Sintra,

No disrespect but the EJ200 is externally hot. The M88 looks cool in the middle ranges of the infrared spectrum. The Typhoon is compromised in this same spectrum range, by it’s engines. Your French poster wasn’t lying if he verbated those points. Perhaps you have a problem with him and rejected his facts based upon your prejudices.

They can use commercial tankers, too.

That account of the SFW was more impressive than the 16-inch battleship guns making a Syrian tank column come to a screeching halt in 1982, IMO.

Hardly. Not mouch love for the Japs in SE Asia even today. At least thats the impression I got when I visited China the other year. And who could blame them…

FTW

South Korea has no love for Japan. They just might find it more appealing to team up with North Korea than Japan. Okay, maybe not that extreme. But it is a very sour relationship between the two. If South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Japan would all put aside their differences then perhaps SE Asia might be a better place to live and do business. Old wounds sometimes just never heal.

Eurojet would be happy to produce EJ270, if it had a customer. It’s been frustratedly sitting on a growth plan for EJ200 for years, but lacks takers. Eurofighter customers think they have plenty of thrust already. If Korea wants an ITAR-free engine . . .

The EJ200 is a very hot running engine. Dassault has publicly assaulted the idea that the Typhoon, using a pair of these hot *******s, is ever going to be anything close to LO. (And the EJ200 engine will never be suitable for a stealth for sure!) They would be much better off going for the M88 or F414 if they intend to be tough to detect in the infrared spectrum.

I’m pretty sure it’s 84,000lbs. The RA-5C Vigilante topped out at 79,588lbs and the A-3B Skywarrior at 82,000lbs. The F-111B tipped the scales at 83,062lbs.

I’m going by what they recently did for the USS George H.W. Bush. It was only reported at 80,000 pounds. But then again the news any more isn’t so accurate, so they may not distinguish between 80,000 and 84,000.

Everyone is proposing super sleek jets, how about something a little more rugged like the A-10?

Imagine the likes of a new build A-10 only with bigger (more modern) engines, suppress the infrared radiation of the engines, switch the single GAU-8 cannon to twin GAU-22/25mm in the nose, a GAU-19/.50-cal tail stinger for the rear seater AND anti-missile defense, give it both DAS and EOTS for maximum situational awareness, WCMD (current A-10 already has it), make it a twin seater, and twin DIRCOM to stave of MANPADS. Something like this with a standoff SFW dispenser may be a little overkill.

Offer a second model with a retractable, steerable 30mm chain gun in the belly that replaces the twin GAU-22. The steerable chain gun aimed by a computer should be able to get awfully close to 1 meter CEP.

Here is someone’s rendition of the F-35LR – meaning Ludicrous Range – for future procurement.

The F-14D was close to 20 tons and I guess every proposed design would have grown by a few tons. Whats the maximum take-off and landing weight for a US carrier?

The catapults are certified up to an 80,000 pound load.