Ukraine Invasion - Please do not post videos showing attacks/similar

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I thought it was generally accepted the F117 was basically a planning error in that because it was a billion to one shot they didn't deviate enough in regards timing, course etc
Basically, to give the short story:

The Serbians knew what time the F-117s flew and the route they would take (the US didn't bother changing this as they knew the Serbians didn't have the ability to shoot down an F-117), they also knew that no other planes would be out flying SEAD or interdictor missions, etc (the US didn't bother supporting the bombers as they knew the Serbians didn't have the ability to shoot down an F-117). This meant they basically had free reign to try and find one.

So Ivan (I don't recall his name, I'm going with Ivan, if that offends the posters from Moscow so be it) tuned his radars to what he thought would work, waited, then at the right time turned them on and nothing, he turned them off waited and on again, nothing. On any other night he would now be frantically rushing to relocate before he got obliterated but he knew no SEAD planes would be out an so rolled the dice and tried again, *ping*. The rest is history.

What isn't often mentioned though is that the F-117 has a computer controlled bomb release. The target is pre-dialled in and the pilot just flies, when it's time to bomb the computer will open the door, drop the bomb, close the door. Ivan pressed his button during the only 0.5 second window of the entire flight when the door was open and the radar signature expanded long enough for him to get a lock. Put simply the odds of winning the lottery jackpot two weeks in a row are easier than hitting that F-117 was, that's how lucky he got.

Another thing not mentioned often is that the F-117s were out again the next night (though this time with actual support), Ivan never hit another, he never dared try.

This is where they myth that Russian SAMs can defend against the F-22 and F-35 comes from, and it's a myth that has sold a lot of SAMs since 1999. They can't, even the S-500 can't detect them before they are well within range to kill it. Ivan just got crazy lucky.
 
Czech can provid 800k shells sourced from 3rd countries in the next few weeks provided funding is secured:


To late for Adidvika but hopefully it will help them hold the line elsewhere while Europe continues to ramp production.
 
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Basically, to give the short story:

The Serbians knew what time the F-117s flew and the route they would take (the US didn't bother changing this as they knew the Serbians didn't have the ability to shoot down an F-117), they also knew that no other planes would be out flying SEAD or interdictor missions, etc (the US didn't bother supporting the bombers as they knew the Serbians didn't have the ability to shoot down an F-117). This meant they basically had free reign to try and find one.

So Ivan (I don't recall his name, I'm going with Ivan, if that offends the posters from Moscow so be it) tuned his radars to what he thought would work, waited, then at the right time turned them on and nothing, he turned them off waited and on again, nothing. On any other night he would now be frantically rushing to relocate before he got obliterated but he knew no SEAD planes would be out an so rolled the dice and tried again, *ping*. The rest is history.

What isn't often mentioned though is that the F-117 has a computer controlled bomb release. The target is pre-dialled in and the pilot just flies, when it's time to bomb the computer will open the door, drop the bomb, close the door. Ivan pressed his button during the only 0.5 second window of the entire flight when the door was open and the radar signature expanded long enough for him to get a lock. Put simply the odds of winning the lottery jackpot two weeks in a row are easier than hitting that F-117 was, that's how lucky he got.

Another thing not mentioned often is that the F-117s were out again the next night (though this time with actual support), Ivan never hit another, he never dared try.

This is where they myth that Russian SAMs can defend against the F-22 and F-35 comes from, and it's a myth that has sold a lot of SAMs since 1999. They can't, even the S-500 can't detect them before they are well within range to kill it. Ivan just got crazy lucky.

Makes sense, that short window when stealth was compromised
 
Czech can provid 800k shells sourced from 3rd countries in the next few weeks provided funding is secured:


To late for Adidvika but hopefully it will help them hold the line elsewhere while Europe continues to ramp production.

This needs the EU to stop acting like US Republicans though. Those available supplies weren't manufactured in the EU (South Korea and South African I believe) .... so the funding is apparently "difficult" to find. :rolleyes: Czechs are subtlety calling out the French and Germans to stop being muppets insisting on only benefiting their owns arms industries when spending the dosh.
 
That was pilot error.

If you spam dozens of different SAMs at a few targets and one of the air crew fails to respond that isn't really a glowing result. It's better to judge that incident by the ones that missed or couldn't find their target than by the lone one that got lucky.

However you're right it should probably have been included for accuracy.
 
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Good job American leaders in 1940 didn't listen or we'd all be speaking German. Shame todays leaders don't have the same morals or backbone.

Charles Lindbergh speaking in 1940:“I’ve been forced to the conclusion that we can’t win this war for England regardless of how much assistance we send”​
If Lindberg would’ve been listened to, there would’ve been a Nazi Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok​
I'm not trying to say the US (and Europe) can't secure a Ukrainian victory if they provide the support we should be (IMO we can), but Lindbergh was correct.

Without the USA joining the war themselves we could never have hoped to liberate France never mind push into Germany just based of the aid we were receiving. There is of course the question of if the USSR would still have been able to push the Germans back to Berlin with just US aid (or if the Germans could have held against them without having a western front splitting forces).
 
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Good job American leaders in 1940 didn't listen or we'd all be speaking German. Shame todays leaders don't have the same morals or backbone.

I mean they did listen, it wasn't until 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbour that forced the US into the war and they still may not have come to the aid of Europe had Germany and Japan not agreed an alliance
 
Czech can provid 800k shells sourced from 3rd countries in the next few weeks provided funding is secured:


To late for Adidvika but hopefully it will help them hold the line elsewhere while Europe continues to ramp production.

Just make sure it’s not cast offs from North Korea.
 
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