Captioned: T-90 knocked out by the 117th Territorial Defense Brigade near Sumy, Ukraine. The banner says “Russian ship”.

 

Who was Ashli Babbitt?

It’s interesting that the leftists are still howling about January 6, wherein the FBI incited a crowd and the Capitol Police opened the doors and invited people in for a self-guided tour — and that’s bad, I guess. Then a Capitol Police lieutenant murdered an unarmed woman/USAF Vet. and that’s somehow good. At the same time, they’re cheering for Mayor Beetlejuice Lightfoot who is calling for a civil war. And that’s cool.

What a sad, twisted world.

 

Zero Emission?

Batteries store electricity, they don’t make it. I think that the fact is lost on much of the Green Lobby. Electricity in America is produced elsewhere by burning coal, diesel fuel, uranium, or natural gas fueled plants. I had a discussion with a low information Tessla owner the other day. They didn’t seem to get it…California tourists, broken down on the side of the road, with a flat tire and an AT&T phone. Didn’t know how to change a tire and the only phones that work where I live are Verizon. I changed their tire. They browbeat me for driving a Raptor with a V-8 gas engine. No good deed goes unpunished.

 

Fair Question

 

Identify the Aircraft

 

In Ukraine

The Donbas Pocket isn’t a pocket anymore as the Russian front continues to fall back. Some say that they’re consolidating but that’s not what it looks like in any objective sense.

In the Kharkiv/Kharkov area

Ternova fell to Ukraine and their forces have the railway bridge by Shebekino and other key bridges in artillery range.  There is also a hydroelectric dam. They can also cover the railroad supply that the Russians depend on.

Blog readers & commenters, please advise if you find these updates informative. A great deal of what appears on this blog is guided by reader comments.

Izium is within range too. The Russian armor west of the river could be cut off if they start hitting the bridges. The only working road bridge into Izium has been repaired. These range circles may be slightly optimistic, but they represent the general capacity of the newly arrived M-777 howitzers (90 from USA, 10+ from NATO allies) in the theater.

The May 9 speech made by Putin was subdued and didn’t include mention of victory in Ukraine, nuking the US, or anything else. There is a general sense that reality is setting in.

Once Russia is expelled from Eastern Ukraine, the focus will shift south to clearing the Black Sea coastal area.  There is no telling whether Russia will consolidate by shifting the retreating forces from the East to the South. In general, they’ve been mauled and need time to reform and refit before going into combat again, so I doubt that they’ll move south. They will likely hold in place on the Russian side of the border, dig in and lick their wounds there.

 

Close-up of a Serbian “Sora” 122mm truck-mounted howitzer, showing its autoloader and two revolver drums, one carrying shells and the other propellant charges.

 

The Great Tajik

Commander of anti-Taliban resistance Ahmad Massoud in the Panjshir Valley with his troops. When asked why he didn’t flee like the other Afghan leaders, said “I’m here to follow my father’s path and gain democracy or join the martyrs who died trying, surrender is not an option.”  KIA September 10, 2001 – by assassination.

 

MANPADS

A British soldier with a Javelin MANPAD during the NATO exercise Cold Grouse of the Multinational Division Central. Denmark, Oct 1995.

A Mexican drug cartel obtained similar British SAMs. They bought them from inventory in an “end user nation” that reported them fired in training. So it goes. Proliferation is a bitch.

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

41 COMMENTS

      • Which should never have been bought. Instead, they should have gone with the OV-10X Super Bronco because, hands down, the regular Bronco exceeds all of the Super Tucano’s capabilities. And had better visibility. And the Super Bronco would have been even better, and able to be flown off of Landing Ships without a catapult, so would have been good for Marine CAS and anti-ship interdiction.

        But no. Can’t have nice things anymore.

        • hi Beans,

          re Afghanistan, the OV-10X Super Bronco cost more because of the two engines. Even though the US was just recycling them, no longer manufacturing, the refurb and maintenance costs were still high. The new Embraer A-29 Super Tucano spread new money around (the world) to support the war politically. For the same amount of money, the Tucano could give more select Afghans the prestige of being fighter pilots. It was never about warfighting.

          re US use of the Bronco in the present / future, your points are valid. I defer to you and the ex Naval persons here to define the specifics.

          • The Bronco offered a lot. I have a friend who used fly Pave Nail missions in the OV-10A in Vietnam. All things being equal, the twin engine reliability is important in combat when you are flying close support or FAC. The upgraded Super Bronco offered even more for USMC pilots and USAF pilots than the Bronco had.

            I don’t dislike the Tucano, but it’s not in the same league as the Super Bronco.

          • It’s like looking at a P-47 and a P-51 and saying that the Mustang would make a better CAS plane because it’s sexier looking.

            The twin engine capability of the Bronco is essential in a CAS aircraft. Even the A-37 had two engines, and worked very well as one.

            Single engine is one engine away from failure. 2 is 1. 1 is none.

            Plus, the Bronco looks so much cooler and can carry so much more and do so much more. Bomb, strafe, fire rockets, direct artillery and air support while carrying cargo and/or passengers in the back, or carrying internally more electronics or fuel or litter patients.

            Stupid Tucano.

  2. What is the US strategic goal in the Ukraine? Right now, it appears to be saving the politicians kickback money and keeping the human trafficking information quiet.

    • Come on, man! It depends on who you’re listening to. Pelosi’s goal is to defeat Russia. Brandon doesn’t seem to know much. If you challenge him, he yells at you like an old man shouting for the kids to get off his lawn. The Ho hasn’t said much in this regard. Congress said, “Ukraine good, Russia bad” and that’s about as far out on a limb as they were willing to go, while sending a lot more money.

      I don’t know much about the white slavery business in Ukraine. It apparently exists. Through much of the world, women are bought, sold, and traded as prostitutes by various organized crime groups. Maybe that is what is happening in Ukraine. Russian whores are in evidence throughout Asia, but I think that they are there for the money.

    • A friend of mine is an Albanian immigrant.
      He owns the diner I frequent.
      he thinks any amount of money spent to defeat Putin and Russia is worth it.
      He’s normally a sensible guy.

      • Albania was featured in Wag the Dog with a suitcase nuke… I’m waiting for one to show up.

  3. i understand the taliban has its hands full fighting another militia force. i have been concerned that the javelins and stingers would get into the wrong hands since half the ukraine army is of questionable character and many of the ak’s handed out went to the gangs. i suspect we’ll see them again….that is one cool arty piece but i wouldn’t want to work on it. what a pita that one would be…..i for one appreciate the updates, seeing as how the media is so full of shiite…the tajik, that’s bravery. they deserved better. as did ashley babbitt. i have her name on my bumper wherever i go, along with “benghazi, blood on their hands”. the one that gets the most comment though is ” have you hugged your assault rifle today?”.

    • It’s important to hug your rifle. I don’t know about the “assault” part. I’ve never been able to figure out what one is outside of the sturmgewehr. I know what a squad automatic weapon is and the difference between that (SAW) and an M-60, but they’re used for support, not for “assaulting”.

      Yes, there are something like four civil wars going on in Afghanistan as tribal territories and loyalties are stronger regionally in many cases than loyalty to the Taliban. The original Talib movement that came from the madrassas in Pakistan (supported by ISI and the Pak Army) hasn’t existed for some time. The current Taliban is sort of a tribal organization all its own, so it’s no wonder that other tribes are trying to supplant it regionally. That’s how Afghanistan was run before the British and Russians came (great game) with the king holding a weak central position in the country, it’s how it worked before the Russians came and deposed Zahir Shah in the 70’s and 80’s, and how it worked when the American war companies bled the taxpayers for decades to keep a species of war going.

      USGOV has a lot of blood on its hands.

      • So much of America these days is “follow the money”.

        Not just the “defense industry”, it’s the “education industry”, the “medical industry”, the “legal industry” and they are all tied into the “financial industry”.
        When I was born none of these were industries except for defense.

  4. I’m going to self-ident as taliban if it means I can get a Super Tuscano, or five.

    Very recently I listened to a boat owner speak intelligently about diesel and solar systems for power generation. He’s big on redundancy in back-up systems. After much consideration he’s repowering with diesel as primary and solar for auxiliary.

    The comments about his choice were stupefying. Comments can be summarized as believing solar is as reliable as diesel in all conditions, that solar is a one to one equivalent to diesel, energy density never enters their mind. I have noticed that even those persons who are not true believers, i.e., rational, oft succumb to belief in the energy fairy who is not burdened by considerations such as Kw or VDC. As if swapping diesel to solar is simply a matter of flicking a switch.

    • I don’t know what sort of boat is involved. Boats displace water and that water must be moved (friction) in order for the boat to make any progress on its own power. I’ve never seen a solar-powered tugboat… I made a comment about an educated idiot who blew the tip of his finger off with a rifle. here on the blog a few days ago. I think that his offspring or kin are at work here.

    • I lived in my RV for some time & solar is magic, it keeps the lights on, the water pump running and the laptop going. But 3 days of clouds and you need a generator or plug into the wall.

      Keep in mind the limited number of things I used with solar power and propane was the cooking/heat source.

  5. Super Tucano.
    Doubtless the Tesla owner waited until you finished with the tire before “thanking” you.

    • This farm boy’s first intro to liberated women involved a flat tire on I-80, back in the early 70’s.
      They didn’t wait to start complaining, they started from the beginning…but they did increase the complaining after it was over. One did come over, in secret while the others were occupied elsewhere, and whisper a ‘Thank you’ to me, so there’s that.

    • I’m a bit surprised the Tesla owner had the self-control to wait until the tire had been changed for her. But then again, people with poor impulse control generally don’t end up owning Teslas.

      @Frank: If not for peer pressure, that young woman might have wanted to whisper more than “thank you” in the ear of that farmboy. Despite the feminist propaganda against human nature, the old Western Movie tropes have it right. Nothing more attractive than a man who proves competence, provides assistance, then tips his hat and goes off on his way. The last part is critical. A thirsty dude is an unattractive dude. A guy who does good unto a woman without expectation of reward, but only because he chooses to (or his code drives him to do it) becomes very interesting. Especially to a good-looking woman who is used to getting lots of attention from slavering males. The competent non-slobberer becomes a goal to be won over.

      As a sociological aside regarding peer pressure, I think men tend to be swayed more by bad ideas (philosophies) while women tend to be swayed more by bad friends and evil social movements. And as a total sidebar, pee-er is phonetically how you say “anus” in Mandarin (with a refined Peking accent; think RP English). Which may explain why I have low susceptibility to peer pressure. Peer pressure, peer review, the now defunct (?) store Pier One — all running gags in my family. And I had an uncle who, taking French as a child, picked “Pierre” for his French-class name, as a gag. All eight-year-old boys in adult bodies. Except the uncle who was around 8 when he became “Pierre”; he was an 8-yo boy in an 8-yo boy’s body. (Unlike our “elites” who are adults that like to insert themselves, parts anyway, into the bodies of 8-yos.)

      “But there’s a thing such as too much butthole talk, and a feller ought to be freaking aware of it”.
      h/t Letterkenny

      • About four years after this event, I met a very attractive gal that I took by surprise – instead of asking her out on a date, I invited her to a Bible study. On the day we got married she said the reason she chose me was because I struck her as being the kind of man who wouldn’t abandon her to raise any children by herself…no matter what.
        As the marriage progressed, I got to find out what was included in ‘no matter what’ but, as everyone has a hitch in their git-along, I’m not about to start throwing stones.

  6. Yes, Larry. Please continue informing on the Ukrainian situation. I say situation because that cluster is so much more than open hostilities. Speaking of which, it really must be hot if self-important rock stars can hold imprompru concerts. However, strictly of the .mil actions, you are one of few who provide unbiased intel.

  7. First thought on the “sign” (really was): “Eff Joe Biden” in Ukrainian.

    I have some bags of concrete in the garage, could make a pad for that “Sora” howitzer. Since I’m redoing the Entry might go well opposite the Veterinary sign. Sort of a mixed message, but I’m good with that.

    • Just sent a support “note” to the American Petroleum Institute to tell the Fed’s to go pound sand. The Hologram nixed the Cook Island Inlet O&G Lease after excoriating “big oil” for not pumping more oil and gas. Satan abounds in the guy.

      The Left want to return us to the Dark Ages. I’d chip in for One-Way 1st Class tickets to Venezuela for a taste of their brand of moronic nirvana. The flight meal will be their last best.

    • Last week I saw a professionally-stencilled “FJB” on the rear windshield of a Prius. (i.e. it was no act of graffiti; dude paid to have that put on there).

      When you’re a Democrat and you’ve lost the Prius drivers …

      • Yup, losing those people is pretty bad optics. The Prius, besides being uninspiringly ugly, is the ultimate virtue signal bona fide…like getting vax’d/boosted/reboosted then contracting Covid (or as they say) while wearing your dirty face diaper.

        • We had one once for a loaner car while my wife’s car was in the shop. Typical high-quality Toyota, but good Lord was it SLOW!

        • I’ve personally put 100,000 miles on a Prius doing a 410 mile a day (three days a week) medical courier job. Disliked them from day one. Real world mileage around 42 mpg. On the two we drove, you couldn’t disable traction control. For whatever reason, the right headlight bulb was always burning out. Fighting our way through heavy unplowed snow (Hwy 71 South of Kimball) they would overheat.

  8. Yes, please continue with the updates. They are MUCH appreciated. Like the Tesla owner, we don’t say “thank you” often enough. When he (or she) gets their next flat tire, it will likely be the same drill.

    If Ahmad Massoud had made it here and was running for office, I would vote for him.

  9. Please continue the Ukraine reporting. I confess I don’t understand some of it. My military expertise was limited to entrenching tools and rifles.

    As to no good deed goes unpunished, the doers effort is the reward itself. If the recipient is unappreciative, that is on them. Shitheads will always be shitheads.

  10. Yep, please continue the updates and thank you for providing them. They help make things much clearer.
    Good on you for changing the ignoramous’s tire. Always beneficial to get some positive karma. I have run into a few people like that but not recently thank goodness.

  12. Adding my two cents to YES on the updates. You do an excellent job of consolidating and sifting out the bullscat.

  15. Like every one else has already stated I find your updates not only informative but valuable as well and I thank you for the work you put into it.

  16. What all them other guys said about continuing the Ukranian updates…..and whatever else is on your mind.

  18. I am all for ‘up-dates’ and especially, each of the tasty commentary from the peanut gallery.
    Fact is, I usually get absorbed among your pop-ups… and their pop-ups.
    .
    From the archives:
    http://www.virtualmirage.org/energy-dominance/
    Apparently, The Republic Of Texas is sitting on more oil than the whole dang globe could use in a millennia.
    ‘too cheap to meter’

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