Yet Another (Possibly) War Winning Idea for Ukraine
The convoy traffic jam might have proven fatal to Russia's war effort if it were not for Ukraine's lack of bombers. Thus, the following question comes to mind: How can Ukraine acquire bombers quickly and relatively cheaply? If you look at the 747, it has much in common with many standard heavy bombers still in service---B-52's and TU-95's are both subsonic, after all and a Boeing 747 is actually a superior plane to the TU-95 in many respects and is comparable to the B-52---indeed, it carries a larger payload than the B-52 and is only slightly slower; the B52 has a maximum speed of 675 MPH and the 747 one of 605 MPH. And the fact that the plane is a civilian one might produce some useful confusion: Ukraine should have loaded 747's with ordinance, given them a minimal crew, and hit that traffic jam. And yes, a lot of the planes would have gone down, but the damage they would have done to the Russian war effort would have been gigantic. In fact, they could send up additional 747's, have the pilots bail out after having set a course on auto pilot and use the unoccupied planes as SAM sponges. Moreover, with a few small tweaks to their autopilot, the could act as a kind of cruise missile, with a planned "landing" on the Russian convoy; and if they get SAM systems to fire on them, that could create openings for their conventional air forces.
If the US could somehow get JDAM units into Ukraine, this 747 tactic could prove even more effective. One strategy in Afghanistan that was seriously tossed around was having 747's loiter and serve as "JDAM dispensers."
If Ukraine is concerned about violating the property rights of those whose jets are still in Ukraine, using Aeroflot planes that are known not to be leased from foreign countries could solve that problem. Indeed, it is a double wammy—it harms a Russian business while also harming Russian soldiers.
[Notes on cost: While a new 747 is quite expensive at over 300 million, which makes it more expensive than a B-1 Lancer, an older model is much cheaper and could be acquired for as little as 20 million (and the other 7*7 models are quite a bit cheaper new than a new 747 even new though they do have lower cargo carrying capacities.)]
If it worked for Al Qaeda, why couldn’t it work for Ukraine?