The 20 year old Spy-3 equipped Frigates are better than indigenous built.

Don’t knock used when it’s an improvement over new.

There were enough SE by 1982 that exports were available.

You can assume the Argentinians would have had an unfettered resupply in 1982 against the Soviets. The US would have located the best soft targets by satellite and with that information the Super Etendards could have spread some serious damage to a Soviet fleet. And the Argentinians would have received those AIM-9 Limas, not the UK. Furthermore the Russians wouldn’t have been so lucky with poor bomb fusing in the case of the Argentinian Skyhawks. They would have had better training and support for those fuses in this scenario.

Attacks by Thursday:

http://www.news.com.au/world-news/middle-east/us-to-strike-syria-8216as-early-as-thursday8217-senior-defence-officials-report/story-fnh81ifq-1226705827932

Amazing that democracies engage in war far more often than dictatorships ala China (last war in 1979).

Not exactly true. You made a bad argument there.

I’m curious why Boeing isn’t using the stealth centerline weapons pod from the Silent Hornet under each F-15 SE wing and offering stealth fast packs rather than conformal weapons packs. Heck, the JASDF might want the same stealth pods for the F-2A considering all the RCS reductions they put in it already.

The F-15SE is focusing on the far east. Just seems a shame not to maximize the sales efforts.

The diversity was insurance against political interventions in case of a war.

The F-35B gives you more flexibility on their flattops. The F-35C is my favorite, but in their case it doesn’t quite fit. The vertical landing is a big plus for their operations. It would be impossible to imagine N-LCA going forward if they used F-35B.

A two-holer has more working power at height, which was the shortcoming of Gripen in the Indian MRCA. The Gripen, even if it had qualified, was capability overlap and so the Indians would have cancelled the MRCA altogether in that case. Why? Because whatever the Gripen did well enough would have been earmarked for Tejas II. There is absolutely no reason Gripen would have been allowed to win.

The Malaysians could easily go the route Australia did, Super Hornet wired to upgrade as a Growler. It makes the most sense. The older Hornets could be transferred back to the US and they would phase out Fulcrum. It would provide the best political solution for them. I cannot see where either Rafale or Gripen offers a political solution. The Typhoon is a mixed result for them and offers a muddy solution.