Thread by @MikeyKayNYC

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#Ukraine| thread here by @aldin_ww showing RU Su-25 Frogfoot ac ultra-low level over Donetsk. The Frogfoot is a RU Close Air Support platform [CAS], and an old one - 1975. And from what I can see, the pair are manoeuvring over Donetsk in what looks like a show of force 2/

https://twitter.com/aldin_ww/status/1503325717911719936

2. #Ukraine

Cont’d: the pair have no precision guided munitions (PGMs). Just rocket pods and dumb bomb pylons. This recent video below is one of the Su-25s that took a MANPADs to its rear. There’s a number of takeaways from these videos. 3/

3. #Ukraine| the U.S, U.K and other NATO partners are well versed in CAS using multiple modern platforms and PGM weaponry to degrade the enemy. The U.K have been using Typhoon w/ Paveway 500lb PGMs, and Storm Shadow (inertial nav missiles) in N.Iraq. F-35 now in the mix. 4/5.

4. #Ukraine

U.S have been using the A-10 Warthog & F-16s in Afghan. The A-10 uses a combination of 30mm cannon (brutal) & the Maverick missile. Then there’s the Hellfire missile capability (which has numerous warhead options) used extensively AH-64 Apache & MQ-1B to RQ-4 RPS 5/

5. #Ukraine| but it’s not just about the offensive capability. It’s about modern self defence suites in these western ac that can decoy sophisticated Radar and IR SAM/MANPADs seeker heads.6/

6. #Ukraine| Back to the Su-25 video of a MANPADs strike. This indicates the Su-25s are flying either w/ no self defence or retrograde self defence systems. Either way it doesn’t bode well. There’s a stark difference in NATO vs RU CAS capability — should that day come for NATO.