Almost as bad as a significant number of Republican politicians in the US, not to mention Tucker Carlson and so on.
Amazing what money can buy you
And not for the first time, we hear of retreats and Russian forces regaining control only for a counter attack and bang, the following day the Ukrainians are back in. The Russians are so desperate for gains, they're getting sucked in everytime.
A link please for these costs you are quoting, because what you are claiming seems absolute nonsense:
"someone quoted 36 million for 16-18 Saab gripen jets ,and the development of a new purpose built modern air base"
€36 million is slightly more than half the publicly available cost for one plane, not 17 of them plus an airfield. Building a modern airfield is likely to cost well over a billion, not millions, let alone some tiny fraction of €36m.
You are not going to buy a modern air defence force for the cost of the windows in a modern childrens hospital.
One of the few countries to equip with the JAS-39 Grippen is Brazil:
The $4.7 billion contract signed in 2014 for the Gripen jets included not only the procurement cost of the first 36 aircraft but also a high degree of technology transfer and industrial investments for assembly and parts production in Brazil.
Thats working out at €130.5m per plane. Your figures seem like pure fantasy.
Get 6 F-16s and operate them out of Knock.
The lack of self awareness in yer wan's video is surely a medical condition? Also says much about the Russian notions that they think they have support in non western places. Never mind that she's only in Mexico to try to get to the great satan itself America. If a Ukrainian spin doctor invented her you couldn't believe. Hell, if a Russian one did, you'd think they'd really outdone their own bullshít. And that's a high bar.
Temperatures have dropped considerably overnight in the east.
Report that russian advances in Soledar may not have been very significant:
"I believe you can least 10 aircraft+ 2 two seat trainers for around 700 million over 10 years with the ability to extend the lease or buy outright,and as more are built the cost per unit of falls ,"
For that sort of money the Irish government could set up a good drone technology training, development and production centre. The russian invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the day to day action on the modern battlefield is governed by drone technology and the piloted jet fighters are too expensive to risk near front line combat zones with improved anti aircraft missiles. Our airspace is surrounded by nations we are allied with so an investment of large sums of money in an enemy aircraft intercept capability would not be the best way to go in my opinion. Drone technology investment could see much more return for the country with even export markets and peace time applications of what might be developed possible.
Ssshhhh
With the new weaponry being provided by the US and others such as more agile and faster tanks, would this suggest that a lightening offensive is being planned in the spring/summer?
There's **** all votes to be won, journos to be pacified, or favours to be bought by spending on defence in this country,
I'd imagine the defence forces are much like the gardai and every other government run service, so undermined by policy and nepotism that its only time servers and jobsworths that are left in the top tier. People who know what they're doing tend not to stick around in a **** show
The French Leclerc is operational as well. It would be behind the other in capability but ahead of the Russian T90
Just when you thought they couldn't get more embarrassing.
Wallace and Daly are to speak at an "Anti - NATO" rally in the Uk on the 1st anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Alongside other noteworthy cranks such as Russia TV presenter George Galloway and former MP Chris Williamson.
Mick Wallace and Clare Daly to speak at London anti-Nato rally on anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (msn.com)
Half that depending on variant and equipment load out ,it's the one of the cheapest aircraft in it's category .
I believe you can least 10 aircraft+ 2 two seat trainers for around 700 million over 10 years with the ability to extend the lease or buy outright,and as more are built the cost per unit of falls ,
That or keep buying trainer aircraft that can't intercept foreign or unidentified aircraft,and can't carry modern armourments either,
Zero increase in capabilities while costing Money,
While the Saabs give you a modern multirole aircraft , with modern radar, avionics and armourments, on a tight budget
That's it ,
There's a lot more countries starting to point out the obvious,we can't keep saying ah sure it's grand the British and Americans will come and protect us ,we might as well be under occupation if that's the case if we can't do it ourselves we need foreign forces to protect our state.
The Gardai are getting two new helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft to replace the single aircraft they already have,but straight away the discussion went from rough sleepers and giving the 2 helicopters to the hse instead.
You can't get anything done in this country without people complaining about separate topics not related to each other
What? Grippens are around $61m a piece.
Protect,
Not to fight but to protect,
I did say "worst comes to worst", ie a situation that would require Ireland to have a large and reasonably well-equipped military.
Having some jets to scramble and other installations to protect infrastructure who enemies of the west might deem strategically significant wouldn't be a bad idea, however. Still, I don't think it will happen until enough pressure is put on an Irish government, and I have the feeling that such pressure would come from international partners long before it came from the electorate.
Who could we fight with 1.5/5 billion?
We've had people telling us bakhmut is gone for months now and yet it's still very much in Ukrainan control,
Now they got to salt mine and suddenly we're getting the same predictions,
The Russians move forward for half a day then over night Ukrainian artillery and drones hammer the orcs before they fall back and repeat over and over.
Mystical meg's haven't predicted anything correctly yet
We don't need to spend 5 billion per year the defense forces are looking 1.5 - 2billion to equip the Defense forces to protect our state,
People keep going off on mad ones about unlimited spending while having to make major cuts elsewhere,
There's no discussions where any increase in defense spending would lead to massive cuts elsewhere,
But you can do both side by side building cyber systems to protect vital infrastructure but we also need to physically protect vital infrastructure along the way,we don't need big ticket military item for power projection over seas but we do need to properly equip the Defense forces to protect our state and vital infrastructure,
😄 cool
Let's go nuts, spend 5billion a year,cut everything to fund it, yeah we still can't defend ourselves....
Not dissimilar to Sievierodonetsk, it was a planned UA retreat after grinding down the Russians.
Muppets on here predicted Ukraine loosing Sievierodonetsk would lead to a collapse on the frontline and Russia would make massive inroads.....
Russia gained 16km since the fall of Sievierodonetsk..... 6 months ago.... That's like 4m a day advancement (A snail can travel 48m a day)
@briany If worst comes worst, Ireland will need to have spent far more on defence than it is probably currently able to without making major cuts in other areas of public spending or proposing massive tax hikes, neither of which would be politically popular at all..
I honestly don't think it would need to make major cuts or tax hikes to properly equip the Defense forces, possibly we could add 1-1.5 billion per year to the current budget to bring the budget to 2 billon per year,we could purchase a modern primary radar , someone quoted 36 million for 16-18 Saab gripen jets ,and the development of a new purpose built modern air base ,
It's not going to cost tens or multiples of that being spent , along side massively increasing cyber security and secure infrastructure,
It's about spending Smart in the right places and bringing the right resources,
Over the next 10 years 250 billion + will be spent on social welfare alone, the defense budget will currently less than 10 billion which about half will be wages and pensions,
We won't be buying aircraft carriers ,f35s and Abrams tanks, we don't need them but we do need aircraft that can intercept targets in our airspace, but there options available, we don't necessarily need Abrams tanks, but we could use IFV to protect infantry troops here and over seas with the UN ,we could also look into drones something like the MQ9s that can be leased they give an option for Long range aerial reconnisence which could be used by the Naval service, Gardai and army ,
Cheaper than specific aircraft and can fly loiter for 22 + hours ,
Cyber security,as I mentioned the budget for social welfare,25billion per year and increasing but if an outside or inside player attacks the welfare cyber systems like we saw with the hse very recently, people won't get payments,no rents,no utilities get paid and all hell brakes loose,
It all has to go hand in hand defense systems can't just be bullets and jets we need to protect our vital infrastructures
An adult conversation will have to be had and decisions made ,we can't keep ignoring the new world order doesn't play by the rules anymore
Although it would hurt to lose control of Bakhmut, Ukraine could take a lot of heart in the fact that they have taken a lot out of Russia and those Wagner creatures. Russia are putting a lot into these kind of attritional gains. It's not the kind of warfare they can sustain.
Touche you two ,touche
@Donald Trump @Widdensushi
Probably well knowing that there's only 3 Western tanks that are operational in Europe, the British challenger 2 ,the German leopard/2 and the Abrams going to Poland,that's going to take a few years to fill their order ,
Not a lot to chose from tank wise , but Germany have a veto over the largest number of tanks in Europe,the leopards
Bumblebee
ESB Networks to ship powerful transformer to Ukraine
Optimus Prime?
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