Russia - threadbanned users in OP

He's a heroic Norwegian medic. That is an arresting image.

So nice to have some really good news for a change. I wonder how it was achieved?

Might have found an answer, not sure it's correct, but it seems plausible:

I was thinking bribes.

Why are you posting in this thread?

Didn't they announce that days/weeks ago?

But in light of the less than expected deliveries of Leopard 2 tanks, it may very well be the IFV's doing most of the grunt work.

Here's hoping like all the other weapon platforms, that they keep arriving in numbers and not just the initial delivery.

The UK also have another 85 challenger tanks they are retiring which could have been sent rather than just 14. 100 challenger tanks would decimate the Russians in a counter offensive

Fund the war eh? More like preventing genocide. Most people on this thread are well educated in WWII history and the Nazi Genocide. Most people are educated that you can't give in to dictators, the West as you mentioned failed Ukraine when Russia invaded in 2014. Why is it when Russia is in a rut do people start spewing peace and negotiations? Guarantee if Russia was on a roll, the same folks would keep their mouth shut, hoping Russia take more and more land.

Pussy

Ukraine only has a certain amount time to get back as much territory as possible. It as simple as that.

Russia will inevitably get the lion's share of what it holds at the point negotiations start.

Stating the obvious but the more territory Ukraine has, the better those negotiations go.

In reality, NOT all wars end in an agreed settlement - a few examples off the top of my head...

• The invasion of Iraq ended with the defeat of Iraqi forces, the operation of Iraq and the execution of Saddam Hussein.
• World War II in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany.
• World War II in the Pacific ended with the unconditional surrender of Japan.
• The Falklands War ended in the ejection of Argentinian forces from the islands.
• The Zulu wars ended with the submission or dispersal of Zulu forces
• The American Civil War ended with the total defeat of the Confederacy.
• The Napoleonic Wars ended with the exile of Napoleon and the Allied occupation of Paris.
• The Hundred Years War ended (eventually) after the ejection of England from all French territories except Calais.
• The Punic Wars ended in the total destruction of Carthage.
• The Pelopennesian Wars ended in the defeat of Athens.

Re: Fighter Jets.

I cannot see any Western fighters entering the arena in Ukraine. There are a number of reasons for this, most of this has been mentioned already by many posters.

1. Flying is easy. In most aircraft that are designed to be stable. It's basic stick-and-rudder stuff, from simple gliders, right up to multi-engine aircraft, such as a Beech King Air or even a CASA. A pilot from the Ukrainian AF could hop into any Western built, stable, aircraft and be flying with reasonable confidence In 10 hours or so. Stable aircraft. However, in, for example, an F-16, say a basic Block A, or the F-18, Eurofighter, Grippen etc, without a CPU giving millisecond, constant inputs through Fly By Wire, to the control surfaces, the aircraft doesn't fly. As a pilot, it takes a long, long time to learn the " envelopes" of the aircraft through various speed, attitude, altitude and load outs before even getting to combat training. Now, there are some similar systems in the Su-27 series, but only some. In Western aircraft, you wear it like a glove. In Eastern aircraft, you drive it like a van.

2. Systems.

If, and only if, a Western fighter was given to Russia, I can guarantee you that the covetted radar systems that the Ukraine keep mentioning will not be in the radome. Not a hope. They will be getting the most basic, stripped-down, export version with absolutely no sensitive systems or hardware installed. There is no way any of these systems are getting into Russian hands.

3. It makes no sense.

A potent, integrated, data-linked missile system makes way, way more sense than using fighter aircraft. Try flying even a Cennna anywhere near Israeli airspace. Painted is not the word. One of the greatest threats to operations at the moment, even to this day, is the Mig 31, firing from well within Russian, Belarusian or even Kaliningrad ( hasn't happened yet, but 10 are stationed there) airspace. UKR needs the means to protect itself from the Mig's missile systems and the Mig itself. An old F-16 isn't going to do that. The Mig-31 was designed to catch an SR-71 and can fly two times faster than an F-16 and twice as high. Control of the airspace will only come with an integrated missile system, data-linked to Western Awacs systems. Easy to train on, easy to operate, mobile, powerful, adaptable and very, very potent. Even now, with MANPADS, a secure digital connection with CnC operations to give vectoring info, Russian aircraft are becoming lawn-darts every day. Set up a "no fly area dome" that extends 200km into Russian airspace and ensure deniabiltiy of Russian air, sea and ground assets ( all can be targetted by missile systems

Finally, my only experience with "Russian" aircraft is training in a Yak-52 and regular visits to MAKS. Western aircraft are like precision watches. Perfectly fitted together with an audible "click". Finesse, accuracy, clean, precise, expensive, new-car-smell, powerful. These words describe what sitting in a Saab Grippen feels like.

Rough, capable, safe, rugged, easily fixed, powerful, metres, metres, metres....( had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't at 600ft...lol), best describe a Russian aircraft. Designed to take abuse.

Missile systems, not aircraft, will gain the upper hand here. Forget the fighters. Never going to happen. I'd also be genuinely surprised if a Jet-Engine-powered Abrahms ever tracks into Ukraine. Stalling the promise methinks!

Good stuff. It seems to be the best, long term, strategy at this stage.