A interesting clip posted by Fighterbomber of the audio between the aircrews of a VKS Su-34 and A-50U during a defensive engagement against a Ukrainian PATRIOT north of Mariupol. No indication of date.
H/t @magictouch190 for providing a translated summary
Interestingly, the Su-34 did not have any indication of radar lock until the A-50U detected and tracked missile launches.
This implies the Su-34's RWR, if installed, did not detect MPQ-65 emissions or could not distinguish between its search and missile guidance emissions.
The A-50U calls out three missile tracks starting 80 km from the Su-34, indicating the Launcher Stations were at least 80 km away. Given the range, the missiles were likely PAC-1/2s.
The A-50U continues providing bearing and range updates for at least two missiles to the Su-34.
The missiles reach an altitude of 25,000 meters and airspeed of 4,000 km/h (~1,100 m/s), likely their apogee, and presumably then begin diving toward the Su-34.
The Su-34's cruising altitude is unclear but the A-50U appears to direct them to descend to 2,000 then 300 meters.
A missile subsequently explodes immediately to the rear of the Su-34 and it loses its intercom.
However, the aircraft is unfortunately able to return to base with one member of the aircrew appearing to have suffered light injury to one of his arms.
The A-50U controller also briefly mentions that he "thinks" he can detect MPQ-65's emissions in addition to tracking the missiles.
Quite an impressive story of transmission between a SU-34 and an A50U. The A-50 followed the Su-34 and detected radar emissions in the plane's direction and missile launches were confirmed at 80 km. Given the distance, this will confirm Patriots PAC 2. The A-50 quickly contacts the Su-34 and tells it to abort the mission and flee. The A-50 sees itself guiding the Su-34 in its escape... The plane passes close to the disaster, the missiles explode behind the plane and destroy it, but one person is still injured.
The Su-34's anti-missile systems appear unable to track the missiles or detect radar emissions. Therefore, two hypotheses remain: either the system is unable to detect the missiles or the RWR nacelles were simply not installed.
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OPINION: Ukraine’s Foreign Flying Legion That Wasn’t
A Foreign Flying Legion may be Ukraine’s best chance – much like WWI’s French Lafayette Escadrille or WWII’s Flying Tigers in China, private US citizens could bring a significant impact to the war.
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Pending confirmation from individual governments, 9 PATRIOT and 2 SAMP/T fire units have now been committed to Ukraine.
2 U.S. PATRIOT FUs
4 German PATRIOT FUs
1 Spanish PATRIOT FU
1 Romanian PATRIOT FU
1 Dutch-Swedish PATRIOT FU
1 French-Italian SAMP/T FU
1 Italian SAMP/T FU
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High-Tech American Weapons Work Against Russia—Until They Don’t
Moscow is learning how to defeat Western precision munitions in Ukraine
US precision weapons are losing effectiveness due to Russian electronic warfare, calling NATO's entire military doctrine into question. In the summer of 2022, Ukraine began receiving high-precision M982 Excalibur projectiles, which initially appeared to be a turning point in favor of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, as the Wall Street Journal notes, within weeks the Russian military adapted, employing powerful EW capabilities. By mid-2023, American GPS-guided projectiles have become virtually useless.
A similar fate befell other Western weapons. The accuracy of the Himars systems has decreased significantly and the GLSDBs have been completely disabled due to Russian electronic warfare. Only American ATACMS missiles and Franco-British Storm Shadow missiles remain relatively effective.
The Pentagon has refused to discuss the characteristics of US weapons systems, citing security concerns, but anonymous sources within NATO and the Ukrainian military admit that it is only a matter of time before Russia learns to neutralize these types of weapons. .
Western military experts fear this will call into question NATO's entire military doctrine, based on the belief that precision can defeat mass. Former US Army Europe commander General Ben Hodges noted that over the past 20 years, precision weapons have been used against opponents who are unable to respond effectively.
The Wall Street Journal also emphasizes that any military encounter has always been a “game of cat and mouse”, and in this game whoever adapts faster wins. Unfortunately for Kiev, the Western allies are lagging behind in this regard.
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Poland proposed at the NATO meeting in Washington a "no-fly zone" over the Ukrainian region of Lviv, in a strip approximately 100km from Ukraine's border with the country. The agreement between Kiev and Warsaw would include the possibility for Polish air defense systems to intercept Russian missiles and drones over the western regions of Ukraine.
This "umbrella" could also serve as cover for F-16 fighters and the alliance's ground forces on Ukrainian territory. Polish air defense could also be used to protect the construction of joint military-industrial facilities by Western Ukraine.
... and a reason weight so there is no greater number of victims, is that in the hospital, since the infamous Russian invasion, they have prepared basement areas where they take refuge when the air attack alarms sound, and they have been doing so for several years, and it is one of the emergency plans of that hospital that was created more than 1 century ago and has gone through several wars
