Janes: Russian military threat is a joke

[DesertFox]

The Maks-2007 international airshow near Moscow was the biggest in Russia's post-Soviet history - and an apparent symbol of Russia's resurgent military might. Last week, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia's ageing fleet of strategic bombers had resumed "combat missions". On Tuesday, the MoD said the RAF had sent out two Typhoon fighters after spotting a Tupolev-95 bomber heading towards British airspace.

The encounter seemed to symbolise Russia's renewed military threat and follows a tumultuous eight months in which a hawkish Mr Putin has denounced US power, torn up a conventional arms agreement with Nato, grabbed a symbolic chunk of the Arctic, and accused Britain of "stupidity" in its handling of the Alexander Litvinenko murder.

And yet defence experts were yesterday dismissive of Russian strength, branding its air force a "Potemkin village". ...

"In terms of military threat they are a joke," Robert Hewson, the editor of Jane's Air-Launched Weapons, said, assessing the array of Sukhoi and MiG fighters on display at the airshow, held at the former Soviet Zhukovsky air base. "Everything is a relic from the Soviet era. The level of technology you see in the UK, Sweden and the US is much higher.

More (http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2155974,00.html)

[Suzie]

I dunno. I mean we have seen Vlad the paler in all his white pasty chested manliness. They gotta be TOUGH. :lol:

The Vlad pics. (http://www.freeconservatives.com/vb/showthread.php?t=50218)

[ThomasMore]

I dunno. I mean we have seen Vlad the paler in all his white pasty chested manliness. They gotta be TOUGH. :lol:

But...but...the MSM has been all over how tough and manly Putin is. We should all shudder and admire the strength of the KGB Colonel and his Soviet, er, Russian empire.

[dajoga]

How long for the 'rats start singing, "It's Bush's fault?"

You can't blame Putin--Russia should be the most powerful nation in the world and would have been if they hadn't been communist for all those years.

[DoctorDoom]

The failure of Russia to create a modern military force is due to global warming. ... Well, why not? Everything else is attributed to it.

[Seabee]

Do not be so fast to count Russian out. They have the potential, despite all their problems to re-build their military. They should be watched carefully.

[Wolfcounsel]

"Do not be so fast to count Russian out. They have the potential, despite all their problems to re-build their military." --Seabee

Good. Our Military needs their future mighty military machine for target practice.

[Seabee]

Good. Our Military needs their future mighty military machine for target practice.


Do not count the Bear out, it still has some of its teeth and if they re-build they would give our military more than a bloody nose. We would win, but the fight would be one it would take a generation to get over.

[Wolfcounsel]

"Do not count the Bear out,..." --Seabee


I never underestimate the enemy. Especially an enemy that fights like a coward.

[Suzie]

But...but...the MSM has been all over how tough and manly Putin is. We should all shudder and admire the strength of the KGB Colonel and his Soviet, er, Russian empire.

Yeah they sure do like to cater to the bad guys in the media.

[Lazarus]

I put a lot of weight on anything Jane's says on the subject...

I have, however, seen a video sent to me by my friend (retired Special Forces and currently taking Haliburton's dirty lucre in Bagdad) of a NEW Russian fighter (SU-30) that is capable coming to a complete stop in mid-flight, from a high speed, tumbling in a completely opposite direction, and taking off again...

Apparently it is of some concern to our own aviators because of its ability to evade a pursuit, and even swap places with its pursuer in a short space of time...

[Rhino]

Not hardly. It can only do that at low speed, which is extremely rare in air-to-air scenarios, and almost always suicidal. Where such a capability could come in handy is in the ground attack role, but there are quite a few ground attack aircraft out there with similar capabilities.

[Lazarus]

...but there are quite a few ground attack aircraft out there with similar acpabilities.Acpabilities.... Is that some new fangled avionics?:jok:

[Rhino]

Yep. That's called dyslexic air combat. It's the latest thing. :evilgrin:

[Lazarus]

Well... I bet our Acpabilities are better than theirs... I bet there's are still analog... :biggrin:

[Wolfcounsel]

To a Sailor in the U.S. Navy, there are only two things that fly--targets and missiles.

[Lazarus]

:biggrin:

[omegatrump]

Not to worry, "we are friends", "Putin is a man we can trust", "I looked into his soul" so says Mr Bush. It makes us all more relaxed. Don't worry, just be happy.

[Lazarus]

http://www.investors.com/editorial/cartoon.asp