Slovakia was advised from NATO to concentrate more on tactical helicopters and advanced subsonic trainers. Czech Republic was advised to create a decent tactical airlift capability plus a relatively small CAP element (hence Gripens). There were no precision guided weapons mentioned at all, with exception of new generation anti-tank missiles for upgraded Hinds. Currenly all new NATO memebrs have to justify their purchases to NATO council, they cannot buy just what they want.

That may be but you don’t know why. Might be that given their financial and manpower/training restraints those were the most cost-effective options. It is not necessarily indicative of these countries specializing in one role or another within the context of NATO.

here are some pictures of the new german corvette K 130 Braunschweig

Link: http://www.fregatte-braunschweig.de/news.htm

gunner5″

What you get when you run out of budget …

Russian MilParade magazine anounced in February, 2006, that Russia has produced a 3S-14E launcher, to be installed on P-17.

That’s a VL for SSMs, specifically for the Club-N family of missiles IIRC (see here). Is it also Brahmos capable?

“NEW LAUNCHERS TO EQUIP INDIAN NAVAL SHIPS
The 3S-14E honeycomb-type launcher for the Club-N missile system has been manufactured at the Baltiysky Zavod in St. Petersburg. The launcher will be used to equip the first Project 17 frigate of the Indian Navy currently being built in that country. In total, three ships of this class developed with the St. Petersburg-based Severnoye Design Bureau’s assistance are going through different stages of construction. Previously, Baltiysky Zavod equipped with such launchers three Project 11356 frigates built by the Severnoye Design Bureau. ” Source

Is there any sort of standardization as far as drop tanks are concerned, or does each jet come with it’s own set of tailormade droptanks?

“The Navy has no infrastructure or support system for maintenance and overhaul of the fleet, which also is due for upgrade work on main gearboxes, engines and columns. … The $200 million deal penned with Russian export agency Rosoboronexport in 1999 for the nine helicopters included a service guarantee, which expired in October and has not been renewed.”

Now that doesn’t sound really smart …. :rolleyes:

I’m pretty sure CTOL jet operated by US and French carriers will have better range and payload but how do these limited ranges and payloads of Su-25 and Su-33 compare to range and payload of Yak-39, Yak-41, Sea Harrier, AV-8B, and F-35B? In other words, from the russian perspective, is the glass half empty of half full?

D73 = HMS Cavalier (United Kingdom 1944, WWII Destroyer, Chatham Musuem)
HMS Cavalier Association