Comments by "VisibilityFoggy" (@VisibilityFoggy) on "Russia's Looming Serious Tank Shortage - Tank Count Using Latest Bought Satellite Imagery" video.

@balaclavabob001 You mean the 93rd GUARDS Combined Hula-hoop and Yoyo Division. Learn some respect, good sir!
34
@BoboTheSunniestPalDog I'm not sure what high-end equipment Russia has without a NATO piece of kit that is ahead in terms of technology, ease of use, availability, or lethality. There are some pieces of Russian kit that would likely match the west (the T-14, for example) but Russia cannot actually produce the machines they created. The Su-57 is a great aircraft, but its radar cross section is about the same as the F-18, which is aging out of U.S. service. Russia did field the R-73 air-to-air missile, which probably was superior to the AIM-120D, however this week the U.S. announced it had already created and armed aircraft with the new AIM-174B long range missile that fills the same role, based on the battle-tested SM-6 interceptor. So, yes, generally speaking, NATO fields the best military equipment in the world. The USSR held that same title on occasions when they would spring ahead in tech during the Cold War. Their aircraft, especially, were respected globally. Russia? Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has not created much of anything new, and the few things it did are made in such small numbers they are almost useless. China, on the other hand, designed and fielded the J-10 in large numbers (a powerful answer to the F-16), the J-20 and J-31 stealth aircraft, and some excellent A2A missiles, plus cutting edge drone tech. They also operate multiple carriers, including a CATOBAR carrier like the U.S. and France. That's why they are considered adversaries, but respected, while Russia is simply despised for its war crimes and lampooned for its military failures as of late.
6
@jaripukki267 The Ukrainians made a bespoke variant of the T-80 that replaced the gas turbine engine with a diesel engine.
5
@janbo8331 The great part about getting along with your neighbors is that, in your example, both countries benefit when Alaska does well economically by way of its resources. So, Canada doesn't need to invade Alaska. We have treaties between our countries that allow amazing economic cooperation, and we genuinely like each other's people. Russia could have had a great relationship with an up-and-coming Ukraine, acting as a bridge between east and west. Instead, he killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands more of his own people (and drove out millions who will probably never return). China and Russia, however, are two expansionist dictatorships. One of them is going to make a move eventually.
5
@jon9428 There was also that time the T-14 broke down in the middle of a military parade and had to be rescued by a tow truck lol.
4
@Axxel720 They didn't re-start production of new tank hulls. They're fitting T-62s with somewhat modern optics and some other upgrades in a "like new" refurbished capacity. Essentially Frankentanks, which actually isn't the worst way for them to approach things. It's going to be tough for Russia to make anything like a T-90 between the expertise shortage (skilled laborers have either fled or been killed in the war) and a lack of time to develop sensors and other tech that was western-sourced and is now sanctioned-out. It's been a quantity over quality game since about day three of this conflict, so I wouldn't expect any real change in posture.
3
@Axxel720 There has never been an M1A2 in Ukraine. Only M1A1. Agree on the T-55s, though Ukraine's variant was actually in service (Slovakia, maybe?) until very recently in a highly-upgraded variant. But yeah, it's still based on a T-55. The M1A1s that were destroyed hit mines, which is an inevitability in war, but the important factor (at least in the west) is the fact that the hulls protected the soldiers operating them, for the most part. Russia's tanks hit mines too, but the poorly-placed autoloaders and horrendous materials used in their construction turn them into flying saucers when they explode out of nowhere.
3
@marcie1671 They can replace S300/400 launchers fairly easily, however the radars are incredibly difficult to replace. This is the value of using a HARM missile since it will attack the radar. An F-16 will be fitted with what is known as a HARM Targeting Pod, or HTS, which will make these even more effective. Russia's air defense posture is absolutely not going to improve.
3
@janbo8331 The newly-created brigades are mostly light infantry who, sadly, are used as cannon fodder until they take out a few vehicles to defend the front line. Then a new wave comes in to try and hold it. Then a new wave to attempt to advance if possible. The pure death toll is why the armed forces were forced to expand. They're running out of PGMs, have no air superiority and their long-range naval strike capability has been diminished to practically nothing. There is no other option but to send waves of human beings into combat. Even if it's physically sustainable, it's not going to be politically sustainable once the residents of St. Pete and Moscow are affected.
2
Russia knows it is no longer capable of winning a conventional war with any of those three countries. Their nuclear deterrent protects them from total destruction of the Russian state, so their losses would be limited to whatever China (the most likely candidate) could bite off, then settle diplomatically. Putin decided that invading Ukraine was more important than protecting his country's other flanks, so that's what has happened. This, of course, was incredibly stupid, since Ukraine had zero interest in a conflict with Russia, and even if accepted into NATO, would not be eligible to invoke Article V for an offensive war. The USA has absolutely no reason or inclination to invade Russia. A President would be thrown out of office before attempting that. Turkey is nicely positioned to influence global commerce and is developing a more advanced aviation and defense industry group. Starting a war with Russia does not serve its global purposes at all. That leaves China, which I can already see just drooling over that northern resources area. Ya done messed up, Vlad!
1