Clark Griswold

I'm not eager for it but I know it is the most feasible thing we can do to forestall & prevent defeat in this conflict and prove to the other aggressive authoritarian power in the East that if they try aggression, we will engage and not just leave our ally to their fate. Honestly, why have we been spending billions and billions of dollars into this technology and weapons systems then like 22, 35, etc…? To win the high end fight, we have envisioned the high end fight being in another theater mainly but destiny being the fickle woman she it, decided it would be in Europe versus our old adversary rather than our new one we would be tested. We have the means, we have an ally under attack and we have a dangerous moment. We have to prove to the authoritarian systems in the East and their allies that we will fight back, we will not allow our allies and those who aspire to join our systems, alliances and our way of life to be picked off one at a time.

That is the prevailing opinion. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/25/nato-ukraine-russia-zelenskyy-00012068 And a proposal on using almost exclusively 5th Gens to enforce a no fly zone https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/02/f-22-stealth-fighters-how-nato-could-enforce-a-no-fly-zone-over-ukraine/ I want the Ukrainians to win, I want the Russians to lose, when you look at the comparison in militaries, economies and capabilities the overmatch the aggressor has is leading to an inevitable conclusion unless something changes in the operational environment. All 5th Gen then, no warnings on being fired on, stay EMCON nothin and receive target data over the net, the first flight of Flankers that are fired on with no warning or targeted indications will give them incentive to not fly there.

I get it, it's a high risk COA but here's the coordination with Russia: Fuck off, don't fly inside of these coordinates or you will be fired on. What Would Putin Do? WWPD - he would be aggressive and bold because he knows his opponents in Western capitols have been timid, we know that equation has of late been leading to him pushing us around. F that anymore. Like all bullies, once he gets a bloody nose I think his bluster will fade and his power wane. Call me irresponsible but they need to learn a lesson, losing an air battle, being bested by the West, intimidated and cowed is the best thing for peace and stability right now, they (the Russians) need to lose and be pushed back. We're hand wringing and worrying about things going wrong, well they've gone almost as wrong as they can, it's time to do something different. We develop ROE and use all our technological means to avoid blue on blue, it's risky but the risk of him winning is unacceptable. Easy for me to say at 0' and 0 KIAS but it's true. Good work boys - NKAWTG.

No fly zone? https://www.theblaze.com/news/adam-kinzinger-no-fly-zone-ukraine Not sure how viable this is with where the war is now, no open source on far the extent of Russian AF air superiority extends into Western Ukraine but... if the Russian AF has not established CAPs (sustained) over the Western portion of Ukraine, could this be a high risk COA to establish a redoubt or sanctuary from which Ukraine can continue gather forces, receive aid from air and land connections, etc... Gather up the team, not exactly under NATO but NATO members and execute in STRONG numbers... Put Pat 3 batteries on the other side of the border with WEZ rings extending into Western Ukraine and establish a mission with UN blessing (don't care if Russia has the Sec Council chair right now), have an overwhelming fighter advantage, thinking keeping 20-30 fast movers on station at all times with alert backup at the ready, tankers flying 24/7 over Poland, Hungary, Romania, etc... US, UK, Poland, French, Italy, Aussies... no air to ground work just a missile launching phalanx if any Russian aircraft crosses this longitude line... if we wanna do something, do it Three of the nations I volunteered for this are nuclear powers, is Russia gonna go nuclear against three other nuclear powers? Doubt it. It has risk but letting him win here is riskier.

I don’t know and when I saw it i wondered the same thing, maybe crew was getting ready for their own personal plans when the shit hit the fan or ordered to duty, might be truly unairworthy, fuel directed to fighters, etc… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Post was updated An-225 not destroyed

One Ukrainian Flanker got away https://theaviationgeekclub.com/heres-the-ukrainian-air-force-sukhoi-su-27-flanker-that-landed-in-romania-after-having-been-intercepted-by-romanian-air-force-f-16-fighting-falcon-fighter-jets/ Haven’t heard much about the Ukrainian AF - were most of their pointy nose jets destroyed on the ground, any air to air engagements or anybody know anything releasable? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Where the hell are all the do good tech & finance companies? Why isn’t Google, FB, Twitter, Apple, etc…. suspending business and operations in reaction to aggression? If they wanna do something, cut them off Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just substitute Putin for Hitler and this Mel Brooks clip fits Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

GD it you're right.

Concur Was pretty sure that would be the pretext / story / excuse. Well, we'll need an investigation, a study group all while the bear eats his kill. True Copy that, good on 'em. NEO - are we gonna need it to get civilians out of Europe or just to the adjacent countries? If they won't accept refugees (in the 100s of thousands or million plus), where do they go? New security footprint in Europe? If they invade, still an if, do we return to a sizeable US forces forward based deterrence posture? One that is land power centric, how do we pay for it or do we rob Peter to pay Paul? That's just the military / security part, does anyone in power today have the balls to go full Cold War and choke out the regime of Putin by other means? Full spectrum DIME warfare but not going hot.

If we (the Administration) are serious with the statement that the Russians are about to invade, why aren’t we surging this weekend for the inevitable refugee flows, reinforcing NATO members near Ukraine, etc… Put your money where your mouth is, this seems like Obama’s red line statement regarding chem weapons employment then no response after that when we said they used them on civilian targets deliberately Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That we are unworthy of being the leader of the supposedly free and advanced world. Not sure there is one if we do nothing if an invasion occurs and we navel gaze. Goodbye post WW2 world order, goodbye Pax Americana world order. That's not a call to aggression or trying to humiliate Russia in this situation, I think the public comments for years on Ukraine joining NATO have been unhelpful but we have stupidly over decades painted ourselves into a corner by setting ourselves up for an inevitable conflict with Russia as they feel threatened (the "they" being the authoritarian government in power at whatever time in Moscow) by the expansion of security, political and economic organizations that would undermine said authoritarian government in Moscow. Unless you are willing to risk disaster in poking the bear, then don't poke the bear. Our "leaders" want to chastise Russia, expand alliances to their near abroad and former/current client states but then balk and dismiss at actually risking and sacrificing to execute this strategy. If the Neo-cons and Interventionists were real about this they would look back at what we did after WW2 to prevent a fait accompli of the Soviets/Communists taking over Europe. We put 5% of our GDP into the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe and get the democracies back on their feet, we spent the money, kept West Berlin from falling and here's the line no further and we will bear any burden and pay any cost. That's 180 out from where we are now. FWIW I've argued here for supporting Ukraine to resist Russia if she invades them, I hope that doesn't happen but what I really want is for us to get our shit together and realize this is a new Cold War, we can't trade with our enemies and let them economically prosper because that funds their aggression against us and our allies and that engagement really doesn't change them but isolation can weaken or topple them. Rant complete.

Another worthwhile pod from Angry Planet on Ukraine https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/angry-planet/id1023774600?i=1000551080666 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bullshit, Putin asked for an ITS on his troops and those guys were red for SAPR & LOAC, expect them back after they file a voucher and get their next DTS travel request thru

Yup - she’s getting up in her years and injecting poison into your face to tighten it up on a regular basis probably doesn’t help either Her cognitive decline is mild but detectable, for various reasons the Dems have not swapped out their players on the field but scary as some of the ones on the bench waiting to get put in the game are to me it’s time for them to take they’re places, right or left, if you are 75 or older you don’t need to be in the seat and at least you need to be setting up for your graceful departure Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Watched This Week on ABC, Pelosi was on and spoke a bit about it but it was not confidence inspiring Last guest was a Nixon aide talking about the 50th anniversary of Watergate and serving for Nixon. He commented on the historical symmetry to a degree of Putin and Xi at the Olympics together with Nixon’s China visit but Biden nowhere near it, kinda ominous

Cool To expand further it would be one of several new / repurposed platforms that could perform the UCAV Tactical Coordinator Mission Manned Light Fighter Manned C2 - Sensor High Flyer KC-46 / E-7 additional capability Manned Rotary Wing platform with this capability If this is a capability to be performed by different platforms at different times and different conditions then a common pod based cape with a common software for platforms like light fighter and tanker with the C2 platforms having it organic and likely in a more robust form as I see it as part of their primary mission sets, the former platforms it would be a alternate mission set but that is just a thought with no testing / real analysis. If implemented it could be the optimal solution is very different. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Another idea… yeah I know... If standoff and LOS are at a premium then you have to go high to keep in contact with your flying A-69 Terminator UCAVs. This violates the author's idea of a cheap and plentiful platform(s) but a high flyer at 60,000' has LOS to over 250 NM. https://www.everythingrf.com/rf-calculators/line-of-sight-calculator Maybe a compromise and a two seater high flyer that has other mission capes

Ha - means better conditions for a defense I’m not saying an invasion would a traditional armored column thrust then dismounted infantry ala a WW2 type fight but… some of it would be similar to that More mud is better and better for Ukraine Any infrastructure they have that would enable rapid movement should be ready for immediate self demolition and anything to bog down the aggressor Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Gotta get things going before the ground thaws and the roads/fields turn to mud Blitzkreig works only if the infrastructure/conditions support rapid movements to punch thru and outflank Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Concur Valid points, for my two non-influential cents this is an idea worthy of a test & concept proving project (if there is not a classified one currently running now - no idea, not even remotely connected to that world). Try it on multiple platforms, light fighter / bomber / modified biz jet, variety of conditions. Gather data, profit. This (a US produced light fighter) needs to be part of the portfolio of affordable systems we produce and sell to less economically capable allies and partners to continue those relationships we made with supplying systems like the F-5, A-37, Hawk SAM system, etc... Manned light fighter, UCAV, Manned light attack, Drone swarm / Swarm defense, etc... One other stray thought on the article and the idea proposed by the author is kinda chicken or egg question to me? What system is this going to control? One developed simultaneously or one developed after some data and experience gathered controlling RPAs we have now (MQ-9s or MQ-25s)? Light Fighter has potential, ideal for ANG / Reserve service, FMS, etc...

Valid points but to discuss the concept the author proposes (light fighters specifically for this role) is that he is cost conscious in the future budget environments. Light fighter fleet with advanced C2 capability for UCAV employment is probably more affordable than large platform C2 fleet, inferring that from his total argument(s) made in his article and I also think it provides a level of redundancy / resilience to the overall mission capability when the shooting starts. Not to be cold but somebody is likely to get shot down, if you have an inexpensive and many fleet vs an expensive and few fleet that overall capability survives long enough to help the Joint Team achieve the objectives vs being destroyed on Night 1 or 2 and now what? As to our acquisition strategy, we have stumbled but we have to fight over the range of conflicts not just the high end fight. Not saying you are saying we should only focus on that just stating my belief it is a bitch of a problem to correctly spread resources over constantly changing operational requirements, it's always going to be lagging somewhat.

So do you think a heavyweight is needed? Something like a Superhornet or 15EX? Modified Growler might work or if we wanna repurpose what we have, modified Strike Eagle, with a crap load of money for the software/hardware needed but if you could locate that in pods with the capability of interacting and using what the Mudhen has now that might enable rapid fielding Purpose designed platform would be great but unless the size of the fleet was pretty large it would suffer the curse of small numbers and big price tag for a specialty aircraft Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Legit critique as to SCS but in fairness most fighters, land or carrier based are gonna have trouble operating there with their existing ranges and the inherent vulnerability of tankers and other support assets as the PLAAF grows in A2AD and A2A capes with weps like PL-15, SA-400, etc... all that till the IADS, A2AD threat is suppressed, most of the fireworks initially till all that is done will be at long range with stand off weps lobbed at anything of value detected Not to quibble but I will debate the level of survivability they could possess and given the intention of how they are to be used, in a type of stand-off tactical coordinator role, they (they manned part of their manned-unmanned team) will likely only be slightly to modestly inside the WEZ as the unmanned players they could be controlling will be getting up close and personal with the threat or target to be attacked. They could fill other roles if the loyal wingmen are attrited or as needed: sensor node, weapons truck, jammer, etc.. in the big fights and in the other missions like homeland defense, uncontested ops, training, etc... they make dollars and sense as they will not be overkill and thus avoid opportunity cost problems in the overall budget, they will enable savings to afford bigger better toys needed for other missions where the requirements are higher. I thought the same thing, business jet modified for this role too. More crew, more space for gear, more fuel, more range / endurance, etc... but without getting close to anything classified, it would depend on the capability of the links, range of the links, to the unmanned platforms. If they can operate at a range great enough that the platform is out of the WEZ, then a non-tactical platform could work, if not I see the need for something that could turn at 5+Gs and accelerate above M1 to defend itself as it had to get inside a WEZ to do its mission or close enough to be attacked by leakers. That is the $69,000 question, the capability of the links in a heavy EA / EW environment to make this concept work, that can not be discussed on the BO SCIF's pages. I think the idea of a modified T-7 seems the most practical to me for this platform (if acquired) like the AT-6B for AOW because of the piggybacking on an existing program / aircraft. There already exists a logistical supply network, maintenance, operational knowledge, trained crew, etc... Concur on the assessment of intellectual ability and airmanship / flying ability.