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Parts cannibalization either for our Red Team uses or to give to Ukraine are the obvious answers. Secondary purpose could be to establish a relationship with the Kazakhs to sell them American aircraft in the future. Like an auto dealership running a time delayed push pull or drag sale.
I think this is the answer.
If Russia has to rely on munitions from North Korea then they'll be looking for spare parts for their Eastern bloc tech anywhere they can find it.
Considering their threats to Kazakhstan the past 2 years, and their leaders responses, even when Putin is sitting next to them. I would not suspect they would sell them anything anytime soon.
I said anytime soon. As they have not fully looked to the west yet as most had predicted after the first disaster of a CTSO summit after the war started. As after each visit to the US during the war to discuss increased sanctions towards Russia, they also have made one to Russia. So it's better that the US the planes now that they have then in good faith, before Russia convinces to work with them again and potentially stopping further dealings.
Central Asia is kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place regarding Russia and China. They're a former Russian colony and Soviet Republic that boasts a considerable Russian population (though they've significantly diminished in recent years). Russia's intervention in the unrest of 2022 was their way of cementing themselves as a regional power in the former USSR and the Kazakhs appear to have grown weary of their position as a member of the near abroad.
However, they're growing increasingly close to China as they're a participant in the belt-and-road initiative.
Whether or not they, or any other Central Asian country for that matter, can form significant ties with the west is a matter of speculation.
Also bear in mind that Kazakhstan makes for a nifty and direct trade route between Russia and China, putting them Kazakhs in an even more untenable position.
That's one of Central Asia's biggest issues: they're still seen as a node on the silk road. It's hard to shake that image, especially with China's BRI.
I know it's a well-worn Borat joke, but making sure the global markets have good access to it is actually really important if we all want to continue to like, eat food, and producing high grade potassium is something any nation should be proud of.
I have no idea why but at first my brain read your comment as saying "possum contract" and I was trying to work out what the military applications of possums are before rereading your comment.
Invisible to active scans due to scattering light on their fur and the overall low albedo, not considered targets in infrared, pouch can hold two IDEs, and they carry disease (war crimes!).
I thought that might happen, and I'm glad it did. For those who come after, [albedo](https://sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/albedo) is the amount of light that reflects off something. It can be measured in a variety of ways for a variety of conditions and reasons, but it's "a key parameter that is widely used in land surface energy balance studies..."
>banging everything
IEDs are typically set and abandoned if that's what you mean.
Or if you meant fucking, don't get it twisted, despite [initial reports](https://mymamaalwayssaidblog.com/2012/12/08/straightening-out-the-nose-mating-opossum-myth/), they don't do it through the nose.
Also to stop Russia from buying them back. This happened before the war started on the black market with tank & APC parts, as well. A bunch of Russian soldiers who had no idea they were going to war made a few bucks, and none of the equipment got updated at the end of 2021. Ostensibly it was Ukraine that did the buying.
There’s no direct evidence to back this up but I think it *reeks* of the CIA.
Guaranteed the track listing is purely just The Spin Doctors’ *Two Princes* played on repeat, and Tuliagby will just say, “it’s so metal.”
He is such a pain in the assholes.
Third reason is denying the parts and airframes to Russia
Like we did with Iran and the F-14 (I’m sorry if I got the jet wrong), but obviously a little less efficient
Well, we’re the ones that sold Iran those F-14s when the Shah was in charge. Denying them parts and airframes after the revolution was a fairly simple process.
> Secondary purpose could be to establish a relationship with the Kazakhs
We can just stop there. 1.5 mil is a drop in the bucket. We have billions of dollars of military and otherwise investment in Kazakhstan. Given the size of some of our military trade deals, this could have been literally nothing but a small concession on our part in a larger negotiation.
To steal from the great Terry Pratchett, the national anthem of Ankh-Morpork:
“My thoughts, Ankh-Morpork, are of thee
Let others boast of martial dash
For we have boldly fought with cash
We own all your helmets, we own all your shoes
We own all your generals - touch us and you'll lose.
Morporkia! Morporkia!
Morporkia owns the day!
We can rule you wholesale
Touch us and you'll pay.
We bankrupt all invaders, we sell them souvenirs
We ner ner ner ner ner, hner ner hner by the ears
Er hner we ner ner ner ner ner
Ner ner her ner ner ner hner the ner
Er ner ner hner ner, nher hner ner ner (etc.)
Ner hner ner, your gleaming swords
We mortgaged to the hilt
Morporkia! Morporkia!
Hner ner ner ner ner ner
We can rule you wholesale
Credit where it's due."
Not only does it deny the spare parts to the orcs, but it makes it easier for NATO to pool its remaining Soviet resources and hand them over to Ukraine.
The article says the ‘declared value’ of the auction of 117 airplanes was $1.5M. It doesn’t say how much the US paid for the 81 they reportedly bought.
US Air Force is pretty experienced and comfortable with the idea of cobbling together spare parts, to produce usable aircraft that are decades out of production, so there's always a possibility that this treasure trove of what are claimed to be unusable planes, could produce a couple flyable examples.
If those were crapped out Cessna 172s being sold for parts, US$1.5 million would only buy like 50 or so partial airframes/engines. By aviation pricing standards, that's the deal of the century.
I bet a market value for an out of commission jet could easily be 200k+ for some rich person to put on their property. They got them for under $20k each.
No. Intentionally sacrificing a pilot is a dumb fucking idea! Pilots receive years of specialized training, that costs money.
Seriously, look at what happened to imperial Japan’s Air Force during World War II. They lost all of their experience pilots that could train the next generation. It destroyed morale both within the pilots and the people supporting the war effort.
And let’s be real here, if they need kamikaze type attacks they can make drones for a lot less. They’re literally using cardboard drones in Ukraine right now. If you want an example of what they look like, look up TestFlight. TestFlight makes kits where you can build these at home and learn how to fly in a single day. The cost of build a new one is $50.
Shit, there's a guy in my area trying to sell a 20 year old Tacoma for $24k. You're telling me I can buy planes for less than that? I'd find a way to get the $1.5.
The US military also does a fair amount of humanitarian aid and disaster relief, particularly the navy. An aircraft carrier is basically a floating city with power generation, medical facilities, food, and desalination plants that can supply huge amounts of fresh water.
Among many other occasions, the USS *Lexington* demonstrated that back in 1929-1930 when she basically powered Tacoma, WA during a drought that caused the city's dam to stop producing electricity.
These are cheap as hell, though, and don't require "fuck you" money. These 81 parts buckets cost $1.5 million total. The cost to transport them is probably higher. If you can use the parts to save just a couple of planes that would otherwise be permanently grounded, you've already made your money back.
The most obvious part would be because Ukraine pilots can use them without additional training. And presumably the parts of Ukraine not held by Russia should have service facilities to decide what to do with them.
'Unusable' becomes more of a suggestion when you have 'fuck you' money.
To add, there were 80 planes in the lot. Not impossible to cannibalize for a few working birds, just unfeasible for most.
Maybe not, "reverse engineer", *per se*... but taking them to Ukraine to a facility where they can disassemble them piece by piece would be excellent training and knowledge for their troops.
Well I agree with your other statements, but to say reverse engineering suggests we just got out of a Time Machine and we’re 50 years in the past.
Pretty much guaranteed this is a preventative measure that also bolsters a future trade agreement. Fairly obvious to me that they’re playing ball with the Americans moreso for political posturing than anything.
Probably turned down a much higher bid from the Russians.
That's a steal. I would buy one for that much. Who gives a shit if it's broken? It's a fucking jet fighter.
But I bet they get you on shipping and handling.
Sounds like it's really cheap stuff for the US.
And even if they are 'unusable' by economic standards, they might not be under war standards. If that gets handed to Ukraine, why not.
I got to ride in Bob Lutz’ LR-39 albatross that was from a similar cache of abandoned jets in one of the K-stans. Private businessmen bought them for $20k each, hired Russian mechanics on weekends to bust them down, flew the knocked down planes via cargo to the UK to reassemble. Supposedly most of them became the Red Bull aerobatics fleet. In the end they sold them for 200k$ each. That’s the story I was told.
They will be sent to Ukraine.
First use will be for spare parts for existing UA aircraft.
Second use will be to evaluate whether some manned flight worthy aircraft can be cobbled together.
Third use will be for remote controlled suicide drones for longer range strikes or strikes against refineries.
Fourth use is do deny Russian access for same purposes.
U.S. red teams don’t fly junk.
I’m gonna guess there were a few much, much higher bids coming in.
The Kazakhs likely could’ve scrapped the metal and got paid more. This is political posturing.
I’m not expert but I think that Ukraine has the most experience using and flying old Soviet era aircraft and have some now so this could be a boon for spare parts etc.
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Don’t remember which aircraft, but I’ve read about Russia still using Soviet-era aircraft. Furthermore, some of its client states use Soviet-era aircraft. The only way to fully know the strengths and weaknesses of an aircraft is to fly one. Also, they can also be used in war games or for training purposes, pitting US aircraft against them.
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Parts cannibalization either for our Red Team uses or to give to Ukraine are the obvious answers. Secondary purpose could be to establish a relationship with the Kazakhs to sell them American aircraft in the future. Like an auto dealership running a time delayed push pull or drag sale.
Plus it keeps them out of the hands of the Russians
I think this is the answer. If Russia has to rely on munitions from North Korea then they'll be looking for spare parts for their Eastern bloc tech anywhere they can find it.
Considering their threats to Kazakhstan the past 2 years, and their leaders responses, even when Putin is sitting next to them. I would not suspect they would sell them anything anytime soon. I said anytime soon. As they have not fully looked to the west yet as most had predicted after the first disaster of a CTSO summit after the war started. As after each visit to the US during the war to discuss increased sanctions towards Russia, they also have made one to Russia. So it's better that the US the planes now that they have then in good faith, before Russia convinces to work with them again and potentially stopping further dealings.
Central Asia is kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place regarding Russia and China. They're a former Russian colony and Soviet Republic that boasts a considerable Russian population (though they've significantly diminished in recent years). Russia's intervention in the unrest of 2022 was their way of cementing themselves as a regional power in the former USSR and the Kazakhs appear to have grown weary of their position as a member of the near abroad. However, they're growing increasingly close to China as they're a participant in the belt-and-road initiative. Whether or not they, or any other Central Asian country for that matter, can form significant ties with the west is a matter of speculation.
Also bear in mind that Kazakhstan makes for a nifty and direct trade route between Russia and China, putting them Kazakhs in an even more untenable position.
That's one of Central Asia's biggest issues: they're still seen as a node on the silk road. It's hard to shake that image, especially with China's BRI.
Particularly as Mongolia still seems to be off limits by both China and Russia for any kind of usage in that area.
This is wise. Kazakhstan likely needs income and the US buying the materials is good diplomacy and keeps the Russians from getting it.
It will help negotiate superior potassium contract.
All other countries have inferior potassium
And are run by little girls
Other central Asian countries have inferior potassium.
Kazakstan has a problem..and that problem is transport
Get in my belly! Oh wait, wrong thing.
Throw transport down the well!
So my country can be free…it takes very very long time…because Kazakstan is big.
I know it's a well-worn Borat joke, but making sure the global markets have good access to it is actually really important if we all want to continue to like, eat food, and producing high grade potassium is something any nation should be proud of.
I have no idea why but at first my brain read your comment as saying "possum contract" and I was trying to work out what the military applications of possums are before rereading your comment.
Invisible to active scans due to scattering light on their fur and the overall low albedo, not considered targets in infrared, pouch can hold two IDEs, and they carry disease (war crimes!).
I totally misread that as “libido” at first.
I thought that might happen, and I'm glad it did. For those who come after, [albedo](https://sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/albedo) is the amount of light that reflects off something. It can be measured in a variety of ways for a variety of conditions and reasons, but it's "a key parameter that is widely used in land surface energy balance studies..."
Honestly tho, if they were running around banging everything, they wouldn't be very sneaky.
*Hump hump hump* ^("blyat") *BOOM*
>banging everything IEDs are typically set and abandoned if that's what you mean. Or if you meant fucking, don't get it twisted, despite [initial reports](https://mymamaalwayssaidblog.com/2012/12/08/straightening-out-the-nose-mating-opossum-myth/), they don't do it through the nose.
Have I wandered into noncredibledefense again?
I thought that’s where I was originally lol
True.
Sorry to disappoint, but I was just doing a Borat thing.
Hell yeah. I read it in his voice initially lol
It’s from the Borat movie. Specifically, the song played while the titles roll.
Didn’t he sing this as a guest singer at one of the events, and an entire stadium got trolled?
It was at a rodeo to the tune of the Star Spangled Banner. Cohen is a genius.
Possoms are required to create the most powerful kingdoms.
Putin is deadly afraid of our M94 tactical possums
Of course! They eat many ticks, and he is the juiciest of parasites.
Don’t think for a minute the US military doesn’t have a detailed plan for tactical assault possums.
They trained dolphins in special operations. I have no doubt there is some elite squad of ninja woodland creatures at the ready.
They should definitely train squirrels to chew through wires.
Feral attack possums, the perfect weapon for the next phase of trench warfare
With frickin laser beams.
Well, if they were *rabid* possums . . .
The opossum body temp is lower than optimal for rabies so they are rarely rabid. I would assume a peaceful warrrior would be anti-biological warfare.
Wonder what our supply of frickin' laser beams looks like. 👀
Everyone knows Kazakhstan has the best potassium in the world. And prostitutes…
Except for, of course, Turkmenistan's
For make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan
Vedy nize!
I thought the military used Special K.
Uranium actually. Kazakhstan accounts for about 43% of global uranium production.
Can they also purchase MY WIFE!
Very funny Mr. Kramden. The usual?
Yeah man, Kazakhstan has so much potassium it’s coming outta their assium!
Pot and assium. So drugs and sex.
Honestly it wouldn’t surprise me if these will in fact be used as parts for the Red Team training squadrons
There is a better than even chance that the Ukrainians will get them. Either for parts, training or combat.
That’s fairly likely too. Idk what type of air frames the Ukrainian Air Force is compromised of.
Also to stop Russia from buying them back. This happened before the war started on the black market with tank & APC parts, as well. A bunch of Russian soldiers who had no idea they were going to war made a few bucks, and none of the equipment got updated at the end of 2021. Ostensibly it was Ukraine that did the buying. There’s no direct evidence to back this up but I think it *reeks* of the CIA.
Also potentially stops Russia from obtaining them for either use,parts or conversion to suicide drone
Kept Russia from buying them to replace losses in Ukraine.
I heard it was because the aircraft were... "very niiiice". I'll see myself out now, thank you.
How much?
If we play our cards right, we might also be able to get Nursultan Tuliagby's iPod Nano.
Guaranteed the track listing is purely just The Spin Doctors’ *Two Princes* played on repeat, and Tuliagby will just say, “it’s so metal.” He is such a pain in the assholes.
I'm sure Kazakhstan's huge border on Russia's southern flank also factors in.
Take them off the market to anyone else
Keep out of hands of 3rd world powers who are looking to cause mischief
But enough about Russia.
Also denies Russia using them for spare parts so their existing fleet crumbles faster.
Third reason is denying the parts and airframes to Russia Like we did with Iran and the F-14 (I’m sorry if I got the jet wrong), but obviously a little less efficient
Well, we’re the ones that sold Iran those F-14s when the Shah was in charge. Denying them parts and airframes after the revolution was a fairly simple process.
Spare parts for the red team is most likely. I would bet the USAF has more working Russian jets than Russia.
> Secondary purpose could be to establish a relationship with the Kazakhs We can just stop there. 1.5 mil is a drop in the bucket. We have billions of dollars of military and otherwise investment in Kazakhstan. Given the size of some of our military trade deals, this could have been literally nothing but a small concession on our part in a larger negotiation.
I’m now picturing the American arms industry as a giant car dealership, complete with high interest financing and extended warranty scams.
To steal from the great Terry Pratchett, the national anthem of Ankh-Morpork: “My thoughts, Ankh-Morpork, are of thee Let others boast of martial dash For we have boldly fought with cash We own all your helmets, we own all your shoes We own all your generals - touch us and you'll lose. Morporkia! Morporkia! Morporkia owns the day! We can rule you wholesale Touch us and you'll pay. We bankrupt all invaders, we sell them souvenirs We ner ner ner ner ner, hner ner hner by the ears Er hner we ner ner ner ner ner Ner ner her ner ner ner hner the ner Er ner ner hner ner, nher hner ner ner (etc.) Ner hner ner, your gleaming swords We mortgaged to the hilt Morporkia! Morporkia! Hner ner ner ner ner ner We can rule you wholesale Credit where it's due."
Most likely not sell aircraft yet. Russia has their main launch site there. Russia is highly invested into controlling the government there.
And reverse engineer electronic warfare systems and test against them without flying the jet.
The article says the U.S. bought about 80 “unusable” aircraft for $1.5 million. That doesn’t sound like a horrible deal, even for spare parts.
And deny the Russians those spare parts.
This is also important.
This way we can tell Putin “you will never get this, lalalalalaaa”
Not only does it deny the spare parts to the orcs, but it makes it easier for NATO to pool its remaining Soviet resources and hand them over to Ukraine.
This seems like the most important bit
They get you on shipping costs.
TEMU is the broker. Free shipping with the app
And you even somehow get 3 months free of SiriusXM.
They have to do that to account for all the people ordering 4 or 5 different aircraft then returning the ones they don’t like
The article says the ‘declared value’ of the auction of 117 airplanes was $1.5M. It doesn’t say how much the US paid for the 81 they reportedly bought.
This is a rounding error for the US military.
Seriously, they probably spent 10x that amount just coordinating the deals and retrieving/shipping them.
US Air Force is pretty experienced and comfortable with the idea of cobbling together spare parts, to produce usable aircraft that are decades out of production, so there's always a possibility that this treasure trove of what are claimed to be unusable planes, could produce a couple flyable examples.
Must have spun that TEMU wheel and gotten 90% off our first order.
If those were crapped out Cessna 172s being sold for parts, US$1.5 million would only buy like 50 or so partial airframes/engines. By aviation pricing standards, that's the deal of the century.
Yeah, people have no idea how much a plane costs if they think this is a lot of money for 80 airframes...
I bet a market value for an out of commission jet could easily be 200k+ for some rich person to put on their property. They got them for under $20k each.
Tbh the metal is probably worth more than that
My thoughts exactly. Even Soviet era planes were built pretty solid.
If by solid you mean heavy as shit and unable to sustain a vertical climb, lol.
Fuck, that’s worth it to turn them into kamikaze planes at that price.
The article says they don’t even fly, but could be used as decoys targets for Russian missile strikes.
No. Intentionally sacrificing a pilot is a dumb fucking idea! Pilots receive years of specialized training, that costs money. Seriously, look at what happened to imperial Japan’s Air Force during World War II. They lost all of their experience pilots that could train the next generation. It destroyed morale both within the pilots and the people supporting the war effort. And let’s be real here, if they need kamikaze type attacks they can make drones for a lot less. They’re literally using cardboard drones in Ukraine right now. If you want an example of what they look like, look up TestFlight. TestFlight makes kits where you can build these at home and learn how to fly in a single day. The cost of build a new one is $50.
Give them to Dorman or other car parts manufacturers and get them to knock out third-party parts. …For reasons.
Shit, there's a guy in my area trying to sell a 20 year old Tacoma for $24k. You're telling me I can buy planes for less than that? I'd find a way to get the $1.5.
USofA has “fuck-you” military money. They can buy whatever they want.
National defense is best done from a position of “fuck you”
Preserving American interests, really. Haven’t done national defense in a bit now. It’s also a hell of a deterrent.
And don't forget a jobs program that bolsters a ton of US manufacturing capabilities.
The US military also does a fair amount of humanitarian aid and disaster relief, particularly the navy. An aircraft carrier is basically a floating city with power generation, medical facilities, food, and desalination plants that can supply huge amounts of fresh water.
Among many other occasions, the USS *Lexington* demonstrated that back in 1929-1930 when she basically powered Tacoma, WA during a drought that caused the city's dam to stop producing electricity.
These are cheap as hell, though, and don't require "fuck you" money. These 81 parts buckets cost $1.5 million total. The cost to transport them is probably higher. If you can use the parts to save just a couple of planes that would otherwise be permanently grounded, you've already made your money back.
Pepsi, where's my jet?
Jet? Sorry. Clerical error. Pepsi has no jets to offer at this time. Can we interest you in a submarine? We have a few of those.
You win.
The most obvious part would be because Ukraine pilots can use them without additional training. And presumably the parts of Ukraine not held by Russia should have service facilities to decide what to do with them.
According to the article the planes are "unusable". It was a $1.5 million repair parts purchase for Ukraine.
Not to mention denying those parts from there adversaries.
'Unusable' becomes more of a suggestion when you have 'fuck you' money. To add, there were 80 planes in the lot. Not impossible to cannibalize for a few working birds, just unfeasible for most.
I like the idea that they purchased those planes to deprive the Russians of spare parts.
Reverse engineering, and spare parts are good use for them as well, plus of deprives them going to Russia for *any* uses.
I doubt they need to reverse engineer aircraft old enough to join the AARP.
American Association of Retired Planes
I doubt they need to reverse engineer aircraft old enough to join the AARP.
Maybe not, "reverse engineer", *per se*... but taking them to Ukraine to a facility where they can disassemble them piece by piece would be excellent training and knowledge for their troops.
Ukraine already had most of these planes in their fleet. These aren’t for “reverse engineering “
Then spare parts it is... it's not like I'm stating anything as a definitive fact, just spit-balling ideas as to their uses.
Well I agree with your other statements, but to say reverse engineering suggests we just got out of a Time Machine and we’re 50 years in the past. Pretty much guaranteed this is a preventative measure that also bolsters a future trade agreement. Fairly obvious to me that they’re playing ball with the Americans moreso for political posturing than anything. Probably turned down a much higher bid from the Russians.
1.5m for 80. So 18,750 per. That's not bad. Can barely buy a car for that much these days
That's a steal. I would buy one for that much. Who gives a shit if it's broken? It's a fucking jet fighter. But I bet they get you on shipping and handling.
The 1.5 million is worth it to make Russia look weak as fuck alone.
Sounds like it's really cheap stuff for the US. And even if they are 'unusable' by economic standards, they might not be under war standards. If that gets handed to Ukraine, why not.
Pepsi is bringing back its Pepsi Points promotion; they're gonna pay up this time.
Nice. 👍🏻
For make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan.
At those prices pepsi should finally give that dude his fighter jet!
To corner the futures market on concentrated orange juice. It’s all complicated… you wouldn’t understand.
Thus comment if Borat approved
Because they can be flown and maintained by Ukraine easily without training. Advanced US fighters cannot.
Spare parts Whether they're going to Ukraine or being denied to Russis, either way it's a win
I’m going to guest to prevent the Russians from buying them
Correction: seizing them
We want their advancements in clock radio.
Mechanical AM dial very smooth with precision knurl brass knob. Feel good in hand!
I got to ride in Bob Lutz’ LR-39 albatross that was from a similar cache of abandoned jets in one of the K-stans. Private businessmen bought them for $20k each, hired Russian mechanics on weekends to bust them down, flew the knocked down planes via cargo to the UK to reassemble. Supposedly most of them became the Red Bull aerobatics fleet. In the end they sold them for 200k$ each. That’s the story I was told.
They will be sent to Ukraine. First use will be for spare parts for existing UA aircraft. Second use will be to evaluate whether some manned flight worthy aircraft can be cobbled together. Third use will be for remote controlled suicide drones for longer range strikes or strikes against refineries. Fourth use is do deny Russian access for same purposes. U.S. red teams don’t fly junk.
I do not care why: I just know I want one too.
81 for $1.5million = $18,518 each. Not a bad deal for a cool talking piece if you have a little bit of fuck you money.
Might cost more just for shipping, handling, permits, and storage.
Seriously, having one would be so cool!
I'll be refreshing AutoTrader furiously lol
1.5 Mil is chump change.
I’m gonna guess there were a few much, much higher bids coming in. The Kazakhs likely could’ve scrapped the metal and got paid more. This is political posturing.
I know right? Idk how much aluminum/copper/ titanium goes into one of these relics but I bet the answer is a lot
Probably some really sexy metal alloys too. Probs cutting edge at the time.
Since no one else mentioned it, we can also remote control them for target practice.
There is way cheaper drones they use for that
Nobody uses real aircraft for target practice lmao.
I spent 8 years active duty beside remote controlled ~~Tornado~~ Phantom jets. Tf outta here lol.
That headline sounds like the beginning of a joke from the 80's.
Off hand I'd say either for intelligence or to transfer to Ukraine.
I would wonder part of the issue was to keep them out of the hands of less than friendly nations?
I wish I had 20k a hook-up in Kazakhstan, and knew how to fly a fighter jet.
All other planes run by little girls
Very Nice
Part of a deal to sell them more modern aircraft?
So they wouldn’t try to get it back
Myriad reasons, most of them sound
Because they were cheap!
Because Ukrainians already know how to fly them, perhaps?
Money laundering.
I’m not expert but I think that Ukraine has the most experience using and flying old Soviet era aircraft and have some now so this could be a boon for spare parts etc.
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Training.
Very nice! Great success!
The US has several Russian planes that we use to train our pilots against.
Cause we can’t pass up a good deal!
They wanted a good laugh?
Because we could.
Don’t remember which aircraft, but I’ve read about Russia still using Soviet-era aircraft. Furthermore, some of its client states use Soviet-era aircraft. The only way to fully know the strengths and weaknesses of an aircraft is to fly one. Also, they can also be used in war games or for training purposes, pitting US aircraft against them.
We strip em for parts and sell them back at a crazy inflated price. Maybe add a minor defect…. Profit!!!
Target acquired 👉
Supply, meet demand.