Article

2022-08-30 Afghanistan

US to Recruit Former Afghan Military Pilots and Forces to Fight Russia against Ukraine

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by trailing wife 2022-08-30 02:36|| || Front Page|| [11130 views ] Top

#1 according to a Russian military-diplomatic source who spoke to the TASS Russian news agency.

Would the Russians lie to you? Ukraine has many more pilots than aircraft.

Posted by Snash Shairt9621 2022-08-30 06:51|| 2022-08-30 06:51|| Front Page Top

#2 Oh, like the US is soooooooooo trustworthy.

Posted by DooDahMan 2022-08-30 07:17|| 2022-08-30 07:17|| Front Page Top

#3 I doubt it's true for this reason, but, I'd support the US training pilots and arming them with helos and modern aircraft myself if needed.

More likely we are training Ukraine pilots in the US for air combat here in the next many months on old F 16s and Warthogs.

Posted by Omineling Forkbeard1962 2022-08-30 10:25|| 2022-08-30 10:25|| Front Page Top

#4 There will not be any modern fighting or attack aircraft sent to Ukraine by the US. Ain't. Gonna. Happen.

Posted by M. Murcek 2022-08-30 10:42|| 2022-08-30 10:42|| Front Page Top

#5 ...to Fight Russia against Ukraine
?? So.. "a plague on both your houses"??

and yes that IS my only worthwhile line

Posted by Mercutio 2022-08-30 10:49|| 2022-08-30 10:49|| Front Page Top

#6 I concur with #5. Modern US aircraft ain't gonna be sent over there.
--Though some USAF General may float the idea of ~~throwing away~~ sending A-10s privately.

Posted by magpie 2022-08-30 11:10|| 2022-08-30 11:10|| Front Page Top

#7 If western planes are sent, they will not be the F-16s or the like. They need prepared airfields and those are huge and easy targets that even the Russians can hit. Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a better choice as it can operate off small side roads and dirt roads and even level fields and take a very small crew footprint to fuel and rearm them.

Personally I don't think the Ukrainians need many more aircraft or attack helicopters to fight well. Artillery (and more accurate rockets), IFV, APCs and most importantly tanks are what is needed. Especially tanks and artillery if they are going on the attack.

Posted by DarthVader 2022-08-30 11:37|| 2022-08-30 11:37|| Front Page Top

#8 "So what are they going to fly?"

"What? No, we are going to encourage them to join the Russians."

Posted by swksvolFF 2022-08-30 12:34|| 2022-08-30 12:34|| Front Page Top

#9 It didn’t occur to me last night as I was working up the article, but setting the hypothetical Afghans against the Chechens would prevent a certain amount of planned Chechen jihading against the native population.

according to a Russian military-diplomatic source who spoke to the TASS Russian news agency.

Good catch, Snash Shairt9621. Once again demonstrating that Rantburg is a team project.

Posted by trailing wife 2022-08-30 13:38|| 2022-08-30 13:38|| Front Page Top

#10

Posted by ACA JOE 2022-08-30 14:04|| 2022-08-30 14:04|| Front Page Top

#11 Hey ACA where Putin's Offensive you said would start days ago.

Posted by Procopius2k 2022-08-30 14:08|| 2022-08-30 14:08|| Front Page Top

#12 There will not be any modern fighting or attack aircraft sent to Ukraine by the US. Ain't. Gonna. Happen.

Joe is feeling a ton of pressure to show a real foreign policy success. Despite being on Putin's payroll through Burisma (owned by Yanukovich henchman in exile from Ukraine) and the Mayor of Moscow, the fact is that everything he does for Ukraine is a kind of penance for taking Putin's bribes. And a media that covers for his naked showers with his preteen daughter - as noted in that daughter's diary entry - will undoubtedly explain those bribes away. So never say never on those F-16's. The House has approved a training bill to the tune of $100m, to be taken out of the $57.6b appropriated (but a sliver of which has been spent) so far.

www.globaldefensecorp.com/2022/08/22/u-s-approves-100-million-to-train-ukrainian-pilots-on-f-15-and-f-16-fighter-jets/

Posted by Zhang Fei 2022-08-30 21:10|| 2022-08-30 21:10|| Front Page Top

#13 The annual Pentagon budget bill, of which the training measure is a part, will be taken up by the Senate in September. Whether the training amendment survives the reconciliation process (between House and Senate budgets) is an open question. But it's clearly not something being rejected out of hand. Why train them if they're not getting the gear?

Posted by Zhang Fei 2022-08-30 21:12|| 2022-08-30 21:12|| Front Page Top

#14 Funny thing about Burisma's owner is that he wasn't just the henchman of one Putin puppet (i.e. Yanukovich), but a second one - Mykola Azarov, who actually set up a Ukrainian government in exile after Yanukovich was impeached and removed by the Ukrainian Parliament.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2022-08-30 21:20|| 2022-08-30 21:20|| Front Page Top

23:35 Chealing Chomotle4158
23:30 Chealing Chomotle4158
23:26 trailing wife
23:23 magpie
23:21 Skidmark
23:19 Skidmark
23:14 Skidmark
23:04 trailing wife
22:28 magpie
22:25 Zhang Fei
21:38 trailing wife
21:31 swksvolFF
21:20 Zhang Fei
21:12 Zhang Fei
21:10 Glenmore
21:10 Zhang Fei
21:05 Glenmore
21:03 Glenmore
20:17 Rambler in Virginia
20:15 Deacon Blues
20:05 Frank G
20:00 Deacon Blues
19:58 Nero
19:31 Mike Kozlowski