Ah, that makes my cry. I will be limited to the KLU Open day this year, because of not enough free time.

1.

I think the murder would not have happened without the torture scandal. (or at leat not in that way) The torture scandal is responsible for such an enormous increase in hate for the Americans in Iraq, that such groups feel that they can gain support by comitting such acts. This one was only the first in a series of comparable acts imo.

2.

Yes, I do feel sorry for them. But I´m much more angry at the stupid people that ordered those acts. How can you try to liberate a country if you go on torturing people? How can you win “hearts and minds” with such acts? It is highly unprofessional for any soldier to commit such crimes. Those are cases in which a soldier has to refuse to carry out an order.
The people that ordered those torture methods in the higher chain of command are war criminals and should be trialed as such.

3.

Why should arab leaders condem the actions of a terrorist group, while the US government is having such a hard time to condem the actions of their own troops ?? Don´t expect other do something, your goverment miserably fails to do.

The question is – do they need fighters in the first place. Their neighbours are mostly not better off then themselves. And if they should get into a conflict with a major power, a handfull of fighters won´t make a difference.

They can look at the FC-1 or at used F-16s, but in the end I think some ALX like aircraft and some transport helicopters would do just fine. That is my opinion for countries like El Salvador, Angola or Cambodia.

Bulgaria or Cuba are potential buyers of used fighters or other light types. F-16, M2k5 or MiG-29. Even J-10, F-35 or the new russian fighter are possible. Only the numbers will be much smaller then today.

But they won´t fly again, if you saw the interior

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=499814&WxsIERv=Qm9laW5nIDcyNy0uLi4%3D&WdsYXMg=SXJhcWkgQWlyd2F5cw%3D%3D&QtODMg=QmFnaGRhZCAtIEludGVybmF0aW9uYWwgKFNhZGRhbSBJbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsKSAoU0RBIC8gT1JCUyk%3D&ERDLTkt=SXJhcQ%3D%3D&ktODMp=SmFudWFyeSAxOCwgMjAwNA%3D%3D&BP=1&WNEb25u=UGV0ZSBIYXdr&xsIERvdWdsY=WUktQUNL&MgTUQtODMgKE=VGhpcyBCb2VpbmcgNzI3IG9mIElyYXFpIEFpcndheXMgbG9va3MgbGlrZSBoZXIgZmx5aW5nIGRheXMgYXJlIG92ZXIu&YXMgTUQtODMgKERD=MzA0MA%3D%3D&NEb25uZWxs=MjAwNC0wMS0yOQ%3D%3D&ODJ9dvCE=&O89Dcjdg=&static=yes

Ok let us start with the fighters :

– say 36 JAS-39 Grippen As from Sweden

easy to maintan, should be tested to operate in the cold. Can operate from small airstrips.

– training : outsource. Find a partner where your pilots can train. (USA, Sweden, France, Australia, NATO training in Canada, what ever)

– transport : I feel some 12 C-130J will be needed. This should be backed up by 12 C-27J.

– MPAs : 6 used P-3Cs + 6 maritime C-27J for SAR

– 12 EH-101 for SAR
– 24 EH-101 for army transport duty and secondary SAR
– 36 Cougar for ligt/medium transport duties
– 24 EC-135 for training and general support (6 with options to arm with unguided rockets)

spent any money left on training !!

Guess going on a honeymoon and more interested in the airplane then the woman beside you can mean a very bad honeymoon. 😀

Save money on maintenance and keep the same number of airframes in service.

That smells like we will see a huge drop in serviceability rates for the whole fleet. And reducing money for maintenance always means risking the pilots life. I don´t like one bit of the idea.