Will the H2 and the H4 go on the Rafales or Eurofighters? That’s the key. I am not sure if the French would be willing to let the PAF alter the FCS and the radar to let the H2 and the H4 be operational on the PAF Rafales. On the other hand, the Eurofighter being a consortium is probably more inclined to let the individual user choose the weapon package. It would an interesting site to see an EF2k with H2 and H4 hanging from them. I wonder if the H4 will be semi recessed or not.

Originally posted by seahawk
According to some french posters, Rafale is sold at 47 mill Euros – rougly 55 Mill $

Maybe that’s what they charge the French Forces but for export, the price should be much higher especially for the Rafale export version.

Either way, the IN has chosen the Mig-29K as its future… for better or worse. I would have loved to have seen the Raf in IN colors mais c’est la vie n’est pas?

Originally posted by brenmcc1
wow cool ghost

Yeah, I got that just for Halloween but decided to keep it longer cuz it’s kinda cool and I can’t find anything new that’s cooler. So for now, the dancing ghost stays…

Well, having the US as Number 1 and another country as Number 2 doesn’t really capture the nature of the overwhelming and disparate capability the US air arms have over every other country.

For that list to make any sense, either have the US broken up as the USAF and the USN or keep the US off the list. In data analysis terms, the US is an outlier with enough weight that skews the rest of the data points.

I would just leave the US off the list and just say “Hey, we know the US is the uber air force, there’s no need to have the obvious pointed out.”

NAVAIR is larger and more capable than 95% of other countries’ air forces. The USN is a separate “air force” in itself. It has made itself quite distinct as an independent arm. That’s why I think it’s appropriate to have the USN as a different entity.

Just like the other thread “Who is the best AF in Asia?” The clear answer to that question is also the USN.

1) USAF
2) USN
3) IDFAF
4) VVS
5) PLAAF

The order for 4 and 5 are debatable. Depends a whole lot on if the Russians can get their act together and on if the PLA can continue to spend money like a “drunken sailor” without economic repercussions.

But my off the record line would be to have the PLAAF over the VVS.

Hate to break it to ya buddy but those F-16s are antiques now.

What’s its role?