Ukraine (42 Viewers)

[DJ1BigTymer]

Now we’re talking. Reapers can carry all kinds of badassery. Including up to 4 hellfire missiles

Ukraine in Talks to Get US MQ-9 Reaper Armed Drones: Report

Ukraine officials are in talks with General Atomics to purchase MQ-9 Reaper armed unmanned aerial vehicles.

www.thedefensepost.com

Damn the 4xHellfires, they can carry 4xGBU-38's (JDAM) or 4xGBU-12's(Paveway) as well! Meaning they will be capable of hitting targets deep within Russia!

 

[CoolBrees]

Well this is why I like the Hellfire:

The Hellfire, Explained

The AGM-114 Hellfire missile is an air-to-ground guided missile designed with the philosophy of “accuracy by blast radius.” It has been described as fire-and-forget due to its ability to track targets with laser guidance from the launcher or from the ground. These missiles can even follow targets when they run for cover.”

That and there isn’t armor known that it can’t penetrate. It has also been modified for air to air. Just

The reason why they are so deadly effective is because they are so precise, you can hit specific people.

With the intelligence we are already providing, and the propensity for Russian generals to be in Ukraine, they can destroy aircraft, eliminate a general, blow up a feul depot and take out tank battalion leader all in one Reaper sortie.

Seriously I hate that these exists because they are death machines. But Putin picked this fight with 1980’s equipment. Here’s to him losing to 2020’s technology.

Meet the Hellfire Missile: The U.S. Military’s Ultimate Weapon?

The AGM-114 Hellfire missile has been a staple in American media for what seems like forever. You can find them in movies, television shows, and especially video games, and there’s a reason why.

www.19fortyfive.com

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

The Reapers were designed to operate in an areas where you controlled the airspace. Without SEAD/DEAD they are just going to get shot down, like what has been happening with the Bayraktars. And they're much more expensive - almost as much as a figher jet (like $32 million a piece), compared to ~$2 million for the Bayraktar.

 

[superchuck500]

For those of you tracking the weaponry, this appears to be really detailed:

What Heavy Weapons the West Has (and Hasn’t) Sent Ukraine - New Lines Institute

A Ukrainian government website lists the heavy military equipment Kyiv has asked for, what’s been promised, and what’s been delivered.

newlinesinstitute.org

 

[CoolBrees]

Reaper drones are capable of air to air defense.

They will also have much higher radar capability.

Not really a comparison to other drones in theater right now tbh.

MQ-9 Reaper Drone gets first air-to-air kill - The Aviation Geek Club

MQ-9 Reaper Drone gets first air-to-air kill

theaviationgeekclub.com

 

[EGLSShin]

Putin might wanna rethink his delusions about expanding to a wider conquest. NATO won't fail logistically like the Russian's and they'd get creamed in a conventional war if Ukraine is their best effort. He'll absolutely have to resort to nukes and even then, they'd probably screw it up or something would fail trying to launch and end up blowing themselves up.

 

[Sailorsaint]

Putin might wanna rethink his delusions about expanding to a wider conquest. NATO won't fail logistically like the Russian's and they'd get creamed in a conventional war if Ukraine is their best effort. He'll absolutely have to resort to nukes and even then, they'd probably screw it up or something would fail trying to launch and end up blowing themselves up.

I'll bet my house that if he tries to shoot off a nuke and it blows up in his face, he'll claim he was attacked by the US/West/Nato/Nazi penquins from the Antarctic.

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

Reaper drones are capable of air to air defense.

They will also have much higher radar capability.

Not really a comparison to other drones in theater right now tbh.

MQ-9 Reaper Drone gets first air-to-air kill - The Aviation Geek Club

MQ-9 Reaper Drone gets first air-to-air kill

theaviationgeekclub.com

Hmm, maybe the idea is also to use these with SEAD missions, use Bayraktars as bait to determine location of Russia air defense, then surpress with the Reapers. Do they have any stealth capability ?

 

[superchuck500]

Putin might wanna rethink his delusions about expanding to a wider conquest. NATO won't fail logistically like the Russian's and they'd get creamed in a conventional war if Ukraine is their best effort. He'll absolutely have to resort to nukes and even then, they'd probably screw it up or something would fail trying to launch and end up blowing themselves up.

Just a rumor piece but not unrealistic:

 

[Cage1]

Everything’s a rumor until it happens

 

[Crzycjunx76]

Just a rumor piece but not unrealistic:

I think it is more speculative rumor... if FSB/Russian military were working on something, making sure that not a peep was heard about it before the move was made would be priority one.

Now considering everything going on if I was FSB hoping to start a coup, my first stage in the process would be formenting the belief among those closest to Putin that a coup was being planned... by another group, maybe one likely to side with Putin but not in his closest confidence.

Let him "uncover" the planted plot and liquidate the "perpitrators". Use that unhinged brutality to convince some fence sitters to turn on Putin, who just eliminated some who might have backed him against a coup.

You are not going to turn the inner circle. If he lets them close Putin probably knows the number of hairs they left in their brush this morning... so he probably would not buy that they were turning on him.

I wonder, if a large subset of the Russian military did start a coup, and Putins loyalists managed to hold Moscow but a military force of superior numbers was moving his way... would Putin use a tactical nuke on them, against Russian soldiers on Russian soil, rather than cede the government?

 

[DaveXA]

I think it is more speculative rumor... if FSB/Russian military were working on something, making sure that not a peep was heard about it before the move was made would be priority one.

Now considering everything going on if I was FSB hoping to start a coup, my first stage in the process would be formenting the belief among those closest to Putin that a coup was being planned... by another group, maybe one likely to side with Putin but not in his closest confidence.

Let him "uncover" the planted plot and liquidate the "perpitrators". Use that unhinged brutality to convince some fence sitters to turn on Putin, who just eliminated some who might have backed him against a coup.

You are not going to turn the inner circle. If he lets them close Putin probably knows the number of hairs they left in their brush this morning... so he probably would not buy that they were turning on him.

I wonder, if a large subset of the Russian military did start a coup, and Putins loyalists managed to hold Moscow but a military force of superior numbers was moving his way... would Putin use a tactical nuke on them, against Russian soldiers on Russian soil, rather than cede the government?

If Poots used a tactical nuke inside Russia, it would be an all out and messy civil war. I don't think that would be good for anyone. I'd rather a quick assassination of Putin and his inner circle than an outright civil war for a lot of reasons.

 

[superchuck500]

I think it is more speculative rumor... if FSB/Russian military were working on something, making sure that not a peep was heard about it before the move was made would be priority one.

That’s sensible but at this point, the Russian apparatus has shown regular inability to do what you might think would be priority one. So who knows what’s going on, hard to rule anything out.

 

[J-Donk]

I'm not sure there is a competent person near his inner circle, or in the military that could pull off a coup. Putin has eliminated everyone with intelligence it appears. The only person who shows any high degree of competence is Elvira. She is non-threatening as a jewish woman.

 

[superchuck500]

Just a rumor piece but not unrealistic:

More on the dissatisfaction with Putin and how the factions would be oriented in this really interesting interview with Russia expert Catherine Belton. You have to sign up with Puck (free) to read it. It’s a news analysis site from Julia Ioffe (formerly NYT, Atlantic, etc).




But despite the dissatisfaction she doesn’t think a coup is setting up. Her final comments: