Because it takes Gripen from ‘a nifty light fighter’ into the class of the F-16, i.e. the most successful fighter of the previous generation, and this at a time when there are no other contenders in the class and a fiscal and strategic environment that is highly favourable to such a platform. Gripen E/F is an elegant, modern, affordable solution for the 21st century, amidst a plethora of other programs that aren’t. It’s really that simple.

+1

The early Gripen were blocked by the Mirage on the market.

Now that the Mirage is gone, the little Grip has grown up to stand on that very same niche and come out of the wood.

The Mirage was not only a nice looking medium sized delta fighter. It was the very end of a concept refined with the years (lost somewhat but still there in the 2K).

There is no coincidence on the fact that the C/D was hard to sell and that now the E/F is a complete success (so far). Some of the things in this world does not change.

six gen aircraft will be modular and cheap.

Yes. To an extend never seen before.

The 777 has three fuel tank assembly’s, one in each wing and one in the centre wing box. the 777-200LR has the option of factory fitting extra tanks in the fwd and aft cargo bays. These are fitted as close to the centre wing box as practical for C of G reasons. (God knows how they get to the air conditioning mixer unit and the recirc fans) There is no fuel tank in the fwd avionics bay.
The 777’s fuselage skin, frames and stringers are made of aluminium alloy. The wing boxes are also made of aluminium alloy Off the top of my head I can’t remember what the fin and stab are made of.
The aircraft has a very large amount of composite bits on it and I should imagine the debris field the day it crashed was huge. After two weeks in the roughest seas on the planet, I should imagine it will be spread very thinly over hundreds of miles.

Rgds Cking

Thx for the info CKing. It was hard to get a clear picture on that matter with only docs available on the net.

The boom still hasn’t been cleared for use yet – despite being several years after Airbus had contracted for the boom to be cleared.

If I do remind well, Airbus did participate in US tanker competition twice…

You are confusing cause and effect. The fact that you can actually describe nations as ‘pro-US’ and ‘anti-US’ indicates the nature and axis of the problem: the US. It is the US which cannot tolerate the existence of nations that differ from itself and seeks to sanction, subvert, overthrow or invade them at any opportunity. It is the US which produced the doctrine “you’re either with us or against us” during the Cold War (recall the US’ demonization of India and the Non-Aligned Movement) and repurposed it for the War of Terror. The only reason Venezuela would be reluctant to consider Gripen is out of justifiable concern that it would be subject in future to precisely the kind of sanctions regime that it faces now, not out of some elemental aversion to ‘made in America’.

I have more in mind what Venezuelans say speaking about themselves than my OHO.

I don’t think that nowadays there is any absolute rationality in that subject… And certainly not any found in Venez .

But you are absolutely right, parting a nation on a Pro or Anti US sens was a stupid shortcuts from myself… But OT we are, don’t we ? 😉

Sandy

Have a look at the checklist again, it dictates we depressurise then descend to below 10,000ft. Descending is secondary. Flight compartment fire dictates we wind the cabin alt forward outflow valve to fully open.

Depressurization is not instantaneous (nobody wants that). Giving time before the descent to the vent system to cope with extracting the air might help in clearing the fumes (pressure differential). Then FL100 for safety.

Initiating the descent before the fumes are fully cleared is how I understand the recommendations on your checklist

LOL

Typical. I am not sure that all involved are in line with your view. But that’s my OHO only

Well i think thats why DAssault proposed contractual offset amounts. AND just to be able to reopen a competition from an originally F-35 dedicated country would be a first. And a message…

To para-phrase an ex-CIA director, if you want to send a message, put it in an envelope. Don’t build a plane around it just to give it some weight.

Also, Slapping LM is quite insulting. Don’t you know that there are as much passionate and competent men an women hard working as you think there should be at MD?