Followed by a pause whilst a top level review is conducted as part of Astra.
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Someone… Please, just for the giggle factor…!
Our ASW weapon system was a bucket of instant sunshine? Good lord.
Well, on Sat night, I spent 29 mins parked up at a Moscow airport before escaping northbound…
Our inbound pax were (not surprisingly) very pleased to get there - but of course, we didn’t engage in conversation about their views on the situation…
Everything (that I could see in the short time) there was “normal” but you could tell from the atmosphere from the people working there that things were not normal. Of course, there is little likelihood of aviation in / out of Russia, which will hurt (not just the rich people). Commercial pax aircraft carry a lot of freight; cargo aircraft carry even more. It would seem that a topical joke today in Moscow is “Don’t break your iPhone, you won’t get a new one for a while!”
The ruble is tanking, & it won’t be long before the economic situation will start hurting the Russian people; there have already been such unheard of things as an open letter from numerous mayors / politicians saying stop the war. This never happens in Russia, the state is always right.
Militarily, the Russians have done exceptionally poorly. Stories of conscripts selling fuel whilst engaged in the previous “war games,” lack of ammunition, very poor command / control (they don’t have a comparable SNCO cadre), & use of initiative is frowned upon. The Ukrainians have been targeting logistics (fuel trucks = tanks are as good as dead with no fuel), & their motivation to defend their country is of the highest.
I was in Kyiv a couple of times last year; this lady is by the War Museum - the Motherland Memorial - sadly appropriate at the moment. Controversial as the hammer & sickle is banned in Ukraine, but of course, the statue was opened in 1981.
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Heard nothing here
So unverified but from a reputable journalist/commentator.
So thinking a little tongue in cheek, when the USSR fell, did the Russians get their training in supply from civil servants in the Defence Logistic Organisation or was it just a sub-contract to capita?
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Also unconfirmed reports of troops self-sabotage (making holes in fuel tanks, puncturing tyres, etc) to avoid combat.
The Ukrainian media campaign (directed at Russia & the general population) is clearly getting through - “Look for Yours” & this site. Supposedly, those “volunteers” who saw service with the rebels in Eastern Ukraine, but were killed = no notification to next of kin, no repatriation of bodies.
EDIT - rather powerful message.
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So an interesting thread about Russian maintenance practises & the need to keep vehicles moved about & ticking over.
Did make me think of Sqn Minibuses & trailers with the sun perishing bit!
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Squadrons in Manchester breathe a sigh of relief.
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I saw this come through as a breaking news notification and I sat up for another hour watching it unfold. It was incredibly worrying but I’m glad both sides saw sense to stop fighting till the fire was contained.
Power much same. Woke up at about 0100 for a wee (is this what getting old is 
) and saw the breaking notification. Then followed along with what was going on. It was quite amazing to have a live webcam over looking the fire-fight.
I then didn’t go back to sleep until about 0330 
At least 3 good engines, back end looks OK. It’ll buff out.
Jokes aside, I hope that they make a stab at building a new airframe.
Think antonov said they want too
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I think I read somewhere that there is another air frame but it’s 70% complete. So whilst the original may never fly the second one may be reborn.
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But why…
This is a one off bespoke aircraft. No economy if scale and requires bespoke crew training.
It’s a relic.
A big shiny relic. But a relic none the less.
My understanding is that there are certain companies willing to pay through the nose for it’s lifting requirements. There’s no other aircraft that can take such a large payload AFAIK? It’s either that or having the get things shipped. That was my understanding at least. The economy of it is basic supply and demand. They are the only supply so they can make it economical to run by charging a fortune!
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It’s because of people like you that we don’t have the concorde 2.0 - planes are cool especially when they’re unique. Don’t forget that air cadets love planes, I do and thought the 225 was cool as polar bear poo.
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