Its more the airframe life. In the 1990s French Mirage 2000C started lugging 2000 L drop tanks on the inner wing hardpoints for extra range, and also due to the fact that the numerous CAPs were chewing through the Super 530D life.

I cannot find the hours the Super 530D was rated at, although is was only in the hundreds of hours. the Super 530D production line shutdown in 2000 (France was still placing orders at least as late as 1996), so any missiles would be close to exceeding their shelf life in any case.

This is one of the reasons some countries carry way less than the theoretical loadout.

The Egyptian Mirage 2000 might have carried Super 530F instead of Super 530D….

Looking Back at Vietnam/1970s, out the box reliabilities (these are relating to electronics) were:
AIM-7E, AIM-7E-2 ~95%
AIM-7F 100%

After 40 flight hours
AIM-7E 20%
AIM-7E-2 40%
AIM-7F 95%

After 120 flight hours
AIM-7E – 5%
AIM-7E2 – 35%
AIM-7F – 80%

When did Egypt receive AMRAAM for its F-16s? They were cleared for the SAM version, but AFAIK they have yet to be cleared for AMRAAM on F-16s.

This link says weren’t in service in 2004: http://www.f-16.net/news_article1151.html

Peace Vector VII (due to be delivered 2012-13) is said to have provision for AMRAAM. They already have AIM-7 capability.

Interesting take:
http://www.naval-technology.com/features/feature90570/

“The numerous simulations the JIG team ran of the scenario agree – pointing to an detonation with a net explosive weight of 200kg-300kg, occurring at an underwater depth of between 6m and 9m, around 3m to the left of the centre of the gas turbine room.”

Hear, hear!

“And 300 troops in an aircraft that’s a smidge bigger than an A400M? Maybe the 1st Airborne Hobbits.” — Bill Sweetman.

The An-70 cargo hold is 18.6m long x 4 m wide and 4.1 m high. Standard loadout is 174 troops or 110 paratroops. Its been advertised as having the option of modular upper deck – this would add a further 126 troops or 300 total.

At no stage are they saying paratroops on the upper deck.

Israel was looking at some of its later F-35 to be the F-35B version due to the threat from rockets. This was dependent on the tradeoffs between performance, air base survivability and price.

There was an excellent article in the Jun 2010 AFM.

Mirage 2000-5F: EC 1/2 (EC 2/2 went Jul 07) is moving from Dijon to Luxeuil next year. 2021 is mentioned as the planned retirement date. the SF1-IR went operational early 2007 with Mica IR (they’ve had Mica EM since August 1999). These were Mirage 200C conversions and retain the roiginal Sabre jammer and Serval RWR. They are currently pure air to air and lack SCALP, etc.

The Mirage 2000C are on the way out. The Super 530D are running out of shelf life and its considered too expensive to upgrade the Cs with Mica. They are pretty stretched at the moment:
EC 2/5 (Orange) is the OCU and would also pull QRA.
EC 1/12 (Cambrai) is the sole remaining pure C unit. They are (or will shortly) provide the detachment in Chad.
EC 3/11 (Dijbouti) is based onside France proper.

Mirage 2000D are a little better off. They are planned to hang around till 2025 to make up for the slow Rafale delivered. However the upgrade, possibly 77 aircraft with RDY-3 radar and Mica is rumoured to be delayed.
EC 1/3, EC 2/3 and EC 3/3 are at Nancy with a mixed unit with EC 3/11.

Mirage 2000N is currently fairly healthy EC 1/4, EC 2/4, EC 3/4. I think EC 1/4 is to go shortly. EC 3/4 is the only unit planned to be operational with ASMP-A. So expect EC 2/4 to go next. And as the Rafale is operational with ASMP-A, they are due to go 2018 (see below). The plan to have one squadron with Reco NG recon pod was cancelled.

EC 1/92 (Rafale) went operational last month with ASMP-A. The fifth squadron is planned in 2018, also with ASMP-A.

MiG-17 in Korean War?

First time I’ve ever seen this claim:
“A change in Soviet attitudes toward the war is evident in the refusal of the Soviet military leadership to dispatch newer MiG-17 fighters to Korea in 1952-53. By 1952, improvements to the F-86 Sabre largely negated the technical advantages the MiG-15bis had enjoyed. The technological balance could have shifted back to the Soviet pilots with the MiG-17, but the Kremlin continued to refuse to send them. Only in the final weeks of the war did Moscow relent.”

Anyone have anymore on this?

AFAIK the F-4D were retired last month.