Their budget is better spent on cancelling usless programs like Mig-41 and PAK-DA and spend on more exportable programs like single engine LMFS.

Russia never moved away from Socialism and their development process sees no need for pragmatism. It takes a bigger design team to build MiG-41 with fewer chiefs. The idea is to maximize the industry on fewer projects, not more. Create situations that groom too many chiefs it raises the chance for future challengers. Can’t breed success, they’ll replace you.

These threads comparing the miniature F-5 against the middleweight MiG-21 variations really shows you how good the Northrop design really was. The F-7 enjoys almost double the thrust and has much higher room for electronics, but due to such a hideous cockpit position and planform, the F-5 still contends. J-7G should be compared to F-CK-1, which isn’t too far out of an oversized F-5. The Gripen A isn’t much out of its weight, but you wouldn’t dare compare them….

Is that a depth charge under an mpa?

Yak-130 isn’t a super inexpensive end all. It suffered the same problems as their Italian counterparts, it’s too ambitious when much cheaper secondhand airframes in the same weight class are plentiful. It’s simply too expensive. It’s not exactly revolutionary. And it requires money to develop. Nobody wants to pay that bill.

They should lease Gripen.

:highly_amused:

I wonder if the Tu-22M3 could be used. It lacks range but the refuelling probe can be installed. It is available in numbers and it would certainly be cheaper than building all those Blackjacks.

What about activating Tu-95? Are there any stored in good condition?

Two problems. The Tu-22M doesn’t use a probe by treaty. And spare Tu-95 and Tu-142 airframes were chopped up by treaty.

It’s blue-green as opposed to green-blue. And swerve, unless you’re a chick there is zero chance you scored 100% on the color test. Only women – a tiny percentage – can see the fourth color. It’s a freak chance of nature to see that deep into the visible spectrum, but it’s limited to females.