Advance arms need highly paid and skilled soldiers, maintainance personal with lots of training. i highly doubt it can work in country with 60% inflation.

We already have “advisers” there what do you think it’s going to look like if we start giving them A-10s and other advance weapons including EW capabilities. This is why i said giving Ukraine A-10s was a non starter because it would mean the US would be giving them more than just A-10s.

It’s just as well they don’t then – or ISIS and any of the Afghan insurgents. If all these fighting groups did have such anti-aircraft systems how do you think the USAF, etc should go about dealing with them?

That’s easy.

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I don’t think many countries want the A-10, certainly not Israel. There is very little that an A-10 can do that can’t be done by an F-16 or F-35.

That’s the point. Why use $60million+ aircraft against terrorist when they can use a cheaper aircraft with CAS just as good.

No. The SAM Components either on the Russian side of the border or by the “rebels” will take any Predator down in no time. It will be really expensive for teh Ukr authorities to sustain the attrition losses of such systems.

But now we’re talking about an escalation/intervention in giving Ukraine advance weapons. Why not MLRS that will hit russian SAM positions? Russians already fire on Ukraine from russian side of border. Why not supply them with Jammers and other EW capabilities. See where this is going?

The plan for the Marines to go to IOC with the block 2b software has been in place for several years. It provides roughly 87% of the full software capability with limited weapons integrated. It is far from half ready. The tweaking, software wise, is in the latter 3F, or full mission capability planned for 2017-18 (which is 98% complete). There has been a drumbeat of negative press from some who chose to ignore the roadmap set out in the re-baselining schedule set up after the program ran off the rails in the mid 2000’s. The software logjam is not out of the woods yet but there has been a definite uptick in progress. I guess it depends on where you are getting your information.

As far as under capable, the block 2b software will still provide the Marines with an aircraft that is more capable than the Harriers being replaced at least in sensor sophistication, ISR, survivability, and targeting but perhaps not in breadth of weapons that can be deployed.

F-16 entered service with no BVR/ laser designator capabilities. F-18E entered service without AESA and HMCS capabilities and nobody complained. But dear GOD the sky is falling because the F-35 will IOC without its full capabilities.

That’s assuming the F-35 ever goes into service. A scenario which seems to get more unlikely by the day.

:highly_amused: I’m sorry… your post made me laugh because you’re 10 years too late when it comes to posting ridiculous claims like that. You do know the F-35b will go IOC later this year, right?
What on earth has made you believe the F35 is unlikely going into service? Can you please show us a source that backs up your claim? purrrdee preeease?!?! 😀