12 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Correct, but it was hypothetical.

Thank you.

It was waaay beyond hypothetical, it was verging on nonsensical.
I replied to a post talking about a science fiction "gravity weapon"; a term I had used in reply to the thread.

I grew up reading HArry HArrison, EE Smith, and Pournelle (ie, no-one serious)

On 7/15/2026 at 7:26 PM, The Oracle said:

Wow!
How to say to the public you have no idea how Military Aid works.

Of course they don't pay for their equipment.
American armed forces personnel (I assume you're American) as are many Western countries' personnel, are financially responsible for loss and damage due to damage or loss though incompetence, theft and so on, but not for loss and damage in combat. And they don't pay upfront. either.

And, using your Ukraine example, er, as an example: the "military aid" sent to Ukraine is actual, physical ordnance and other physical materiel made in the United Sates of America or European countries, employing hundreds of thousands of people. The US military aid actually employs Americans!

What did you think happened, they fly pallets of cash to Kyiv and Zelenskyy goes to the Donetsk branch of "Patriot Missiles 'r' Us" and hands over $4m per unit?

Sure, there was money sent as well, but not in pallets of cash to be thrown about by Ukrainian NAzis or Communists (depending upon which theory you subscribe to) it allows transfers of moneys from the USA to Ukraine's European allies to purchase military equipment, food, and to assist in maintaining its armed forces, communication, and essential infrastructure.

Is there waste, fraud, and abuse? No doubt.
But you think the Europeans are "gullible"?

Read your own post.

Of course, there are geopolitical issues but Ukraine will have to repay much of that military "aid" while Russia is paying to rebuild their country. It is not given for free.

On 7/15/2026 at 4:54 AM, emptypockets said:

There's also the projectile that the Chinese, allegedly, are or have developed. It's based on magnetic linear acceleration similar to what the latest aircraft carriers use to accelerate aircraft off the flight deck.

Imagine a fridge coming at you at 2000 km/h with no heat signature to aid tracking it.

My rudimentary physics education reminds me that we have something called friction. I believe they call it aerodynamic heating. Aircraft are the classic example. They might fly in the sky where the temperature is -30C but the aircraft surface heats up enough to have its own unique heat signature. When the speeds get up to what you describe, the heat is very noticeable. The Concorde reached cruising speeds of Mach 2.02, which caused its nose cone to reach approximately (127C}. The SR-71 Blackbird, flying at Mach 3.2, experienced skin temperatures nearing 400C.

8 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Of course, there are geopolitical issues but Ukraine will have to repay much of that military "aid" while Russia is paying to rebuild their country. It is not given for free.

Indeed.
There are monetary loans which will need to be repaid. And, I'm fairly certain, some form of a 21st Century Lend-Lease arrangements for some of non-consumable military hardware (tanks, artillery, transport) but most was given to Ukraine by European countries from their own defensive stockpiles.

From memory some of the smaller countries like Slovenia or Slovakia (I can't remember specifically) gave Ukraine artillery shells but were reimbursed by a sort of co-op of the wealthier European nations like Germany and France. Sweden gave some stuff, too.
The United States is the largest provider, especially with Abrams tanks and APCs, defensive missile systems, and advanced warning and tracking systems.
A lot of other countries have also donated their Soviet-era weapons, which Ukraine did not require to be trained in, allowing for immediate deployment.

There were also some monetary grants which, being grants, will not need to be returned. I think that that was specifically for salaries for the armed forces and associated industries. And those payments to former member countries of Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia for their artillery shells.

15 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

My rudimentary physics education reminds me that we have something called friction. I believe they call it aerodynamic heating. Aircraft are the classic example. They might fly in the sky where the temperature is -30C but the aircraft surface heats up enough to have its own unique heat signature. When the speeds get up to what you describe, the heat is very noticeable. The Concorde reached cruising speeds of Mach 2.02, which caused its nose cone to reach approximately (127C}. The SR-71 Blackbird, flying at Mach 3.2, experienced skin temperatures nearing 400C.

It's not friction. It is the the extreme compression of the air in front of the object.

Many people think spacecraft reenering the atmosphere heat up from friction. They do not, it is the extreme air pressure that causes the heat. I think it was Boyle who first describes the relationship between volume, pressure and temperature. Also known as Boyles Law.

Might be a bit beyond rudimentary physics for some.

On 7/15/2026 at 2:29 PM, geisha said:

A bit off topic , at this moment on France LCI political TV chain are talking about all the Bolivian , Peruvian and Vénézuélien men being recruited by the US for jobs. As it turns out they end up on the front. There have been interviews and reports of families currently looking for their sons and husbands. The men were promised 16 000 $.

Russia must be in a very bad way and Putin can’t fix it.

Sorry , I made a huge mistake there. Rectify, “ being recruited by Russia for jobs”.

1 hour ago, geisha said:

Sorry , I made a huge mistake there. Rectify, “ being recruited by Russia for jobs”.

We all do it. No worries.
As for

1 hour ago, geisha said:

A bit off topic , at this moment on France LCI political TV chain are talking about all the Bolivian , Peruvian and Vénézuélien men being recruited by [RUSSIA; edit authored by OP] for jobs. As it turns out they end up on the front. There have been interviews and reports of families currently looking for their sons and husbands. The men were promised 16 000 $.

Russia must be in a very bad way and Putin can’t fix it.

Venezuelan mercenaries make sense as they use a lot (as a percentage) of Russian and Chinese weapon platforms and systems.
Bolivia and Peru..? I'm not sure, I think they source predomininantly from Europe (as do Brasil and Agrentina for a fact) But I wouldn't be surprised if they had older USSR-era equipment as well.
My point?
If LCI is to be believed, and France doesn't allow for blatant lying by any broadcast company, I think it is feasible that Venezuelans have been recruited. Venezuelans would already be familiar with those weapons and systems and require little training, if it all, in their use.
Coordinated communications and being ready to get thrown into into the "meat-grinder" for $16k? Well, that's something else.