₦airaland Forum

Bloomberg || Telegraph

Botragelad:
Russia thought they’d take Kyiv in 3 days. Bout 3 years later, their “super army” is yet to do that. So much for a "world power"

SalamRushdie:
Small aircraft calamity in the US all Targeted towards a planned aircrash assassination of Trump ...Dont ask me how I know these things

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/04/12/multimedia/12met-plane-crash/12met-plane-crash-mobileMasterAt3x.png

🇺🇸 A small twin-engine plane crashed in a muddy field on Saturday near the town of Copake, N.Y, killing all six people on board, two surgeons, two of their children and the children’s partners, according to a family member of the victims.

The plane, a Mitsubishi MU-2B bound for Columbia County Airport near Hudson, N.Y., was carrying the three couples en route to a 25th birthday celebration and Passover Seder, according to a statement from a family member.

Michael Groff, the pilot, was a neurosurgeon and experienced flyer, and his wife, Joy Saini, was a pelvic surgeon. Their daughter, Karenna Groff, was a medical student at N.Y.U. Langone and a former star soccer player at M.I.T., where she was named N.C.A.A. Woman of the Year in 2022.

Ms. Groff’s partner, James Santoro, was an investment banker and had planned to propose marriage this summer, the statement said.

Ms. Groff’s brother, Jared Groff, was a paralegal at a New York hedge fund who had been planning to attend law school in the fall. His partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, was planning to attend Harvard Law School this fall.

Their deaths and identities were confirmed by a family member, Jonathan Becker, a vice president for academic affairs at Bard College. “We will remember them as the six brilliant, dynamic and loving people that they were,” he said in a statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash, said it was not clear what had caused it. The aircraft went down a little after noon near Two Town Road in Columbia County and did not damage any structures, Undersheriff Jacqueline Salvatore told reporters at a news conference on Saturday afternoon. Snow and moisture on the ground were hampering response efforts, Ms. Salvatore said.

“It’s in the middle of a field and it’s pretty muddy, so accessibility is difficult,” she said.

Albert Nixon, the lead investigator for the N.T.S.B., said the plane had been nearing Columbia County Airport when the pilot reported a missed approach and asked for guidance for another approach.

The air traffic controller then received an alert that the plane was flying at a low altitude, but was unable to reach the pilot. He said there was “no reason to believe” the plane was not safe to fly.

The plane went down 10 miles from the airport.

Mr. Nixon said 14 investigators from the N.T.S.B. were examining the wreckage, which was spread across 100 yards.

They are supported by experts from Mitsubishi, which made the plane, and Honeywell, which made the engine, along with agency investigators in Washington.

Neesam:
Things like this hardly makes it to the news

On April 13, Yemen's Houthi group announced that it had successfully downed another 🇺🇸 U.S MQ-9 drone, marking the 4th drone downed by Yemeni forces in the past two weeks and the 19th such incident since November 2023.

The latest strike took place in the airspace of Hajjah province, located in northwestern Yemen. The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, made the announcement during his speech broadcast by the Houthi-controlled al-Masirah TV, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

According to Sarea, the drone was brought down using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile. The Houthi spokesperson also emphasized that despite continued U.S. military operations in the region, the group's military capabilities remain intact.

"The ongoing U.S. aggression has not crippled our forces," Sarea stated, reaffirming the group's resilience against external military pressures.

He also reiterated the Houthis' support for the Palestinian people, asserting that their operations would continue until the "Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and the siege on it is lifted."

The United States resumed its air campaign against Houthi forces on March 15, focusing on deterring attacks on U.S. and Israeli naval assets in the Red Sea. Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched multiple attacks targeting Israeli interests as part of their broader solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The downing of the MQ-9 drone, which costs over $30 million, is part of an ongoing series of strikes that underscore the Houthis' advanced military capabilities.

In addition to targeting drones, the Yemeni forces have carried out strikes on key Israeli military sites.

This included launching two ballistic missiles, including a hypersonic missile, aimed at an Israeli military base and Ben-Gurion Airport. A Yemeni drone also targeted a vital Israeli facility in these operations.

IgOga:
operated and maintained by Ukraine...lol

AK-47 is a Russian technology.....many countries use it , criminals use it...operated and maintained by the buyers.

When the media report that a US HIMARS is used...it is to highlight how committed the US is willing to get involved in Ukraine....US literarily donated those weapons to Ukraine on the condition that they use it to defend themselves not to launch attack inside Russia...if Ukraine is using it to attack Russia it can only mean one thing...US allowed them...US is involved.

Many countries have MIGs and F-16s.......some have donated them to Ukraine...US has not donated any aircraft to Ukraine in this current war so you cannot just brand an F-16 US F-16 because the technology has US origin

ObosiLandlord:
It will always be so late before the S-400 will see a F 35 because a F35 will see the S-400 first

IgOga:


It is a US F-16 just as your TV is probably Korean TV or Chinese TV...lol

In the military insignia is very important.....reporting that a Ukrainian F-16 was shot down is true and very different to US F-16.

Because weapon manufactures are very few....the world knows F-16s are US technology but many countries have bought F-16s sometimes with specific requirements. All F-16s are not the same.

The headline is wrong...it is Ukrainian F-16 that was shot down not US F-16

ObosiLandlord:
The USA should give F 35 fighter jets to Ukraine

IgOga:
It was a Ukrainian F-16 not US F-16

https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/POLISH-F-16.jpg

On April 12, 2025, a 🇺🇦 Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet was shot down during a combat mission, with Ukrainian military sources indicating that a 🇷🇺 Russian missile - either from an S-400 surface-to-air system or an R-37 air-to-air missile was likely responsible.

The incident, confirmed by Ukraine’s Air Force and reported by the BBC, marks another chapter in the escalating air war between Ukraine and Russia. While the loss of the aircraft and its pilot has drawn attention, the weapon used to down it reveals far more about the evolving dynamics of this conflict than the event itself.

The choice of missile, whether a ground-based interceptor or a long-range air-to-air weapon, points to Russia’s strategic adaptations and the challenges Ukraine faces in integrating advanced Western technology into a brutal, high-stakes battlefield.

The BBC, citing Ukrainian military sources, reported that three missiles were fired at the F-16, with one—either an S-400’s guided projectile or an R-37—successfully striking the jet. Ukrainian officials have ruled out friendly fire, emphasizing that no Ukrainian air defense systems were active in the area where the incident occurred.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed the aircraft was hit by a surface-to-air missile, though it offered no specifics on the system involved. The lack of conclusive evidence leaves open questions about the exact weapon, but the two systems under discussion offer a window into the technological and tactical contest unfolding in Ukraine’s skies.

The S-400 Triumf, known to NATO as the SA-21 Growler, is a cornerstone of Russia’s air defense network. Developed by Russia’s NPO Almaz in the 1990s as an evolution of the earlier S-300 family, the S-400 entered service in 2007 and has since become the most advanced surface-to-air missile systems in the world.

It can engage targets at ranges up to 400km with its longest-range missile, the 40N6E, though shorter-range options like the 48N6E3, with a reach of about 250km, are more commonly used against fast-moving jets.

The system’s 92N6E radar, often referred to as the “Grave Stone” by NATO, can track up to 100 targets simultaneously, feeding data to launchers that deploy missiles at speeds exceeding Mach 6. Its ability to counter low-flying aircraft, cruise missiles, and even ballistic threats makes it a versatile tool for denying airspace to adversaries.

What sets the S-400 apart is its integration into a layered defense network. Paired with shorter-range systems like the Pantsir-S1 and supported by electronic warfare units, it creates a formidable barrier.

In Ukraine, Russia has deployed S-400 battalions to protect key areas, including occupied territories and border regions like Kursk and Belgorod.

If an S-400 was indeed responsible for downing the F-16, it suggests the Ukrainian jet was operating in a heavily defended zone, possibly near Sumy Oblast, where clashes have intensified.

The system’s long reach would have allowed Russian forces to engage the F-16 from a safe distance, exploiting gaps in Ukraine’s ability to suppress enemy air defenses.

The R-37M, presents a different scenario. This air-to-air missile, developed by Vympel in the 1980s and modernized in the 2010s, is one of the world’s longest-range weapons of its kind, capable of striking targets up to 300km away.

Fired from platforms like the MiG-31BM interceptor or the Su-35S fighter, the R-37M travels at Mach 6, using a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing to pursue agile targets.

Its 132-pound high-explosive warhead is designed to destroy everything from fighters to reconnaissance planes, making it a weapon for high-priority threats.

In Ukraine, Russia has used the R-37M sparingly but effectively, often to target Ukrainian aircraft from beyond the range of their own sensors or countermeasures.

If an R-37M downed the F-16, it would indicate a Russian aircraft, likely a MiG-31, was patrolling at high altitude, using its powerful Zaslon-M radar to detect the Ukrainian jet from afar.

The missile’s extreme range allows Russian pilots to engage without entering contested airspace, a tactic that preserves their aircraft while forcing Ukrainian pilots to operate defensively.