There is something called “knowledge.”

You can train all the engineers you want but if you don’t have the knowledge it’s kind of pointless.

Iran has currently not displayed the knowledge to design anything as simple as an F-86 Sabre or Hawker Hunter, let alone a 4th-5th generation fighter. It’s “designs” have been direct rip-offs of Western aircraft (F-5, AH-1, Bell 205).

The only exception is the Tazarve trainer and I don’t think that’s even in service yet. And even that used a US engine.

By the way Dassault was in the plane making business since WWI (back when he was known as Marcel Bloch). His company has been around since 1929.

You can imagine that his company has considerable knowledge on how to design aeroplanes.

Also aircraft are more than just airframes – there’s engines, hydraulics, wiring and electronics.

A plane is not difficult to make. France has 65 million population and makes excellent planes. Iran has 75 million population, has thousands of graduate student in the West transferring know how back to Iran, and has working examples such as F-4, F-14, MiG-29 to work with 😎

France has been designing aircraft for over 100 years (do the names Breguet, Bleriot or Farman mean anything?).

Iran has been designing aircraft for 0 (putting twin tails on an F-5E does not count and neither does making a mock up).

Keeping an F-14 flying is a lot different to designing and then manufacturing working aircraft – just ask the Indians with their population of 1 billion and who have been designing and aircraft since 1950s and whose first aircraft were licence produced in WWII).

Why is that talking to fans of Iran is always like talking to 6 year olds?

Baby steps. Aircraft technology hasn’t really progressed since the 1950s, just as gun technology hasn’t really progressed in the early 1900s. One day soon Iran will catch up. And I mean SOON 😎

Huh?

Countries like India are struggling with something as basic as the LCA Tejas. Other countries ala South Korea require extensive expertise from an established manufacturer to build a supersonic trainer.

And both India and South Korea have either built domestic aircraft (HF24 Marut, Kiran) or licence produced foreign ones (MiG-21bis, Jaguar, Su-30MKI, Gnat/Ajeet, F-5E/F, F-16C/D, chunks of F-15).

Yet Iran “will catch up soon”. 😮

I suspect going for Russian Mi-35 or Mi-28s is a far more sensible option for Iraq. Mi-35 is probably the best bang-for-buck gunship you can get with a useful multirole capability.

And just cause it looks like an AH-64 doesn’t make it an AH-64.

Just like putting twin tails on 5 F-5Es and then painting them in Blue Angels colours does not make them F/A-18 equivalent. :diablo:

Why?

Achieving peace with a nuclear armed North Korea is a much better option than going to war with a nuclear armed North Korea.

In case you didn’t know North Korea has been nuclear capable since 2009.

EDIT And even if they don’t use nuclear weapons, the conventional war would be devastating enough – hundreds of thousands of dead and an estimated cost of at least $1 trillion.

South Koreans are actually willing to negotiate without denuclearisation clause (unlike Americans).

I think they’ll do anything to avoid a potentially devastating war.

So does anyone understand where all this idiotic North Korean rhetoric is coming from?

And here’s glorious leader taking a PBR up river thinking “I wanted a mission and for my sins they gave me one.”

F/A-18E/F is a contender in my mind for a few possible reasons:

1. Malaysia has adopted multiple suppliers preference.
2. They already operate F/A-18D
3. A while back there was some discussion of an F/A-18D buyback and RMAF receiving 18 F/A-18E/F. Whilst F/A-18D replacement isn’t mentioned, it is possible for Beoing to offer something along these lines (so 26 x F/A-18E/F to replace MiG-29 AND F/A-18D.

The only fly in the ointment is Singapore’s potential acquisition of F-35.