I wonder why they are aiming for a 10 ton class motor when there are 15 ton motors available AND in use. Seems silly to aim so low for an F414 or EJ2x0 when the F100 and F110 are available. Why leave out Russian and Ukraine options like the RD33, AL31, and AL22? Really, they ought to look for twin F125-class if they are aiming so low, considering they could just as easily as Taiwan did and own the rights to produce them. It’s much easier to build a centerline weapon bay with a twin engine design.

I thought I read somewhere that the aircraft carrying R-60 was limited to a speed of around Mach 1.7?

R-60MK specifically is the high speed version. The glass degrades the seeker effectiveness with high speed flight and this version compensates by boosting the seeker sensitivity in the tight wavelengths it sees through. The MK has a peltier to quickly clear up the eye when the pilot is lining up to launch. I don’t think the window of opportunity is near the bottle-cooled approach, but it doesn’t require near the upkeep for the ground crew.

If you can get the first shots off and make the other guy turn first then you’ve just dictated the terms of an engagement. These fighters do not fly solo, they operate in groups of fours called a flight. The typical Red Flag involves a series of pitched battles that begin with 8 or more blue fighters flying line abreast to secure the air. I’m sure eight F-15’s wouldn’t like to wander into four MiG-31’s slinging long range missiles at them while a second flight of Flankers move in to engage with R77’s. The F-15’s are free to throw AIM120’s back wildly as they maneuver to survive. The MiG-31’s are free to continue slinging the R33’s while the Su-30s or Su35S’s engage at a closer range.

This is not an optimal engagement to push. At least with F-22’s the blue force has a good chance to pick off the Flankers without being themselves engaged.

the lifts are rated at 15 tons a loaded Rafale is more like 19 ton.

You load fuel and add ordnance above deck.

Venezuela has 44 modern fighters. The 24 Sukhois are a significantly better force than what is found in regional neighbors. What they truly lack is long range tactical strike. The 20 F-16’s are lame ducks.

Brazil has nothing to balance it out. Throwing in 36 Super Hornets or Rafales immediately shifts the balance in Brazil’s favor. Brazil also has a significant strike force with the AMX and the new air frames would augment that.

MiG-31 is meant to operate line abreast in flights of fours and in groups of flights to scan for cruise missile barrages. Even selecting the weapon fired by the flight can be managed intelligently, to balance out the weapons loads with the best pK.

What they really needed was to cut the feature creep in LCA mk1 and get it running already. It would have freed up resources for FGFA participation AND the AMCA project. LCA mk2 would still be what it is, future orders. Good enough already on LCA. The fifth generation programs suffer under the waste of resources.

At what point do you blame yourselves for hiring poor project managers and listening to bad advice from consultants?