Russia - threadbanned users in OP

The amount of aid Ukraine can realistically get is finite - politics and logistics gets in the way.

So why ask for F16s given that there is a huge logistical mountain to climb to get any use out of them, when they could instead ask for more M777s, HIMARs, grenade launchers, mortars, and most importantly - artillery shells which are in short supply. All of this would have a bigger and more immediate impact than enrolling Ukrainian pilots in an F16 program and training all the engineers/support staff to be able to maintain F16s.

Though it may seem like it at times, the chequebook is most certainly not unlimited. There is an opportunity cost for various types of military aid given that the full wishlist will never be fulfilled. With that in mind, F16s are an awful choice.

F16s vs random joe in Meath

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I don't even know if Ukraine has officially asked for F16's or just every Twitter user asking for them instead.

It's also not a case of Ukraine can only have this or that. Oh you can't have an F16 cause you choose HIMARS instead, no tanks because you choose a Bradley etc...

It's also a case of rational thinking. Artillery shells are in short supply, but dumb bombs are plentiful, ergo give Ukraine JDAMS. Hopefully they come to the same conclusion with the SAAB smart bombs launched from standard rockets. Both are plentiful and can't piss Russia off because they ain't ATACMS.

As for the chequebook, plenty of the aid has been stock items. The Bradley's are already bought and paid for years ago and sitting idle in storage, same goes for other IFV's.

Poland getting leopards to replace T72's given to Ukraine, again the leopards already bought and paid for. Net cost pretty much zero.

That's what they have already been doing they flattened anything they could to prevent the orcs having strong points, while the Russian put a serious amount of artillery into soledar too ,

They need aircraft and the right munitions at this point, along with armor they can fight 24/7 in .

Look at bakhmut

sounds like the "Zorcs" already have done that

Technically it's correct, they are running out of munitions. They are having to use Iranian drones, they are reportedly having to source other countries like N Korea for shells, there's evidence they have had to remove nuclear warheads from older rockets and use those. Russian soldiers (they are down to conscripts and mercenaries now) have been spotted using older and older equipment, they using increasingly aged tanks, their navy has drawn right back, their air-force doesn't have air superiority. The sanctions make it harder for them to maintain their current inventory and makes it harder to build more complex munitions like cruise missiles.

Of course, they are never going to "run completely dry", but it's clear the good stuff is dwindling and the bad stuff is in a bad state. It's obvious they didn't plan nor expect a conflict of this length and intensity.

The US officials have been pretty good this conflict, there's a bit of wishful thinking in there and the odd mistake, but overall it's been fairly spot on.

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That depends on the Civilians.

Also, analysis of capabilities is relatively simple, if you have an interest in researching the capabilities of various assets. The needs? Not so much.

Also, nothing discussed on an Internet forum has any bearing on the war. We all know this. It is, however, interesting to discuss.

Thanks for underlining my point. There are no Irish civillians more expert on what the Ukrainian millitary needs and can make use of than actual Ukrainian military leaders who have been asking for X,Y and Z systems to be supplied.

How's Kaliningrad going, has that imminenet interesting event from 8 months ago happened yet? /s

Are there f15 s available ?

Or surplus f-18s sitting somewhere in good knick ,

It'd take only take a squadron or two with the right long range missiles to change things .. a squadron worth of pilots might not be that easy to come across though ,

And then there's the maintainers and techs ...20 or 30 per plane ? More in combat conditions ?

And the Ukrainians are operating off austere runways , moving around a lot to avoid being targeted with cruise missiles,

Moscow-

Well, if you have watched the TV series about El Chapo the Mexican drug lord and the inter cartel fighting, it will give you a pretty good idea how the Russian Mafia behave.