but going by the current Polish experience with its new build F-16s and the article on the Dutch AF’s poor F-16 availability rate of about 45%, even if the Slovakians buy 4-8 F-16s, availability on ORP may be very low..oh and consider the Lawn dart’s attrition rate too..

Chile’s AF to launch a new light Utility helo contest and the HAL Dhruv is one of the frontrunners for it..

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/04/03/213010/chile-to-launch-light-utility-contest.html

Of course one Chinese company, Hongdu, is trying to sell its FTC-2000, and another, Zhuizhou, is trying to sell its L-15. Either any of the two can fit the bill.

J-10s never got a two seater until late in the program. The first testing and trials regiment, and the first operational regiment never got the benefit of training from a two seater, and both were formed without training from such.

There are planes like the J-8s that never had a dedicated two seater at all. J-8 regiments are supplemented with JJ-6 trainers.

the initial regiment flying the J-10 would have definitely trained on simulators..just training on a different 2-seater cannot simulate the unique characteristics of the fighter. they may have the 2-seater trainer’s cockpit designed to replicate the JF-17 but still heavy emphasis would then have to be on simulator based training if there wont be a 2-seater JF-17.

as for the J-8, was’nt it a souped up MiG-21 airframe ?

then PAF pilots will get converted to it using only simulators ? could be possible though..the Gripen did not have a two-seater till late into the program..and F7 Wings first generation Gripen pilots was comprised of all ex-Draken or Viggen pilots who needed 6 months on a linked-dome simulator before going solo..and the much younger pilots who were just off the Sk.60 trainer took a year to become operational..

Well as a South African I think I can answer. Firstly you cannot compare S.A to rest of Africa, our infrastructure and economy is far ahead of most African states. As a contract pilot I’ve seen most African countries and know first hand what’s happening. SA arms procurement is the first recapitalisation of our armed forces in decades and much needed. The SAAF has lost some aircrew do to aging aircraft in recent years ie. the Impala. Our arms deal was made in 1998 yet we have only started receiving aircraft and ships now in 2006! As yet we have received 1 submarine, 4 of 4 Navy corvettes, 1 Hawk (the rest are to be locally built) and 1, yes 1 Gripen – hardly a spending spree. Deliveries will be complete by 2012. Our economy has a huge surplus and there is in fact very little spending on the armed forces – just the bare minimums to keep crews current and train new ones. South Africa is not drowning in poverty as you might think – certainly nothing like India. You’ll see all of this when you visit.

Another thing – don’t believe everything you read in or hear in the news. If I did – I’d have never visited the States.

Cheers.

why mention India at all ? just be concerned about your own country and dont make references to others who have a whole lof of other security issues that are 100x more pressing than South Africa’s.:mad: besides, have you been to India to make such a comparison ? you yourself seem to believe whatever you read or hear in the news and you’re telling others..:rolleyes:

You are mistaken, Ankush. American military aircraft don’t come with any warranty. You pay for everything by yourself from the start. I am not sure about the Euros, Chinese or Russkies, but expect the same policy. Polish loss is Lockheed Martin’s win.

no Flex, for the Su-30 deal that the IAF had with the Russians, the jets came with a 12 month warranty.

http://164.100.24.208/ls/committeeR/PAC/33rd/report.html

“9.1 According to the Audit Paragraph, the main contract concluded in November 1996 provided for setting up of a Service Support Centre (SSC) at the operating base with the assistance of the manufacturer. One of the basic objectives of setting up of SSC was to undertake extended second line repair tasks of aircraft, avionics, aero-engines and aggregates to avoid the need to despatch them to the manufacturer. The negotiations for setting up of the SSC were to be held by May 1997 and the contract concluded within 12 months after delivery of the first SU-30K aircraft in order to ensue that SSC started functioning by May 1998. Audit pointed out that the establishment of SSC assumed greater importance as the warranty provided by the manufacturer was expiring by May 1998 i.e. one year after the supply of the initial batch of eight SU-30K aircraft and thereafter, Air Force was responsible for the maintenance of the aircraft fleet“

Rumcajs, read this article on the L-159 offer to the IAF. the parameters of the L-159B on offer were considered a good match to the requirements and hence the IAF took a look at it and it was offered cheaper than the BAe Hawk.. IAF only began to look at the L-159 AFTER price negotiations with BAe over the Hawk had already ended, basically to prevent a single vendor situation.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021231/edit.htm#4

“Having completed the PNC on the Hawk, the IAF added a postscript: that the Czech L159B should also be evaluated to get out of the single vendor situation. The IAF also believes that since it has waited for 20 years for the AJT, it can wait some more and should not rush into the Hawk deal which is a technology of the 1980s and instead get a contemporary machine for the same price. There is also a view that it is simply absurd to purchase and license-manufacture a trainer when the LCA project is near fruition. An LCA trainer is also an option.

Earlier, Italy, Brazil and Russia had also offered jet trainers to India but these offers had been rejected on the ground that the aircraft did not meet the Air Staff Requirement (ASR) of the IAF. An earlier offer of the Czech trainer had elicited a similar response.

However, two things changed this year. On the sidelines of the CII-organised Defexpo 2002 in February, Mr Antonin Jakubse, Chairman of the Czech state-owned aircraft facility, Aero Vodochody, said: “We are offering the Indians a joint partnership, technology transfer and joint marketing for the L 159B.” At a Press conference he asserted that the Czech AJT offer was 25 to 45 per cent lower than the British Aerospace price for the Hawk.

He also said the Czech training aircraft was backed by the American aviation giant Boeing, which has brought 35 per cent stake in Aero Vodochody.

Also, some time in mid-May 2002, an IAF team led by Group Captain Ramesh Rai, which included representatives from HAL, the MoD and the Finance Ministry visited Czechoslovakia, test flew the aircraft and reported that the L 159 B did, in fact, meet 95 per cent of the ASR for the AJT. But what is not known is that the IAF team flew just 12 sorties on a makeshift version of a two-seater. This was not the L 159 B but actually the very first prototype. The actual L 159 trainer only flew at the Farnborough air show in June this year for the first time. The added attraction is that the Czechs have agreed to a full transfer of technology and delivery of the first aircraft within two years of signing the contract.

Although there is no doubt that the cost of the two aircraft is competitive – the L 159 B will cost around $ 12.5 million apiece while the Hawk is said to be pegged at $14 million apiece — there is no clarity on how the government will overcome the danger that American defence technology represents for India. The case of supply of spares for the Sea King, which was manufactured by the UK under licence from the USA, is a case in point. After the Pokhran tests the supply was suspended after the sanctions and was cleared only a month ago. The L 159 B has American avionics and power plant (engine).”

“But the strangest episode of the AJT drama unfolded in the third week of October when the IAF instituted yet another technical committee to make a relative evaluation of this aircraft with the Hawk. Within 10 days, the relatively low level-team reported that the “engine and avionics of the L 159 B were both superior to those of the Hawk”, which is seen as completely perverted and irrelevant when, firstly, the avionics are to be largely Indian or French supplied (specifically avoiding American) and when the engine of the Hawk (the Adour) is currently being built by HAL for the ongoing Jaguar production.”

http://www.dziennik.pl/Default.aspx?TabId=96&ShowArticleId=37312

Rough translation: F-16s break down, one after another

5 from eleven Polish F-16C/Ds were already grounded due to severe technical malfunctions. F-16s break down as often as after every 7 hours of flight. From delivery in Dec 2006 to March 2007 Polish F-16s experienced 22 major failures. Polish MoD was forced to order additional spare parts for $123 mil.

Spokesman of Polish armed forces defended the Falcons using the words ‘there are no aircraft without failures’.

these are the new-build F-16s right ? so would this come under warranty ? if so, why pay for the additional spare parts ? anyhow, this does’nt reflect well on the F-16..