Postscript: Russian military superiority

Recently the Russians destroyed as many as 24 Ukrainian jets in just five days. This provides some insight into the way the Russians are upgrading their systems.

The Russian AirForce reportedly used the S 400 air defense system in combination with the A50 AWACS aircraft, which, using the advantage of height, can detect multiple Ukrainian aircraft taking off from airstrips including roads at distances up to or over 400 km.

The mobile S 400 is of course a development of the S 300 but with longer-range and better onboard tracking systems. It was generally considered to be the world's best air defense system until the advent of the S 500 series.

The A50 provided a general location for the launch of the S400. Once in the area, the missiles own tracking systems took over terminal "war reserve" guidance--about 40 km -- with electronic signatures hidden.

With NATO AWACS aircraft patrolling just outside of Russian airspace, using the S400’s full onboard radar capabilities might allow the NATO aircraft to identify the Russian launch sites, exposing them to risk as well as alerting the missiles targets themselves so they could take evasive maneuvers.

MIG 29's are among the most maneuverable fighters in the air today --although the S400 is also maneuverable.

What this tells us is that it doesn't matter what kind of jets the UAF gets—F16s, Gripen, Rafale, etc ---they won't last long in the rapidly evolving air combat environment.

The S400 is due to be replaced by the S500 and S550., Both with new tracking systems, radar backup, and anti-stealth features. The A50 will soon be replaced by the A100.

Such developments reflect the advantage of having an industrial base set up to benefit the country rather than wealthy investors.

Not a tall tail

I confess. This is what I really wanted to write about today—Bobi.

He was the world's oldest dog and passed recently at the age of 31. You've probably already read about it.

He was a Portuguese guard dog --an Rafeiro do Alentejo — who lived in Conqueiros, a small Portuguese village in the countryside.

He lived to be twice what was thought to be the maximum of his breed. Everyone marvels at that and talks about it.

But there is a lesson here….

A lot of people think that longevity is just about genetics or luck or both.

If it were just genetics, this dog would've passed much earlier. He was “lucky” because all of his littermates were put down – except for him— who was hidden by the family kids. Leonel was 8 then. He was a healthy dog but not all the time—he had a breathing problem about halfway through his life, which seems to have resolved naturally.

Leonel Costa, Bobi's Person, (I don't believe dogs have owners – they have Persons) attributes Bobi's long life to freedom, good food and love. Bobi was never leashed or confined. He lived on a farm and was free to roam the fields in the forests if he wanted. He ate human food – good, natural, mostly homegrown food without seasoning. And he got constant love from all those around him. Even better, he got to love those people as they loved him – freely. Not to mention other animals that were part of the family. As you can see from the photo.

That should tell you and me something. We don't need to be rich or famous. We need to be free to do what we want. We need a natural environment. Whether we live in the country or the city we must live in harmony with our natures. Above all, we not only need people who love us, we need people to love as well.

And not all those people need to be human. Bobby's family included animals too.

Families are not made up of people to whom we are bound by blood—but of those beings we care for and love.I hope you liked this article.

If you did like it, please show your support by buying me and Jet and Ichi— who thinks he is a Rafeiro do Alentejo— a coffee.

Substack Support is still not responding to my request for them to fix their software so I can get paid subscriptions for my people.

You can click here-- or on the picture.

When you buy a coffee, you can also add a comment.

I write personal notes to everyone who buys me a coffee whether or not they themselves say anything.