the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OEifbmGkQU

:rolleyes:

I think a difference in 10 or 15 or even 20 minutes in turnaround time isn’t that great of an advantage unless you are fighting WWIII. It doesn’t make that big a difference if you have to complete a 5+ hour mission to deliver your bombs on target (example of the Mirage 2000D missions in Afghanistan)…

BTW I’m not trying to diss the Gripen, it has its own advantages. But I’m talking about the Gripen N here. In my opinion it will lose many of the advantages the Gripen has. Turnaround time will most probably be bigger due to all the new systems to check or configure before flight, price will go up because of all the new systems and the increased weight… you may end up with a good plane too, but its strenghs will be different than the current Gripens’ and I’m not sure it will enjoy many advantages compared to the Rafale or the EF (except political in the case of Norway and Denmark).

Nic

i dont think you got the picture….turnaround time is not just rearming the planes..is also meant to update the equipments in the avionics for any information updates for deployments…..your reasoning is contrary to me as in fact now most system now tend to make the operational timing more efficient, meaning they just took out the black boxes and and replace with another 1, at the same time, refuel the plane, rearm and take off immediately….this is the case for Gripen….

No doubt price will be up as you will be “launch” customer for that series(model) [Take Blk 60 E/F for example] but technically wise it should have some commonality (say 50%?)

Gripen N will be more suitable for Norway as both Sweden and Norway operates in almost identical environment….they need to operates in short strip runways or roads…so ideally Gripen is most suitable as is shown in the exercise both inbound Sweden and abroad 🙂

Taiwan did consider leasing the AV-8B but decided against it in early 2003.

http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2003/national-reporting/works/national1.html

“A number of other countries, including Spain and Italy, have bought Harriers over the years. But Taiwan decided earlier this year not to lease nearly three dozen AV-8Bs from the Marines because of concerns about “maintenance, safety and performance,” said a Taiwan defense official.”

Cheers,
Sunho

if i remeber correctly, they scrap the procurement and wait for F-35B…..

more at here also

http://www.f-16.net/news_article1961.html

eptember 4, 2006 (by Stefaan Vanhastel) – On Monday, September 4th, 6 former RNLAF F-16 MLU aircraft took off from Twenthe AB in the Netherlands, on their delivery flight to Chile. The aircraft are part of a batch of 18 MLU aircraft sold to Chile by the Netherlands.

The aircraft will be routed through Gando Air Base on the Canary Islands and Brazil before arriving in Chile on September 8th, supported by a KC-10. The first delivery flight includes 6 aircraft in FACh color scheme (2 air spares also took off but will return to Twenthe if there are no problems later in the week).

Only the first 6 aircraft will wear the FACh color scheme on delivery for Public Relations reasons, the remaining 12 aircraft will wear their RNLAF color scheme for the delivery flight.

President Michelle Bachelet will receive the aircraft at their new base in Antofagasta [B.A. Cerro Moreno], where they will join Grupo de Aviacion No 8.

The 18 F-16’s were acquired last year at a cost of $185 million, and although they were constructed in the middle of the eighties, they were updated to the MLU standard, which will allow them to operate alongside the new F-16 C/D Block 50’s using similar armaments.

http://www.aimhigh.nl/Flyout.html

I believe GE F-404 would be way to large for the IDF. (i.e. wouldn’t fit) :rolleyes:

funny…why we can install non-afterburning F404 into A-4SU/TA-4SU??? :confused:

F-16C/D Blk 52+ is more logical than procuring F-15…be it C/D ver mod for Mud moving or Strike Eagle ver ( maybe like downgraded K or SG ver?)