The paint was to lessen emissions, not increase them. You don’t want to reflect or radiate energy when trying to sneak in and out.

You’re confusing too many separate topics. These are not commodities, nor does your reasoning follow economic rules at micro or macro levels. And your reasoning violates the basic principles of supply and demand. This is not a discussion about commodities.

No, production efficiency determines if you shave costs. The rest of the industry has little effect on military grade prices. They use different strategies to produce military grade electronics and this strategy is not exactly parallel with consumer electronics that fluctuate in their costs far more dynamically. Again, the basis of your statement being wrong hurts any argument you might be trying to assert.

No offense intended, JSR, but your presumptions are off target quite often. You might try Socrates methods or some other basis when presenting thoughts. Its statements like your thoughts on why Flankers are long ranged that undermine the rest of your statement.

The Flanker would do this job better than the Fulcrum.

But this seems to be the Flanker equivalent at the moment.

But the ferry mode for the Platypus is 6000km like this: http://media.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/AIR_SU-34_Ferry_configuration_Probe_Extended_Sukhoi_lg.jpg

His random thoughts still mentions the Soviets post-Cold War. That pretty well sums up the rest of his commentary. :p

In all honesty the only way they would improve the future Su-30MKI builds would be to swap out better made parts from the western countries. You would shave a lot of maintenance off the engines by going western, but that means keeping the aircraft sheltered more often and keeping the runways cleaner. You could vastly improve the radar and weapons systems by swapping in western systems. It would only take a couple of decades for the Indians to come up with an efficient bureaucratic solution to begin the bidding process for such a scheme. PAKFA/FGFA should be ready by then.

The best short term solution for their Sukhoi fleet might be to end production once Rafale begins delivery in substantial numbers. Commit to the Rafale until the FGFA begins delivery in substantial numbers. Something tells me that FGFA may not be their best option by the time it bears fruit.

India is suffering bureaucratic overload. What they really need is someone to take charge and make decisions. And after those decisions are made they need to be supported, good or bad. Quite frankly they are being eaten by worms from within their own political system. The bureaucracy path they have chosen is simply paralyzing their progress.

if the US had to go to war, they’d better off using it on Iran, not Syria.

No, taking out Syria and ridding the region of Hezbollah is better off than an invasion of Iran. The capability of the nuclear industry in Iran is suspect after the covert campaign to assassinate their scientists and sabotage their equipment. We should be more inclined to believe any action on Iran is merely coordinated with the American elections time frame. Unless we find hard evidence of weapons grade-level radioactive elements then there is no chance of a bomb being made.

You have to wonder what the Russians are worried about. I think they are worried about the ghosts of Saddam’s regime. What was in those Russian convoys that had to be secreted out via plane. Are there records of the communications still intact that perhaps explains the nature of those materials? 😉