…
Combine 2 awacs working on a beam, ROTH-B, Surface to Air Synthetic Apature Radar, long range infrared scanners, as well as some sweeping fighters and jammers… feed that information into a

Well with all the assets mentioned above, you can buy roughly 30/40 F35… and all carrying bombs 😉

The prob is that some still hve an idea that futur conflict will looks like a techy version of the Rolling thunder campaign with hundreds of planes dodging dozen of enlmy plane and thousands of SAM. Will you ever realize that tommorrow the dozen will turned into hundreds and that the PK of SAM will probably grown by two order of magnitude ? Surviving the threat = avoiding the threat.

Also:

Mirage 2000 shld be split in two categories just like the F15:
Air to air : 2000A or C
AtG: 2000D or N

rgrt

Regarding the effect of force reduction, France has the same problem. I can’t remember however how accute it is compared to Sweden

Why would they keep the flight a secret? Does not make any sense…

Market trend (following the media show). My guess is that there will be more eye following the stock market curves than those out of the flight recorders during this First flight. 😉

It also might looks like more “skunky” to “secretly” test fly something in the wilderness of a desert. I guess it’s part of the thrill of adventure PR want to instigate.

sure. so lets rephrase it as most capable upgraded aircraft that entered service between the 1960s and early 1970s.
that would exclude the MiG-31 which didn’t enter service until the 80s.

One that only a few can think off but that still act like in his prime youth: the Super Etendard Modernisé (the SEM), a rebuilt version of the Etendard IVM of the latte 50’s (that share most of it’s design with the Super Mystère!)

Super Etendard : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault-Breguet_Super_%C3%89tendard

Etendard : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_%C3%89tendard_IV

Otherwise the Phantom still capying the airspace for NATO at such an advanced age impress me most.

.. when you attack someone with a capable AD only.

– – – Updated – – –

For that reason Australia will convert its interim F-18D into Gs after the arrival of the F-35.

Long story short: convert might not be an appropriate word 😉

But essentially, Australia is not Eu. It’s eco sphere is more centered in Pacific with a lot of ressource on its territory.

I might don’t know a lot abt minerals, gas and Oil ressources of Nth but my guess is that it might not be that high.

The fact that new SAM are buit on new platform/new system (not upgrade) tells us that Capable AD will proliferate at a rate unknown until recently. That a thing you can count on. 🙁

It will be expensive, but also very capable.

With less supporting assets (SEAD/DEAD)… which are astronomically expensive…

The problem with that comparison is that you do not have Modernized F-15’s that are specificly designed by the US for air dominance over these flanker types. The US has moved on and in a sense given up on the F-15 platform, this discision was taken during the ATF phase whe proposals of super modified F-15’s were pitted against a clean sheet design (Various options like YF22, YF23 etc etc). The E is a bomb truck and the US is only adding new radards to the F-15 (existing birds) , nothing fancy like modern engines, TVC etc is being contemplated..so we are really comparing different crafts in reality (an F-15 that is OLD vs Super flankers that are spanking new) The US cannot afford to Keep the F-15 family relevant when they have the F-22 fielded and the F-35 that is being developed, especially when there is no demand for it from the services. There is even talk about ditching the mission set of the F-15E Post 2030 and having UCAV’s take over in combination with greater LRS-B’s . The USAF did not seek to hedge its bets and develop a F-15 Super eagle when the F-22 production wound up, they simply stored all the machinery, tooling and specialized equipment in California for long term, even preserving video graphically the making and tooling processes even detailing transcripts from workers that worked on the lines. .. Clearly the US has no match for the Su-35 from its eagle family, but its not because such a weapons system CANNOT be put onto the eagle but because there is no demand for it. Radar is already in development and being upgraded with the APG-82 , also adding the EOTS to the F-15 should be no problem, the technology is there , developed, but there is no demand. The US has long stopped designing its weapons for an eventual war with the USSR and the current developments are based on current and future threat predictions. The F-35 is the first fighter that reflects this change, and the DOD’s trend is to look at them as WEAPONS SYSTEMS in an integrated environment (the NET) , so its a deviation from the Boyd approach of the previous generation which is ticking quite a few people off..but like i said if things heat up in the pacific and the US has to dramitacly change its threat assesments , technology R&D is there and progressing smoothly to develop the next generation products easily (ADVEC/AIDTE – FUNDED, LRS-B – FUNDED, Next generation radards – FUNDED…..) I see no point in comparing the Eagle which is not being developed by the USAF for future with the flanker , whose latest varient is being inducted into the RuAF. Perhaps if some one wants to feel “GOOD” about it and re visit the COLDWAR way of thinking then its OK but both RUSSIA and the US are developing products based on their national defense needs and those needs are no longer mutual and only against one another..The US has the Mid-east and Pacific Pivot to think about, while russia has its own priorities..

– – – Updated – – –

The advancement of BVR missile performance is much faster then that of fighter development. Like i showed earlier, the AMRAAM had gone through 2 revisions/upgrades while the JSF was still being developed and/or tested..The C7 extended the basic AMRAAM range, the D extended the C7’s range by 50% in addition to adding GPS, bi-data links and expanding the NEZ’s..The development is not ending with the D either so expect missiles to get only better…Similar development is going on with the Meteor and expect its future versions to be EVEN BETTER..Expect the Next gen of missiles (Eventual Aim-120 replacement) to be DUAL SEEKER, have faster Data links, dual purpose , overall more lethal weapons…and what the VLO assets such as the F-22 allows you to do is fire a missile from BVR ranges (FIRST SHOT) and then position oneselves for a counter shot while the enemy tries to deal with the missile threat….Such fringing tactics are very lethal agaisnt 4-4.5 generation crafts that give the Raptor huge detection advantage owing to their RCS vis-a-vis the raptor…The raptor pilot need not use his radar in FULL range mode and can use it in LPI modes because it is not afraid of being detected at super long ranges.

very good analysis. thx.