That was hardly MIG-exclusive. Such was the situation between 1989 and ~1993, when Russian industry was in deep conversion to market oriented system. The mess in new Russia was so huge that the clients often did not even know whom to call to order spare parts… the situation started to improve after MAPO got exclusive rights for Fulcrum exports in 1992.

It wasn’t an issue with Sukhoi or Yakovlev. The origins of the problem was interventions by the Russian government purging direct sales before they could get off the ground. And MiG-29 parts were already in short supply prior to the collapse of the old regime. People fantasize that the Soviet collapse meant the Soviet regime disappeared which wasn’t the case. Rather it fragmented and was fraught with distrust between former associates.

None of this matters at all if they don’t start using ground controllers (JTACs in the USAF, etc) to direct strikes. IS tanks are just sitting out in the open and nobody is there to hit them, because either the coalition doesn’t know about them, or doesn’t know whose tanks they are. This “no boots on the ground” nonsense guarantees failure regardless of what you use to deliver ordnance.

There are noncombatants already in theatre already painting targets. That’s not the problem. It’s the asymmetrical nature of the threat. Small, fast groups, using the population as cover.

They need decoys to draw fire and a stand off platform to precision strike with something that can fly to target in 60 seconds or less at about $3k apiece. Maybe they could use a jet powered counterpart to the Spectre gunship that could lob 105’s from 30 thousand feet.

Never mind modern ships were designed around suppressing saturation attacks.

People are also naive to think anti ship missiles do not use decoys, chaff, flares, and false emissions. It’s a very complicated game in the 21st century. Add to it off board sensors, ballistic missiles vectored into the kill box, drones, undersea packages, support asset kills, etc. Attack submarines may very will get more kills using torpedoes they lace undersea than they actually fire in anger.

Sounds like you want the JF-17 in an OVT version.

Supersonic impacts add a different dimension of damage as they pass through a structure. Strictly speaking of the Falklands War, the iron bombs passing through generally refer to the outer skin. I thought it was a single one passed completely through the ship because it hit above deck and went through a hollow compartment. If the Argentinians had engineered their impact fuses specifically for soft skinned targets the war may have ended differently.

Nevermind that heavy anti ship missiles carry the energy and explosive strength of battleship shells. I’m not talking about the HE shells, I’m talking about GP and AP shells.