Arming Ukraine

Carl Lee27 said:The Switchblades are already on the ground in Ukraine, and word is they’ve already seen some serious action in combat. As for the Predators and Reapers, nothing is set in stone just yet, though we know talks are happening—apparently, there was even a meeting between the Ukrainian ambassadors and folks from General Atomics. Honestly, I doubt a meeting like that would even get off the ground without the green light from the Biden administration. It feels like such a logical next step for arming Ukraine, especially since these drones are such a complete nightmare for the Russians to deal with.
They could be operated by people sent over from the US, but my gut tells me the Ukrainians will be running them directly from within Ukraine, and I’m leaning toward them using the Predators they already have in stock rather than jumping straight to the Reapers.

The thing is, Predators are basically retired anyway—they've been phased out for Reapers. So, even if one gets taken down, it’s hardly a threat to US tech security if someone tries to scavenge parts (assuming you can even do that). Honestly, this whole war just proves that the Russian military industry is long past its prime, though God knows if they're still dangerous.

Melissa Bailey5 said:I think I saw somewhere that they tried using two Switchblades against some Russian tanks, but it didn't really work out. I guess they're still just figuring things out, or whatever.

That's what Russ claims, anyway. Honestly, they used to claim Moscow was floating on water, too.

Kate Lewis3 said:The thing is, Predators are basically retired anyway—they've been phased out for Reapers. So, even if one gets taken down, it’s hardly a threat to US tech security if someone tries to scavenge parts (assuming you can even do that). Honestly, this whole war just proves that the Russian military industry is long past its prime, though God knows if they're still dangerous.

Even if they manage to get their hands on some Reapers, they'll be operated from America. You need a highly trained, synchronized crew to pull that off.

coastalbison6 said:Even if they manage to get their hands on some Reapers, they'll be operated from America. You need a highly trained, synchronized crew to pull that off.

I doubt they’ll get their hands on the Reapers, though maybe a few Predators could slip through. Even then, we're talking maybe three or four extra spears compared to what the Russ have. And honestly? It'd probably just be American "volunteers" over in Ukraine pulling the strings anyway.

So, we can probably look forward to more video footage coming out from the Ukrainian side, most likely
...

Thomas Morales8 said:So, we can probably look forward to more video footage coming out from the Ukrainian side, most likely
...

Maybe end of war, but for now? Nothing. They’ve slapped a ban on posting anything involving the Bayraktar. Honestly though, it’d be pretty wild to see some clips of Moscow getting absolutely wrecked. Those Bayraktars were busy distracting air defenses when the Neptunes were coming in, so I highly doubt they took down every single Bayraktar out there. But man, seeing how they handle all that Soviet/Russian junk would be something else.

Melissa Bailey5 said:I think I saw somewhere that they tried using two Switchblades against some Russian tanks, but it didn't really work out. I guess they're still just figuring things out, or whatever.

And I heard they’ve already trashed some armor. Without better intel, we just have to sit tight and wait.

If either the Reapers or the Predators show up... just turn off the lights and pack it up.

The Predator is really just twenty years older than its predecessor—essentially an old veteran carrying much more advanced communication systems, yet burdened by far less efficient and significantly more expensive weaponry, wouldn't you agree?

Dana Robinson4 said:The Predator is really just twenty years older than its predecessor—essentially an old veteran carrying much more advanced communication systems, yet burdened by far less efficient and significantly more expensive weaponry, wouldn't you agree?

A standard-bearer is usually just some drunk guy dragging a flag out of a car during a wedding parade, whereas the Bayraktar is exactly what you described above.

Thomas Stewart8 said:A standard-bearer is usually just some drunk guy dragging a flag out of a car during a wedding parade, whereas the Bayraktar is exactly what you described above.

In Turkish, Bayraktar means exactly the same thing as a standard-bearer does here; that is how the word originated.

Thomas Stewart8 said:A standard-bearer is usually just some drunk guy dragging a flag out of a car during a wedding parade, whereas the Bayraktar is exactly what you described above.

The term "barjaktar" is essentially an outsider's word, a derivative born from the shift of the Turkish "bayraktar." So, in American English terms, "bayraktar" is simply the direct equivalent of "barjaktar." 😬
Basically, a flag-carrier. And yeah, they're usually drunk.

Andrew Booth29 said:The term "barjaktar" is essentially an outsider's word, a derivative born from the shift of the Turkish "bayraktar." So, in American English terms, "bayraktar" is simply the direct equivalent of "barjaktar." 😬
Basically, a flag-carrier. And yeah, they're usually drunk.

Look, we’re here to talk about hardware, not wedding processions or who’s carrying the flag. If a piece of equipment is branded as a Bayraktar, then that’s its name—period. I don't care about etymology, linguistic shifts, or where the root comes from. It's a
Bayraktar😁.

Thomas Stewart8 said:Look, we’re here to talk about hardware, not wedding processions or who’s carrying the flag. If a piece of equipment is branded as a Bayraktar, then that’s its name—period. I don't care about etymology, linguistic shifts, or where the root comes from. It's a
Bayraktar😁.

Yeah, we really ought to be calling it the Bayraktar—that’s actually the designer's surname, if you want to be precise. But honestly, people say "Barjaktar" all the time, and I don't think anyone's going to call it a massive blunder. Language is a funny thing, isn't it? It follows its own internal logic—living language has its own set of rules that don't always align with a textbook. In our case, it's just easier to let the sounds roll off the tongue a certain way. 😁

Andrew Booth29 said:Yeah, we really ought to be calling it the Bayraktar—that’s actually the designer's surname, if you want to be precise. But honestly, people say "Barjaktar" all the time, and I don't think anyone's going to call it a massive blunder. Language is a funny thing, isn't it? It follows its own internal logic—living language has its own set of rules that don't always align with a textbook. In our case, it's just easier to let the sounds roll off the tongue a certain way. 😁

Stegonoša 🎉

As long as there are more of them and they actually know what they're doing—honestly, who cares about the name. 😉

I haven't seen anything from grg4 lately, which I guess isn't really a surprise given how things have been going. Melissa Bailey5 says:
standard-bearer So, you've got this guy, probably a bit tipsy most of the time, who just loves dragging a flag out of his car while driving through a wedding procession or something... basically acting like some kind of wannabe standard-bearer. standard-bearer So, that standard-bearer thing is basically what you just laid out above, I guess.

🤣🤣
It’s kind of weird how people still wave that standard-bearer around while they're heading toward the college dorms or trekking from the campus over to some church or a restaurant... I guess they're just trying to make sure they aren't totally wasted before they actually get there. 🙂

@DeptofDefense is dropping a summary of all the security assistance we've sent—or are currently sending—to Ukraine.

The Americans have started shipping supplies
View on twitter

Melissa Bailey5 said:

I haven't seen anything from grg4 lately, which I guess isn't really a surprise given how things have been going. Melissa Bailey5 says:
standard-bearer So, you've got this guy, probably a bit tipsy most of the time, who just loves dragging a flag out of his car while driving through a wedding procession or something... basically acting like some kind of wannabe standard-bearer. standard-bearer So, that standard-bearer thing is basically what you just laid out above, I guess.

🤣🤣
It’s kind of weird how people still wave that standard-bearer around while they're heading toward the college dorms or trekking from the campus over to some church or a restaurant... I guess they're just trying to make sure they aren't totally wasted before they actually get there. 🙂

@DeptofDefense is dropping a summary of all the security assistance we've sent—or are currently sending—to Ukraine.

Actually, the most hammered ones are usually the first to grab that flag! 😁😁😁😁😁

coastalbison6 said:The Americans have started shipping supplies
View on twitter

Everything looks fine, but what's being shown on the screen certainly isn't the full picture, and those quantities are definitely off.

Does anyone honestly believe they're shipping out 18 howitzers??? 😉