Comments by "afcgeo" (@afcgeo882) on "DW News" channel.

  1.  @briant5685  Kornets are blowing themselves up. They can’t even stop Ukraine’s T-64s, right along modern NATO tanks. 😂
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  2. Most aircraft operating in Russia were leased and Russia kept, illegally, all of them, and stopped payments. That saved them a tremendous amount of money and allows them to cannibalize those “leased” planes as a source of spare parts for the ones they own outright.
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  3. “Together” to Germany means everyone else does the work for them.
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  4.  @sjc5411  It was partly immigration, but it was also the commerce. The EU was shifting all manufacturing to the East and South to prop up Eastern European and Southern members because the Northern countries were tired of paying for them. Then you had UK fishing grounds given up to other EU members (for same reason). It was honestly never a good arrangement for the UK. Look, the UKs tie into the EU was very intricate and so leaving it is a very difficult process, but there are legitimate reasons for how it’s better for the country. The majority of people who are hating Brexit only hate it because they can’t move abroad as easily and it’s mostly the wealthy, privileged ones. The UK isn’t floating away to North America. It’s still a major European nation, and it will remain that way. It just needed to re-negotiate its stance.
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  5.  @kimyeonahchannel  Who told you that? 😂 The EU, MANY TIMES, said EXPRESSLY, that if you’re not in the EU, you cannot reap the benefits of its economic trade pacts.
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  6.  @frankthetank5708  The 27 pay for the EU bureaucracy, but also for their internal ones. They all still have separate governments that handle everything. The EU only creates framework and re-distributes wealth.
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  7. Yeah. It’s like saying India and Britain have a common history. Colonization doesn’t create commonality!
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  8. Finland can choose to join NATO or teach their kids Russian. Their choice. Norway doesn’t have anyone threatening them.
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  9.  @American-In-Mykolaiv  Hungary’s language, culture and identity are more aligned with Turkic nations than European ones. They shouldn’t even be in NATO or the EU really.
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  10.  @Joe-ul3gh  Correct. Poland has now purchased M1 Abrams tanks and will be able to assist Ukraine in logistics and training in the future as well.
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  11. Serbians boycotted the elections. They CHOSE not to vote!
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  12.  @agn855  No one in Russia is certified or equipped to do heavy maintenance checks on Boeing or Airbus aircraft. They’re either going to sell them to China for under market prices, use them for spare parts or fly without major checks, but my guess is that other countries will start to restrict them for that reason soon enough.
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  13. Serbia isn’t interested in ANY compromise, just as the Serbians in Kosova aren’t.
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  14.  @snslifestyleorg  “Greece” issue? You mean Turkey invading Greece?
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  15. So now we KNOW how Qatar got the World Cup.
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  16. Abrams are technically “multi-fuel”, as are Leopard 2s, but they are can only operate on alternative fuels for short periods of time and need additional maintenance if they do, which makes them pretty useless in combat in Ukraine. Only JP fuel delivers the performance and maintenance requirements needed for combat unless the US Army is doing the work. Also, your fuel economy numbers are for JP8 fuel. Other fuels will result in lower fuel economy.
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  17. Hmmm… What did you think of the Marshall Plan?
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  18.  @kofidan9128  Realistically, NATO should kick Turkey out of the alliance to set an example. Turkey will never fight for other NATO countries. Ever.
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  19. Right now only two Lieutenant Colonels of the Ukrainian Air Force are being trained to fly the F-16 in the US. They are a test program to see how long it would take to transition. They’re at Luke AFB.
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  20.  @Leelee-eu7je  There is no “top seat” in the EU. The EU requires a unanimous vote for most policies.
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  21. This is because American networks are private and have limited air time, as they must provide air time to advertisement. Deutsche Welle (DW) is a government network and has no advertisement. It’s paid for by German taxes.
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  22.  @kingobnoxious  They didn’t. They donated some parts. They just released a statement 2 days ago that they will give 13 MiG-29s to Ukraine. Both, Poland and Slovakia were going to scrap and retire their MiGs this year either way.
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  23.  @stephenroldan5107  These tanks were FACTUALLY designed to fight in Europe, not the desert. They do great in mud because they have wide, rubber-padded tracks.
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  24.  @Kinjshàl  You must be talking about Poland.
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  25. MBTs will be sent as well, but that escalation has to be gradual. People freak with sudden, massive escalations and Putin freaking may end up nuclear. By doing it gradually, it lowers the tension, believe it or not.
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  26.  @samirzemmache  Turkey may have the second largest military in NATO, but it yields incredibly little power in the alliance. Turkey works very poorly with other NATO members. Its main contribution has been simply to host US bases and missiles. To be quite honest, if the US could disengage from the Middle East, Turkey would be thrown out of NATO altogether.
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  27.  @samirzemmache  If you think that NATO isn’t a political alliance then you’re on some incredibly powerful drugs!
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  28.  @samirzemmache  And I’m telling you it’s security, economy and politics. They’re all intertwined and all major parts of NATO. The US didn’t bother because the US has major bases in Turkey that give it access to the Middle East.
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  29.  @PjotrII  Yes, the original members in a more clear cut Cold War era version t was very simple.
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  30. Action is diplomacy.
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  31.  @arcaea_guy  FALSE. Defending a city is much easier than attacking one. The current counts in deaths is about 100,000 Ukrainian and 200,000 Russian for the entire battle for Bakhmut, since a year ago.
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  32. No, their interests align more with the Soviet Union.
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  33. The vast majority of those who left did so on tourist basis and so they will have to return within a few months. What will happen then? We’ll see.
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  34. Exactly. Bangladesh and Scotland… practically the same nation.
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  35. And in fact, once the countries paid for then, they stopped being German tanks, just made in Germany. No wonder Poland is buying from the US and South Korea while Germany can’t make anything that works (Puma).
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  36.  @SPIDERM0OSE  Yankee doodle word salad? It’s literally the Greek concept of democracy. Your attempt at a sad insult instead of an answer says everything that needs to be said.
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  37.  @ChuckMorton  Norway is a member of NATO and has fought with them in Afghanistan.
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  38. In other words, Ukraine is Russia’s Vietnam.
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  39.  @HCB.S  There is NOT. I’ve read the agreement. It simply stipulates that no donations or sales are permitted. That means Poland cannot do it without violating the contract. It also means there is no legal path to request a donation or sale since it isn’t allowed. Poland is asking for a change in the contract.
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  40.  @Mazokuabysswalker  False. Still on Dec 25th, but on the Julian calendar.
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  41. Shrinking of the economy is EXACTLY what the UK needs right now to stop the inflation.
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  42. Germany can’t give up 1/3 of their tanks.
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  43.  @EventH  So to answer your questions… it takes just a couple of weeks to transition to fly the F-16 from a MiG-29. The 16 is simpler in operation, with modern avionics, a single engine and computerized flight controls. Learning how to fight in it, however, takes a lot longer. It has complex targeting systems and its envelope/flight characteristics are very different. It employs very different radars and weapons, so attack and defense tactics are different. I would say 9-12 months. Maintaining it will take about 6 months to learn. Maintaining it well will take years of experience to learn. Why use aircraft? To attack enemy SAM, AAA, artillery, tanks, infantry and C4I. That’s the beauty of the F-16. It’s as good at ground attack as it is at air. The F-16 is the dedicated platform for Wild Weasel operations. It can carry 4 HARM missiles.
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  44.  @joefish4466  You’re wrong on ALL accounts. Flying an aircraft is easy. Fighting in it is VERY hard to learn. The F-16 fights completely differently than a MiG-29. They have a different number of engines, different flight control methods/systems, different avionics, radars, different flight envelopes, targeting systems and weapons. That means the pilots have to master completely new tactics, which takes A LOT of time. It’s NOTHING like transitioning from a Chevy to a Porsche. It’s more like Chevy to a Cessna. The Congress DID pass appropriations to train Ukrainian pilots in the FY 2023 defense spending bill, and two senior Ukrainian pilots are learning to fly the F-16 at Luke AFB as we speak.
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  45. Poland’s Abrams are M1A2 SEPv3, which are being built for Poland brand new. The units that will be donated to Ukraine will be older variants from the US surplus inventory and are planned to be delivered in 2024 at the earliest.
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  46.  @leeoreilly6797  So what’s the alternative? You decide for everyone?
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  47.  @SPIDERM0OSE  That LITERALLY has nothing to do with the topic being discussed. Let me ask you this: Does the government exist to allow its citizens to rule and function as a society or do the citizens exist to allow the government to rule and function as an entity of power? How you see the role of government and society determines EVERYTHING. To appease your very pedestrian way of thinking… if no 66% majority of Scotland votes to leave or stay, where should Scotland be? The moon?
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  48.  @frankthetank5708  Not everything is about trade. In fact, very little is. Norway and Switzerland have no issues with trade with EU countries. Also, there are borders between these countries. There was a hard border between the UK and mainland and Ireland continues having one with mainland. That’s a Schengen issue, not an EU one. They’re very unrelated.
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  49.  @frankthetank5708  Adam Smith’s ideas are extremely outdated in the Economics world and I absolutely read him, back in first year of uni. Smith’s concepts relate to a world without trade agreements. That’s simply not a world today. Every nation has thousands of trade agreements with most other nations on the planet. No one is suggesting that the UK should not be in economic agreements or unions. The need is to have the UK dictate its side of those agreements and not have them dictated to the UK by a random third party.
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  50. This is because American networks are private and have limited air time, as they must provide air time to advertisement. Deutsche Welle (DW) is a government network and has no advertisement. It’s paid for by German taxes.
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  51.  @coolroy4300  Because the whole world has its eyes open.
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  52.  @toddbrackett4277  Because he’s a Russian bot.
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  53. Turkey and Hungary are aiming to leave NATO in order to join a new Turkic union. Good. They don’t belong in NATO.
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  54. Germany has been using the US to protect it since 1945.
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  55.  @starwarsgames5467  To be fair, not a single M60 tank was lost to enemy fire either, but mostly because the Iraqis didn’t fight.
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  56. Poland was due to retire these MiG-29s either way. Better to give them to Ukraine than scrap them. There are two Ukrainian air force pilots training on the F-15 and F-16 in the US right now to see just how much training would be needed to transition.
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  57. The M1A2 were offered to be sent a long time from now, to a future Ukraine, where they may actually do quite well since Poland will be operating them too. It’s right now that the Abrams aren’t useful for Ukraine.
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  58.  @neodym5809  It depends on what versions you’re comparing, but on average the Leo2 is a little lighter. The Leopard 2A6 being sent is 62.5 tons. The Abrams M1A2 SEP V2 being sent is 64.6 tons.
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  59. Why “some politicians”? A recent DW poll said 41% of Germans are happy with the amount of help Germany is providing to Ukraine. Only 23% wants more.
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  60. The US committed to send M1s in the future (months to years down the line) as a post-war military aid package.
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  61.  @miklefelps  No, he’s not from anywhere and he’s lying. Modern military forces get fantastic reports on what’s happening where.
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  62.  @miklefelps  I don’t know. It depends on what you mean by “victory.”
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  63. Moldova needs to give up Transnistria and unite with Romania.
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  64.  @jamesgornall5731  What about them?
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  65. Reuters is reporting that “one company of Leopard 2A6” tanks will be sent. A company is typically 14 tanks.
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  66.  @brokendrifter4626  Actually, Article 5 doesn’t require any member to do anything particular.
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  67.  @zollen123  Well… they’re in power, so…
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  68.  @niemanickurwa  You understand that your “defense” of a political/economic stance is purely ad-hominem slinging of proverbial feces, don’t you?
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  69.  @oxymoron02  The UK was never allowed to set its migration policy under the EU. Where dod you get that from? Are you confusing the EU with the Schengen treaty? The UK had to allow any EU resident to live and work in the UK.
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  70.  @ulfosterberg9116  The US has NOTHING to do with any of this.
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  71.  @ulfosterberg9116  Are you on drugs or something?
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  72.  @trildi The EU isn’t FIFA though. I suspected, for sure, but didn’t know.
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  73. Not mentioned is that NATO does the same. No one is required to squak transponers in international airspace unless they’re flying IFR and are under air traffic control.
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  74.  @tony18662  You can monitor, but it still isn’t required.
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  75. Can we just say that Tim Ripley is no military analyst or expert. The guy’s a career journalist and at best a fan of military history. He’s never served a day in his life.
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  76. WTF are you yapping about? Germany only has 312 Leopard 2 tanks total.
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  77. Putin declared a cease fire for two days, but really just 36 hours for a holiday that Ukraine no longer observes as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has changed Christmas day to December 25th (Gregorian Calendar). The old Orthodoxy chooses to use the old Julian calendar instead, so Christmas falls on January 7th on the Gregorian (still December 25th on the Julian).
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  78.  @qwertyuiop1234567180  The Abrams is technically a multi-fuel tank, as is the Leopard II. What that means is that their engines can run on any “fossil fuel”, in a pinch. What it also means is that they can’t do so for prolonged periods of time, do not have the sake power output and require a lot more maintenance opposed to when they’re run on their primary fuel. It’s the same as running a car designed for high octane fuel on low octane fuel. Yes, it will run, but it will develop knocking and eventually start blowing parts.
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  79.  @Walgriff  Wow… now say all that with your right arm extended into the air!
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  80.  @AplusStrategy  No one is even asking Scholz to send German tanks!
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  81.  @jokari69  No, it’s an old word called “appeasement” and Germany has benefitted from it many times.
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  82.  @Argosh  THERE ARE NO REQUESTS! The tanks cannot be given or sold by a legal contract, so there is no official process of requests to do so. It’s not a thing! Countries are asking Germany to have a parliamentary vote to change the contract wording to allow such shipments. That can’t be officially requested by a foreign country as all parliamentary actions have to come from parliament members.
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  83.  @Stan_the_Belgian  Same for Ukraine how?
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  84. Why is DW spreading misinformation by not including known details? The Israeli cabinet openly said that Hamas changed the distance at which the IDF are to withdraw and the US department of state made a statement that they are aware of this and are talking to Hamas to fix it. DW remains an anti-semitic state organization, it seems.
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  85.  @inkognitou6982  Bakhmut doesn’t open anything up. Have you seen the topography? You have NO idea.
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  86.  @arcaea_guy  I didn’t derive that number. People FAR more informed than anyone here did.
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  87.  @arcaea_guy  It’s not twice! Russians are dying about 5:1 in this war so far and that was true for most of the Bakhmut battle, but in the last 3 months or so it’s been closer to 2:1.
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  88.  @arcaea_guy  Lots of it. Go do some research.
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  89. The M1 tank was designed to be operated with JP8 fuel as primary. While it CAN run on other fuels (Diesel, gasoline, alcohol, etc.), it is not ideal. Doing so will reduce power, increase fuel consumption and require a lot of additional maintenance at closer intervals. This is why the US has said that it would not be that useful to Ukraine.
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  90. Ukraine has hundreds of its own tanks to start with and there are still T-72s being delivered. Morocco just sent 20 T-72Bs that were upgraded in Czechia.
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  91.  @rockfella1377  The EU doesn’t own any tanks. Those are owned by each country separately. The bulk of Leo 2s belong to Switzerland, Austria, Greece and Spain and none of them are going to send any, for various reasons.
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  92.  @rockfella1377  No, you ABSOLUTELY don’t have that. Look at it country by country, especially at the Eastern and Central European stocks. Europe is FAR short of what it needs. It depends HIGHLY on a total NATO response for defense.
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  93. They’ll tactically retreat all the way back to Russia.
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  94.  @aleksutsepesh1692  More importantly, most residents who stayed in Kherson know each other and it’s easy to point out those who don’t belong.
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  95. Talks about Leopard 2’s, shows footage of Abrams. Yeah, that checks out. In reality, Germany only agreed after the US has said they will send M1 tanks to Ukraine.
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  96. No, it’s absolutely showing it’s a follower, after Poland said they’d send their tanks no matter what Germany says.
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  97.  @hungvo6957  There’s no indication for #1 (you’re making stuff up) and #2 the Leopard 2 is a many decades’ old design that Russians know everything about. Germany has already stated many reasons why they were hesitating.
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  98.  @christopherx7428  And you think Turkey would defend any other NATO member? You’re doing some hardcore drugs if you do. Turkey hasn’t participated in a single NATO military operation and is openly supporting Russia.
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  99.  @kofidan9128  It’s how it is in the EU too. Only things they can all agree on get passed, which are very few.
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  100. In reality, the new Russian positions on the left side of Dnipro are even worse. That bank of the river lies much lower than the right bank (where the city is), which allows Ukrainians better visibility and greater shooting range. The left bank is also mostly sandy, arid soil, almost a desert. There is little tall vegetation. Nowhere to hide. The supply lines are still destroyed. We’re now hearing reports of Ukrainian units having crossed the river up and downstream of Kherson, including to the Ochakivs’kiy District, a peninsula that sticks out West, in the mouth of Dnipro, and at Antonivka. Early reports are of Russians mostly abandoning villages and massively retreating further SouthEast, down the P57 and E97 motorways.
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  101. The Australian Army has admitted that their Abrams engines have had MUCH worse reliability than the US Abrams for two reasons: because they operate in very sandy terrain (not really different from the US actually) and because they use Diesel. Running the Abrams on Diesel requires more maintenance, full stop. It was designed to run on JP fuel as primary. Run it on other fuels and you will need to do a lot more maintenance.
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  102.  @alexfortin7209  Yes, the Abrams burns crazy amounts of fuel at idle. So much so that a separate small Diesel motor was added to run systems while idling for extended periods of time. Abrams are actually very efficient while running though.
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  103.  @aflyingcowboy31  Different M1 variants weigh differently too.
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  104.  @infantiltinferno  Stored tanks aren’t that old in the US. They’re still M1A2, not M1A1.
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  105.  @LordOfHamburger  Factually, Poland is Ukraine’s second largest military supplier.
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  106.  @milkdiamond1490  The Leopard 2 is old technology that Russia knows very well. No secrets there.
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  107.  @lv3609  Poland WILL get Abrams tanks in a couple of years, but Poland is a rather wealthy and established nation with great logistics. Most Ukrainian logistics are gone, as is their money, and they need tanks for use today, not 2025, so no, the Abrams isn’t an ideal tank for them. In fact, late versions of the M-60 would be better suited.
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  108.  @Alok-The-Great  Someone thinks the EU is the 4th Reich.
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  109.  @maxhugen  Actually, all of Ukraine’s neighbors are taking on Leopards. Poland is losing its Leopards.
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  110.  @Octoknight64  Not at all the best, but the most suited for countries without military budgets.
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  111.  @bennojoely3433  Poland has supplied it. It gave ALL of its tanks based on the Soviet designs, including those built in Poland and upgraded to modern standards. Poland is the second largest donor if military equipment to Ukraine after the US.
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  112.  @maxhugen  Poland will either scrap them or give them to Ukraine. Otherwise they could give them to Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria or the Baltics, if they asked and Germany agreed. Poland has purchased over 1000 tanks from the US and South Korea to replace the T-72s and Leo2s.
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  113.  @lv3609  What’s feasible is what’s doable. Abrams aren’t doable today. In 5-10 years? Sure. Not today. Ukraine has no bridges that can withstand Abrams’ weight, nor pontoon bridges for it. It has no maintenance, knowledge or even wreckers that can pull an Abrams. Abrams use jet fuel as its primary fuel. Ukraine has no logistics for that. There are no maintenance depots outside of Germany for Abrams. Buying new tanks today means you’ll get them delivered years from now. No one is saying Germany has to give up its Leos. Just let others do it! You have NO clue of what you’re talking about.
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  114.  @lv3609  And all of those considerations say the Leopard 2. All of Ukraine’s neighbors have purchased the Leo2 already.
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  115.  @maxhugen  They may have no choice if Germany refuses transfers. They have to be retired at some point.
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  116.  @lv3609  Tell us you have no clue of what I’ve said and don’t know anything without telling us.
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  117. But something being more complex doesn’t necessarily make it worse in the long-term. You’re trying to explain facts by saying the optics were wrong. That’s simply disingenuous.
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  118. “Overnight”? It’s easy to see nothing when you cover your eyes. Finland has a long history of siding with the garbage of the Earth.
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  119. You can CLEARLY see that NONE of those “protesters” are just random residents. They’re ALL military age, large, fit men, most with prison tattoos and shaved heads. Not a coincidence.
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  120. Germany constantly insists in being the enemy to the rest of Europe. Even now, looking for ANY reason to not provide aid or even in this case deny others from doing so.
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  121. Maintenance also increases, a lot.
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  122. All of Eastern Europe’s munitions manufacturing is being switched over to NATO standards as these countries are running out of Soviet-era guns to fire Soviet-era rounds, and have been for decades. Poland, for example, designed its own 155mm AHS Krab howitzer. They are also taking delivery of South Korean 155mm self-propelled K9A1 howitzers. Danas and Gvozdikas are being donated to Ukraine as well. The BWP-1s are going… You get the point. The infantry uses the 5.56 NATO MSBS Grot as the standard rifle, not an AK, NATO chambered sniper rifles, UKM-200 and MG-63 7.62mm NATO machine guns, as well as 50BMG heavy machine guns firing NATO .50 caliber rounds. About 2/3 of T-72s in the Polish inventory have already been donated to Ukraine, and as the new South Korean K2PL tanks are arriving, even more T-72s and then PT-91s will be given up. In 2024 the Abrams will start arriving, leaving Poland with just NATO standard caliber tanks.
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  123.  @HCB.S  There is no official asking process. The purchase contract says they can’r give or re-sell them. It doesn’t say, “without permission.” Poland wants the German parliament to amend the contract.
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  124.  @HCB.S  Try writing it in your language because you’re making no sense in English.
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  125.  @michalandrejmolnar3715  The reality is that tanks in storage are often in no condition to fight. Many EU countries have avoided spending money on them. Spain is a good example. Germany doesn’t even allow proper long-term storage for tanks. They’ve given them to Rhinemetall, who just said it would take 2 years to get them back to normal condition. Poland doesn’t need the Leopard 2 tanks, so they’re giving them up.
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  126.  @Ryanowning  And another very important point - if Europe fails to support Ukraine now, not only are they next, but the US will be unable or unwilling to properly support the other Europeans when Russia comes for them. NATO’s Article 5 doesn’t require anyone to do anything particular. It works purely on respect.
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  127. More likely move Southeast to free Crimea. Once that bridge is gone, Russia’s supplies to the South are done. Then all Southern units can move toward Melitopol, Berdyansk and Mariupol.
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  128.  @user-pp2up2kc5n  The number of troops actually becomes a burden once the supplies are limited.
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  129.  @JohnDoe-hf4te  Not likely. If you study the local topography and know a bit about warfare you’ll see that the new Russian positions are worse now than they were in the city.
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  130.  @RedBlackDish  Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December, even the Orthodox ones. They switched to the Gregorian calendar.
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  131.  @temistogen  Of course it is. The Orthodox celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but on the Julian calendar.
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  132.  @mitchrodee  That’s not a tradition. It’s a misuse of a discontinued calendar.
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  133.  @DSan-kl2yc  That’s false. The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar that has completely different dates. None of this involves the Hebrew calendar, actually. The whole point is that the Julian calendar was the official calendar in all of Rome, including Bethlehem. It was established in 45 b.c. by Caesar in Rome, but took decades to spread around the Roman Empire. Since Christianity ended up spreading the calendar to the world, it also fixed the start year to the birth of Jesus, or at least what they thought was his birth year. No one actually knows when he was born.
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  134. In basic terms, use of a tactical nuclear weapon will likely result in a FULL closure of ALL trade, travel and financial access between Russia and Europe, North America, Australia and many other nations. It would force India and China away from Russia, break up the CSTO and finally, force NATO to actually put troops into Ukraine and strike major Russian bases.
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  135.  @unconventionalideas5683  Well… aircraft in Ukraine do use JP fuel.
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  136.  @Argosh  That’s false. While Abrams tanks can run on practically anything combustible, they cannot do so for very long and require A LOT of extra maintenance if you do run them that way.
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  137.  @mixisixi2367  NOTHING and NO ONE inspires Germans to do anything. They are the most pragmatic people in the world. The UK sent Challenger IIs… no inspiration.
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  138.  @vet137  No one is talking about M1A1 tanks. Those are only in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This isn’t 1990. The US only has M1A2sepv3 and higher.
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  139.  @zadovrus1624  Leopard II requires fewer maintenance cycles, uses less fuel and runs on Diesel as it primary fuel (it can run on others). It’s simpler to work on and all of Ukraine’s neighbors already have Leo IIs, so they can help with training, parts, and depot-level maintenance (as opposed to field-level). Ukraine doesn’t even have wreckers or pontoon bridges that can support the weight of an Abrams. The Leo II is perfect for them.
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  140.  @anomymouse5043  No one checks the live ones, but those who are shot down or punch out will be checked. No PJs in Ukraine to bail you out.
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  141.  @hansybarra  STOP TROLLING ALREADY! Get a life!
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  142. @Phillip Banes We know because we know how long it takes Western pilots to transition between different aircraft platforms.
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  143. @Phillip Banes I don’t recall you responding in private. Everything here is public by default. War or not war, learning how to fly a complex aircraft is the same. It takes hours and hours, in simulator, classroom and in the air. The only thing that takes less time in a war is dying. I tell you this as a pilot and a war veteran.
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  144.  @EventH  That’s utterly false. It is a very inexpensive aircraft to operate, which is why it was sold to so many nations around the world. It’s a small, single-engine, multi-role fighter. People think Russian jets are cheap. They’re not. They’re just subsidized by a Russian government military production system where they don’t pay anyone for parts, fuel or maintenance. Ukraine would get parts donated as well, while the F-16 uses less fuel than the less capable MiG-29. As per munitions, they’re being donated by other nations, including the HARM, as it is currently being employed by existing MiG-29s with converted pylons, albeit not properly.
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  145.  @EventH  $5k per flight hour is just the fuel!
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