How many times will an interceptor or fighter bomber have to refuel to travel from S America to Ukraine? How many times will the tankers have to refuel to get to their mid-Atlantic refueling rendezvous.

All these schemes are impractical because a warplane is not an independent, isolated weapon system. It has to be integrated with service, supply, communications, radar, air defense, training, support, security facilities, and the crews have to be assembled and trained to cooperate and integrate. And how do you organize all these activities so the Russians don’t find out about it and interfere at some key link in the process?

If there was an easy way, they would have already done it. But I suspect that they’re working on something right now, involving what few planes and crews are suitable. It just takes time. Remember, it took the Russians months to assemble their invasion force, and the Ukrainians have been preparing for this invasion for years.

An example. A US Carrier Battle Group can support about 80 aircraft, of which about half are actually combat aircraft. About half of those are fighters, half attack. Everything else is support, communications, radar, anti-submarine, etc. In addition to the carrier, there are about a dozen other surface combatants engaged in radar, communications, air defense, security and command and control. My ship in the Navy had a fully equipped flight control section that acted as an air-traffic control center just to assist the carrier’s own flight ops center. This was in addition to our lifeguard, search and rescue, anti-sub, radar picket, air defense, and decoy activities. We could make ourselves electronically resemble an aircraft carrier allowing it to cloak and escape. We were expendable )the big carriers weren’t. And when actual bombing operations were being conducted in N Vietnam, it was 24/7. The pilots did not get any sleep. One carrier group would be on the line for several months at a time, then have to go back to base (Philippines or Japan) to refit for a few months. Another would take its place, and at least one other would be nearby in reserve.

Supporting this whole ballet was a constant fleet train of UNREP ships, bringing in fuel, munitions, supplies, spares, everything that gets used up and worn out on an air campaign. The carrier Navy is constantly practicing this, in the Ukraine it would mean a hastily assembled Air Force command interfacing with foreign allies with alien gear, far from our bases, and the Russians would be bombing the facilities where it was all happening. Remember, they have satellites and spies, too. They can see everything we’re doing, just like on a chessboard.

What was it the Poles said they had? 28 Migs? Believe me, it wouldn’t be worth the hassle.