Not sure if you are getting it, there is a pod on the bottom to be used for surveillance. Get up close to the clouds and do lazy eights for a few hours. I am guessing repairing one of these might take a sheet of aluminum and a few pop rivets. Don't think composite construction and crop duster fit in the same sentence.
Well they do fly close to the ground and are designed for it, so I assumed it would be used the same way as a light ground attack plane operating below SAM level but still manpad vulnerable. Flying high and surveillance is the job of drones these days, the smaller and cheaper the better. It would be used in certain situation against forces who would not have the ability to counter it effectively. Composite construction might not be required as much since it is designed to operate seat of your pants low level, across fields, down roads and valleys, below radar detection or lock on capabilities, down in the ground clutter. It was carrying rockets, so the pod could be for target acquisition.
Bing. They use tactics not unlike attack helos, corrected for fixed wing of course.
Start making shoulder launched weapons adaptable for it and drones, use a bigger screen for the Javelins in the cockpit, night vision and it can see very well at night, they could use night vision to operate at night too. You don't necessarily need the latest and greatest, just stuff that works against those you or your allies are fighting had having anti air or anti tank missile reloads that can be used by light aircraft, drones and ground forces would make logistics simpler.
They can carry heavier weapons than infantry. A lot of money went into features infantry need but air-launched, not. I wager the Ukrainians with their skill for bodging (and a bit if matériel support) could whip up something good, cheap and plentiful.
www.newsweek.com
apnews.com
Yep a couple of years of sanctions and continued low level war around and inside their empire should do them, or Vlad. Developing Ukrainian oil and gas resources would finish them and cut them out of European energy markets until they diminish down need to feed stocks for petrochemicals and fertilizers. Even with sanctions lifted there would be far fewer to sell gasoline to in a decade and green new grid power can come from several sources. Heat pumps and ground heat loops can increase heating efficiency 5X and over a decade with a government kick in the ass a lot can be installed and retrofitted. It will all add up to a very different energy picture in a decade and producing countries are starting to realize this and the trend will not be linear, but will accelerate over time and technological advances hitting the market.Possible Economy collapse...wonder why?
Russia faces 'economic oblivion' despite claims of short-term resilience, economists say
Russia is facing "economic oblivion" in the long term as a result of international sanctions and the flight of businesses, several economists have said.www.cnbc.com
www.bbc.com
just came across that one......IAEA is very worriedUkraine war: IAEA says Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant out of control
Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated at Zaporizhzhia, the UN's nuclear chief says.
i can't imagine the Ukrainians aren't cooperating...that leaves you one unnecessary guess as to who is stopping them...looks like the IAEA is looking at Zaporizhzhia, saying it possibly having problems.....and that a hot zone
UN nuclear chief: Ukraine nuclear plant is `out of control'
The U.N. nuclear chief is warning that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine “is completely out of control.”
maybe we should adopt a policy that a negligent nuclear release in a war zone counts as a military nuking, with appropriate responses. We could inform the UN that Nato is going in hard* to prevent any more nuclear warfare.
Ukrain wants the IAEA to come in and take it over, it's currently under Russian control, and they're using it as a fire base, and storing munitions there....that makes the place very big hot zone, that needs to be taken over by the IAEA themselves and let alone
That is good. Lotsa brothers under the Russian flag could use some liberating.
nypost.com