Ukraina - Legg merke til delen om jagerfly under - The War Zone

 

Det tar lang tid å lære å fly et jagerfly av en ukjent type. Videre; det tar lang tid å lære å bruke flyet som et våpen. Systemene er veldig forskjellige fra Su-27 eller andre russiske flytyper. Tipper det tar et år før flygerne kan brukes i eksempelvis F-16. (Red.)

A STRONG OFFENSE FOR THE WORLD OF DEFENSE

February 9, 2023

Ukraine still has not received a solid offer for donated Western fighter jets to improve the capabilities of its air force. However, of the types available, it seems one has been consistently the forerunner, and understandably so — the F-16. This is primarily due to the type's availability, ease of support and sprawling logistical infrastructure, the capacity to train its pilots to fly it, and its highly adaptable multi-role capability. But just how feasible is it to get pilots trained not just to fly, but also to fight in, the F-16? You can read more about this here in The War Zone’s deep dive on the topic. 

 

As The War Zone was first to report this week, the U.S. Air Force's U-2S Dragon Lady spy planes were among the assets tapped to monitor and collect intelligence on a Chinese government surveillance balloon during its recent trip across parts of the continental United States and Canada. On February 6, a U.S. defense official confirmed the use of the aircraft as part of the broader response to the Chinese spy balloon. The Dragon Lady is the only plane in the U.S. military inventory, at least that we know, that can fly persistently at altitudes even higher than where the balloon was soaring, which was between roughly 60,000 and 70,000 feet. 

 

Meanwhile, the Russian Navy has now formally decommissioned the nuclear ballistic missile submarine Dmitry Donskoy, state media has reported. For years now, the submarine has been the sole remaining example of the iconic Typhoon class to be in service. The Typhoon remains the largest submarine of any kind, by displacement, to have ever been built. Dmitry Donskoy, also known by its hull number TK-208, is now set to join two other decommissioned Typhoons at the Russian Navy's base at Severodvinsk.

 

We are also continuing our rolling coverage of the conflict in Ukraine as it develops, which can be found at The War Zone. You can also check out highlights of all our coverage from the last week below. 

 

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Oliver Parken

The War Zone