAAA
Even the Ukrainian people are disgusted with the amount of corruption in their own government. Hey, lets dump billions of dollars to that same government with no accounting of where it goes! Nothing could go wrong, right?
@@@
View: https://twitter.com/SprinterBV0000/status/1621905226922967040?cxt=HHwWgIC-4b2NlYItAAAA
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More canon fodder for the glory of Zippy!!
@@@
View: https://twitter.com/SprinterBV0000/status/1621904998153031680?cxt=HHwWgMC8pZWAlYItAAAA
View: https://twitter.com/SprinterBV0000/status/1621899647135481857?cxt=HHwWgoC8jdnIkoItAAAA
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Too bad that those who plant the seeds for wars are not the ones who have to do the actual fighting.
@@@
View: https://twitter.com/SprinterBV0000/status/1621878900379746305?cxt=HHwWgoCw3YmRiYItAAAA
View: https://twitter.com/yanvonzeebroeck/status/1621793385479651328?cxt=HHwWgIC-ibqf4oEtAAAA
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Agree - taking Kiev or any of the Western part of Ukraine (effectively Poland) would be a major PITA - not worth the time, money and effort to attempt to control - while there has been limited to no action related to Odessa without question that city and port are on the Russian menu. Currently the main act is in the Donbas which is both a Political as well as Military priory. It is necessary to push back Ukrainian artillery to stop their shelling of cities in the Dombas - 99% of the reason Russia started this SMO - their primary goal.
Currently the line of contact is huge - where Russia goes post the Bakhmut operation is hard to say - but unless the US actually wants to end this Russia has no choice but to continue. But having been lied to time and time again there is no way Russia is going to take the US word that a Minsk III type of agreement (trust us one more time) would be honored and Russian terms will be hard.
The problem for the US is that as good as our PR and SPIN is - it will be hard to sell a Russian takeover of 25% (and growing) of Ukraine and the inability of $100+Billion and the US and some 30 nations sending everything they have into the war having to finally walk away - yet another LOSS for the US. But that is OK - just wait to see what we do with China!
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
from your post ......"which accounts for this seeming lull in the fighting. " ..........
The "lull" comes from reporting in the western media as the results are not what they like and they do not want to publish it. Just like how the DS and western media is not covering the protest from EU citizens over the escalation by the US/NATO morons.
There are reports of the continuous fighting in other sources, but the results favor the Russians and thus no news for the west..
intothatgoodnight
. . .
You bring another point to mind - why hasn't the west shipped in any Paladin self-propelled howitzers, for use by the Ukrainian forces? Shoot and scoot is their forte.
intothegoodnight
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
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Guess not everyone thinks the F16 is a wonder weapon that will change the war, eh? He will need to be re-educated and taught to properly speak the company slogan!
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View: https://twitter.com/PeImeniPusha/status/1621891328660639744
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Now THAT is what I call a smoke screen!
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View: https://twitter.com/PeImeniPusha/status/1621929114465898496?cxt=HHwWgMDU6fX7n4ItAAAA
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Say it ain't so Joe! Even for the humanitarian aid?
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View: https://twitter.com/Flash_news_ua/status/1621200344721006592
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Guess not everyone thinks the F16 is a wonder weapon that will change the war, eh? He will need to be re-educated and taught to properly speak the company slogan!
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View: https://twitter.com/PeImeniPusha/status/1621891328660639744
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Now THAT is what I call a smoke screen!
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View: https://twitter.com/PeImeniPusha/status/1621929114465898496?cxt=HHwWgMDU6fX7n4ItAAAA
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Say it ain't so Joe! Even for the humanitarian aid?
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View: https://twitter.com/Flash_news_ua/status/1621200344721006592
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von Koehler
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Perhaps. However the publicly stated positions of Ukraine and Russia are very much different.
There are so many questions and issues to be settled.
We might know only after both sides are exhausted.
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
US DOJ freeze, seize, transfer. Long range weapons aimed at Crimea. China spy balloon in Cyprus.
Runtime - 37:13
Doc1
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I doubt the veracity of this report. Journalists are notoriously ignorant about firearms and mechanical subjects. Perhaps the sailors repaired some items using glue, but I seriously doubt that they repaired "broken bolts" with it.
I've used most of the modern adhesives, including JB Weld, other epoxies and various super glues. Within their limitations, modern glues are terrific. One thing all of them perform poorly on is metal parts subject to torque strains. If you applied the strongest adhesives to the broken parts of a bolt, it would separate as soon as any significant force was applied to it.
We'll probably never know the truth. All nation's submarines - and especially their nuclear propulsion - are blanketed by the strongest secrecy. Even on the rare occasions when visitors are allowed on nuclear submarines, they are never - to the best of my knowledge - allowed in the nuclear engineering spaces.
Best
Doc
DuckandCover
Proud Sheeple
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Guess not everyone thinks the F16 is a wonder weapon that will change the war, eh? He will need to be re-educated and taught to properly speak the company slogan!
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View: https://twitter.com/PeImeniPusha/status/1621891328660639744
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Now THAT is what I call a smoke screen!
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View: https://twitter.com/PeImeniPusha/status/1621929114465898496?cxt=HHwWgMDU6fX7n4ItAAAA
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Say it ain't so Joe! Even for the humanitarian aid?
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View: https://twitter.com/Flash_news_ua/status/1621200344721006592
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Dog fighting is, simply put, a thing of the past with modern jets. You may as well be comparing which pilot is stronger.....it doesn't matter. That is not how jets do battle these days.
bobfall2005
Veteran Member
I think someone forgot to tell that to the Ukrainians and Russians
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wait-n-see
Veteran Member
Just showing what an experienced fighter pilot has to say, who has flown both jets and provided his professional experience.
I guess he felt it was important to him as he specifically mentioned it.
Yep, good thing there is now way modern jets will have to deal with old fashioned dog fighting.
Oops, wait. Looks like the good old USA made this mistake before in a little dust up called Nam.
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What Happens If the F-35 Has to Dogfight Another Plane?
April 24, 2020
David Axe
he aerial dogfight was not supposed to happen. On May 20, 1967, eight U.S. Air Force F-4C fighters were patrolling over North Vietnam when they spotted as many as 15 enemy MiG-17 fighters a short distance away.
Fog and the MiGs’ low altitude had prevented the F-4s from detecting the North Vietnamese jets from farther away.
Diving to attack, the twin-engine F-4s fired a staggering 24 Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles, shooting down just four of the single-engine MiGs. The North Vietnamese jets reacted quickly, forming into a tight-turning “wagon wheel,” with each pilot watching the tail of the man in front of him.
As the heavy, twin-engine F-4s tried to out-turn the nimble, single-engine MiGs, a North Vietnamese pilot peppered one of the American planes with cannon fire, igniting it and forcing the two crewmen to eject.
“The turning ability of the MiG-17 is fantastic,” one F-4 flier recalled later. “It must be seen to be believed.”
But the Air Force had assumed that wouldn’t be a problem—that its then-brand-new twin-seat F-4s would never even get into a close-range dogfight. They had thought that instead the F-4s—and other Air Force and Navy fighters—would always destroy their enemies from long range, using the Sparrow and other air-to-air missiles.
It was a flawed and dangerous assumption that got scores of American aviators shot down over Vietnam. But 53 years later, the Air Force is assuming the same thing … with regards to its new F-35 stealth fighter.
In January 2015, the flying branch pitted a radar-evading F-35A against a 25-year-old F-16D in mock air combat. The F-35 proved too slow and sluggish to defeat the F-16 in a turning fight, according to the official test report.
But the Air Force said not to worry. “The F-35’s technology is designed to engage, shoot and kill its enemy from long distances, not necessarily in visual ‘dogfighting’ situations.”
Sounds familiar.
The Air Force’s faith in long-range aerial warfare proved disastrous in Vietnam. There are good reasons to believe it will prove equally disastrous the first time squadrons of new F-35s fly into battle against a determined foe.
For the first four decades of air-to-air fighting, opposing planes mostly shot at each other with guns. Then in 1946, Navy engineer William Burdette McLean began work on a heat-seeking rocket—the Sidewinder, the first effective air-to-air missile.
Twelve years later, Washington outfitted Taiwanese F-86 fighters with the first combat-ready Sidewinders. In aerial battles over the Taiwan Strait, the F-86s shot down Communist Chinese MiG-17s—and seemingly changed air warfare forever. Soon, new and better missiles—some with radar guidance—were rolling out of laboratories all over the world.
The Air Force and its sister branches enthusiastically embraced the missile age, even dropping guns from many of its new warplane designs, including the early F-4Cs.
The new missile technology coincided with a shift in doctrine. The Pentagon decided that in future wars, jet fighters would climb high and fly fast to target Soviet long-range bombers, striving to hit them from far away before they could drop their atomic bombs.
American jets of the era were powerful but lacked agility. “Our tactical fighters were designed primarily for nuclear war where penetration was more important than maneuverability,” Air Force Gen. Bruce Holloway wrote in a 1968 issue of Air University Review.
But the next war America fought wasn’t global Armageddon with the Soviets. Instead, U.S. troops joined the South Vietnamese military battling a communist insurgency backed by North Vietnam’s own army and air force.
American military planners had bet on a high-tech war of atoms, electrons, rockets and high Mach numbers during straight-line flights. What they got were slow, twisting dogfights low over the forest canopy. It didn’t take long for the Air Force and Navy to realize their technology and tactics just didn’t work very well against Hanoi’s MiGs.
Between 1965 and 1968, American fighters launched 321 radar-guided missiles over Vietnam. Slightly more than eight percent hit their targets, according to a 2005 analysis by Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Higby.
The Navy scrambled to analyze the terrible hit rate. “A primary reason for less-than-desired combat performance of air-to-air missile systems in Southeast Asia is their design optimization for a high-altitude engagement against a non-maneuvering, large (bomber) target,” the sailing branch concluded in a 1968 report.
With a little bit of warning, a MiG-17 could out-turn a missile—and then use that same maneuverability to get on the American jet’s tail.
The Pentagon upgraded the Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles and added a gun to the new “E” version of the F-4. Pilots got training for turning fights. Soon, kill-loss ratios improved for U.S. aircrews. But what America really needed was a brand-new fighter—one that didn’t just excel at a narrow sort of high and fast, long-range fighting.
America needed a dogfighter.
“A tremendously improved thrust-to-weight ratio, which, coupled with a low wing loading, will produce high Mach and ceiling along with superior climb, acceleration and turn ability throughout the flight envelope,” is how Holloway described the new jet’s characteristics in 1968.
“Advanced avionics and armament, which will provide the necessary ability to defeat any foreseen adversary with a wide variety of weapons, including missiles and guns,” Holloway added.
The result was the twin-engine F-15, which debuted in 1972 and 48 years later is still the Air Force’s most numerous air-superiority fighter. The smaller, single-engine F-16 followed a few years later. It, too, could fight high or low, fly fast and turn tight, launch missiles and fire guns.
The F-15 and F-16’s designers didn’t optimize them for fanciful, idealized war scenarios. They optimized them for our own imperfect planning, for uncertain circumstances and for an enemy that gets his own vote—in other words, for the real world.
Which has only become more important as Russian fighter design has progressed. MiG-17s gave way to speedy MiG-21s and, later, highly maneuverable MiG-29s and Su-27s. Today’s Su-35—a heavily redesigned Su-27—can fly faster and turn better than an F-15 and carries more and arguably better weapons.
Less and less, America gets to dictate the terms in aerial warfare. More and more, the Pentagon needs fighters that can fight.
But America’s new F-35, which is set to become the Air Force’s main warplane, is “substantially inferior” in a turning battle even to an F-15, according to the pilot in the January 2015 mock dogfight. The Air Force insists that’s no problem because the stealthy F-35 will avoid detection and hit enemy planes from long range.
In other words, the Air Force insists it can dictate the terms of the F-35’s engagements.
Maybe that’s partially true. Maybe the F-35’s stealth properties will actually work somewhat. Maybe its missiles won’t miss all the time. Maybe Russia won’t export the Su-35 to every interested buyer. Maybe the United States won’t ever wage a full-scale war against a high-tech foe that can negate the few advantages the F-35 possesses.
But what if the government’s rosy projections turn out to be even slightly off-target? What if something doesn’t work perfectly and F-35 pilots find themselves in dogfights with aerodynamically superior Sukhois or MiGs or Chinese-made planes? What if we send a fighter that can’t turn into battle with fighters that can?
It’s happened before to Air Force fighter jets that weren’t ever supposed to fight close. And a bunch of F-4 crews paid for the government’s blind faith in long-range, straight-line aerial warfare with their freedom … or their lives.
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
As Russia Encircles Bakhmut Zelensky No Surrender; US Mulls China Conflict, Rumours to End War
Runtime - 1:08:43
(Sorry, no time line in the comments section)
Hummm......(For images and video please see article source. HC)
Posted for fair use.....
www.newsweek.com
NEWS
Akey ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Moscow could turn to nuclear deterrence if Ukraine tries to retake control of Crimea.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said in an interview with a Russian journalist published to Telegram on Saturday that any Ukrainian attacks on Crimea would be met with "retaliation strikes," with no negotiations to end the conflict, which will hit its first-year anniversary later this month.
His remarks come as Russia struggles to achieve substantial military victories in Ukraine, despite the large size of its military. When Putin launched the invasion on February 24, 2022, he aimed for a quick win, but Ukraine's stronger-than-expected defense effort, bolstered by Western military aid, blunted the Kremlin's military gains, allowing Kyiv to retake thousands of square miles in formerly occupied territory last fall.
Now, Ukrainian victories are fueling optimism that its military could retake Crimea, a region Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
Just days prior to Medvedev's remarks, a Ukrainian official said Kyiv is preparing "assault brigades" to take back occupied territories including Crimea. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported in January that the Biden administration is becoming more willing to acknowledge Ukraine may need to strike the Black Sea peninsula.
Amid these indications that Crimea could become a site of combat, Medvedev, interviewed by journalist Nadana Friedrichson, warned that Ukraine launching strikes to reclaim the land would have devastating consequences.
"There will be no negotiations in this case, there will only be retaliation strikes," he said on Saturday. "The whole of Ukraine, which remained under the rule of Kyiv, will burn."
Medvedev continued that Russia's response to strikes on Crimea could be "anything," and that Moscow has not set any restrictions. He added that the Kremlin is prepared to deploy "all types of weapons," including nuclear, depending on the "nature of the threat," pointing to the government's official policy regarding nuclear deterrence.
READ MORE
Ukraine and Russia view Crimea as rightfully part of their own territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to oust Russian troops from all of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, as a condition to end the war. However, Russian officials have said they would not accept any peace deal in which Kyiv restores its control over the region.
Major General Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the defense intelligence of Ukraine, said in an interview last week that Ukraine is aiming to retake Crimea by late summer. Crimea carries strategic importance, as it is home to the key port city of Sevastopol, located on the Black Sea. Meanwhile, Moscow has also used Crimea to launch attacks into Ukraine amid their war.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian ministries of defense for comment.
Posted for fair use.....
Russia floats nuclear deterrence if Ukraine attacks Crimea
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally to Vladimir Putin, warned that Ukraine will "burn" if its military tries to retake control of Crimea.
www.newsweek.com
NEWS
Russia Floats Nuclear Deterrence if Ukraine Attacks Crimea
BY ANDREW STANTON ON 2/4/23 AT 1:52 PM ESTAkey ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Moscow could turn to nuclear deterrence if Ukraine tries to retake control of Crimea.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said in an interview with a Russian journalist published to Telegram on Saturday that any Ukrainian attacks on Crimea would be met with "retaliation strikes," with no negotiations to end the conflict, which will hit its first-year anniversary later this month.
His remarks come as Russia struggles to achieve substantial military victories in Ukraine, despite the large size of its military. When Putin launched the invasion on February 24, 2022, he aimed for a quick win, but Ukraine's stronger-than-expected defense effort, bolstered by Western military aid, blunted the Kremlin's military gains, allowing Kyiv to retake thousands of square miles in formerly occupied territory last fall.
Now, Ukrainian victories are fueling optimism that its military could retake Crimea, a region Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
Just days prior to Medvedev's remarks, a Ukrainian official said Kyiv is preparing "assault brigades" to take back occupied territories including Crimea. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported in January that the Biden administration is becoming more willing to acknowledge Ukraine may need to strike the Black Sea peninsula.
Amid these indications that Crimea could become a site of combat, Medvedev, interviewed by journalist Nadana Friedrichson, warned that Ukraine launching strikes to reclaim the land would have devastating consequences.
"There will be no negotiations in this case, there will only be retaliation strikes," he said on Saturday. "The whole of Ukraine, which remained under the rule of Kyiv, will burn."
Medvedev continued that Russia's response to strikes on Crimea could be "anything," and that Moscow has not set any restrictions. He added that the Kremlin is prepared to deploy "all types of weapons," including nuclear, depending on the "nature of the threat," pointing to the government's official policy regarding nuclear deterrence.
READ MORE
- Russian propagandist praises North Korea's nuclear threats against U.S.
- Landmine treaty seeks answers after Ukraine's alleged use of banned mines
- Russian state TV can't decide what Ukraine victory would look like
- Russia's war crimes reach "three-digit range" Germany warns
Ukraine and Russia view Crimea as rightfully part of their own territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to oust Russian troops from all of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, as a condition to end the war. However, Russian officials have said they would not accept any peace deal in which Kyiv restores its control over the region.
Major General Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the defense intelligence of Ukraine, said in an interview last week that Ukraine is aiming to retake Crimea by late summer. Crimea carries strategic importance, as it is home to the key port city of Sevastopol, located on the Black Sea. Meanwhile, Moscow has also used Crimea to launch attacks into Ukraine amid their war.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian ministries of defense for comment.
Conversation 54 Comments
Are these the same clowns throwing away white pilots in a Euro trash woke attempt to become more culturally mixed?UK Military Would Run Out of Ammo In One Day of Fighting Russia, Warns General
The British military’s supply of ammunition would run dry in just one day in a direct engagement with Russia as a result of years of spending cuts to the nation’s defence, a former top general has warned.
General Sir Richard Barrons, who formerly served as the Joint Forces chief, claimed that spending cuts have depleted the British military to such an extent that, in a hot war with Russia, the UK would run out of ammunition and artillery shells within just one day.
According to research conducted by The Sun newspaper, the United Kingdom’s ammunition plants would need at least one year to produce the amount of shells currently used by the Ukrainians in their conflict with Russia.
“This is truly shocking. But it is true. And we must fix it,” General Barrons wrote. “The UK spends more on defence than any EU ally and our brave Armed Forces have long been one of Britain’s most influential levers around the world.”
“Yet for decades they have been hollowed out by spending cuts,” he added, saying that the government would need to spend an additional £3 billion per year on the military to fall in line with the top level of the NATO alliance.
The Ministry of Defence, for its part, said that while ammunition levels are “highly classified”, it was boosting spending on ammunition stockpiles to “more than pre-invasion levels” with an extra £560 million earmarked by the Treasury.
The MoD also suggested that judging Britain’s readiness by the current conflict’s standards was disingenuous.
“The war in Ukraine is an example of Soviet doctrine which uses vast quantities of artillery. We do not, nor ever have, used artillery in such methods, so to try and draw such conclusions is misleading,” they claimed.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also said this week that the United Kingdom’s defence apparatus has been “hollowed out and underfunded” — although he neglected to mention who was responsible for this.
“There’s a recognition that as the world gets more dangerous, unstable, defence should continue to get a growing proportion of spend, we can then debate how much that proportion should be,” he said.
In the first seven years after the so-called Conservative Party came into power after 2010, annual defence spending fell by £6.6 billion in real terms — a reduction of 14.6 per cent compared to the 2009-10 budget.
While slashing the military budget, the supposedly right-wing government has poured billions into left-wing projects such green energy and foreign aid, ironically including money for other nations’ militaries.
However, last year the government finally promised to increase military spending, pledging £7 billion in extra funding for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which should see defence spending rise to £51.7 billion.
Despite the apparent lack of military readiness, war hawks in the Conservative Party such as former prime minister Boris Johnson and the head of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood, have both called this week for Britain to double down on its support for Ukraine, with Mr Johnson calling for the government to send fighter jets to the Ukrainians.
Ellwood, meanwhile, said that Britain should engage “directly” with Russia in Ukraine rather than letting the local fighting force “do all the work”, despite noting that currently the British military is in a “dire” state, with 10,000 fewer troops than necessary.
“It is up to the Treasury and Number 10 to recognise the world is changing — we are now at war in Europe, we need to move to a war footing,” Ellwood said.
UK Military Would Run Out of Ammo In One Day Against Russia: General
The British military's supply of ammunition would run dry in just one day in a direct engagement with Russia, a former top general has warned.
For all intents and purposes they no longer have a military.
Exactly!
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
The source story looks to be valid. Shows the information as coming from the Royal Navy and Ministry of Defense.
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Royal Navy orders investigation into nuclear submarine ‘repaired with glue’
Claims made that broken bolts on HMS Vanguard’s reactor chamber were stuck on instead of replaced
Joe Middleton
Tue 31 Jan 2023 19.02 EST
The Royal Navy has ordered an urgent investigation amid claims that workers on a Trident nuclear armed submarine fixed broken bolts in the vessel’s reactor chamber using glue.
The faulty repairs on the cooling pipes aboard HMS Vanguard were found after one of the bolts fell off during an inspection, the Sun reported.
The bolt heads originally came off due to over-tightening. But, rather than replacing the damaged shafts, staff at the defence contractor Babcock implemented a quick fix and glued them back on.
Engineers at the contractor reported it as a procedural glitch after the problem was found, but did not mention the botched nature of the repair.
A navy source told the newspaper: “It’s a disgrace. You can’t cut corners with nuclear. Standards are standards. Nuclear standards are never compromised.”
The glued bolts held insulation in place on the coolant pipes in the nuclear reactor and were found just as workers were set to fire it up to full power for the first time, the newspaper reported.
Investigators will trawl records of repairs to find out when the bodged work occurred and who was ultimately responsible.
The Ministry of Defence spokesperson said that a “defect” was found on HMS Vanguard when in dry dock and that it was “promptly reported and fixed”.
The spokesperson said the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, met the chief executive of Babcock, David Lockwood, “to seek assurances about future work”.
Babcock is the MoD’s second-largest contractor and has multibillion pound contracts to maintain the navy’s Astute and Vanguard sub fleets.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Any quality-related issue is a huge disappointment, but our own robust inspection processes discovered the issue. There was no safety or operational impact from the work.”
The Guardian reported in December last year of safety fears as the submarines had been deployed at sea for record-breaking periods of five months each.
Rob Forsyth, who helped command Polaris nuclear submarines in the 1970s, said the lengthy patrol times could lead to “boredom, complacency and an inevitable drop-off in standards”.
HMS Vanguard is one of four nuclear submarines that form part of the UK’s continuous at sea deterrent. The vessels are always out on patrol and are poised to strike in the unlikely event that Britain is hit with a nuclear attack.
An MoD spokesperson said: “As part of a planned inspection, a defect was found from work done in the past when HMS Vanguard was in dry dock. It was promptly reported and fixed.”
First it needs to be understood that in the design competition that started in 1955 and resulted in the Leopard 1 in 1965, the Germans made a conscious decision to prioritized fire power and maneuverability over armor protection because they knew that the protection required and available at that time to take a main gun hit would make a vehicle just too heavy to get out of it's own way. That means that you need well trained crews and commanders to play to those strengths. In exercises between German Leo 1A5s with upgraded firecontrols and Leo 2s the Leo 1s could prevail against the Leo 2s but they had to be properly employed.
Knoxville's Joker
Has No Life - Lives on TB
And that training takes a few years, not mere months...
Yes, though the West German conscripts would get passable in their term of service.
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
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Would this really surprise anyone?
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View: https://twitter.com/DravenNoctis/status/1622026176284823553?cxt=HHwWgsC83dSNzIItAAAA
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America strong! ..... so sad how far we have fallen.....
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View: https://twitter.com/DravenNoctis/status/1621991920326131713?cxt=HHwWgoC--dnDvIItAAAA
View: https://twitter.com/ladcmalnar/status/1621848726858760195?cxt=HHwWhoCwvd-0-4EtAAAA
Would this really surprise anyone?
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View: https://twitter.com/DravenNoctis/status/1622026176284823553?cxt=HHwWgsC83dSNzIItAAAA
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America strong! ..... so sad how far we have fallen.....
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View: https://twitter.com/DravenNoctis/status/1621991920326131713?cxt=HHwWgoC--dnDvIItAAAA
View: https://twitter.com/ladcmalnar/status/1621848726858760195?cxt=HHwWhoCwvd-0-4EtAAAA