US sustainability for drone swarm attacks such as in Ukraine

US sustainability for drone swarm attacks such as in Ukraine

Seoul, South Korea-the Surprise attack with drones This week, military and analysts have caused the threats to re-evaluate the threats to high-ranking US air vehicles both domestically and internationally. The situation is worrying.

an alarming knowledge

"It is a moment that stimulates thinking," said General David Allvin, the head of the US Air Force, during a defense conference in Washington on Tuesday. He added that the United States is susceptible to similar attacks.

"There is no shelter - even not in the home country of the USA - especially since our bases are essentially completely unprotected at home," explained Thomas Shugart, a deputy senior fellow in the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), compared to CNN.

inadequate protection for US air vehicles

with "Unprotected" SHUGART says that there are not enough shelter in which US combat jets can be parked that are strong enough to protect them from air strikes, be it through drones or rockets.

Ukrainian military officers reported that 41 Russian planes were hit in the attacks last Sunday, including strategic bombers and surveillance aircraft, some of them were destroyed while others were damaged.

Later analyzes show that at least 12 aircraft were destroyed or damaged while the evaluation of satellite images is continued.

creative tactics of Ukraine

The Ukrainian operation used drones that were smuggled into the Russian territory, hidden in wooden mobile homes on trucks that were driven close to four Russian air force bases, Ukrainian sources report. The roofs of the mobile homes were opened from a distance directly on the bases and the drones started.

The Russian planes were unprotected on the roller field of the bases, similar to US combat jets in domestic and foreign institutions.

"We are quite vulnerable," said the retired US Army General Stanley McChrystal on Tuesday in the program of Anderson Cooper at CNN.

costs and priorities in the defense budget

mcchrystal pointed out that the USA must think about how they can protect both its bases and the aircraft stationed there, as well as how to monitor the regions for these facilities.

"This extends the spectrum of threats that you have to deal with," added McChrystal.

But all of this costs money, and Allvin expressed that the United States presents this in front of a budget dilemma. Should defense spending on the construction of hard shelters and measures to protect against drones and rockets, or should more resources be invested in offensive weapons to carry the fight to the enemy?

"If we can only act defensively and not shoot back, then this is not a good use of our money," said Allvin at the CNA's conference.

The price of hard protection

"We always knew that we had to protect our bases," said Allvin, but other points were brought forward in the budget priorities.

hard air protection facilities are not striking and probably do not generate the headlines of other defense projects, including aircraft such as the new B-21 bombers, each of which should cost around $ 700 million.

President Donald Trump recently announced the construction of a new trap cap jet, f-47 , with initial costs of $ 300 million per plane. "The F-47 is an impressive plane, but it will die on the ground if we don't protect it," warned Allvin.

The comprehensive context of the threat

In the past, the size of Russia was seen as a strength in conflict with Ukraine. One of the air farms attacked as part of the Ukrainian "Spider Netz" operation is closer to Tokyo than Kiev. But now the size of Russia is considered a weakness, David Kirichenko writes in Ukraine Watch Blog des Atlantic Council.

Every crossing of the border can be a penalty point; Every freight container on every highway or rail must be considered suspected. "This leads to a logistical nightmare," explained Kirichenko.

There is a direct analogy to the USA. The bomber bases of the US air weapon are usually far in Germany, but are accessible to both large and small vehicles. For example, all 20 B-2 bombers on the Whiteman Air Force Base are stationed in Missouri, about 600 miles from the next coast, but only about 25 miles south of Interstate 70, one of the main traffic axes in the US

China's effective defense strategies

In the Pacific, even an improved offensive fire power, as General Allvin wants, could not be enough if there is a conflict with China. This is because the People's Liberation Army (PLA), led by XI Jinping, made considerable efforts to protect its aircraft during the massive military structure, according to the report by the Hudson Institute.

china has more than 650 hard aircraft hangars at airports within 1,150 miles of Taiwanstrasse, the report. However, Shugart and Walton argue that the best step for Washington would be to get Beijing to create more buildings by improving US strikes in Asia. "In response to this, the PLA would probably continue to spend funds for additional expensive passive and active defense measures and would have less available to make alternative investments, including impact systems and other projections of power," said the authors.