Originally Posted By planemaker:


The Ukrainians want the Russians out of their country, pure and simple. And, they're willing to fight to make that happen. Nobody gives a damn about Putin and face-saving. What matters is booting Russia back to its own borders and removing them as a world power. The way this conflict ends is in Russia's defeat. This needs to happen now instead of in the future when he rebuilds and threatens Poland next time or the Baltics. There is no escaping WW3 unless Russia is defeated now via conventional warfare. We and NATO are engaged in the battle whether we like it or not. It just so happens we're letting the Ukrainians take the fight to the Russians instead of Poland and the Baltic countries having to fight on theirs.

Originally Posted By Shenanigunz:

Ukrainian military intelligence released data of Russia's spy network in Europe. Data on the names, passports and other of 620 Federal Security Service employees are provided. So war in Ukraine brings losses to Russia's special services not even in battleshttps://t.co/5oLE9LXSMh

— Arvydas Anušauskas (@a_anusauskas) March 28, 2022

Originally Posted By rca2222:
You have to consider what the people in those regions want, and also the level of insurgency there might be from those that are pro-Russian. It seems like there are a lot of pro-Russian people, particularly in Crimea. I don't know to what degree in each place, but I don't think that it will be as simplistic as "freeing" those people from the Russians.

Originally Posted By Waldo:


The Iranians dumped a bunch in the Gulf back in the "tanker war".

Originally Posted By sircam671:

...from which we import more than half our oil...

Originally Posted By hodgepodge:


More like where we import 1/10 of what we do from Canada. Or basically the same amount we used to import from Russia.

Edit, nevermind missed the tongue in cheek claiming Canada is the enemy.

Originally Posted By lorazepam:

You really don't have a clue.

Originally Posted By PurpleOtter:
Buy more Lockheed Martin.

Canada To Buy 88 F-35 Fighter Jets From Lockheed Martin

Originally Posted By JG_Wentworth:
…Mariupol was also taken back by Ukrainians.  Only a matter of time before Russia loses more territory

Originally Posted By PurpleOtter:
Buy more Lockheed Martin.

Canada To Buy 88 F-35 Fighter Jets From Lockheed Martin

Originally Posted By Brok3n:
All You Need To Know About The Starstreak Missiles Now In The Hands Of Ukrainian Troops

"The U.K. Ministry of Defense has confirmed that Ukraine is ready to use the high-velocity missiles in combat against Russian aircraft."

"Regardless, the Starstreak has 'end-game' speed in excess of typical MANPADS, like Russia's prolific Strela family or the American FIM-92 Stinger, the latter of which has a typical maximum speed of around Mach 2.2.

Once they have penetrated the target, the darts also explode, each one carrying a fragmentation warhead. This approach is also said to reduce the risk of collateral damage, a consideration when using the weapon against ground targets.


As mentioned above, the types of targets the Starstreak was designed to defeat include lower-flying fixed-wing fighters and late unmasking helicopter targets  pop-up threats that offer little time to successfully engage. At the same time, the missile was tailored to have a longer range than comparable MANPADS, being able to hit targets out to 3.4 miles or more, a little longer than the 3 miles for the Stinger. The British Army credits the Starstreak with an engagement ceiling of 3,280 feet."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7k0XonWAG4

Originally Posted By Chaingun:
Caffeine pills are produced from the residual when making decaffeinated coffee

Now what?

(CNN)The Defense Department plans to accelerate production of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles so it can refill its own depleted stocks as it continues to send the vital systems to Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invasion, according to defense officials.

Ukraine wants 500 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 500 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles delivered from the US daily, according to a recent military assistance wish list. CNN viewed the document that details the items Ukraine believes it needs from the US.

By March 7, less than two weeks into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US and other NATO members had sent about 17,000 anti-tank missiles and 2,000 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. Since then, that number has certainly increased but an update has not been made public.

On March 16, the White House announced an $800 million assistance package that included 800 additional Stinger anti-aircraft systems and 2,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles systems.

The Stinger production line had shut down but was restarted to fulfill a foreign sales order. Now, in order to keep it open efficiently, several options to increase production capacity and decrease production timelines are being considered in consultation with prime contractor Raytheon, according to Jessica Maxwell, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

Options include adding workers to the production lines, manufacturing new components to replace obsolete parts and purchasing additional tooling or test equipment for the production line, according to Maxwell.

Currently it takes about 18 to 24 months to manufacture a production lot of Stinger missiles, depending on the size of the lot. The Pentagon does not disclose specific inventory levels for munitions due to the sensitivity of the issue, but it maintains levels for what may be needed in conflict, under Defense Department policy.

There is an ongoing $320 million foreign sales production contract awarded to Raytheon. Prior to that award, production had ceased.

The Javelin anti-tank system is in a full production mode, according to the Pentagon. However, the Pentagon is looking at trying to ramp up production.

Lockheed Martin, the Javelin manufacturer, "has the capacity to meet increased demand for the foreseeable future," a company spokeswoman said in a statement.

Javelin anti-tank systems can be produced at a rate of more than 6,000 a year as of 2022, according to Department of Defense budget documents.

They have been made in a joint venture of Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture in Orlando and in Tucson, Arizona, according to the company and Department of Defense documents.

Stinger anti-aircraft missiles are produced by Raytheon in Tucson.

Originally Posted By AeroE:
Policy is precisely what that addled dipshit should be discussing.  In clear unambiguous language that needs no interpretation or reading tea leaves.

That failure is a clear failure of leadership from any part of the government.