• Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      50
      ·
      1 year ago

      Wars are just not fought that way, and to think that somehow ukraine has the ability to create a safe maintenance infrastructure in mid war is ridiculous. They can’t even do that with leopard tanks. They have to haul this stuff back to germany/poland for repair.

        • Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          17
          ·
          1 year ago

          Didn’t say that. I think it’s reasonable to assume that the military with the most experience in these weapons systems know what they’re doing. They don’t even have capable runways for F16s yet

          • Zirconium@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            9
            arrow-down
            3
            ·
            1 year ago

            I think what you’re suggesting is that we should go to WAR WITH RUSSIA so that it’s a lot easier to repair F16s with more direct NATO equipment and infrastructure

      • bouh@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        1 year ago

        Hauling back to Poland or Germany is simply more convenient : Russia can’t bomb those countries, and they already have the people to fix the tanks there.

      • letsgocrazy@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        It’s not for now, it’s for later.

        Ukraine has to start swirling over to NATO weapons platforms, so they have to start somewhere.

    • khannie@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      It’s a great start though from checking Wikipedia earlier it looks like Ukraine will still be heavily outnumbered so hopefully more keep coming. At a minimum it’s going to significantly contribute to leveling the playing field.

      Air superiority would be fantastic and I hope it’s what they get in the medium term.

    • SpaceCadet@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      15
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Best not get too hung up on timetables, or think about it in terms of the current battlefield situation or the counteroffensive. This is a long term project to transform Ukraine’s Air Force into the future, where they’re using Western equipment.

      We may see the first F-16s next year, but this transformation will take many years.

      • khannie@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        Yeah this is definitely a case where the best time would have been years ago but the second best time is right now.

  • DrNeurohax@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    1 year ago

    One thing I’ve missed in the discussion of sending F-16s is the role they’ll play.

    From what I’ve seen, Russia still has significant air defense capabilities, and they launch air fired weapons from deep in their own territory. So, if the F-16s can’t get too far upfield, due to defenses, and there isn’t much they can do in air-to-air combat, what advantage do they have over longer range artillery?

      • DrNeurohax@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        Thanks.That’s kinda what I thought, but assumed I was missing something with the amount of attention the transfer of this one weapon platform has received. I guess it’s also symbolic of the level of commitment by NATO, since it’s not just a few planes, but also ammo plus training plus support framework.

        I’m glad we’re not just throwing ammo at the situation and wishing Ukraine the best of luck, though I do wish we were doing more.

      • Fernando-678@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        36
        ·
        1 year ago

        I feel like I’m trapped inside a propaganda machine where the answers to all questions are “Putin is evil and the dumbest person on earth”

            • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              5
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              1 year ago

              It seems like you’ve given yourself one of two options. You are either a) commenting in bad faith, or b) commenting as a useful idiot. If what you said is actually a non-sequitur, then you are a useful idiot. If you actually meant what you said, than its intentional and you are acting in bad faith: otherwise, why comment?

              If you are ignorant, go take a 10 year read of history off the wikipedia and it should become clear to you “why this war is happening?”, which is what your question was. Otherwise, I’m now under the assumption, based on the structure and pacing of your ‘questions’ , that you are commenting in bad faith.

              • Fernando-678@kbin.social
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                arrow-down
                6
                ·
                1 year ago

                Dude, I’m just trying to have a conversation about the topic. I tried to engage with him because he answered my comment.

                • Burstar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  9
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  1 year ago

                  I feel like I’m trapped inside a propaganda machine where the answers to all questions are “Putin is evil and the dumbest person on earth”

                  That isn’t ‘trying to have a conversation’. That is projecting a straw man for no apparent reason with the sole purpose of shutting down any dialogue.

                • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  8
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  No, you aren’t.

                  You are either ignorant or a liar. If you claim ignorance, there is a cure for that. There is no cure for acting in bad faith.

      • canadaduane@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        I know it’s important to be vigilant against that form of uncritical-thinking-masquerading-as-unbiased-thinking, but please also consider that it’s hard to tell it apart from genuine interest and seeking to understand, especially in an online context. I don’t know the solution per se, because we have such limited views into each others’ worlds through text / social media. But I do know that if people can’t ask questions in one place, they will go elsewhere to find their answers.

        • Burstar@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          But I do know that if people can’t ask questions in one place, they will go elsewhere to find their answers.

          And if they truly wanted an unbiased, fact based summary of the reasons they really should go elsewhere like say a reputable neutral news agency. Around here the ‘reasons’ russia invaded Ukraine are unimportant. What are important are things like ‘how many innocent civilians were unjustly killed by at best careless russian attacks yesterday?’, ‘how is the fight to repel the unjustified invaders progressing’ and so on.

          Wanting fresh water access and a naval base are no excuse for war crimes and disrespecting other nation’s sovereignty and it is disingenuous to come here and start talking like it is.

          • Fernando-678@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            You are right, I didn’t realize this was a Ukraine magazine, this should be a safespace. I was out of line and it kinda justifies the aggression I got. I just clicked the post because it appeared on my kbin homepage feed and commented what was on my mind.

            Anyway it was a rich experience.

          • Fernando-678@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            I attracted a good answer. It turns out that after Ukraine changed sides with their revolution in 2014, Russia was afraid for their control of the black sea from Sevastopol and that’s why they invaded the Crimea in 2014. That is possibly why they started the invasion, so they could gain a strip of land to sustain their activity there in Sevastopol.

            • Gork@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              edit-2
              1 year ago

              Existing parts of Russia already border the Black Sea, is there a reason Sevastopol as a port is so highly valued? Like, can’t they make an artificial port or something off Sochi?

              Edit: on closer inspection there is already a city in that area that already has a fairly substantial port capacity: Novorossiysk. And it’s in Russia proper, no need to get all worked up over Sevastopol.

              • Fernando-678@kbin.social
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 year ago

                That’s a good question. These strategic things always seem very arbitrary to me.

                But in this case I can imagine a big cartoonish radar working better from Sevastopol. Worth a war tho?

    • r7vil50j@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      10
      ·
      1 year ago

      People killed people, then people killed more people, but then people promised to kill more people in the future. So war.