Their pilots are already rated for single engine and twin engine jet aircraft. It's simply a matter of becoming rated for the new aircraft, known as "B Course". That's around only 6 months. Granted, more mission training usually occurs after that, but Ukrainian pilots could be qualified on the F-16 in 6 months or less.

Not many, and the MiG-29 is still going to be a pile of shit, regardless of how modernized it is.

Ukraine wants a platform that can utilize the SDB (small diameter bomb), JDAM, and HARM (high speed anti-radiation missile) to start pushing Russia back, specifically the SDB and HARM since their HIMARS are already using GLSDBs (SDB with a M26 rocket motor attached to them for ground launches)

Modernized MiG-29s are still going to have to hack on those weapons, which won't operate as effectively as they will on a platform they're natively coded for, such as the F-16.

Also, MiG-29s are notorious for shit engines with absurdly short lifespans (lifespan of them is shorter than even just the mean time between rebuilds of an F-16's engine), which actually allows the F-16 to operate with a far greater availability rating, which means more F-16s in the air lol

Tracking is easy. They've been tracking ICBMs since ICBMs were a thing. Flying higher than the International Space Station and at Mach 20+ makes them incredibly easy to track.

Shooting down, not as much. There are systems that can (AEGIS SM-3, GMD, etc), but they can only handle a handful before they're overwhelmed.

Directed energy weapons will make it easier, but they don't exist yet

They're giving you actual facts, and you're just throwing a mindless temper tantrum, ignoring reality itself, because you can't muster the integrity to simply say "I was wrong". Absolutely fucking pathetic

... AUKUS is far more than just nuclear submarines...

• Quantum cryptography

• Loyal wingman UAVs

• Hypersonic missiles

• Missile defense

• AI

It's an entire military R&D joint pact for all cutting edge weapon systems... Painting it as purely about nuclear submarines is not only wrong, it shows not even an elementary level understanding as to what it is...

I am SO sorry...

No worries, they're both old Boeing airframes lol.

Mech, driver, or WSO?

RC-135s aren't sub hunters... They listen in on signals such as communication, radar, etc. They have no ability to detect a submarine.

P-3s and P-8s are the sub hunters.

Source: former P-3 guy

It's more complex than that. Russia has no credible ability to perform SEAD/DEAD. Their main anti-rad missile is the KH-31, which has 3 single frequency seekers. If a radar uses frequency hopping like any semi modern radar does, the KH-31 will lose the target completely. Worse yet, only way to swap out which frequency seeker is installed, is to send the missile to the factory for replacement.

There's a newer variant that has a multifrequency seeker, but there's not believed to be many at all, given Russia's historical disinterest in SEAD/DEAD

The west has historically had very little in terms of air defenses, because their fighter fleets serve as their air defenses. As such, Russia just never prioritized SEAD/DEAD, and it shows.

That would be wildly uneducated, but that's fair and to each their own. Or Canada could accept international law and not try to fuck over their allies in the US and Europe with both declaring the NW Passage as a shipping route AND denying it's an international strait for shipping, in a blatantly illegal move to tax all shipping traversing those waters, where the most frequent users would be the US and Europe. It's as fucking moronic as China's claims in the South China Sea, or if Mexico demanded to tax all ships who entered the Gulf of Mexico...

Or we can falsely cry wolf and pretend Canada is being bullied. That works too I guess?

They're not. They're calling for AUKUS to add new members. Sky just doesn't understand what fucking AUKUS is, which is just such a shocker to literally no one

This is me being surprised they Sky's "journalists" lack any understanding of what AUKUS is 😐. It's not a Pacific NATO in the slightest bit. It's far more akin to a modern era Manhattan Project, where the members pool their money and brains for a cutting edge weapons system. UK is suggesting India and Japan join said R&D team. They're not suggesting a Pacific NATO, Sky dreamed that moronic line themselves

Except AUKUS isn't a defensive pact, it's a treaty to formalize joint R&D on multiple cutting edge projects...

Only history repeating here I see, is people talking about something they obviously don't understand, as though they're the authoritative source on the subject

AUKUS isn't a NATO treaty. It's an information sharing and joint cutting edge military R&D treaty.

• Nuclear submarine designs

• Hypersonic missiles

• AI

• Cybersecurity

• Loyal wingman UAVs

They're all joint programs under AUKUS.

Issues with that;

1. US will not allow Canada to share nuclear submarine designs until it accepts the NW Passage as an international strait, same as Malacca or Hormuz. It's why the Canada Class nuclear submarine was vetoed by the US

2. Canada unfortunately doesn't offer anything. It's not even a factor in hypersonics, advanced AI, loyal wingman UAVs, etc, and it criminally underfunds its military, particularly R&D. So not bringing any knowledge, and not bringing any funding. It's in effect, being a free rider.

3. Canada has not joined the US, UK, Australia, and Japan in recognizing China as a threat to security. Hell, the Canadian military is still doing research studies with the Chinese government. When the crux of AUKUS is looking square at China, Canada is not a great ally on that front.

4. Canadian political leadership have openly stated they have no desire to join AUKUS, even though their military leadership is screaming for it. Same as when the military leadership was begging for the F-35, but was told "no, the Minister of Fisheries will decide what fighter jet the military gets".

DPRK is a blessing for China. Kim being a nuclear tyrant means ROK will exist where it is, and with its focus on DPRK. Should DPRK ever fall or reunify with ROK, China gets a US ally on its border, and a potential adversary that's no longer distracted by DPRK's antics. Same goes for Japan as well.