Now we are borrowing Russian helicopters to fight the Taliban

British frontline troops in Afghanistan are so short of helicopters and transport planes that they are being bailed out by the Russians.

The Mail on Sunday has established that the Ministry of Defence is using civilian Russian-built Mi-8 and Mi-26 transport helicopters to ferry supplies and soldiers in Afghanistan. The pilots are freelance Russians and Ukrainians.

Britain is also hiring massive commercial Russian Antonov aircraft to fly vehicles and heavy equipment from RAF Brize Norton in Oxford

Sorry to butt in on a news thread but is that accurate? Yes they are Russian made helo’s but they’re civilian owned so that leads to the question is the civilian company Russian?

Also, isn’t the Antonov a Ukrainian owned aircraft and not Russian? :confused:

Apolagies for wasting your time if i’m wrong.

You wouldn’t use a Super Hornet/HARM to target an S-300/400 site though.
To play Devil’s Advocate- the Super Hornet could at least get closer before being spotted, and with its towed decoys, and EA capabilities, it’d have a higher chance of survival.

Indeed, I would think the SU-24’s RCS is not to clever, the F-18E is rather clever in that respect.
The EA capability of the F-18E, well we don’t know alot about it but I hear that in it’s present capability it has the ability to ‘hardkill’ aircraft so perhaps it could hard kill missiles too, imagine that, basically speed of light (or close) zapping of one after another missile so the enmy could expand all the SAMs in the world and zapp zapp zaap they’re all gone, actually scrath that hardkill bit – a soft kill alone would be enough against missiles.

If you still think you owe them nothing and that they are *just idiots*, then you’re a complete waste of time to speak with. Bye.

This sentence simply proves you don’t have a leg to stand on in this matter. You could not and will not answer the question which is can you find me a source that states we owe them anything? I guess when you fail so badly all you can do is say childish things like i’ve quoted.
(oh you’re a truther i’ve been told so welcome to my ignore list as rational thinking is not your game)

With no intentions to be rude, buddy, but if we counted the stuff, you have stolen and harvested from those *idiots* to substandard prices for past decades/centuries and built your own economic progress on it, then you could be paying your last pants off and still get stuck in debt as big as your house. If I were you I would think twice before spouting another few lines of brainless xenophobic crap you are feeding us with. Or continue with this line of debate but your staying will be rather short, I suppose…

Why is it xenophobic to not want to throw MY taxpayers money at foreign people who can’t look after themselves? I also have friends of African race (well two) and i don’t resent them.
You really need to look at the dictionary definition of xenophobia which is: an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.
I don’t hate them at all I just want us to stop spending MY money and other UK citizens tax money on nations we are not responsible for. Spend it on OUR citizens in the UK instead!
Sorry if you don’t like it pal, tough. BTW we owe them nothing at all, fact, unless you can point me to laws that state otherwise 😉

Surely if we value our servicemen and women the airframe we are talking about should be relgated to training duties (so still very useful) and a nice new shiny chinook should be purchased.

If we stopped throwing so much money abroad, for example 25 million to the idiots in Gaza for one then we might be able to afford decent kit more often.
Its about time the UK started looking after itself and not feel obligated to provide cash for corrupt and broken nations. I’m honestly not trying not to sound callous but i don’t give a damn about foreigners when we are so screwed over ourselves. Military and healthcare in the Uk are being sacrificed for idiots. Feel free to flame me people for being heartless but you won’t change my opinion on the matter.

Source: Department for International development
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/News-Stories/2009/Revised-DFID-spending-for-Africa/

Afghanistian is a multi-nation mission. Where everyone is testing or promoting his own weaponary.

I question that because aren’t some nation (I won’t name them) banned or restricted from combat so how can they test anything except perhaps how fast there new boots can allow them to run :diablo:

It is that variation that makes a new SDR an exceptionally good and long overdue idea: however people on this forum are going to be decidedly disappointed when it does not demand more Typhoons, Destroyers or Main Battle Tanks.

Count me thankfull we won’t be splerging a truck load of money on wastefull near useless Typhoons and destroyers. Its about time the Uk got away from trying to play in the big league as it has been a complete failure hence the equipment shortfalls in current conflicts.

To much money was sapped up by the RAF for Typhoons, a jet which has been a waste of time since it entered service! Fair enough it might go to Afghan but so what in the big picture it’s never going to make a difference there.

The wars Typhoon was designed for is long gone, we should have created some good S-300/400 type SAMs for the UK or bought at a far far cheaper price to maufacture and operate.
Don’t get me started on the RN, even RN personal are beginning to think its a joke. (as I kow from 3 service members, 1 of which is in my family who all say the same)

Time to start a freeah with UK spending and stop trying to play in the big league as we are failing miserably at it.

Trident replacement i’m all for, more nukes then last time as if it ever does go WW3 Typhoons and MBT’s are not the game changer, obliterating the enemys population centers is.