Hacker News Reader

Comment by sacnoradhq | Hacker News Reader

It's primary for forward tactical, war-time refueling because you can't just drive a jet from a hardened bunker on an air base to a random road far away. Wingspan and trees and such get in the way. Finland, Poland, etc. roads fit the criteria where it makes sense to have emergency alternate landing sites than first-to-be-destroyed fixed bases.

An adversary such as Russia undoubtedly already designates straight, manicured roads in Eastern Europe for anti-runway demolition as secondary targets.

Also, given Russia's hypersonic capabilities, they undoubtedly possess something between JP233 and DRDO SAAW: stand-off anti-runway and hardened target attack with area denial.

View on HN

> An adversary such as Russia undoubtedly already designates straight, manicured roads in Eastern Europe for anti-runway demolition as secondary targets.

Given the inability of Russian PGM to even destroy the runways of Ukrainian airbase[1], and the limited amount of these PGM in the inventory, I really doubt Russia has this capability, even at the scale of one of the small Baltic state.

> Also, given Russia's hypersonic capabilities, they undoubtedly possess something between JP233 and DRDO SAAW: stand-off anti-runway and hardened target attack with area denial.

And why hasn't still managed to shut down UAF after one year and a half of conflict? “Gesture of goodwill” maybe?

[1] See the infamous failed strike on the Ozerne airbase at the onset of the invasion: https://cdn.futura-sciences.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1024,qua...

The assumed capability to strike airbases is/was nuclear. The whole old Soviet doctrine was a nuclear doctrine.

True, in part because it was mostly a defensive doctrine.

It would make sense that russia has ability to destroy roads, and airbases, but why aren't they using these effectively when attacking Ukraine? It's a lot smaller than all of Europe, should be easier to figure it out.

Initially Russian expectations missed the reality. The was no "one week of bombing " fase. Then Russia had to spend enourmous ammouts of rockets\artillery (mostly due to lack of planning and lack of military education\experience in the army) to have at least some results.

Right now Russia's abilities are very limited.

The main reason is that Russian military is rotten to the core, corrupt and has zero discipline (this has been the case for hundreds of years, probably due to mentality).

An associate of mine was a USAF Major who came into possession of a Soviet Belarussian MiG-21. He stashed it in a hangar in Germany and told absolutely no one outside his inner circle of war buddies about. The only person he ever showed if off to was a fairly high-up Russian who he mistakenly thought was "cool". Guess how long it was before the cockpit avionics were stolen, rendering it un-refurbishable? Sigh Never trust a Russian officer farther than you can throw them unless their name was Stanislav Petrov.

> Never trust a Russian officer

Doesn't seem like a good story to backup this "lesson". What would happen if you showed a US Officer a (possibly missing) US Fighter jet in a hanger? Never trust a US Officer?

I'd say it reason number two.

Reason number one would be that serving in military is viewed as good old "conscript obligation"[1]. Or as a way to get money (in some regions serving was the only way to get decent money. some people would actually give bribes to get a contract).

At the same time you learn nothing while in service (unless you are part of some elite force wich is a different story and they are few in number anyway).

A classic thing about russian military: out of a platoon only 2-3 guys are often throw grenades during their time. Only to show them off before some general. While others just mind their own business.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_Russian_Em...

RussiA was downgraded to RussiC during this conflict.

The Russian military is stuck executing a random terror campaign against the populace and defending being pushed out of Crimea, Kharkiv, and Donetsk. The reason is cost. They cannot afford an all-out offensive in bodies, bullets, mortars, or SRBMs.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com