I still maintain that shipping a fuckton of A-10s to Ukraine would make a huge difference.



Boru

A10s would have no chance to get near enough to russian troops to open up with their armament.

(April 28, 2024 at 5:11 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: I still maintain that shipping a fuckton of A-10s to Ukraine would make a huge difference.



Boru

A10's are great, if you've total control of the skies. And even then, they were the most incapacitated plane in the Iraqi invasion.

(April 28, 2024 at 5:32 am)Deesse23 Wrote: A10s would have no chance to get near enough to russian troops to open up with their armament.

Su-25s don't seem to be bothered much, flying the same mission profile. And A-10s can hit with stand-off weapons, too ... on 11 hard-points. It's more than just a gun.

Credit to GTX over at ww2aircraft.net for the graphic.

Quote:ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine, April 28 (Reuters) - Oleksandr Taran's mobile artillery unit isn't officially part of Ukraine's military, but that hasn't stopped his men from destroying Russian targets on their own dime.

"We ... get by thanks to the pension fund," the 68-year-old commander - whose call sign is "Grandpa" - said with a chuckle.

Taran's all-volunteer unit, the Steppe Wolves, is comprised of dozens of Ukrainian men mostly over 60 years old who are considered too old to be drafted but still want to fight.

Roving behind the front line with truck-mounted rocket launchers, they take orders from field commanders and work with other troops, contributing to the war effort despite lacking official support from the military.

The unit is funded by donations and stocked with faulty rounds they repair themselves as well as weapons captured from the enemy. Both are delivered to them by front-line troops.

When Reuters recently visited their base in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, they were preparing 122mm Grad rocket rounds that were later fired by troops from another unit.

"The commanders that provide us with targets are happy," said a 63-year-old fighter with the call sign "Zorro".

"They give us more targets (and) help us with ammunition however they can."

Taran, the commander, said his unit has been attempting to officially join Ukraine's armed forces to directly receive ammunition - and salaries - but has been unsuccessful.

The unit also includes younger men who have been ruled unfit to fight.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukr...024-04-28/

^This is EXACTLY why Russia can’t win - elderly pensioners who care enough about their country’s defense to take up arms on their own. All the tanks, planes, and munitions Russia can muster will never beat that.

Boru

US Buys Soviet-Era Fighters At Bargain Prices

Quote:The US has acquired 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post reported.


Kazakhstan, which is upgrading its air fleet, auctioned off 117 Soviet-era fighter and bomber aircraft, including MiG-31 interceptors, MiG-27 fighter bombers, MiG-29 fighters, and Su-24 bombers from the 1970s and 1980s.

The declared sale value was one billion Kazakhstani tenge, or $2.26 million, said the Post.

Given Ukraine's continued reliance on Soviet-era weapons, the aircraft could either serve as a source of spare parts or be strategically deployed as decoys at airfields, said the Post.

Boru

(April 28, 2024 at 5:11 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: I still maintain that shipping a fuckton of A-10s to Ukraine would make a huge difference.



Boru

The A-10 is  overrated. The F-111 Aardvark was better at the A-10's job as a tank hunter  and a ground attack plane during desert storm.

(April 28, 2024 at 4:40 pm)The Architect Of Fate Wrote:

(April 28, 2024 at 5:11 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: I still maintain that shipping a fuckton of A-10s to Ukraine would make a huge difference.



Boru

The A-10 is  overrated. The F-111 Aardvark was better at the A-10's job as a tank hunter  and a ground attack plane during desert storm.

So send them the F111s. Oh, wait - there aren’t any. So maybe send them the Warthogs, which are due to be retired anyway.

A so-so A10 is a more useful plane than an F111 that doesn’t exist.

Boru