For the moment I’m using an online photo service for my digital prints though I am monitoring wether this is more cost effective than buying a photo printer. I mean the printer would probably pay for itself in the long term but the cartridges still cost an arm and a leg and I can only imagine that photo quality prints are gonna use up an awful lot of ink so its not quite the ‘no brainer’ I thought it was going to be. If you want to know prices try Jessops. I’ve found they are the cheapest at the moment. For instance 1×15″x10″ (A4) print is £1.99. The most expensive I think was Fujifilm who wanted £7 for a single print!

Anyway as to the original point of the thread, Geoff Hoon and the MoD have come out and said the media are talking total tosh. Not that we didn’t already know it. Sorry I had a link but I seem to have mislaid it.

Because it is an European project. If it weren’t for the British e.g. the Tornados would never have gotten any updates.

Not true though because the Tornado ECR is a German upgrade also used by the Italians.

You’ve been having those dreams of chasing Mitzi through Switserland on a motorbike again, haven’t you?

Stop it! I’m trying to do some work. How can I if I keep getting distracted with thoughts like this? 🙂

And no, I don’t think German taxpayers should pay for weapons, that are not necessary to give the Typhoon a good allround capability. There is a package agreed, including weapons that only RAF will utilize, to give Typhoon this allround capabilities. If the MoD wants more than they should pay for it. If the BMVg wants HARM, ARMIGER or Kormoran the same. And I don’t want to re-evaluate this package. No further delays. Reliability is important for exports, too. If everything comes as planned, it maybe possible to sell our own weapons to potential costumers. Not american ones. If maybe Singapore thrusts in us, they will eventually decide for Meteor, instead of AMRAAM, ASRAAM or Iris-T instead of Sidewinder and so on. To get the same quality of the product at an earlier date, you have increased costs. Stick to the damn timetable, give MBDA and the other companies the time to develop matured products.

Good. Now you know how we felt when the Germans held the project up so that Volke Ruhe (scuse spelling) could score a few political points, delaying the project, driving up costs and securing a disproportionate workshare for German industry. Don’t throw stones chap you have glass windows.

Maybe I said that about the F-15. Can’t remember. But somehow I doubt, wouldn’t be too consistent with the stuff I usually say. But maybe I did. After all RSAF wants a fighterbomber and even you can’t deny that the EF2k won’t be a fighterbomber for at least another three to four years.

Thats debatable you arrogant penis but even you can’t deny that, barring Geoff Hoon’s pratting about, the Typhoon will be supported for a whole lot longer than any F15. Let the RSAF decide whats best for themselves. They might choose the F15 but only because the USA cajoled, bribed, threatened and/or sweetened them into doing so.

I would like to see TVC, AMSAR and so on as soon as possible, too. I would like to forget about integration of US weapons, but for Exports I think it is necessary. And I would like to see ARMIGER integrated, too. Typhoon to replace ECR Tornados. Let’s hear what the British MoD thinks about paying for specific German weapons…

What the Germans complaining about unfair workshare and subsidising other peoples efforts :rolleyes: .

So let me get this straight. You want the benefit of weapons integration and the advantages it would bring in the export market right? But you don’t want to pay for it? Well I suppose thats been the German policy the whole time so why change the habit of a lifetime?