Russia - threadbanned users in OP

jmreire · 08-09-2023 10:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121083650#Comment_121083650

And as always, you will have Ukraine's best Friend, Russian Corruption, at play. So while the engineers may be producing plans for improving older tank's etc, or designing new ones, ( Armata being one very apt example) the reality coming off the production lines may not quite match up to the plans. They were prepared for literally a 3 day war, and were caught out badly and are paying the price now. There was the case that when the went to take new tanks out of storage, the engines had been removed. I wonder what % of their damaged vehicles have been repaired even? Anything that needed any kind of part from the west is now at the very least hindered, if not downright stopped. Logistics has never been a Russian strongpoint.

roosterman71 · 08-09-2023 10:09AM

For all the starlink talk, here's a link showing the location of the satellites

https://satellitemap.space/?norad=48402#

You'll notice a couple of "trains" of them heading into their orbit after they were launched earlier this year.

(stolen from here https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084288/#Comment_121084288)

Dohnjoe · 08-09-2023 10:34AM

..

https://twitter.com/saintjavelin/status/1700052126624342511

Seanmadradubh · 08-09-2023 10:38AM

Wouldn't want to think what's happening to this fella at the moment. Respect.

https://mstdn.social/%40Free_Press/111028432036062776

fly_agaric · 08-09-2023 10:40AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084182#Comment_121084182

I am kind of unsure of the timing (maybe have not followed this closely enough).

I think SpaceX has some contract with the US dept. of defence now to provide Starlink to Ukraine's military, but perhaps they didn't when he was doing his shenanigans of first letting them use it and then cooling on it (edit: article posted by "Putin's raging bile duct" implies that:)

Shotwell, president of SpaceX, also felt strongly that the company should stop subsidizing the Ukrainian military operation. Providing humanitarian help was fine, but private companies should not be financing a foreign country’s war. That should be left to the government, which is why the United States has a foreign military sales program that puts a layer of protection between private companies and foreign governments. Other companies, including big and profitable defense contractors, were charging billions to supply weapons to Ukraine, so it seemed unfair that Starlink, which was not yet profitable, should do it for free.

The real problem here is deeper than Elon Musk's dodgy politics, his dangerous affection for despots and his odd ideas. It is a private company and in the end 1 rich individual having that level of power over the US space programme + how the assets get used (ultimately, I think the US govt. i.e. the long suffering taxpayer has paid for most of it?!).

Dohnjoe · 08-09-2023 10:47AM

So it wasn't protective paint after all, they really are putting tires on their aircraft

https://twitter.com/oryxspioenkop/status/1700084006090334343

Seanmadradubh · 08-09-2023 10:50AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084541#Comment_121084541

Be nice when we see one of them going up like a Belfast bonfire.

Podge_irl · 08-09-2023 11:12AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084502#Comment_121084502

Yes this event was before the US got involved. Even then, starlink currently doesn't work outside Ukrainian controlled territory and there are often issues when there are advances.

I think the US are utter fools for allowing this and space X be controlled by this easily manipulated idiot. But this revelation isn't going to directly lead to anything bar being another in a litany of reasons why he shouldn't and can't be trusted.

Wolf359f · 08-09-2023 11:13AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084541#Comment_121084541

It's so strange, maybe the simplest solution is they are afraid of the tyres being stolen, so they put sacrificial tyres all over it, in the hope that they will be stolen and the plane won't end up on cinder blocks?

I have seen videos of Ukranian soldiers training by dropping dud bombs from a height and using a tyre as target practice. The aim to drop the payload right in the middle. Stupid Russians just gave them dozens of bullseye's!

Paddigol · 08-09-2023 11:16AM

Can someone explain what the tyres are meant to achieve precisely?

fly_agaric · 08-09-2023 11:19AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084640#Comment_121084640

Agree nothing will happen over it (it would have already if it was going to). If there's firm military contacts in place now hopefully the US govt. will get the gumption to bring the "national security" hammer down on him if (or maybe when?) he next starts chatting to Russia and making policy decisions on the fly!

Sleepy · 08-09-2023 11:20AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084502#Comment_121084502

Musk (and others like him e.g. Murdoch) have been allowed to gather too much wealth and power. Had politicians any integrity, they'd have taxed them sufficiently to prevent them becoming such sovereign individuals, sadly they've either been bought or manipulated into allowing, when not directly assisting, these billionaires to become the threats to global security that they are. I can't see a way to fix the problem they present that doesn't involve execution squads at this point (as any new attempts to tax away their wealth will be too easily hamstrung).

pixelburp · 08-09-2023 11:21AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084659#Comment_121084659

I think it was explained, but if I had to guess it's a way to potentially reduce damage from drone strikes; that the rubber might absorb the energy and impact of an explosion, reducing the potential for the plane going up in flames.

Igotadose · 08-09-2023 11:22AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084640#Comment_121084640

well, what's saddest is that US military didn't have this capability and Eloon was able monetize it. US government taking over businesses is kind of a big deal over there and would take years of legal wrangling. Eloon per the various articles out there has the Pentagon by the short and curlies and dictates Starlink access to them, which if true is pretty damned shocking but I suppose not much different than what the big military contractors get away with (Lockeed, Grumman, Raytheon...)

Sigma101 · 08-09-2023 11:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084678#Comment_121084678

It's also been speculated that they might help disrupt the infrared signature of the aircraft, used by cruise missiles to find their target. Their appearance seems to coincide with Ukraine's claim that the range of their Neptune missiles has been increased so that they can now strike deep into Russian territory.

Virgil° · 08-09-2023 11:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084659#Comment_121084659

At a guess its to stop the small bits of shrapnel from the cheapo cardboard drones that ukraine have been using to attack the airfields.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/05pq9vsnZl4

As even a small piece of shrapnel can cause horrendous damage to a sensitive fighter jet, grounding them for repairs for months.

However as with the usual Russian MO I suspect someone extremely corrupt was tasked with quickly preparing a solution so that the superior officer can report to his superiors that the job is done and checkboxes ticked off. The Russian MOD is billed an enormous sum for a few bits of rubber that were probably lying in a dump nearby. Everyone in charge fills their pockets, gets promoted and nobody is any the wiser that this will do f*ck all. Until the next plane is destroyed and the poor grunt who was tasked with putting the tires there in the first place will be blamed and probably thrown in prison. Fantastic country really.

yagan · 08-09-2023 11:46AM

I can see the grey area where the US commandeering Starlink would be it officially entering the conflict, but it's probably far more effective to muddy its involvement with its own military satellites by using the Musk drama as a distraction.

It's sounds convoluted, but the Musk drama is a good disavowal of direct US military satellite support. If the US did pay Musk then like I said it would be the US at the front line of conflict, so the current ambiguity works better.

Dohnjoe · 08-09-2023 11:54AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084789#Comment_121084789

We've learnt that independent satellite internet is highly critical for Ukrainians to defend their country.

We are also learning that a billionaire man-baby controlling said internet is a very bad thing for the Ukrainians (and a great thing for their invaders)

yagan · 08-09-2023 12:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084834#Comment_121084834

All true, but the war goes on and I wonder if aside from Musk the Ukranians are now receiving direct US back channel support. It's not in the US military's interest to be beholden to a private player to ensure its aid to allies isn't wasted.

jmreire · 08-09-2023 12:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084659#Comment_121084659

They're preventative actions taken to prevent any more drone destruction of valuable Russian aircraft, and in the absence of anything else, that's how it will be presented to Putin when he looks for explanations etc, at the next meeting with the Military high command, iE:- Shoigu and Gerasimov ( or their underlings, if heads will roll)

Gregor Samsa · 08-09-2023 12:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084659#Comment_121084659

Russian military engineers looked it up, and they discovered that not one single Irish farmers' silage pit had been destroyed by drones in the past 80 years. So they copied their defenses.

Hande hoche! · 08-09-2023 12:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121085036#Comment_121085036

Needs a random pallet for full effectiveness.

Still with the weather remaining mild, could see the UKAF making some autumn gains in their counter offensive. Some of the more spectacular progress were later in the year in 2022.

odyssey06 · 08-09-2023 01:26PM

Time for some Darth Putin...

If you think your job is pointless, just remember that someone works as a “Russian election monitor”. You’ll feel better.

https://twitter.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/1700127542894608854

Wildlife Actor · 08-09-2023 01:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119122639#Comment_119122639

Agreed. In fairness to Musk (who is dangerous will go down in history as a bad thing), the US Govt should have commandeered the service, paid for it, made all decisions relating to its use, and taken responsibility for those decisions. In retrospect his hero complex put him in this mess but I (like, i suspect, most other people) wasn't complaining when he stood up and made it all available quickly and freely. The US Govt can still take this step and should.

Dubh Geannain · 08-09-2023 01:44PM

The stalemate list is currently "Pyatykhatky, Lobkove, Neskuchne, Novodarivka, Storozheve, Blahodatne, Makarivka, Rivnopil, Staromaiorske, Urozhaine, Robotyne. Yesterday Stroivka and Topoli."

Klishiivka is reportedly under at least 75% Ukrainian control in the last week with the Russians stranded after their supply bridge behind them was blown up a few days back.

Yesterday they began retreating from the Northern part of the town on foot during the day time with similar consequences to what happened in Urozhine.

josip · 08-09-2023 01:51PM

Morally there's a big difference between curtailing existing coverage to foil an attack, and refusing to extending existing coverage. Most of the 'outrage' articles in the media today are assuming the former, but until it becomes clear which version is correct, I don't think judgement can be passed.

Furze99 · 08-09-2023 01:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121085036#Comment_121085036

Our 'new' friend, whatever name now, will be spluttering indignation at this slur!!.

Furze99 · 08-09-2023 02:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084789#Comment_121084789

I'd be thinking that's not too far off and who can believe what comes out of Musk, given his erratic pronouncements.

thomil · 08-09-2023 02:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084982#Comment_121084982

It's worth noting that Russian bomber operational doctrine calls for most of the maintenance work on these birds to take place on the flight line itself, rather than having the aircraft moved to a hangar, such as with the USAF's bomber fleet, or indeed the Irish Air Corps. Just compare the level of facilities at laces such as Minot AFB (major B-52 base), Whiteman AFB (Home of the B-2 fleet) or Ellsworth AFB (major B-1B Lancer base) with comparable Soviet/Russian facilities at Engels-2, Shaykovka or Olenya. Now granted, the US bases have significant numbers of unprotected aircraft stands, including of course the ground alert pads that seem to have come into operation again, but even at Minot AFB, which has comparatively little in the way of infrastructure, there are at least several hangars available for aircraft that need to have work done on them. As for Ellsworth and Whiteman AFB, they seem to have one hangar for every two bombers or something ridiculous like that. Once again, they don't have enough hangarage for every bomber, but enough to keep all the aircraft requiring heavy maintenance protected.

Now contrast that with the Russian bases. There is literally nothing there. Sure, there's a massive runway, quite a few ramps and, in the case of Shaykovka or Olenya significant numbers of remote stands and revetments, but no hangars at all. From tire pressure checks to engine changes and avionics upgrades, everything is taking place on the flight line. That's why you can see Tu-95s without an engine in some of those pictures. In the west, this activity would be taking place in a hangar. And that's also likely why they've brought out the tires. They could not move those aircraft into a hangar even if they wanted to, and these tires are supposed to be a surrogate hangar roof.

Hande hoche! · 08-09-2023 03:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121085772#Comment_121085772

The topic of hangers and specifically hardened shelters is an interesting one. The Yugoslavs were quite adept at building the latter during the Cold War.

The Gulf War had an impact on the perception if their usefulness during a conflict. Still Western nations seemed to put a reasoanble amount of faith in them. The Ukrainian defence of parts of Mariupool might prove a case study in the future.

It might actually be one area where the North Koreans could provide a degree of expertise to the Russians. Themselves or the Iranians are have spent considerable amount of effort invested in building facilities to survive strikes by drones or more broadly aircraft.

Quite bleak for the Russian air force to go from possibilities of wholesale adoption of fifth generation fighter aircraft to using tyres to protect their Soviet leftovers.

Russia - threadbanned users in OP

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