Russia-Ukraine Flash Report 16 MAR 2023 15:00 PDT - Mig-29s and Downed Reaper Drones
Added 2023-03-16 21:50:06 +0000 UTCTwo big news stories.
First, Poland is going to provide 16 Mig-29 aircraft originally purchased in the 1990s to Ukraine, with the first four arriving in a "matter of days" and the next 12 undergoing maintenance. It finally happened and hopefully, this is the "seal being broken" like we saw with tanks that will result in more deliveries of aircraft.
Polish officials said they made the transfer because the aircraft are being replaced by South Korean F-50 and United States F-35 multirole fighters.
Second story.
Russia is claiming they recovered the wreckage of the MQ-9 Reaper drone for a depth of 3,000 feet (950ish meters) today. If you believe that we'd love to talk to you about fabulous ocean front property opportunities in Lviv, Ukraine.
Russia's deep water recovery vessel, which is part of the Black Sea Fleet has not shown and behavior of a recovery effort - anywhere in the Black Sea. Even if Russia trots out MQ-9 parts be mindful that Russia shot down a Reaper drone in Syria and recovered the debris. The model that suffered a midair collision is the most recent block, and has characteristics of design that are pretty unique. When Russia shows their "proof," a fake will be pretty easy to identify.
Comments
At a certain depth, metals corrode in the Black Sea due to specific environmental conditions. The Black Sea is an enclosed body of water with a lower salinity level and lower oxygen content compared to other oceans. This creates an environment where anaerobic bacteria thrive, and they release hydrogen sulfide gas as a byproduct of their metabolic processes. When metal objects such as shipwrecks or pipelines are submerged in the Black Sea, the hydrogen sulfide gas reacts with the metal surface and forms metal sulfides, causing corrosion. The deeper the object is submerged, the higher the concentration of hydrogen sulfide gas, and therefore, the faster the corrosion process. Additionally, the Black Sea's waters contain high levels of dissolved carbon dioxide, which makes the water more acidic, further contributing to the corrosion of metals. Therefore, the combination of low oxygen levels, high hydrogen sulfide concentrations, and high levels of dissolved carbon dioxide in the Black Sea creates a harsh environment for metals, causing them to corrode at a faster rate. I still remember when the Russians said they were going to float the Moskva, which will now be like a gruyere cheese. I seriously doubt they will find the drone, let alone in what condition.
2023-03-16 23:40:39 +0000 UTCThe story of the ship in question, the Kommuna, is over 100 years old and has loads of cool stories itself.
Luke
2023-03-16 22:06:42 +0000 UTC
