Quote:
Originally Posted by DKM
Look it up, Pak Fa/ T-50. I think they gave it a new name, SU 57. This was announced way back when I was living in Moscow in 2006 and I remember it was supposed to dominate our F22's. As if a 3rd rate nation with an economy the size of Australia can pretend to be a superpower, but at the time with all the oil money flowing it seemed possible. Still waiting....
I know the T-14 Armata tanks are supposed to be all that too, but when are they going to actually, you know, make them? They have enough for the parades and TV shows about how much better they are than American kit.
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A
much needed dose of reality here
First. Let me address your incredible ignorance (sorry do not get offended but there is no other way to label your statement) in defining Russia a "3rd rate country", have the humility (and the will) to learn about Russia history and contributions to the arts and science.
Second. Let me educate you about GDP....GDP does not mean much and nominal GDP means even less...is a bit more accurate when you calculate GDP by PPP (Parity Purchasing Power)
By GDP (PPP) Russia (IMF data source) is the 6th country in the world (China is first and US is second), by this more accurate measurement, Russia is actually ahead of the United Kingdom (#9) or France (#10).....Germany is #5.
Australia is............#19
The former PM of Australia Paul Keating once called Australia economy a "Banana Republic"...it is just a resource play like a 3rd world country but with a more equitable society.
Sure then you have to calculate GDP per capita and talk about inequality.....but defining Russia a "3rd rate country" shows an enormous and pathetic amount of blind ignorance.
Third. Russia has very little public debt and basically no external debt and mostly a balanced budget....not to mention the ability of being
completely independent (energy, food, natural resources and technology)....many advanced countries wish to be "3rd rate" like that. LOL
Look at how skillfully Russia Central Bank managed the drop in value of the ruble...it did not move a finger to defend it (someone called the Central bank Governor, Elvira Nabiullina, "Paul Vocker with a skirt")....let it ride and let the financial actors short it...at some point you need to buy my stuff and you need rubles (and the speculators need to cover their shorts)....if you do not have them, you get caught with your pants down....does that look like a 3rd rate country behavior to you?? ahahaha LOL
Fourth. The weakest link in Russia military capability is the Navy, something the Russians candidly admit even in their "propaganda" media and are slowly addressing....the 4 aircraft carrier battle groups planned (project 23000 E, the Shtorm class) were going in that direction but well known budget issues slowed the program....so they are forced to keep that floating POS, the Admiral Kuznetsov, around for quite longer....
Russia has some of the best (and cost effective) conventional jet fighters in the world and it has mastered thrust vectoring years before the West......sure they are behind in stealth technology (and rapidly catching up)....sometimes you are ahead and sometimes you are behind.
Russia missile capabilities (strategic, cruise and anti aircraft) are nothing short of formidable, very advanced.
A loose alliance between China and Russia (something the "experts" considered impossible, the times of Kissinger skillfully playing them against each other are long gone by Kissinger own admission, he is one of the few rational voices in this mad environment advocating for re-opening a dialogue with Russia) is forming.....
Russia and China do not want to compete militarily with the US head-to-head...all they want and need is contain US military adventurism with credible military deterrence in their sphere of influence. Russia ending of Syria campaign (it showed a cost effective projection of power and very sophisticated diplomatic skills) is a watershed moment and it may historically mark Russia de-facto return as a world power.
Ukraine is where Russia said "Enough is enough", a red line of sort.
Finally, I hope for the Russian that their SU-57 program will go more smoothly than the failure prone and the crazy costly F-22 or that POS with wings that is the F-35 (delayed again)
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