Nils, That debate is a hot one here, but I don’t want to sully the thread with politics as its aviation and military that we are interested in 😀

The first one is the only one with an easy’ish answer and that is that in the view of the experts, that CET won’t work in Scotland. The current UK time system is only just okay in the winter there and making it a further hour different would cause too many problems.

Can one of our Far Eastern contributors give us a translation, as it looks interesting ?
I guess thats the standard layout now for a big lifter.

It wasn’t just the Swedes, I remember reading at the time that several countries across Europe who didn’t have a strategic lift capability had trouble getting aircraft, and as a result started to be accused by their electorates of not doing enough. :rolleyes: Obviously much to their embarrasment 🙁

I think several countries may now be in the market for big lifters as J Boyle says. It may have also indirectly refocussed attention on the A400 and lead to a few orders.

I wish I had known, I would have gone and had a look 🙁

There has been lots of discussion about the technology transfer issues. I may not have been paying attention, but which bits are America being difficult about ? It can’t be the weapons control system or any of the other things mentioned in the attached quote from the BAE website, which they say they are producing;

BAE Systems is also designing and developing the F-35’s Electronic Warfare systems suite and is providing advanced affordable low observable apertures and advanced countermeasure systems. Additionally, the company is supplying the Vehicle Management Computer, the Communication, Navigation and Identification modules, the active inceptor system and the EOTS Laser subsystem.

…. The first installment totaled $600, in unofficial reports. The sum and the cost of the St. Petersburg’s submarine give the $825 million discrepancy between preliminary and official results for 2005……

source

If they only paid ‘$600’ then I have a suspicion that it might have something to do with the missing $825million 😀 Was that used $10 bills sir ? :diablo:

If say hypothetically the RAF were forced into a Rafale purchase, would the aircraft be acceptable as it stands or would they insist on a new generation of aircraft, say a Super Rafale ? They do have until 2012 to arrange the procurement as the ships are not going to be available until then, so a significant upgrade could be considered. There may well be some F-35 development funding money spare if they pull out and the cost per airframe could be less.

Personally I am not sure we should yet be playing a lament for the F-35 as the US realises that a significant part (if not all) of the export potential depends on an RAF order, but it might be worth developing the debate a little here about what might need to be done to make the Rafale acceptable to the RAF, if it were to enter service in 6-7 years time ? If say the MOD were to publically issue a request to the French to develop a desk top study to make the Rafale acceptable to them, would the F-35 problems miraculously disappear ?

I didn’t think that the RAF had any more than 50-60, so 33 losses seems very high. Could they not have included the Indian ones maybe ? It had quite a respectable combat record and I think it shot down several Pakistani F-86 Sabres which was generally considered a more advanced aircraft.