willedoo Posted July 2 Posted July 2 The Russians have gone all Mad Max lately but their motorcycle wave assaults have been failing badly. It doesn't work but they keep doing it. 1
red750 Posted July 6 Posted July 6 Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been transferred from a maximum-security prison to a prison hospital, according to his wife, Evgenia. Kara-Murza, 42, has been imprisoned by the Kremlin for his outspoken criticism of the Russian government and its actions. On June 4, Kara-Murza was moved from the high-security IK-6 penal colony in Omsk to the Regional Hospital FKLPU 11 of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Omsk region. According to Ziare Evgenia revealed that his lawyers were not permitted to see him during the transfer, raising concerns about his well-being. Kara-Murza suffers from polyneuropathy, a nervous system disorder believed to be a result of two poisoning attempts he survived in the past. Kara-Murza, who holds both Russian and British passports, was initially arrested in April 2022 after returning from abroad. He was accused of disobeying a police officer but was later charged with discrediting the Russian military and treason due to his vocal opposition to the Kremlin's policies, particularly its decision to invade Ukraine on February 24, 2022. In April 2023, Kara-Murza was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Throughout his career, Kara-Murza has been a steadfast critic of Putin and the Russian government. His activism has made him a target, leading to multiple attempts on his life and his eventual imprisonment. His transfer to a prison hospital underscores the ongoing concerns about his health and the harsh conditions he faces in custody. The case of Vladimir Kara-Murza is set against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The invasion, which began in February 2022, has drawn widespread international condemnation and led to severe economic sanctions against Russia. Critics like Kara-Murza have been vocal about the Kremlin's aggressive policies and the impact on both Russian and Ukrainian citizens. 1 1
red750 Posted July 6 Posted July 6 If you were still wondering whether or not Vladimir Putin is paranoid, we can now dispel those doubts because psychiatrist Daniel Zagury analyzed his behavior in detail. Daniel Zagury, a psychiatrist specializing in psychopathology and forensic psychiatry, spoke to Le Journal du Dimanche about the Russian head of state's hate-soaked behavior. At a time when he is completely disconnected from reality, Putin lapses into excesses and "embarks on a rampage that can only be stopped by external action," Zagury stressed. An inevitable war is the only answer to a deep and boundless inner hatred. The paranoia inherent in dictatorship Like any true dictator, Putin suffers from paranoia. To maintain his power, he must distrust everything and everyone. "There is a functional paranoia that is necessary for the work of intelligence, from the KGB to the FSB.... the paranoid reaction is one of the classic drivers of mobilization against the enemy. But this is something else: the decompensation of a mental illness," explains Daniel Zagury. Detached from reality The psychiatrist continued: "For Putin, what is happening is completely unthinkable, unrepresentable, unimaginable. It is the gruesome dissolution of all the values of Greater Russia, fused with his person. Ukraine, hated more than anything else as a fake creation of the collapse of the USSR, is in the process of defeating Russia militarily, with the active help of the hated West." Completely subservient to his delusions of grandeur and unable to deal with the image of the triumphant enemy, the Russian president steps up his attacks and mocks the West. "Reality no longer has a grip on him," the psychiatrist concludes his analysis. 1 1
willedoo Posted July 15 Posted July 15 Footage from the tests of the Ukrainian 'Bullet' jet UAV that is reportedly able to intercept reconnaissance or strike drones and engage helicopters. Although its specifications are unknown, the drone reached a speed of 130 km/h during tests. The cost of a system, which includes five UAVs and a ground station, is 5.8 million UAH (€130,000). 1
onetrack Posted July 15 Posted July 15 The Ukrainians are experimenting with using an Aeroprakt A-22 to shoot down drones. The passenger carries a "bullpup" rifle and attempts to shoot down Russian drones loitering over Ukrainian airfields. https://www.twz.com/air/ultralight-drone-hunting-planes-now-in-use-in-ukraine#:~:text=Ukraine's unorthodox efforts to develop,uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). 1
Marty_d Posted July 16 Posted July 16 13 hours ago, willedoo said: Footage from the tests of the Ukrainian 'Bullet' jet UAV that is reportedly able to intercept reconnaissance or strike drones and engage helicopters. Although its specifications are unknown, the drone reached a speed of 130 km/h during tests. The cost of a system, which includes five UAVs and a ground station, is 5.8 million UAH (€130,000). 130km/h doesn't seem very fast for an anti-aircraft drone, when compared to the hypersonic speeds of air to air missiles. Looks like they need to put out an appeal for European aeromodellers to build and donate model jets. 2
willedoo Posted July 16 Posted July 16 I don't think there are any hypersonic speed (Mach 5+) air to air missiles but a lot of them are up around the Mach 4 speed. As far as chasing helicopters goes, the drone can't match them on speed by a long way, it's only chance would be to sneak up on them when the choppers are at a slow speed for some operational reason. The Mi-8M cruise speed is around 240 kph with a maximum not much higher. The Ka-50 and Mi-28 have 270 kph cruise speeds with maximums close to 320. Intercepting other drones is probably all the Bullet will be able to do.
willedoo Posted July 18 Posted July 18 Greece is going to transfer 32 decommissioned F-16's to Ukraine.
nomadpete Posted July 18 Posted July 18 3 minutes ago, willedoo said: Greece is going to transfer 32 decommissioned F-16's to Ukraine. A bit faster than a Foxbat.
willedoo Posted July 18 Posted July 18 The word is that the Greek PM was partly influenced by the incident in March where the Russians almost blew him up with a missile in Odesa. It landed 150 metres from where he and Zelensky were and killed five people. 1
willedoo Posted July 18 Posted July 18 33 minutes ago, nomadpete said: A bit faster than a Foxbat. Now, let me guess which Foxbat you're referring to. 3
willedoo Posted July 18 Posted July 18 Greece still has 33 operational F-4E Phantoms. The F-4E was the variant we had, the one with the built in gun. 1
willedoo Posted July 18 Posted July 18 7 minutes ago, Marty_d said: Operational?? Not sure what you question there Marty. Let me use some other terms - still flying in service with the Hellinic Air Force. They're based in four squadrons. The RF-4E reconnaissance variants have been retired.
onetrack Posted July 18 Posted July 18 The Phantoms are a bloody legend. The Greek ones have had massive frame and avionic upgrades to bring them into the 21st century. They have one major advantage - 2 crew. That's 4 sets of ears and eyes and 4 hands to run the complexity and handle threats. I can still recall the Phantoms bombing the crap out of NVA and VC strongholds in the mountains in South VN, within a couple of kays of my location, they were impressive to say the least. https://www.key.aero/article/gods-war-exploring-operations-greek-f-4-phantom-ii-unit 2
willedoo Posted July 18 Posted July 18 They're a bit like the F-111 was, old design but still highly effective. 1
willedoo Posted July 18 Posted July 18 21 minutes ago, onetrack said: I can still recall the Phantoms bombing the crap out of NVA and VC strongholds in the mountains in South VN, within a couple of kays of my location, they were impressive to say the least. It would be interesting to see them on maximum dive angle on bombing runs. 45 degrees is common, but I'm fairly sure I've read the figure of 60 degrees in the manuals I have. You would need to hold your mouth right. 1
willedoo Posted July 18 Posted July 18 2 hours ago, facthunter said: Keep the Canopy closed. Nev That reminds me of a story I read in an autobiography of a USAF F-4 pilot in Vietnam. It didn't involve him personally, but one of his associates at Cam Ranh AFB lost his WSO out the back seat in an uncommanded ejection. In training, two F-4's almost touched wingtips while performing a zoom climb, and the only way the pilot could avoid a collision was to nose down into a negative G dive. When he recovered from the dive he noticed a parachute canopy and thought it must have been from the other Phantom. It wasn't until he got no response from the back seat on the intercom that he realised it was his WSO under the parachute. He'd lost his Wizzo. It turned out the armourers hadn't secured the seat properly and when the plane went into a sudden dive, the seat rode up the rails and set the rear seat ejection sequence in motion. The ejection handle only activates the gun to do the same thing that the dive caused with an unsecured seat - make the seat rise up the rails and out into the blue. Everything else is initiated via static lines and other gadgets. I think I might have related this story previously somewhere on the forum. 2
willedoo Posted July 19 Posted July 19 On 18/07/2024 at 12:22 PM, onetrack said: The Phantoms are a bloody legend. The Greek ones have had massive frame and avionic upgrades to bring them into the 21st century. They have one major advantage - 2 crew. That's 4 sets of ears and eyes and 4 hands to run the complexity and handle threats. I can still recall the Phantoms bombing the crap out of NVA and VC strongholds in the mountains in South VN, within a couple of kays of my location, they were impressive to say the least. https://www.key.aero/article/gods-war-exploring-operations-greek-f-4-phantom-ii-unit onetrack, as you can probably guess from my avatar, I'm a long term Phantom enthusiast. The F-4 has always been my favourite Western aircraft. There's a lot of good reading on the subject out there, including autobiographies of F-4 pilots and crew who flew them in Vietnam. One that's a must read is the biography/autobiography of Colonel Robin Olds. I think it's titled Fighter Pilot from memory. It covers his whole Air Force career including WW2, but a big part of the book is about his time in the Vietnam war when he commanded the 8th.TFW based at Ubon. As good as the personal accounts are, my all time favourite is one I consider the Phantom bible, 'Engineering the F-4 Phantom II: Parts into Systems' by Glenn E. Bugos. It's a great book if you like the technical side of things. Another very informative book I have is a reproduction reprint of the USN F-4 flight manual. Lots of good stuff in there. 1 1
willedoo Posted August 4 Posted August 4 Kremlin spokesman Peskov has said the Russian Air Force is fully prepared to combat Ukrainian F-16s. 1 1
willedoo Posted August 4 Posted August 4 Ukrainian General Staff have reported that the Russian Kilo class submarine 'Rostov-on-Don' has been sunk in Sevastopol. It's the submarine that was undergoing repairs after being hit in a cruise missile attack last September while in dry dock. This time it was in floating condition alongside a maintenance barge in Kilen Bay. The attached screen grab from Google Maps shows it before the sinking. It's now 'Rostov-on-Bottom'. The orcs will be p*ssed off after spending ten months and squillions of dollars repairing it. I don't know why they bothered; it was always going to be a (wounded) sitting duck where it was. I get it that it was a 300 million dollar boat and wasn't able to be moved to safer waters for repair, but their logic defies me at times. 3
willedoo Posted August 7 Posted August 7 The Ukrainians seem happy with Kamala Harris's pick for VP. https://www.kyivpost.com/post/36997 2
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