Pretty much anything that is on the Airpower Australia is rabidly anti F35. Carlo Kopp and Peter Goon are almost like a scratched record on the matter.

Take what they have to write with a pinch of salt.

Why not share the carriers with the French, the UK supplies the ships, France supplies the Rafales and both crew a carrier each!!

Its so simple and would cement the UK and French commitments made last year.

( This is a no fee idea, but a knighthood would be acceptable.)

Actually the deal signed early last year between France and the UK pretty much agreed to that concept. The Rafale and Hawkeye of the Aeronavale should be fairly common visitors to PoW. Likewise F35C will certainly visit the CdG albeit light loaded due to weight issues.

Its a pretty good deal for both sides really. UK gets French help standing up carrier operations and the French don’t have to go through the hassle of sending their aircraft to the US when CdG is going through an overhaul. It will be very interesting to see how the French E2 Hawkeye fit into QE class operations.

Ah that’s perfect then…buy both helicopters!:D

Actually another Sniper question as well, now the GR7/9 are going to the USMC what is going to happen to the Sniper pods purchased for them under a UOR? I think it was hung off a GR4 at some point but it seems a waste to retire them.

Don’t get the Champagne out yet Rafale fan brigade. No anouncement has been made…looks like a fantasy headline to me.

Ah ! the evil rafale brigade … Like it or not politics played a role if you followed this competition and it was stated by the swiss themselves. Now yes the gripen is a pragmatic choice as regards politics and finance and it will do the job fine, just it was not the favored option of the swiss air force. They thought they could do the same job with less aircrafts for approx the same amount of money.

Better find a tin foil hat then…

enough budget was allocated to buy any of the three contenders.

Of course when you don’t follow the choice of your airforce after a thorough phase of tests you will bring this type of arguments. That does not mean those arguments are not valid but those arguments are not “performance” related as this was the job of the swiss air force unlike sign suggested.

The core reason is certainly political after all the issue the swiss had with France and Germany over its banking system. Choosing the gripen is an act of independence toward its to powerful neighbors. Add to that a “context” of crisis that would make less politically acceptable the purchase of a more costly aircraft and you have very good reasons to go for the gripen which in the end is still a good choice for switzerland considering their low threat environment.

And here come all the excuses from the Rafale fan brigade! Its always political or a stitch up when Rafale fails to win a contest!

Anybody would think the Gripen was barely more capeable then the F5 going on what the Rafale fans fan chorus are saying! OK the Rafale performed best within Swiss requirements and technically they could afford it…doesn’t matter! The Gripen in any variant let alone the one offered is vastly superior to the current F5 and its cheaper then the other fighters on offer. Except for the cannon and AIM9X (a minor integration issue) it can carry the same munitions already in Swiss service and has an engine derived from the F404 already in Swiss Hornets.

Throwing politics in as the main excuse is weak to say the least, the contest has been going on for years and French/Swiss relations are still perfectly fine despite recent issues with the banks…certainly not enough to derail defence procurement decisions.

Frankly the Swiss have to be commended for going for the cheaper pragmatic choice…just the same as the Omanis recently rejecting Typhoon and purchasing more F16.

That such an asinine comment could be made in public casts doubt on the seriousness of the whole process.

Agreed whilst it was nice to see Typhoon short listed this was pretty much in the bag for the F35. The JASDF is very US-centric and only really interested in a low observable airframe. Once it became clear that the F22 was off the table they went through this face saving exercise of a selection process.