Yeah I’ll believe the fuel figures when you start going around the pattern a few times. I doubt the Gripen is any Super Etendard when you start adding up all the carrier needs. One thing I do like though is one would think the movable canards on the Gripen would help it post angle of attack settings after a cat shot for safe departure. Note that is why you see the rudders pointing in on a Super on the cat as it puts a bit of pull on the jet to point the jet up a tad when it departs the catapult.

As for small carriers… you still have a deck footprint/spotting number for aircraft. I don’t see the significance here as a selling point for Gripen. Just on STOVL ops note that the spot factor of a Harrier is about .82 and a STOVL JSF B, 1.14. As for deck weight, well the Super for example can get up to well over 55k lbs. and more for the carrier. Of course with the Super you are buying a lot of other knowns. So making the deck stronger is certainly needed, but the benefits of the platform show through. The catapult (U.S.) and the trap gear will be expensive, but anyone trying to do real carrier ops like this on the cheap is dreaming if they want any usable capability today.

The real problem starts when another branch of the service like the Army looks at the annual budget that this thing will suck up. How much annual budget are you talking about for the whole military?

I would not put too much faith on that distortion, but then in the absence of undistorted scientific arguments all one is left with is faith.

I will point you to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Global_Warming_Swindle

not because Wikipedia is above criticism in general but because there are a number of sources sited, the links for which if followed, will provide the rationale for considering Durkin as having presented a biased account and how. Also Durkin’s past record could provide answers as to why.

You mean as opposed to the other legion of biased accounts that show up almost weekly in the news media?

A large number of peer-reviewed and published scientific papers and articles say otherwise.

Few, if any, of them mention Al Gore or, indeed, any other politician.

Please remember that most of us outside the USA (that’s the majority of homo sapiens, chaps) care little for domestic US politics or for in-fighting between the various US domestic political and economic interests.

Global warming should be investigated, studied and discussed on it’s own merits as a scientific theory and not on the basis of political preference, whether for right or for left.

Which should mean the process of GW science should be open. Not shouting down one theory by a camp that has the other theory in play. 😉

Too bad man-made CO2 has little to do with the current warming trend. Al Gore needs some kind of a gig or no one would listen to him. At least now he has at least some what of an audience.

The Great Global Warming Swindle

1 hr 14 min –

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3028847519933351566

If it is ever workable someday, Tomahawk is a good idea. Almost 1600km range or much shorter if you want the scenic route.

Are they going to be able to find enough crew for the 4th Hobart?

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Govt-set-to-order-fourth-destroyer/2007/08/08/1186530427917.html

i ve watched the one on Afghanistan. Pretty impressive. I have noticed that the pilots don’t give details about the weapons (ag) they are using and it seemed to me that along the Rafale, there were some Super etendard flying.
Also, it is interesting to listen to the french pilots. They look /sound very professionnel but they don’t have this God like attitude common the american pilots
There is one pilot if Dushanbe giving details about his equipment in case of emergency (crash and eject) / We have something to defend ourselves( a handgun), something to allow us to be found (gps) and some equipment for health emergency. Very genuine and without a trace of arrogance

It is also flying on that deployment with no laser designator pod. It is using other non Rafales for buddy lase.The laser pod will be put on the jet sometime in the future. Also AASM was delayed for so long that they had to go with Paveways for this deployment. Unknown if they are dual use enhanced Paveways.

You hate us because of our freedom!
:diablo:

Beat me too it. 😀

Doubtful as the initial article was (no reliable sources whatsoever, nothing substantial from
Rosoboronexport), it’s now in public that it was nothing but a big pile of fearmongering nonsense. Typically, it was launched only a few days before the announcement of US defense industries being sponsored to make goodies for
Middle Eastern do-gooders.

Someone cynical might consider the original report US agitprop. Personally, i think this should convince anyone to become cynical.

From FarsNews, the Iranian press agency at http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8605100449.

I’m shocked. Debka getting something wrong. :p