Thread by @TrentTelenko

Let's all have another🧵on the realities of Ukrainian capacities with Western Weapons.

This time regards F-16 maintenance & claims like below.

Specifically that it will take Ukrainian maintainers longer learn their than pilots.

True or not?

1/
politico.com/amp/news/2023/…

I've done a couple of threads detailing how wrong that particular thought is with Ukrainian fighting vehicles.

Here⬇️

2/

https://twitter.com/TrentTelenko/status/1619064539320037377

And here ⬇️

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https://twitter.com/TrentTelenko/status/1619482928207261696

The thing about being a 33 years career USA DoD Quality inspector/auditor/staff specialist is I've maintained email lists of contacts I've made.

One group includes people, since 2014, who are both very knowledgeable of Ukraine's arms industry and are able to correspond
4/

...by email in English.

Yes, I know, how "20th century."🙄

This helps with 2015 Ukrainian videos like this.

5/

It is also of great assistance when you ask questions like:

1. How diverse is Ukraine's PSU tacair fleet?
2. Who maintains PSU airframes?
3. How does PSU get spares for Ex-Soviet airframes?

The rest of this thread answers those questions relative to the F-16 in context.
6/

Consider the menagerie of tactical jet types Ukraine now operates:

Overhauled/upgraded by LSARP in Lviv -

1. MiG-29A 9.12 Fulcrum A
2.MiG-29UB 9.51 Fulcrum C
3.MiG-29S 9.13 Fulcrum C
4.MiG-29MU1 Fulcrum C
5. MiG-29MU2 Fulcrum C

7/

Overhauled by NARP in Mykolaiv:
1. Su-24M Fencer D
2. Su-24MR Fencer E

Overhauled by OAP in Odessa:
1. Su-24MR Fencer E

8/

Overhauled/upgraded by MiGRemont in Zaporozhzhiye:

1. Su-25 Frogfoot
2. Su-25UB Frogfoot
3. Su-25M1 Frogfoot
4. Su-25UBM1 Frogfoot
5. Su-27P Flanker B
6. Su-27S Flanker B
7. Su-27UB Flanker C
8. Su-27P1M Flanker B
9. Su-27S1M Flanker B
10. Su-27UB1M Flanker C

10/

PSU is using a lot of reverse engineered domestically made components.

This is aside from locally made OEM components Russia bought legally until 2004 and continued to buy, with illegally with forged compliance plates or serials, until 2014.

This trade let the Russian FSB
11/

...get its claws into the management of Ukrainian defense contractors like Antonov and Motor Sich, among others.

12/
news.yahoo.com/motor-sich-hea…

There was an article a few years ago about the Lutsk engine overhaul plant that said they could overhaul all the engines for the PSU tacair fleet using hundreds of cloned component types made in Ukraine after 2014 under Ukraine's import substitution plan.

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And by 'substitution' read "cloned."

Radionix and other contractors were manufacturing upgrade packages for most of the multimode radars in the PSU jet fleet.

14/

So this begs the question of why "Western Experts" exclaim PSU might be too dumb to maintain the F-16C/D Block 50/52 and the F-16A/B-15OCU as well as Westerners?

F-16s are widely operated by developing nations.

Or surplus Luftwaffe Tornado IDS or former RAF Tornado GR.4?

15/

Or surplus RAF or Luftwaffe Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoon?

Or surplus USAF F-15C/D.

Or surplus French Rafale C?

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Can any of these "experts" explain why these Western tactical fighters with digital Built In Test (BIT) systems, and full and very active logistical support chains, are more difficult to maintain than a menagerie of 18 variants of obsoleted 1980s mainly analogue...

17/

...Soviet types using domestically made reverse engineered components?

Or that Ukraine's PSU maintainers who have kept these planes, plus Polish Mig-29's shipped in as "Spare Parts," operational for 10 months wouldn't eat up F-16's like AFU has the PzH2000, AS-90, Krab, etc.
18/

QED, Ukrainian PSU maintainers are going to be much faster than the "Experts" expect.

Just like every other time these people played their "Scholzing" games.🙄

19/19