OK, I’ll be nationalistic in this thread :dev2:

IAR-95 – or IAR-S for Supersonic

IAR-317 Airfox – pocket tank killer 😀

I don’t want to start a flame war, but how would a HJT-36 (which isn’t fully developed yet) be better than the K-8 you already have at intercepting a Zlin?

Zambian AF Y-8 AF216

Pakistan Navy Sea King

This Tu-16 should in fact be its Chinese equivalent, the H-6.

Why? How can you differentiate between them?

I am not aware of any advanced trainer aircraft having internally mounted weapons, be ot Hawk family, MB339, MiG-AT, K-8 or M-346/Yak-130/L-15

You might add to that list the IAR-99, G-4 Super Galeb, Alpha Jet, CASA C-101…
Point is in the training process you need to shoot a gun in, say, 5-10% of the missions – at most (talking about usual training here, not COIN missions). In the rest it’s a dead weight.

I don’t see how Super Tucanos would be better than a K-8 armed with a 23mm gun pod and a couple of PL-7s.

We’re talking about small planes flying very low, so they could be countered by:

1. A very good radar, good GCI controllers and use exiting aircraft armed with guns and AAMs which are currently in sevice.
Can’t do as a good radar is expensive.

2. Forget the radar, buy some REAL interceptors (not F-7PGs or Kfirs with ranging radars), have 2 of them constantly on QRA. Scramble after the Tamils launch another airstrike and catch them on the retreat.
Can’t do as those planes are expensive.

IMHO Sri Lanka should buy some Shilkas and SA-8s (second hand). they should be reasonably cheap and capable enough to kill those Zlins. Spread them around the possible targets and wait.

🙂

Time to revive this wonderfull thread, don’t you think?

German Alpha-Jet from Jabo Geshwarder 43, loaded up with 4 BL-755 cluster bombs and the gun

Argentinian Dagger with those odd fuel-tank mounted bombs

Turkish RF-5A loaded with 3 bombs – looks like Mk117s