Very nice article, I am consistantly impressed by your ability to gather such diverse information and present it in a logical and concise manner. Thank you.
There are other factors at play here. Our pilots and their support personnel are superbly trained. Our pilots, for example, have more flying hours than any of our rivals. Maintenance is constant and is backed up by a resilient and flexible supply system. And most importantly, tactical decisions are made at the point of contact not at some headquarters several echelons above the fighting.
That thing about Ukraine damaging and destroying some portion of Russa's long range bomber fleet should make us feel somewhat safer, as it reduces Russia's ability to bomb NATO allies. But it also reveals weaknesses in our own defenses and readiness for that kind of modern warfare. Much of the Ukraine's weaponry is supplied by China.
I think you're a little out of date and/or completely mis-informed. None of Ukraine's weaponry is supplied by China. For example, Ukraine is on target to manufacture more than four million drones this year. The word 'manufacture' is the important operative in that sentence. Ukraine now manufactures more than fifty per cent of its equipment. Because of joint production agreements with European allies, that percentage is going to rise precipitously in the next few years.
China does supply some munitions, a lot of drones, and increasingly technicians to the Russian armed forces. Luckily, that has not halted the steady de-mechanisation of its army, the near destruction of its Black Sea fleet, and, as you know, the degradation of its air force.
I sure hope the big brains in American and NATO are watching those drones... and planning for the next war, not the previous war. Was "Ukraine's weaponry" a brain fart sort of typo?
Excellent information, but you don't mention Israeli insanity trying to provoke more bloodshed all over the middle-east. As you dismiss the super-power conflict, please now explain the possibility of Netanyahu wreaking havoc in a Zio v Islam conflict.
1. China is not concerned about projecting air force outside their own borders, where as the USA will have to deploy their forces 1000's of kilometres away from therebases to attack a belligerent China, and,
2. While the USA spends billions on military hardware looking for a conflict, the Chinese are spending billions on tech to ensure they remain in industries such as renewables (energy security), electronics and robotics.
What worries me about China isn't any of these categories but swarms of missiles and drones. Tough for us to win an air war if we no longer have operable air bases in Japan, Korea, or Guam.
My worry about Russia is more that we'll be neutral or Russia's ally in the next war....
Fascinating sets of numbers. I guess drones make tanks obsolete. I hope us Americans haven't discharged too many of our pilots and support personnel. (Gawk, what a time this is.) Speaking of drones... I guess that's the next thing to watch.
Radio controlled drones can be jammed pretty easily (that's what some ground units are already equipped with), but the fiber optic drones present a challenge. They are easily detected (optical/IR/radar/acoustic) but they need to be taken down by direct fire. I expect anti-drone defensive systems are already very close to market; something like a little mini-phalanx.
Very nice article, I am consistantly impressed by your ability to gather such diverse information and present it in a logical and concise manner. Thank you.
I haven't seen anything this concise (or useful) in my usual media feeds - legacy? Not sure what adjective works today.
There are other factors at play here. Our pilots and their support personnel are superbly trained. Our pilots, for example, have more flying hours than any of our rivals. Maintenance is constant and is backed up by a resilient and flexible supply system. And most importantly, tactical decisions are made at the point of contact not at some headquarters several echelons above the fighting.
That thing about Ukraine damaging and destroying some portion of Russa's long range bomber fleet should make us feel somewhat safer, as it reduces Russia's ability to bomb NATO allies. But it also reveals weaknesses in our own defenses and readiness for that kind of modern warfare. Much of the Ukraine's weaponry is supplied by China.
I think you're a little out of date and/or completely mis-informed. None of Ukraine's weaponry is supplied by China. For example, Ukraine is on target to manufacture more than four million drones this year. The word 'manufacture' is the important operative in that sentence. Ukraine now manufactures more than fifty per cent of its equipment. Because of joint production agreements with European allies, that percentage is going to rise precipitously in the next few years.
China does supply some munitions, a lot of drones, and increasingly technicians to the Russian armed forces. Luckily, that has not halted the steady de-mechanisation of its army, the near destruction of its Black Sea fleet, and, as you know, the degradation of its air force.
China supplies most of the parts that the Ukraine is using to build those quadcopters.
And most of the parts that the United States would use to build anything similar.
I sure hope the big brains in American and NATO are watching those drones... and planning for the next war, not the previous war. Was "Ukraine's weaponry" a brain fart sort of typo?
Excellent information, but you don't mention Israeli insanity trying to provoke more bloodshed all over the middle-east. As you dismiss the super-power conflict, please now explain the possibility of Netanyahu wreaking havoc in a Zio v Islam conflict.
Just goes to show western thinking,
1. China is not concerned about projecting air force outside their own borders, where as the USA will have to deploy their forces 1000's of kilometres away from therebases to attack a belligerent China, and,
2. While the USA spends billions on military hardware looking for a conflict, the Chinese are spending billions on tech to ensure they remain in industries such as renewables (energy security), electronics and robotics.
If you don't think China has been spending money expanding their military, you haven't been paying attention.
Of course they have Brian, mainly to counter the USA expanding their bases to be within striking distance of the Chinese mainland.
The Japanese invaded China in the 1930's and China has vowed that will never happen again.
The USA has had air superiority since the 1940's and it has continued to fail in its military objectives since 1945
What about nuclear whoopsie? The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists says it's 89 seconds to midnight.
What worries me about China isn't any of these categories but swarms of missiles and drones. Tough for us to win an air war if we no longer have operable air bases in Japan, Korea, or Guam.
My worry about Russia is more that we'll be neutral or Russia's ally in the next war....
PS Brian: glad to hear you're settling in.
Fascinating sets of numbers. I guess drones make tanks obsolete. I hope us Americans haven't discharged too many of our pilots and support personnel. (Gawk, what a time this is.) Speaking of drones... I guess that's the next thing to watch.
Radio controlled drones can be jammed pretty easily (that's what some ground units are already equipped with), but the fiber optic drones present a challenge. They are easily detected (optical/IR/radar/acoustic) but they need to be taken down by direct fire. I expect anti-drone defensive systems are already very close to market; something like a little mini-phalanx.
A typo: Tu-95, not Tu-92
Whoops! Thanks. Sometimes I get lost in my own alphabet soup.