Eddy

Interesting RUSI article around some of the challenges of providing Tranche 1 Typhoons
Giving RAF Typhoons to Ukraine Would Be a Very Expensive Symbolic Gesture | Royal United Services Institute (rusi.org) 
Long and short of it is that Typhoons are less suitable for lots of reasons and that the Gripen C is a much better fit.

This is a Ukraine thread

Interesting RUSI article around some of the challenges of providing Tranche 1 Typhoons
Giving RAF Typhoons to Ukraine Would Be a Very Expensive Symbolic Gesture | Royal United Services Institute (rusi.org) 
Long and short of it is that Typhoons are less suitable for lots of reasons and that the Gripen C is a much better fit.

That makes quite a bit of sense, anyhow this would be I think the first official open move towards the jets for Ukraine. Let's wait till the Zelensky/ Sunak press conference though, he might as well announce something saucy.

That's what I thought but according to this Senior Research fella at RUSI: 
So not aircraft type specific from what he's saying.

At least we've got away from that bloody balloon!

Apologies if posted already! I have finished reading this "sort of" AAR
https://wavellroom.com/2023/02/01/anatomy-of-a-russian-army-village-assault/
I found it quite interesting, well-written and relevant to the recent "Russia's Way of War Sucks" sub-thread. The author seems to arrive at conclusions that diverge a bit from what I think is the sensible, prudent assumption that the Russian Army may be able to change some of its ways.
Yet, judging from the reports in Vuhledar I really wonder... We will see what follows now in Luhansk oblast, the RF army has been conducting what look like classic "reconnaissance in force" operations to prepare for a major offensive operation. Or maybe that was it... 

At least we've got away from that bloody balloon!

At least we've got away from that bloody balloon!

At least we've got away from that bloody balloon!

At least we've got away from that bloody balloon!

At least we've got away from that bloody balloon!

At least we've got away from that bloody balloon!

I wonder whether the IMF will revise their forecast given this evidence from the Russian Finance Ministry today:
Oil and gas revenue down year on year by 46% Govt expenditure up year on year by 59% A 46% drop in revenue is significant I reckon.
Russia budget deficit soars as energy revenues slump by almost half | Financial Times (ft.com) 
 

On a lot of this: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-update-february-5-2023
Very interesting analysis/assessment and speaks to a dictator that is either very risk adverse after making a big gamble and losing, or is much more politically hemmed in than many think.

Hah, let they try Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz from Chrząszczyżewoszyce, powiat Łękołody
 

1. In the Starobelsk direction, the command of the enemy troops is taking a number of steps aimed at optimizing the operational formation of its troops (Group of Forces "West"), as well as increasing the level of efficiency of the actions of its units and subunits, in the course of attacking / defensive operations in the indicated direction.
 
In particular:
- The command post of the 20th Combined Arms Army (CAA) of the Western Military District is moving from the area of the village of Rogovoye and is deploying in the area of the villages of Danilovka - Novoderkul, Lugansk region. It is obvious that the enemy is striving to ensure the stability and continuity of command and control under the conditions of the quite likely implementation of effective fire impact at his command posts with long-range weapons of the Hymars MLRS type ... by increasing the distance of their location from the line of combat collision.
 
Probably, the controls of the 1st Guards tank army will be moved to the old location of the command post of the 20th SAA. , which carry out operational control of a certain set of troops of this army, which today operates in the Starobelsk direction.
- In turn, the 252nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division, as well as the 488th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 144th Motorized Rifle Division of this army, begin to regroup their BTGr / reinforced battalions (up to 4-5th BTGr) from the operational-tactical reserve of the army to "first" line". By all indications, this tactical group will most likely be used in the Svatovo area, or in the Chervonopopovka area ... In all likelihood, they will again be sent to "take Makeevka" ...
- In the same direction, the same "trained reserves" from the 2nd Motor Rifle Division of the enemy's 1st Guards Tank Army "surfaced", which were being prepared for several months at the Belarusian training grounds ... and loaded into the echelons of which, "observed" Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR MOU) in Belarus last week ... We (the IS group) have already discovered their concentration in the Pokrovsky area in the Kupyansky direction (they obviously got there through Troitskoye). At least the advance groups of units of this division are already there ...
In addition, a little to the south (in the area of the northern outskirts of Kolomyychikha, the 5th troop BARS of the same army was concentrated in order to strengthen the units of the 423rd MRR of the 4th TD of this army, which continue to defend in the direction of Stelmahovka - Svatovo).
I don’t think that the command of the enemy troops considers the situation in the Svatovo area and in the Oskol sector, which adjoins the border of Ukraine, to be so critical for itself that it is trying to create a separate tactical group of 6-7 reinforced battalions separately for this direction to Nizhnyaya Duvanka.
Most likely, this is all in transit going south. In the end, regular attempts by several reinforced companies of the 9th MRR of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division of the 11th Army Corps, which, with regularity worthy of another use, try to unsuccessfully attack, almost non-stop, the forward positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the directions of Kuzemovka - Novoselovskoye and Kuzemovka - Stelmakhovka is enough for now to "fetter" the Ukrainian troops on this sector of the front.

One of the most brilliant interviews(in term me learning new stuff) of the war: 
former head of RAF Intelligence Edward Stringer 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNepMICxRJM
To raise the best part: timestamp link https://youtu.be/SNepMICxRJM?t=2566
"Is it time to gift the entire British tank fleet to UKR?" (includes the whole mech force)
TLDR or TLDW: Absolutely yes. One of the "best deals" in security strategy in a long while.  Strategically thinking MoDs exists to protect from acute threat to our way of live in the transatlantic area. The threat has revealed itself clearly, we do not have to wait on the goal line for it to come to us. We need to remove that threat and that threat will not come back in years. (combine this to the fact RUS is using up the super power heritage that is never coming back) British have old legacy equipment that was created for this job. We already saw the announcements of AS90 that he takes to mean that "We have now pretty much decided to get rid of those".  The counter sending the tanks is: "We have NATO commitments and need to defend ourselves and always be ready". He says that is what he would call "fallacy: No, sorry you cannot take that, it is the last one and somebody might want that." The task it was bought originally for is now, why would we need to keep it?
Lets look who would really worry about giving the tanks?
1. NATO: Stoltenberg is arguing for more aid and has not raided such concerns 
2. What countries would be most worried about Brits losing their mech force? Those are the ones on the frontlines (Estonia, Poland...) and they are to most enthusiastic for these transfer for Ukraine. If they are saying this, we should be listening. This is an opportunity for Britain to get rid of (and replace) its indigenous, no longer produced or sold tank fleets. Time to join multinational programs?  

Just two or three points of emphasis.
1) If we can't supply the shells and barrels and GMLRS rockets that Ukraine needs without affecting our minimum war stocks we need to build factories until we can.
2) Drones are  munitions not capital equipment, war stocks and manufacturing capacity must reflect this.
3) It may be hopeless, but our cluster munitions hang up is inexplicable given the circumstances of this war. Every M26 rocket and 155 DPICM shell that is still usable should be on the way to Ukraine. Show them the tape of the Ukrainian POW being tortured that was just discussed if you need to get the point across.
Edit
4) Seize enough Russian money to cover Ukraines monthly budget deficit for a year, and write Kyiv a check. It will relieve a huge pressure point on Ukraine, and upset the Russians horribly. that makes it a perfect twofer.

That said .... (although tbf the article is behind a paywall so I haven't actually read it!)
 

Defence Editor of the Economist tweets
Which is what I always thought because 1) it's the Mirror, 2) article says sending AH-64E of which we have the square root of bugger all and 3) it's the Mirror. For non-UK people The Sun, The Mirror, The Star and The Express are really, really not good sources for information

Too right, but didn't know my audience 😀

Defence Editor of the Economist tweets
Which is what I always thought because 1) it's the Mirror, 2) article says sending AH-64E of which we have the square root of bugger all and 3) it's the Mirror. For non-UK people The Sun, The Mirror, The Star and The Express are really, really not good sources for information

Defence Editor of the Economist tweets
Which is what I always thought because 1) it's the Mirror, 2) article says sending AH-64E of which we have the square root of bugger all and 3) it's the Mirror. For non-UK people The Sun, The Mirror, The Star and The Express are really, really not good sources for information