I’d rather see 20000 NATO peacekeepers drop into the Ukraine than fake a response.

Those that you expect are probably alrdy deployed all over Crimea… But still wearing unidentified uniforms. :rolleyes:

I don’t think so. FAC will needs its fighter asap. Unless a leasing offer comes from Sweden (obviously possible), every option are open and staged at the same level (Fr/UK included).

Don’t forget also that Colombia responsibilities span over a vast area of maritime spaces and accepted risk of small arm fire damages.
Boeing has everything to play here:
– redundancy of system (twin)
– commonality with USCG/Counter_Narco assets
– Vast range with offensive payload with a credible survavibility rate over SAM double digits*
– Large in-service force
– Predictable low cost parts at long term (the stored F18E/F in 20 years – Navy will predictably have switch to fully a stealth fleet)
– Predictable low cost fleet boost
– Known salty env. behavior (F404 as opposed to Kfir’s J79)
– A big aircraft to easily accommodate in-house upgrades
– Superior to anything flying in the area (close the Su gap / assume the over the Pacific role / assume the Caribbean role and boost your reliability as a strong partner in the region)
– Twin seat aircraft: boost the number in-service of flying personnel without the cost of extra hardware (the Indian’s Su30 strategy)

Don’t take me wrong, there is plenty of advantage toward a synergy with Br, what I have alrdy advocated in the past. However there is here an opportunities for Boeing (as for the Fr or even UK here if they keep there golden bullets salesmen away). Even if Boeing might be the one to be able to deliver faster an overall package**.

*The Gripen being not “really” combat proven.
**Boeing could also offer to “buy-back” the Kfir for a latter re-sale on the US aggressor market

Colombian Kfir grounded

Note: here is an oportunity for Boeing

@Hallow:

– I guess that “F2” stand for the Japanese jet
– Clement Ader never really flew.

[…]

I think a clue may be that the front half of the ball appears to be bare metal.

As it was also present in photo’s taken of the model when it was pole mounted, perhaps it’s some form of target reference, used for calibration of range instrumentation ?

Perhaps just a removable radar reflector to prevent any third party RCS assessment.

with long range and large payload, although studies indicated that with internal weapons carriage and very clean aerodynamic design, it was able to outrun many contemporary fighters at low level.

I wonder why we still have to read all those F35 bashing regarding internal fuel/EFT, range or internal weapon bay.

A bit off topic, but with regards to the comments on the Zero I agree. It’s not often mentioned, and indeed much of the credit goes to designs such as the Hellcat, Corsair, and Mustang, but once the proper tactics were put into place much more common early war fighters, now available in improved variants, namely the F4F Wildcat and P-40 Warhawk, were able to compete with the Zero and gain favorable results.

Ppl fails to understand that what made the Zero what it was is its light weight and superior aerodynamics (at the time).

In UK and US for example, to have the same mass ratio, ppl were designing short fighter with a lot of drag induced by the the bottle neck effect of the short rear fuselage.

With nearly (from my memory and ultra simplified) 1000kg less in mass for the same power, the Zero was streamlined and got a 360° vision canopy. However it was built with ultra light material, no protection (this is fairly well known) and nearly 1000 parts more engineered in a sophisticated material.

That nbr of parts made the cost and ease of production the Achilles heel of the Japanese. The Italian had exactly the same prob but with even a lower level of tech with their Macchi’s.

Of course, the overall result didn’t come only from the above. But on an engineering point of view, that’s what mattered teh most.

Unless if you fly higher… Much higher.

Virgin Galactic SS2 reaches 4K kph alrdy 😉

on one level its all very straight forwards, Typhoon replacement and UCAV with the french and F35 replacement with the US….

Competition is good. That’s what the Eu industry needs: a shot of capitalism 😉