F-16s don't even matter. They're a distraction embraced by internet idiots who don't know the 1st thing about military affairs. F-16s will have very limited utility in Ukraine because Russian air defenses are so strong. It's basically a waste of money to try to operate an air force against Russia unless you have either stealth, or highly sophisticated jamming capabilities & an advanced SEAD doctrine. There is simply no way Ukraine will be able to have those capabilities any time soon. It's difficult enough that Russia & China never developed them at all.
Ukraine, of course, wants F-16s because it wants everything. It's like a gaggle of Chinese at a free buffet trying to teach the restaurateur a lesson by cleaning him the fuck out. No Ukrainian is every going to say "no thank you, we have enough free shit, we don't need more, and we appreciate what we've been given." Zelensky should be called "beggar in chief" instead of President, and his emblem of office should be a rattling tin cup.
F-16s are highly valuable & prestigious. They would make Ukraine feel special & powerful after the war. But during it? Not very useful.
What Ukraine desperately needs is artillery ammunition, since the large majority of this war is WW1 style trench warfare based on artillery duels. Most important would be sophisticated counter-battery enablers, in the form of training, equipment like counter battery radars, and lots of drones for spotting.
The only reason Ukraine was able to pull off its lightning thrust to Kupiansk last August was because they caught the Russians sleeping. That won't happen again. Russia can just throw up line after line of trenches & obstacles & mines, then pound any Ukrainian breakthrough group with artillery. The only way Ukraine is going to be able to maintain offensive impetus is if it has elite artillery units nearby with top counter-battery capabilities, aggressively hitting any Russian artillery unit that dares open fire in a wide area. That's a capability Ukraine has not demonstrated so far.
So those F-16s, would it be more beneficial and useful to provide them to Taiwan instead for their use or even see if the JDSF can have use for them?
Zelensky asking for 'unlimited power' nowadays is a given but I don't know if it's conscious or unconsciously, this Ukraine conflict is focusing material regardless of usefulness to Ukraine when it could be better served going to Taiwan to improve defences.
So those F-16s, would it be more beneficial and useful to provide them to Taiwan instead
Absolutely. Taiwan needs SAMs much more than fighters for the same reasons Ukraine does, but Taiwan will be able to operate F16s effectively both in a defensive role, as well as to attack Chinese ships, because the massive force of Chinese land based SAMs will be hundreds of miles away across the ocean over in China.
The Philippines is another potential recipient for US military aid. Their military is very weak, and making deals with them to boost them in exchange for closer ties & a greater commitment to help in any conflict with China would be very useful.
Ukraine is a black hole right now sucking up everything the US has, and our defense industrial base is nowhere near at the levels it needs to be to supply Ukraine as well as everything we need to deter China. So we are going to need to make some hard choices for the next 2 years until DeSantis cleans up this mess.
Every indication is that Biden is going to continue to virtue signal for Ukraine while ignoring Taiwan & our other partners in the Pacific.
Stop saying "WW3". It's stupid.
F-16s don't even matter. They're a distraction embraced by internet idiots who don't know the 1st thing about military affairs. F-16s will have very limited utility in Ukraine because Russian air defenses are so strong. It's basically a waste of money to try to operate an air force against Russia unless you have either stealth, or highly sophisticated jamming capabilities & an advanced SEAD doctrine. There is simply no way Ukraine will be able to have those capabilities any time soon. It's difficult enough that Russia & China never developed them at all.
Ukraine, of course, wants F-16s because it wants everything. It's like a gaggle of Chinese at a free buffet trying to teach the restaurateur a lesson by cleaning him the fuck out. No Ukrainian is every going to say "no thank you, we have enough free shit, we don't need more, and we appreciate what we've been given." Zelensky should be called "beggar in chief" instead of President, and his emblem of office should be a rattling tin cup.
F-16s are highly valuable & prestigious. They would make Ukraine feel special & powerful after the war. But during it? Not very useful.
What Ukraine desperately needs is artillery ammunition, since the large majority of this war is WW1 style trench warfare based on artillery duels. Most important would be sophisticated counter-battery enablers, in the form of training, equipment like counter battery radars, and lots of drones for spotting.
The only reason Ukraine was able to pull off its lightning thrust to Kupiansk last August was because they caught the Russians sleeping. That won't happen again. Russia can just throw up line after line of trenches & obstacles & mines, then pound any Ukrainian breakthrough group with artillery. The only way Ukraine is going to be able to maintain offensive impetus is if it has elite artillery units nearby with top counter-battery capabilities, aggressively hitting any Russian artillery unit that dares open fire in a wide area. That's a capability Ukraine has not demonstrated so far.
So those F-16s, would it be more beneficial and useful to provide them to Taiwan instead for their use or even see if the JDSF can have use for them?
Zelensky asking for 'unlimited power' nowadays is a given but I don't know if it's conscious or unconsciously, this Ukraine conflict is focusing material regardless of usefulness to Ukraine when it could be better served going to Taiwan to improve defences.
Absolutely. Taiwan needs SAMs much more than fighters for the same reasons Ukraine does, but Taiwan will be able to operate F16s effectively both in a defensive role, as well as to attack Chinese ships, because the massive force of Chinese land based SAMs will be hundreds of miles away across the ocean over in China.
The Philippines is another potential recipient for US military aid. Their military is very weak, and making deals with them to boost them in exchange for closer ties & a greater commitment to help in any conflict with China would be very useful.
Ukraine is a black hole right now sucking up everything the US has, and our defense industrial base is nowhere near at the levels it needs to be to supply Ukraine as well as everything we need to deter China. So we are going to need to make some hard choices for the next 2 years until DeSantis cleans up this mess.
Every indication is that Biden is going to continue to virtue signal for Ukraine while ignoring Taiwan & our other partners in the Pacific.
Fuck Taiwan, there's no reason to waste human lives defending a feminist dictator who loses elections.