That's awesome lol I don't know why that patch makes me laugh so hard. I just find military operation naming conventions so ridiculous that anything that lampoons them is okay in my book.
Another excellent post, Wes. Your knowledge of this subject is encyclopedic! It's a pleasure to read your writing, especially for an old, over the hill Air Defense Officer! Thanks!
This morning I was wondering what was out there (if anything) to counter the current ballistic missile threat to Ukraine? A few days ago I had a similar thought about glide bombs.
And there you are covering both topics in the last two days. Maybe I am beginning to tune into your way of scanning the defence horizon?
Thanks Graham. We're thinking along the same threat matrix. I'm worried about Kyiv because there will be no more Patriots coming. I think I buried the lede in the article. Ukraine should likely pivot it's long-range strike campaign away from oil temporarily and go after the ballistic threat on the ground.
Yeah totally. I was wondering why we've only seen a couple of hits on the big missile manufacturing complexes by Ukraine. I guess those flamingos aren't being produced quite as quickly as was first hoped. I know they are slow-moving and easier to shoot down but a number got through to hit that old Stalingrad factory area about a month ago which I believe was involved in Khinsal production.
It is like a horrific rock-paper-scissors contest sometimes. One side hurts the other side some way and forces them to react. That side then digs back and forces the other to do something different.
Hi Tobias, good question. IRIS-T SLX may eventually help fill the gap as a longer-range European air-defense layer, but I wouldn’t treat it as a near-term Patriot replacement for Iskander/Kinzhal-type ballistic threats. HYDEF is even farther out: it’s aimed at future 2035-plus hypersonic/high-velocity threats. So both are important, but neither solves Kyiv’s current interceptor shortage. FREYJA is probably the near-term European effort to watch.
Thank you for all the hard work you’re putting into your articles Wes!
I just listened to this one and the voiceover saying „epic furry“ instead of fury made my evening 😂
That's awesome lol I don't know why that patch makes me laugh so hard. I just find military operation naming conventions so ridiculous that anything that lampoons them is okay in my book.
Hi Wes! Have you heard about the repurposed HAWK missiles being sent to Ukraine and given technology upgrades?
Hi Nana, I did a video on HAWKs way back in late 2024 saying we should send them to Ukraine but I haven't seen any recent news. I'll look into it!
Another excellent post, Wes. Your knowledge of this subject is encyclopedic! It's a pleasure to read your writing, especially for an old, over the hill Air Defense Officer! Thanks!
Thanks Pete!
Truly my pleasure, Wes!
I have a dear friend on the front lines in Ukraine. Anything that will give them hope
This morning I was wondering what was out there (if anything) to counter the current ballistic missile threat to Ukraine? A few days ago I had a similar thought about glide bombs.
And there you are covering both topics in the last two days. Maybe I am beginning to tune into your way of scanning the defence horizon?
Excellent detail in the one btw.
Thanks Graham. We're thinking along the same threat matrix. I'm worried about Kyiv because there will be no more Patriots coming. I think I buried the lede in the article. Ukraine should likely pivot it's long-range strike campaign away from oil temporarily and go after the ballistic threat on the ground.
Yeah totally. I was wondering why we've only seen a couple of hits on the big missile manufacturing complexes by Ukraine. I guess those flamingos aren't being produced quite as quickly as was first hoped. I know they are slow-moving and easier to shoot down but a number got through to hit that old Stalingrad factory area about a month ago which I believe was involved in Khinsal production.
It is like a horrific rock-paper-scissors contest sometimes. One side hurts the other side some way and forces them to react. That side then digs back and forces the other to do something different.
Any idea what the IRIS-T SLX or HYDEF will be able to do about this?
Hi Tobias, good question. IRIS-T SLX may eventually help fill the gap as a longer-range European air-defense layer, but I wouldn’t treat it as a near-term Patriot replacement for Iskander/Kinzhal-type ballistic threats. HYDEF is even farther out: it’s aimed at future 2035-plus hypersonic/high-velocity threats. So both are important, but neither solves Kyiv’s current interceptor shortage. FREYJA is probably the near-term European effort to watch.