They can always use that big rocket launch method of the old F-104 Starfighter (and MiG-21 if I recall correctly) to get fighters airborne and to 5000 feet almost immediately. Tongue in cheek aside, take a look at this:

Hawk 200

The Hawk 200 series aircraft is optimised as a single seat lightweight fighter with full ground attack and air-to-air capability. It features a combination of state-of-the-art digital computerised avionics with a small, uncomplicated and well proven airframe. Hawk 200 features extensive commonality with current production two-seat Hawk variants. The revised forward fuselage houses the fully integrated avionics system including the Westinghouse APG-66H multi-mode pulse-doppler radar, which offers outstanding air defence and air-to-surface capability. To date, three customers have ordered the Hawk 200.

The Hawk 200 Single Seat Fighter and Ground Attack Aircraft

Take the Adour Mk 871 and replace it with Jaguar’s Mk 81x series – which itself is 30 inches longer – and your Hawk 200 can probably make it on afterburner to Mach 1.35 with a combat load. The Mk 811 and Mk 815 both do around 8400 pounds of wet thrust, alot more than its cousin, the Mk 871, that tops out at just over 6000 pounds of dry thrust. I wouldn’t put it past Rolls-Royce to be able to boost the dry thrust of its Mk 81x series to be equal to the Mk 871’s rating.

An airstrike against NK is too late anyway.

I bet a few dozen large-scale airdrops across civilian centers would be enough to literally tip NK to the brink of political meltdown. They are playing a leadership game with their people that has its own limitations. You don’t have to drop bombs to do irrepairable damage to the NK regime.

If Gripen was too expensive they could always opt for Hawk 200. I seriously doubt Austria couldn’t handle the financial obligations of any of the systems mentioned as comparable to the EF-2000. The Gripen couldn’t be anywhere near the cost of the EF-2000, considering the engine is cheaper than the EJ200 (or comparable M88) and probably is no less of a maintenance hog. Granted the F404 is not the longest lasting engine out there, but it is a better choice than most others of its time. And there are plenty of used F404’s out on the market these days. Then again, I still think Gripen with the EJ200 would be a splendid compromise. Austria would do well to field an all-euro jet.

For me the Yak-130s are the more significant purchase. Sukhoi has been doing okay recently as far as orders go and even MiG are selling more and more planes – Yakovlev haven’t sold anything for quite some time and its about time that they did. Also, its unusual for a country to buy aircraft that aren’t in service with any other country – well done to Algeria for being brave enough to do so.

Yakovlev has successfully expanded their aircraft lines to include the civilian market. Other than latest jet trainers, they really don’t stray far from propeller driven aircraft markets anymore. And they also have been contracting out their design teams abroad to work for aircraft makers in other countries. If anything they’ve been the most flexible of the big six aircraft manufacturers that survived post-Soviet Union Russia.

NZ has a large air force, it just has forgone the fighters for air defense.

Everyone realizes NK was subdued militarily by China in a near bloodless invasion last time they didn’t like the head honcho? NK folds faster than the sheets on Anna Nicole’s bed. The US and SK could whip NK in a matter of hours. There is no evidence NK can even field a military grade weapon, let alone implement one properly in the first place. They will need at least eight pounds of enriched material just to get their h-bomb precursor, a milestone they likely haven’t even reached to begin with. Its not a-bombs to worry about, after all, its h-bombs.

Sometimes the mentality around the flightline is to beat her until she drops, then they’ll have to replace her…