Blood for the Baron!

Quickfire wrote:

Another Russian T-72BM just after cooking off ...





All airspace in the east is now closed. Seems so many incursions that it's the only way to handle the situation given jamming, monitoring for larger scale incursions (Russian paras again massed near Moscow but could be for Arctic exercise), managing Kharkhiv air-bridge and moving stuff on to Dnipro for the next phase of the war.

Skirmishes in four areas yesterday and today. Seems lull before was result of regrouping.

Russians moving Grad rockets west from Rostov on the road to Novoazovsk and Mariupol in Ukraine.



Footage from a few days ago of a skirmish outside Donetsk on the road to Luhansk. Gives an idea of the tension around no man's land. Ignore the perhaps misleading title, these are Ukrainians trying to figure out where the frontline is and which bits of road they can still use. Also note the infrastructure already destroyed during the Russian retreat in late August. And the sang froid of the dude in the arctic fat suit. Reckon he might be an older Afghanets who are numerous in Ukraine.



Apparently Donetsk airport is no longer officially considered a priority target by the Russians ... even though the 'Novorossiya republic' air force that will be based there has been painted up and ready to move from Rostov for two months now. This has led to a lot of curious propaganda in the last days including such as this on Russian TV - features (obviously fake) OSCE observers escorting the last Ukrainian cyborgs from the airport ...



However, the Russians are back in the old terminal and surrounding ruins. Perhaps they anticipate finally capturing the whole area sooner rather than later.

In the interim, Ukraine is still moving heavy kit to the front.

Chopper wrote:I figured that would be the case, Herr Mueler. I was reading up on the NZ P3-K2's and it looks like they are planned to be in service till 2050. Wouldn't surprise me, given their history. NZ has the largest maritime patrol region on earth, so even without a fighter wing, we need the P3's or something. I wonder if we are charging the Poms for training?

P3 about to fly over the eye of Hurricane Katrina in 2005...

They are the Hilux's of the sky, just incredible.

You might get a kick out of this, Schnellfuer;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKd414Py2qw

26 attacks in varying locations yesterday. The usual places plus more to the north across the Luhansk-Donetsk gap.

Three Russian T90s spotted in Luhansk vicinity, no footage yet. New Russian armour is being moved from Rostov via Taganrog towards the Ukraine border/occupied Novoazovsk.



Russian convoy inside Ukraine probably near Makiivka



Russian tv shows Russian T72s leaving Donetsk ... before heading to Mariupol. Cuts to show part of the old terminal at Donetsk Airport under Russian control.



Random Russian militia in the remains of the old VIP hangar at Donetsk Airport (footage a few weeks old)

Thundershot wrote:

Stonking vid Herr Tshot

Chopper wrote:They are the Hilux's of the sky, just incredible.

You might get a kick out of this, Schnellfuer;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKd414Py2qw

Hilux of the sky indeed.

Reminds me that Denmark has now laid claim to the North Pole so it will be needing a few in Greenland once the Canada-Russia-Denmark deathmatch gets underway.

Meantime, new Russian base in Franz Josef land or island or whatever it's called

Fighting continues, out near Luhansk a neutral hospital in no man's land open for casualties or sick from both sides of the frontline was attacked by Russians, some doctors and nurses murdered to get the place shut down for good.

Norwegian Air Force have put up some more pics of intercepts over the last weeks out of the base at Bodo. A lot of activity across the whole spectrum of aircraft types.

MIG-31E? Foxhound


MIG-31 Foxhound


Tupolev-22M Backfire




Sukhoi-24 Fencer


MIG 31


Ilyushin-78 refuelling Tupolev-95 Bear


Russia now has two or three Il-78s based in Egypt so they can fly across into the Med to meet Tu-95s that have come over the hump into the Atlantic/Bay of Biscay/Azores or have gone through Iceland gap to Newfoundland and need a bit more fuel for the same trip home.

On 18 Dec Norway also intercepted an Ilyushin-20 Coot ELINT plane, same type as created the most recent near miss with a civilian airliner coming out of Sweden and heading over the Baltic.

All from the excellent http://theaviationist.com/2014/12/19/rn ... ages-ruaf/

Is that Backfire carrying a Cruise Missle??

paul463 wrote:Is that Backfire carrying a Cruise Missle??

Yeah, but I cannot remember specs, whether it is a dedicated cruise anti-ship missile or the more usual air-to-ground cruise missile.

All intercepted (or intercepting...) transponder-less Russian aircraft (unless tankers/ELINT) in 'international' airspace currently carry live ordnance, Bears have ALCMs in bomb-bays.

Following the attacks of the last days the Russians have got much closer to the new terminal at Donetsk airport, as in the early days of fighting they've got into it too at times, but are more circumspect than before.

One of them got these pics of the immediate area.