Pro-russian forces with cheap missiles shot down an $11 million helicopter and killed 14 Ukrainians.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict could remain a long term action with Russian agents and supporters getting military supplies from Russia against the Ukrainian forces that are getting built up.
This would be a conflict of industrialized militaries mostly avoiding the use of heavy tanks and bombers by choice or tactic. However, the irregular units can have the best portable missiles that can be affordably used.
Unlike the United States’ wars there are economic pressures that require the weapons and the conflict to be affordable. However, both sides are weapons makers and have the technology and manufacturing capability to innovate and adapt based on the conflict. The United States overspent hundreds of billions to trillions on weapons systems used in Iraq, Afghanistan and other wars but it did not matter so the US rarely develops more cost effective solutions.
Ukraine is shifting to putting cheap and effective military systems at risk for close air support
The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia.
The Aero L39 can be purchased for about $200,000
Armament
Up to 284 kg (626 lb) of stores on two external hardpoints
2× wingtip fuel tanks
Maximum speed: 750 km/h (405 knots, 466 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
Range: 1,100 km (593 nmi, 683 mi)(internal fuel)
L-59 Armament
Guns: 1 × GSh-23L cannon in underfuselage pod
Hardpoints: 4 underwing hardpoints with a capacity of inner hardpoints 500 kg (1,100 lb) capacity, outer hardpoints 250 kg (550 lb)
L-139 Albatros (About $500,000)
Revised version with western avionics and 17.99 kN (4,045 lbf) Garrett TFE731-4-1T engine. Single prototype built.
L-159 (costs $13 million)
Further modernised advanced trainer/combat aircraft with more modern, western avionics and Honeywell F124 engine
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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