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Speculations, Ukraine could get F-16 fighter jets as early as the spring of 2024. To Kyiv must prepare ‘customized’ airfields to fly the fighting falcons. As First Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk said it's carrying out a thorough assessment of its airfields to accommodate the combat-capable fighter jet. At same time Ukrainian engineers & pilots have been receiving training in West to fly F-16s to integrate those multirole F-16 fighter into armed forces structure in line with the international Military-Air Coalition and locally.

“We are working on implementing Fast Track by end of 2024. Assessment of airfields for multi-role fighters has been conducted within its framework. pilots & engineers have been undergoing training on F-16 since August 2023. Pavliuk said. He stated intricate & rigorous work is being done in Ukraine to prepare infrastructure, secure it, use air defense systems, and address several other concerns. This starkly contrasts with flying Soviet-origin aircraft like Su-24, Su-25, Su-27 &  MiG-29s that Ukrainian Air Force has extensively deployed beginning of the conflict in 2022. Since Ukraine intensified its pitch for F-16 fighter jets from its NATO partners, military analysts have emphasized it would not be durable for Ukraine to operate F-16s. Experts warned as early as April 2023 that Ukrainian Air Force would need specially constructed airbases since it is so delicate, and Russia may be able to locate and attack those locations. You can read a detailed analysis by EurAsian Times here.

At the time, Justin Bronk, an air-warfare expert with British think tank Royal United Service Institute (RUSI), explained the F-16s needed particular infrastructure as it has a large air inlet beneath the nose that “sucks everything from the ground directly into it.” F-16s generally require extremely hygienic, extremely well-maintained air bases. Bronk said F-16 is designed with an exceptional thrust-to-weight ratio, and its landing gear is “fairly lightweight,” meaning that “there is no more weight on jet than there needs to be.” But he claimed that the airfields and bases in Russia and Ukraine are essentially archaic and unfit for the F-16 Fighting Falcon or certain other Western planes.

Bronk continued, “You’d be looking at resurfacing work on runways and possibly extension work, all of which are highly visible” to Moscow’s sources on the ground and to Russia’s satellites. According to military experts TASS spoke with in August last year, Ukraine does not currently have infrastructure needed to house F-16 fighter jets. They warned if attempts are made to develop such airfields and other facilities, they will be destroyed during construction even before they are completed.

Ukraine has come a long way since & admission about assessing improving airfields suggests that the challenges are being worked out, perhaps with Western assistance. However Ukrainian minister did not give many details about nature of work on these airfields.

Russia, on its part, continues to assert that the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine would not be a game changer, banking on fact that most of its long-range missiles put almost all of the Ukrainian airfields in the firing line. It has also gone so far as to warn if these jets launch from a neighboring NATO country, Moscow would retaliate. However, it will still be some time before Ukraine receives its NATO partners’ first batch of F-16s.

Fixed-Wing ....Lockheed delivers first Block 70 F-16s to Slovakia. The Military airframer Lockheed Martin has started delivering F-16 Block 70 fighter jets to the govt of Slovakia. The NATO member is and former Soviet Bloc country plans to acquire 14 of single-engined, multi-role combat aircraft, as Bratislava transitions its air force away from Russian-origin..(to Ukraine), those old equipment.

Lockheed announced the delivery of the first two Vipers on 10 January, calling the fighters a leap in technology for Slovakia. “The delivery of the first two F-16 Block 70 jets to Slovakia signifies a crucial starting point in bolstering the country’s defence capabilities,” says OJ Sanchez, vice-president of Lockheed’s integrated fighter group.

Slovakia currently lacks operational fixed-wing fighters. Bratislava donated its entire fleet of 13 retired RAC MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine in 2023.
In addition to F-16s, Washington approved the sale of 12 Bell AH-1Z attack helicopters to Slovakia following the MiG-29 transfer. The US government contributed $660 million to that $1 billion deal.

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Canada, partners take Iran to UN council over downed Ukrainian jet....victims are displayed during a memorial service to remember the victims of the Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 which was shot down in Iran four years ago in a disaster that killed 57 Canadians, mainly of Iranian descent, in... an event marking the 3rd anniversary of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, which was shot down near Tehran by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, 

The downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, which was shot down near Tehran by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, news from Toronto, Ontario, Canada January 8, 2023...
https://www.reuters.com/world/canada-par...024-01-08/

Putin's killing again / Russia's missile strikes (same as like Israel) killing innocent Ukrainians, leave@least 31 dead, 160 wounded KYIV 

News: Russia is Putin launched massive air attack on Ukraine Dec 29, killing more then 31 innicent folks & wounding hundred across country in fiercest assault since 2-yrs ago. Schools, maternity hospital, shopping arcades, blocks of flats. This is what Putin can do to show his killng also., among the buildings hit in the barrage also he saw Russian missile passing through Polish airspace - triggered international condemnation. Ukraine has been fighting off invading Russian troops since February 2022. "Today Russia hit us with everything it has in its arsenal," President Zelenskyy said.

Same same for Israel, does their officials support Gaza destruction?, court hears. "Israel has genocidal intent in Gaza", says lawyer representing South Africa. The claims were made by South African lawyers as it presented its case accusing Israel of genocide at International Court of Justice. South Africa also called on the court to order Israel to cease military operations in Gaza.

Will the South Africa International Court of Justice go and ask this same question,

Same for Russia and or Putin accusing Russia of genocide by the International Court of Justice...right. This is a vidal absolutely necessary question. For Justice must be see as a justice fair play. Right. Tongue

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Putin's killing again / Russia's missile strikes (same as like Israel) killing innocent Ukrainians, leave@least 31 dead, 160 wounded KYIV 

News: Russia is Putin launched massive air attack on Ukraine Dec 29, killing more then 31 innicent folks & wounding hundred across country in fiercest assault since 2-yrs ago. Schools, maternity hospital, shopping arcades, blocks of flats. This is what Putin can do to show his killng also., among the buildings hit in the barrage also he saw Russian missile passing through Polish airspace - triggered international condemnation. Ukraine has been fighting off invading Russian troops since February 2022. "Today Russia hit us with everything it has in its arsenal," President Zelenskyy said.

Same same for Israel, does their officials support Gaza destruction?, court hears. "Israel has genocidal intent in Gaza", says lawyer representing South Africa. The claims were made by South African lawyers as it presented its case accusing Israel of genocide at International Court of Justice. South Africa also called on the court to order Israel to cease military operations in Gaza.

Will the South Africa International Court of Justice go and ask this same question,

Same for Russia and or Putin accusing Russia of genocide by the International Court of Justice...right. This is a vidal absolutely necessary question. For Justice must be see as a justice fair play. Right. Tongue

☆》When there is a will there is a way. The will to stop been bully is strong, is with Ukraineian folks.

☆》 @Follow the Will. Follow the way the will go. It will match the Russian halfway...Ukraine will not give up halfway, to protect their sovereignty against invaders and aggressors.

Putin is though, must ask Ukraine folks for their permission.. Sleepy. Is A Big No, he (OMG) he must ask his god whatever.

"He is Furious, he, Putin orders revenge"

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Ukrainian missile strike on Russian warship Admiral Essen marked debut of Neptune missile — Navy

At the time, Russian forces were carrying out so-called “demonstration actions” to prevent Ukraine from deploying marine units to the front lines due to the threat of a Russian amphibious landing, Neyizhpapa said.

Ukraine has revealed that its Neptune anti-ship missile was first used to target the Russian frigate Admiral Essen, Navy Commander Oleksiy Neyizhpapa said in an interview with NV’s sister publication Ukrainska Pravda on Jan. 11.

The missile was fired in April 2022, when the Admiral Essen, along with landing craft, approached the Ukrainian coast near the Tendra Spit near the port of Pivdennyi, Mykolaiv Oblast.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ukrainian-miss...FyY2hib3gv&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAApTq9UdnFx2u9lfMjXxi_UTz3K9zUdDfIQmU7StnfLqcTqdV3mPqeahAQERTrqWkTTYYAja6Wi-dTJBDD3alIri92SedXMQMTE7sd425Da3Z6SkVRN_sbI4cRyJcjp8U8MoWiAq_FGyFA0MPAvSY8JbE1VCTVwSA2bHMTBlKlqq

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EFP-S armor-piercing ammunition for FPV. Aviation Aviation armament Defense industry of Ukraine Ukraine

Ukraine has developed new EFP-S ammunition for FPV drones, capable of penetrating armored vehicles.

This is stated in the document about the munition, which is freely available on the website of the Territorial Defense Forces.

The product, which weighs only 1 kg, belongs to the Shock Wave Dynamics (SWD) family of ammunition.

The EFP-S ammunition warhead has a “platter charge,” a powerful behind-armor effect, and a long range.

It is used against lightly armored vehicles (self-propelled guns, IFVs, APCs), which are protected by slat armor and anti-drone equipment.

Ukrainian EFP-S armor-piercing ammunition of the Shock Wave Dynamics (SWD) family for drones
The document states that the armor penetration is 25 mm. The range of damage is between 1.5m and 50m.

The weight of the striking element is 165g. Its velocity reaches 1800 m/s.

In this case, the warhead can be equipped with a C4 (420g) or PVV-5а (390g) explosive, which consists of 85% hexogen.

The EFP-S consists of:

a removable case part; screws for fixing the removable part; cap for fixing the detonator;
adapter for attachment to the drone frame;
a sight for alignment of the heading camera;
rubber lining.

Український бронебійний боєприпас EFP-S сімейства Shock Wave Dynamics (SWD) для дронів

Ukrainian EFP-S armor-piercing ammunition of the Shock Wave Dynamics (SWD) family for drones
The ammunition is attached to the FPV drone using nylon clamps.

The manufacturers state that effective operation requires remote detonation of the EFP-S munition and a heading chamber alignment before the munition is fired.

Ukrainian EFP-S armor-piercing ammunition of the Shock Wave Dynamics (SWD) family for drones
In recent months, the FPV drones with new ammunition of the Shock Wave Dynamics family started to be deployed against the Russian military
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/ukraine-develo...n-for-fpv/

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Avdiivka Photo Shows Glimpse of 'Hundreds' of Ruined Russian Vehicles....new photograph show by Ukrainian military appears to show a snapshot of a slew of Russian military vehicles littering the fields around embattled Donetsk town Avdiivka after 3-months of bitter fighting for the strategic settlement.

There are "hundreds of units of knocked-out Russian equipment" along the front line close to the town northwest of the regional capital, Donetsk City, Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine's Tavria grouping of forces covering Avdiivka, said in a post to Telegram on Thursday. The Ukrainian commander also shared a photo showing three wrecked vehicles coated in snow.

Photo show 3-wrecked vehicles coated in snow..
It show Russia lost four tanks along that section of the frontline in the past 24 hours, Tarnavskyi said.

Newsweek could not independently verify the image, nor Tarnavskyi's tally of Russian losses. The Russian Defense Ministry has been approached for comment via email. Russia launched its offensive around Avdiivka three months ago, triggering thousands of deaths on both sides just ahead of the grueling winter season setting in across Ukraine. Western analysts were initially optimistic about Avdiivka holding out and Ukrainian defenses remaining unbreached. But almost daily, Moscow has been inching further around the industrial settlement.

In nearly two years of war, Russia's military has lost huge chunks of its pre-war armored vehicle and tank fleets. It is very difficult to gain an accurate picture of just how many armored vehicles and tanks have been damaged, destroyed, captured or abandoned.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian military said Russia had lost 12 tanks in the past day, bringing its total tank losses since February 2022 to 6,050. Moscow also lost 22 armored personnel vehicles in the past 24 hours, Kyiv said, updating its tally to 11,238.

READ MORE: Putin's war is changing how people speak in Ukraine

In early November, Britain's armed forces minister, James Heappey, told U.K. lawmakers that Russia had lost more than 7,117 armored vehicles, including nearly 2,475 main battle tanks
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-...sk-1859748

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command of the Russian occupation army has not achieved the goals it has set in recent months. The Russian army's offensive is failing.This was stated by the Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukrinform reports citing ArmyInform.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/381...fails.html

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The command of Russian occupation army has not achieved goals it has set in recent months. The Russian army's offensive is failing. This was stated by Commander of Land Forces of Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukrinform reports citing ArmyInform.

Commander of Land Forces of Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi says Kyiv urgently requires more military aircraft such as A-10 Warthogs and long-range cruise missile carriers in an interview with Reuters on Jan. 12, this is not a new machine, but a reliable one that has proven itself in many wars, and which has a wide array of weapons for destroying land targets to help the infantry,” said Syrskyi.

He explained that A-10 would provide crucial close air support to ground forces. "It is for destroying land-based targets: tanks, artillery ... everything that counters the infantry," he added.

The general said that modern attack helicopters could also play a significant role in allowing Kyiv to break stalemate on battlefield & continue pushing Russian forces from southern and eastern Ukraine.
In how fight is looking now, he said Russian forces were advancing in several sections of the front, while Ukrainian forces were conducting small counterattacks. 

Russian military ships anywhere in the world are legitimate targets says Ukrainian Naval Commander

Read also: No significant increase in Russian concentration on Kharkiv front - Ukraine’s military

"They are active in defense when not just sitting on defensive but constantly counterattacking, in some directions switching to the offensive,” general said.

Read also: Insufficient Russian forces in Belgorod for renewed Kharkiv offensive, says governor Synehubov.

Addition to calls for more aircraft, Ukraine has requested its allies expedite the delivery of artillery ammunition, which some units have complained is in short supply. 

Read also: Ukraine is actively building fortifications in separate fortification construction active in Ukraine, no immediate threat, says Ukrainian army.

When asked about a potential turning point in the war in favor of Ukraine, Syrskyi commented, "I think there are always chances; you just need to find them and use them." He added that Russia cannot possibly have built robust defenses everywhere along the front line, and that Ukraine has to identify and exploit weak spots in enemy fortifications.
https://english.nv.ua/nation/ukraine-nee...83745.html

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Britain increases artillery shell production ‘eight-fold’

Britain, having donated over 300,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine, is increasing its production capability of 155mm shells eight-fold.
The information came to light in response to the reply to a Parliamentary Written Question.

Bae announced a while ago that they had developed a new way of producing large calibre shells that would remove the bottlenecks in production and make them quicker to produce. Hopefully this will now bear fruit.

Seems to me just pumping Ukraine full of 155mm rounds is the easiest and cheapest way to keep them in the war and continue to degrade the Russians ability the threaten anyone else.

8 fold increase sounds nice but then if it’s 8x very little it’s not much. (How difficult would it be to do a 100 fold increase realistically. A couple of factories could handle this.)

155mm shells are cheap. Why can’t Britain gear up to produce a few million a year. We need to start thinking longer term, The Russians are gearing up for years and and US and EU support will stop soon. It will be up to Britain and our JEF partners to keep this going.

That’s very achievable if the Ukrainians are willing to continue fighting but we need to think about cost effective means of keeping them in the war.

Hundred dollar artillery shells instead of million dollar missiles....
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-...ight-fold/

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Kyiv’s Majority Of Attacks Go Astray has unleashed a drone war on Russia. Moscow, however, wields an invisible weapon to blunt Kyiv’s army of drones – superior electronic warfare technologies. These “invisible scissors” of Russia, experts feel, are the reason why Ukraine’s drones have struggled to make any significant impact. As both sides have been working on electronic warfare technology aimed at jamming, diverting enemy drones guided missiles. But Moscow has lead of nearly a decade.

While Ukraine’s request for military hardware has been considered during war that is inching towards its third year, request for superior EW technologies has evoked little interest from Western allies with on sufficient EW protection, Ukrainian forces are easily targeted by unmanned aerial vehicle explosions, bomb-dropping drones, and drone-guided artillery attacks. EW is described as key to breaking stalemate on the frontline. Russia has been using EW aggressively to divert Ukraine’s precision-guided weapons, such as Excalibur artillery rounds and HIMARS rockets. The data emerging from the battlefield indicates growing role of drone strikes against Russian targets along the 600-mile front.

On many days in Nov between 50% & 70% of all damaged or destroyed Russian equipment was attributed to FPV drones, figures published by analyst. The omnipresence of drones has been the death knell for tl long-awaited counteroffensive of Ukraine in 2023, which failed to make any significant territorial gains, & the armored vehicles were destroyed even before they could do any significant damage.

Dominating the electronic spectrum to jam the adversary’s drones and making drones foolproof against disruption has, thus, become crucial on the battlefield. A dominance in electronic warfare will allow one to subvert the enemy while remaining unharmed. As reported by the EurAsian Times, Russia has claimed to have developed a ‘magic radio’ for FPV (First Person View) drones that will make them highly resistant to jamming in the latest technological development for drones.

FPV drones are operated manually and do not rely on GPS satellite navigation, which reduces their vulnerability to electronic warfare tactics. Nevertheless, in the event of an enemy jamming any radio frequency the drone utilizes, video transmission signals and piloting commands will be interrupted.

Mykola Kolesnyk, commander of a Ukrainian drone unit, was quoted by the Financial Times as saying that electronic warfare duels with the Russian forces were becoming “fierce and relentless.” He described them as “invisible scissors that cut off the connection of a device that is remotely controlled.”

Col Ivan Pavlenko, Chief of EW and cyber warfare at Ukraine’s general staff, underscored the importance of EW and stressed that the allies should deliver more capabilities to “suppress or spoof” the satellite guidance system (GNSS) of Russia’s guided missiles and drones. He also pointed out that the sophisticated Russian EW systems need high-tech components like amplifiers, synthesizers, and software, and Western countries need to impose sanctions on those. A Cat & Mouse Game
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/russias-in...rones/amp/

The Russian air force had just 30 Il-22s variants after mutinous Wagner Group mercenaries shot down one of the pricey aircraft over western Russia in June. The Ilyushin command post is only slightly less rare than the Beriev early-warning plane is. The four-engine, jet-propelled A-50 is Russia’s answer to the United States’ own main early-warning plane, the Boeing E-3. The A-50’s top-mounted radome contains a rotating radar that scans 360 degrees, detecting aircraft as far away as 250 miles. The 15-person crew of an A-50 tracks enemy planes and coordinates the flights of friendly planes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/20...b0be0a3adf

WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated...A few hours ago, someone apparently attacked two Russian aircraft over Azov Sea: A-50 early warning and control and Il22-M command and control aircraft. The former is claimed to now be scuba diving, while the latter, well... the following audio recording emerged which apparently demonstrates the Il22-M requesting urgent landing in Anapa, calling for ambulance and fire crews.

Numbers in the recording are quite challenging to decipher. Information in Russian channels is scarce. But the events have most likely taken place and Russia lost at least one very expensive and valuable flying asset.

By the way, yesterday, Russian channels claimed destruction of a Patriot AA system in Western Ukraine. But didn't provide any evidence whatsoever.

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The Russian air force had just 30 Il-22s variants after mutinous Wagner Group mercenaries shot down one of the pricey aircraft over western Russia in June. The Ilyushin command post is only slightly less rare than the Beriev early-warning plane is. The four-engine, jet-propelled A-50 is Russia’s answer to the United States’ own main early-warning plane, the Boeing E-3. The A-50’s top-mounted radome contains a rotating radar that scans 360 degrees, detecting aircraft as far away as 250 miles. The 15-person crew of an A-50 tracks enemy planes and coordinates the flights of friendly planes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/20...b0be0a3adf

WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated...A few hours ago, someone apparently attacked two Russian aircraft over Azov Sea: A-50 early warning and control and Il22-M command and control aircraft. The former is claimed to now be scuba diving, while the latter, well... the following audio recording emerged which apparently demonstrates the Il22-M requesting urgent landing in Anapa, calling for ambulance and fire crews.

Numbers in the recording are quite challenging to decipher. Information in Russian channels is scarce. But the events have most likely taken place and Russia lost at least one very expensive and valuable flying asset.

By the way, yesterday, Russian channels claimed destruction of a Patriot AA system in Western Ukraine. But didn't provide any evidence whatsoever.

Stormy weather prevents Russia from employing missile ships today – military spox Enemy missile carriers in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea have not been involved in Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s today.

Relevant statement was made by Head of United Coordinating Press Center of Southern Defense Forces Natalia Humeniuk during a nationwide telethon, Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“The enemy’s naval group has been practically wound up. Two vessels are patrolling the Black Sea and one – the Sea of Azov. Missile carriers are remaining in home stations. The stormy weather did not allow for them to be used during that attack,” Humeniuk told.

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1000 people join Russian army every day – Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. Defence Intelligence of Ukraine states that about 1,000 people join the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces every day. The new recruits are motivated by high wages, especially for residents of low-income regions of Russia.

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The Russian air force had just 30 Il-22s variants after mutinous Wagner Group mercenaries shot down one of the pricey aircraft over western Russia in June. The Ilyushin command post is only slightly less rare than the Beriev early-warning plane is. The four-engine, jet-propelled A-50 is Russia’s answer to the United States’ own main early-warning plane, the Boeing E-3. The A-50’s top-mounted radome contains a rotating radar that scans 360 degrees, detecting aircraft as far away as 250 miles. The 15-person crew of an A-50 tracks enemy planes and coordinates the flights of friendly planes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/20...b0be0a3adf

WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated...A few hours ago, someone apparently attacked two Russian aircraft over Azov Sea: A-50 early warning and control and Il22-M command and control aircraft. The former is claimed to now be scuba diving, while the latter, well... the following audio recording emerged which apparently demonstrates the Il22-M requesting urgent landing in Anapa, calling for ambulance and fire crews.

Numbers in the recording are quite challenging to decipher. Information in Russian channels is scarce. But the events have most likely taken place and Russia lost at least one very expensive and valuable flying asset.

By the way, yesterday, Russian channels claimed destruction of a Patriot AA system in Western Ukraine. But didn't provide any evidence whatsoever.

Ukraine war latest confirms downing of a Russian Beriev A-50 spy aircraft and an Ilyushin Il-22 airborne control center, Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi reported. The announcement comes a day after Ukrainian media outlets reported the downing of a Russian A-50 plane over the Azov Sea, citing source in the Ukrainian military. “I thank Air Force for a perfectly planned and executed operation in the Pryazovia region,” 
He didn't specify other details, according to media reports, A-50 plane was shot down after taking off in the Kyrylivka area of Zaporizhzhia Oblast at 9:10 p.m. local time.

Russia's A-50 aircraft provides several critical functions for ongoing war in, such as detecting air defense systems, guided missiles, & coordinating targets for Russian fighter jets. Russia only possesses nine of these planes. The Ukraine has destroyed at least 7-Russian aircraft since Dec a landmark military achievement for country and a significant blow to Russia. A sharp uptick in downing planes in recent weeks emerges as a bright spot for Ukraine amid a lack of progress on the battlefield.

The A-50 alone reportedly costs $330 million, and although estimates vary, Western sources say that Russia has fewer than 10 in its fleet. Belarusian partisans attacked another A-50 aircraft at an airbase near Minsk in February 2023, causing an unknown amount of damage. Russia's supply of Il-22 plane is not extensive either, the short-lived rebellion of late Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group in June 2023, the mutineers reportedly shot down an Il-22 and six Russian military helicopters. At the time, U.K. Defense Ministry said Russia only had 12 such aircraft.

Both the A-50 and Il-22 are important Russian assets in the air. It is unclear how planes were brought down, but Ukraine received several pieces of advanced air defense systems in 2023, including Patriots from U.S., which some analysts have reportedly alleged could have been responsible. 

Security, peace for Ukraine
Canada has sent a draft of its plans.

WAR UPDATE by Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says Switzerland agrees to host Global Peace Summit. Canada shares draft plan for security assurances for Ukraine. While Military intelligence reports North Korea supplying 122 mm, 152 mm shells to Russia and Russia reportedly mobilizes around 30,000 men monthly.

Belarusian partisans attacked another A-50 aircraft at an airbase near Minsk in February 2023, causing an unknown amount of damage.

U.K. PM Rishi Sunak & President Zelensky signed a bilateral security agreement on Jan. 12, which Zelensky characterized as “unprecedented.” It was first of G7 commitments to be finalized, then Cmoc said document contained by Canada's plan for “security assurances,” is not “guarantees.” Canada has already pledged long-term assistance to Ukraine, she said, adding that the document finalizes such a commitment on paper.
It is still a draft...
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-...-aircraft/

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Putin, said it was “impossible” to take away from Russia the military gains it had made in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s parliament has passed a law creating an electronic registry for the purposes of mobilisation, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a member of parliament, said. Helping Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion should be done in a way that doesn’t harm the EU’s budget.

Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has said. He told news conference: “If we want to help Ukraine, we need to do, we have to do it in a way that doesn’t harm EU’s budget.”Zelenskiy, said west should show unity & called for more support for Ukraine to ensure Russia / Putin does not prevail, Reuters reported. In a speech at World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskiy said that the west’s fears about escalation had lost Kyiv time in its struggle against Russia.

Ursula von der Leyen. European Commission president, said in Davos today Europe needs to continue backing Kyiv, citing the need for “predictable” funding. “We must continue to empower their resistance. Ukrainians need predictable financing throughout 2024 and beyond,” she said.

Putin will receive N.Korea’s foreign minister, Choe on Tuesday evening, the Pyongyang’s top diplomat is in Russia for a 3-day visit and is holding talks with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei.
While visting....Mayor of southern Russian city of Voronezh declared state of emergency, Tuesday after officials said was a Ukraine-launched drone attack,
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...ws-updates

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Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, has said that Ukraine successfully used a so-called hybrid air defence system on the night of 16-17 January, destroying a Shahed attack drone from the distance of nine kilometres.

Source: Kamyshin at the Davos Forum

Quote: "We decided to make our own air defence system. We took Soviet components and used [them with] Western missiles, or we took Western launchers and used [them with] Soviet missiles.

I am happy to report that one of these systems was successfully used for the first time last night. We shot down a Shahed attack drone from nine kilometres away, and this is the first successful use of such a system.

...I am very pleased that we have deployed it on the battlefield, protecting our skies and our people."

Details: Kamyshin did not name the system in question. Presumably, he was referring to the FrankenSAM project.

For reference: Defense Express outlet reported that the FrankenSAM project had three anti-aircraft missile systems: the first one is a hybrid of Buk launcher and RIM-7 missiles, the second one is a combination of a Soviet-made radar station and AIM-9 missiles, and the third one, which is also the most powerful one, has elements of Patriot air defence systems.

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Resistance movement burns railway equipment and other facilities in three Russian cities – Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. Unknown persons have burned railway equipment and other facilities used for military logistics in the area of the Russian cities of Saratov, Yaroslavl and Dzerzhinsk, stopping traffic.
Quote: "The DIU says that the resistance movement on the territory of the aggressor state is gaining momentum.
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/01/17/7437589/

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Therefore, along with F-16s, MiG-29s will also operate in the sky, and it is possible that the combat capabilities of Su-24M bombers will be enhanced by Mirage-2000D, and Su-25 attack aircraft will be strengthened by A-10 Thunderbolt II," Oleshchuk said on Telegram messaging app.

Mirage 2000 is a French multi-role, single-engine, fourth-generation jet fighter.

"The priority today, of course, is the F-16, for which Ukrainian pilots are already being retrained. However, our experts are also studying other opportunities to increase the combat potential of aviation in general," Oleshchuk said.

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said in September he had struck a "very important agreement on training our pilots in France" in conversation with President Emmanuel Macron.

He did not elaborate on what training would be undertaken. France does not have the F-16 fighter jets Ukraine has recently been promised by Denmark and the Netherlands. It does have French-made Rafale warplanes and previous-generation Mirage 2000 jets.

The first F-16 jets are expected to arrive in Ukraine later in 2024, although their impact on the war could be limited by the strength of Russia's air force
Ukraine's ground forces commander said on Friday that Kyiv needed more military aircraft for its war effort, such as U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets to support infantry and planes that could fire long-range cruise missiles.

The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, says that not only American A-10s, but also French Dassault Mirages may come into service in Ukraine.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fre...024-01-14/

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US Reaps Rewards of Ukraine’s Battlefield Successe
Lessons learned from the wartime performance of Western weaponry in Ukraine is invaluable.

Ukrainian U.S.  Patriot missile air defenses repeatedly shoot down Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, a missile the Kremlin describes with Wunderwaffe– (wonder-weapon) like terminology, it is not just saving its military & civilians from damage the enemy seeks to cause. It is also doing hard work for US & rest of NATO, their defense industries, and other friendly nations. It provides the ultimate test range. That’s b'cos Patriots — Ukraine’s only defense ballistic missiles & multiple other weapons systems are being trialed against a near-peer rival in real time. For all the improvements in computer modeling, the real battlefield remains unmatchable...

Training an air defense system is like throwing balls again and again. Over time, the algorithm learns what the pitcher/bowler can do and works the more balls or missiles are throw the better, how to respond. Ukraine has provided knowledge we didn’t have. All modern Western weapon systems either collect data by default or can be made. This allows near-realtime improvements and increases the success rate. For Patriot, multiple calculations are made to intercept an incoming Kh-47M2 Kinzhal. It’s a tough task. The long-range missile may reach Mach 10 during its flight and is designed to weave an unpredictable course (by comparison, a regular assault rifle bullet leaves the barrel at about Mach 3 but slows down after a few hundred meters.)

Good news is good, while Kremlin likes to call it hypersonic, it has to slow considerably near its target. Patriot’s job is to calculate when and where its air defense missile should intercept the threat. Even so, the margins for error are incredibly slim at these velocities & there's no 2nd chance (The New York Times has a good account here.) Achieving this requires perfection at many levels; that’s why quite a lot of Kinzhals still get through. In addition, Ukraine has only two Patriot systems, which means it cannot provide anything like nationwide coverage.

When Ukrainians do successfully intercept a Russian missile, the data is fed back into the Patriot missiles intercept algorithm, teaching the air defense system to become better and better over time. Likewise data on downing modern Russian aircraft; Patriot system destroyed three advanced SU-34s on Dec-23, & was again believed to be responsible for destruction of a Russian command and control aircraft in Southern Ukraine on January 14. 

Why is data so beneficial for NATO, its defense industries? Data quality is high b'cos it is live-tested, is not a desk job or theoretical calculation. As added value, other adversaries may copied or bought Russian designs, so data fm Ukraine would improve it air defense against Chinese, Iranian, and other rogue state missiles and airplanes. 
https://cepa.org/article/us-reaps-reward...successes/

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US Reaps Rewards of Ukraine’s Battlefield Successe (part 1)
Lessons learned from the wartime performance of Western weaponry in Ukraine is invaluable.

Ukrainian U.S.  Patriot missile air defenses repeatedly shoot down Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, a missile the Kremlin describes with Wunderwaffe– (wonder-weapon) like terminology, it is not just saving its military & civilians from damage the enemy seeks to cause. It is also doing hard work for US & rest of NATO, their defense industries, and other friendly nations. It provides the ultimate test range. That’s b'cos Patriots — Ukraine’s only defense ballistic missiles & multiple other weapons systems are being trialed against a near-peer rival in real time. For all the improvements in computer modeling, the real battlefield remains unmatchable...

Training an air defense system is like throwing balls again and again. Over time, the algorithm learns what the pitcher/bowler can do and works the more balls or missiles are throw the better, how to respond. Ukraine has provided knowledge we didn’t have. All modern Western weapon systems either collect data by default or can be made. This allows near-realtime improvements and increases the success rate. For Patriot, multiple calculations are made to intercept an incoming Kh-47M2 Kinzhal. It’s a tough task. The long-range missile may reach Mach 10 during its flight and is designed to weave an unpredictable course (by comparison, a regular assault rifle bullet leaves the barrel at about Mach 3 but slows down after a few hundred meters.)

Good news is good, while Kremlin likes to call it hypersonic, it has to slow considerably near its target. Patriot’s job is to calculate when and where its air defense missile should intercept the threat. Even so, the margins for error are incredibly slim at these velocities & there's no 2nd chance (The New York Times has a good account here.) Achieving this requires perfection at many levels; that’s why quite a lot of Kinzhals still get through. In addition, Ukraine has only two Patriot systems, which means it cannot provide anything like nationwide coverage.

When Ukrainians do successfully intercept a Russian missile, the data is fed back into the Patriot missiles intercept algorithm, teaching the air defense system to become better and better over time. Likewise data on downing modern Russian aircraft; Patriot system destroyed three advanced SU-34s on Dec-23, & was again believed to be responsible for destruction of a Russian command and control aircraft in Southern Ukraine on January 14. 

Why is data so beneficial for NATO, its defense industries? Data quality is high b'cos it is live-tested, is not a desk job or theoretical calculation. As added value, other adversaries may copied or bought Russian designs, so data fm Ukraine would improve it air defense against Chinese, Iranian, and other rogue state missiles and airplanes. 
https://cepa.org/article/us-reaps-reward...successes/

Part 2...Intercept success rates r increasingly crucial as Russian leadership has repeatedly threatened nuclear war if there is a conflict with NATO. It has also threatened to invade and erase the Baltic states and other areas after completing the Ukrainian war.


Remember Kinzhal missile is designed to carry a tactical nuclear warhead. Shooting them down is an existential issue. A Russian campaign against the Baltics would be a force-on-force war against NATO.
Let’s say success intercept rate for Patriot batteries is 90% without live data from Ukraine’s successful intercepts & 97% after using it to improve and fine-tune the system. If Russia launches 20 nuclear-armed Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, then without the Ukrainian data and fine-tuning, two nuclear missiles will penetrate the air defenses and detonate over their NATO targets. Such advances also create deep uncertainty for Russian generals. In the early 21st century, NATO officers would have viewed a 50%-60% intercept race as a significant success based on data from the Gulf War. Updates since then have increased the system’s effectiveness.

Ukraine’s live testing greatly increases this and creates headaches for our enemies. They will have to ask — will a tactical nuclear strike succeed, and how complete might that success be? It should therefore be clear providing Ukraine with Patriots, or any advanced air defense system, is an investment in the provider’s defense. Data offers a high defense return on investment, as improved algorithm upgrades its existing systems, and the knowledge gained provides an excellent data source for the development of next-generation air defense systems.

The war in Ukraine generates system-borne combat experience for NATO forces as data is shared & improves the combat effectiveness and readiness of these friendly units. All this without a single soldier entering the fight.
https://cepa.org/article/us-reaps-reward...successes/

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Støre’s statement indicates that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has led to an escalating demand for substantial volumes of ammunition. Given these circumstances, the Norwegian government is stepping in with robust measures designed to enable the defense sector to boost its production.

Details of the funding reveal that half the amount, one billion kroner or around $95 million, will back specific projects at Nammo to enhance the making of artillery ammunition. The remaining NOK 1 billion, again approximately $95 million, has been allocated for supporting various other initiatives within the Norwegian defense industry. According to a press release from the government, these funds will be provided through the Nansen program.

Previously, the government-sanctioned around one billion NOK – approximately $95 million – aiming to enhance production capabilities. Moreover, they – the ministerial council members – have initiated multiple strategies to restock the gifted ammunition and solidify Norway’s emergency reserves in the long term.

Norway, in the previous year, has successfully secured numerous significant contracts with the ammo manufacturer Nammo, even including the most sizable contract in the organization’s history. Norway finds itself engaged in a Scandinavian ammo project as well.

“The defense industry’s capacity augmentation holds paramount importance not just for Ukraine, but also for our own security protection. Currently, we’re significantly supporting Nammo’s production capacity boost to fulfill the needs of Norway, our allies, and Ukraine,” stated Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gramm.

Difficult production
Just a few days after Russian warplanes effectively targeted Ukraine’s production facilities, Norway has stepped up to increase its manufacture of 155mm ammunition.

In what constituted a significant ballistic missile attack, the Russian Air Force zeroed in on critical Ukrainian military installations on January 13. The major targets included factories producing 155mm and 152mm artillery rounds, as well as drone workshops.

The attack didn’t end there. Gunpowder factories and facilities designed to manufacture 125mm tank rounds were also on the list. The Russian Defense Ministry has declared all these strikes to have been successful.

A critical concern for Ukraine’s Western allies is the country’s reliance on old Soviet ammunition sizes for most of its artillery and armor. This makes sourcing 155mm, 152mm, and 125mm ammunition a complex task, as these sizes are not standard production in Western countries.

Neutralizing these defense industrial targets is likely to intensify Ukraine’s Army’s already severe ammunition deficit. It’s already evident across various units, particularly their elite mechanized brigades and artillery.

Not just Norway
Not just limited to Norway, other Ukrainian allies, including the US, have expressed intentions to ramp up their manufacturing of 155mm artillery ammunition. For instance, Rheinmetall, a German company, announced an expansion of their 155mm artillery ammunition production line at the end of 2023.

Earlier in December 2023, Rheinmetall [RHM], a German defense giant, formally acknowledged receiving a significant order for artillery ammunition production intended for Ukraine. This hefty order commands a price tag of 142 million euros and involves the creation of tens of thousands of units of 155mm artillery ammunition. 

Our coverage from October indicated that the manufacturing cost for each 155mm artillery ammunition piece stood at 3300 euros, as per the pricing strategy of the Spanish Expal plant. By this valuation, the output would equate to almost 43,000 rounds of ammo. 

Rheinmetall’s Spanish munitions facility, Rheinmetall Expal Munitions, which was acquired by the German company for a staggering €1.2 billion, will shoulder the responsibility of executing this massive manufacturing project. The first batch is speculated to roll out as soon as 2025. But when it comes to further details about this contract, Rheinmetall has kept shtum. 

As of January 1, murmurs circulating in the Russian Ukrainian informatics arena suggest that Ukraine could possibly be the recipient of Indian 155mm artillery rounds. Based on data extracted from this TG account, these shells are a perfect match for the AHS Krab self-propelled howitzers that Poland supplied to Ukraine
https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2024/0...tting-95m/

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Ukraine destroyed the Beriev A-50 on Monday somewhere over the Sea of Azov, killing all of its crew, its commander in chief said. An Ilyushin-22 command aircraft was also effectively destroyed, though it managed to land. Ukraine’s southern command said the A-50 was one of only three operational such aircraft and helped direct missile attacks.

Russia had fired 40 drones and missiles into Ukraine two days earlier. Ukrainian defenders shot down eight missiles and said they disabled another 20 or so with electronic jamming. As if to prove missile capability after the downing of the A-50, Russia attacked again on Wednesday, wounding 17 people in central Kharkiv. 

EU rearms Ukraine as calls mount for higher defence spending and members weren’t letting Hungary’s objections stall bilateral military aid for Ukraine.

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Ukraine’s FrankenSAMs Are Soviet Launchers Firing American Missiles. They Just Scored Their First Kill.

A year ago, Ukrainian commanders were worried their Soviet-vintage air-defense batteries were running out of missiles. New Western radars, surface-to-air missiles and flak guns were en route, but slowly. 

So the Ukrainians apparently looked west—to Poland and the Czech Republic—and did what industry in those countries did years ago. They began modifying their old Soviet air-defenses to fire Western missiles.

Officials dubbed these hybrids “FrankenSAMs.” One of them just shot down the type’s first target, a Russian Shahed drone. According to Ukrainian strategic industries minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, the shoot-down took place at a range of nearly three miles during a Wednesday morning raid by 20 Shaheds, 19 of which the Ukrainians shot down. It’s unclear which FrankenSAM shot down the Shahed. There are three versions. A Soviet-vintage Buk air-defense vehicle that fires American-made Sea Sparrow missiles; another Soviet vehicle—an Osa, perhaps—firing American Sidewinder missiles; and a third hybrid that combines U.S.-made Patriot missiles apparently with Soviet radars.

The Buk hybrid should be able to engage targets as far away as 10 miles with a radar-guided Sea Sparrow; a hybrid firing an infrared-guided Sidewinder might have a somewhat shorter range; a third hybrid firing the radar-guided Patriot would have the longest range: 90 miles or so. The shorter-range hybrids reportedly underwent testing in US in the fall; the long-range one may still be in development.

This disparity makes sense. The Buk and possible Osa hybrids both have precedents. As long ago as 2012, a Polish company was pitching amounted to a Buk-Sea Sparrow combo to Polish missile-maker WZU paired a Kub launcher—the Buk’s progenitor—with the latest Sea Sparrow model, the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile. But there’s no reason same family of launcher with same modifications to its fire-controls wouldn’t also work with older Sea Sparrow.

Around the same time, Czech firm Retia built, for Czech army trials, a Kub firing Aspide missiles. The Aspide is Italy’s answer to the Sea Sparrow. A few years later, WZU tested German-made IRIS-T missiles on its upgraded Osa launchers. If an Osa can fire infrared-guided IRIS-Ts, it should be able to fire Sidewinders, too.

The hybrid Patriot system really is the only one of Ukraine’s FrankenSAMs that requires from-scratch design. It might also be the least urgent of the hybrids. Ukraine has at least three Patriot batteries, each with radars and a half-dozen or so quad-launchers. Batteries apparently protect Kyiv and Kharkiv; a third battery travels along the southern front, ambushing Russian warplanes.

While Ukrainian commanders surely want more Patriot batteries—even FrankenPatriots might suffice—their more immediate problem is missiles, not launchers. Ukraine’s arsenal of Patriot PAC-2 missiles began to run low in December, around the same time U.S. military aid for Ukraine also ran low. Pro-Russia Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives for months have refused to vote on $61 billion in fresh funding for Ukraine. The Patriot missile shortage is so dire that U.S. officials late last year negotiated an unprecedented buyback deal with Japanese. Japan would sell back to U.S. dozens of Patriot missiles in order to replenish U.S. stocks—and make it easier for the US to transfer missiles to Ukraine.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/20...ebe2926e30

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Russia claimed that Ukraine attacked several Russian regions with drones overnight, including the northwest Leningrad region for the first time.

The defense ministry said Thursday that air defense systems shot down drones over the regions of Moscow and St. Petersburg, with one official claiming Ukraine targeted a Russian oil terminal in Leningrad, the northwestern Russian region where St. Petersburg is located. The port infrastructure was not damaged and no one was injured, the official said.

Kyiv has not publicly commented on the claims. If accurate, however, it would mark the first time that the northern region of Leningrad, where St. Petersburg is, has been targeted by Ukraine.

“The geography of UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to expand,” one Russian official noted.

The governor of the border Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said a woman was injured and several houses and electricity and gas supply lines were damaged during a Ukrainian attack on the village of Myasoedovo near Belgorod.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/18/ukraine-...raine.html

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When Russia first invaded, part of its justification was protecting the “independence” of the so-called DPR and the neighboring Luhansk People’s Republic. It has since fully annexed those regions, as well as the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, claiming they are now Russian territory.
Ukraine has not commented on the latest claim and CNBC was unable to verify the defense ministry’s assertion.

Fighting in Donetsk remains intense although defense officials have commented that neither Russian nor Ukrainian forces have seen significant gains in recent weeks.

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After mocking deal, Moscow says Ukraine-UK security agreement is only half-finished. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that security pact agreed by U.K. and Ukraine last week was “semi-finished,” continuing Russian criticism of the deal.

“A few months ago, when they had clashes over whether to admit Ukraine to NATO or the European Union, not everyone was in favor, not everyone was happy. Everyone understood perfectly well that this was another completely senseless and irresponsible step, a risky step for European security. And as such, a semi-finished product, the conclusion of bilateral agreements with individual Western countries was invented,” Lavrov said at a press conference Thursday, news agnecy Tass reported.

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Ukraine targeted a Russian oil terminal in Leningrad, the northwestern Russian region where St. Petersburg is located. The port infrastructure was not damaged and no one was injured, the official said.

Kyiv has not publicly commented on the claims. If accurate, however, it would mark the first time that the northern region of Leningrad, where St. Petersburg is, has been targeted by Ukraine.

“The geography of UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to expand,” one Russian official noted.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/18/ukraine-...raine.html

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Ukraine’s harsh winter a memory but new Russian tactics sow destruction...Artem Honcharuk shows how battery-powered lamps used to light his print shop in Kyiv during blackouts

Ukraine’s latest winter hardly resembles the brutal cold season of 2022 that was beset by blackouts, but Russian shelling persists. That is good.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/18...r-shelling

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ahQua thanks Singapore

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Ruskie’s got Austin in a missile strike,