Mar 2003 invasion of Iraq. Iraqis started lobbing Silkworms from Umm Qusar at Kuwait City and still managed to get thru. Goes to show how difficult it is to intercept cruise missiles despite a full alert status (and these are just Styx copies fired at random).

I have encountered references to the ADS as project Sakariga. Is this correct?

Well, everyone mentioned political will. But I think it is also operational requirements. There isn’t any pressing operational requirements for a one trick stealth machine like the F117 to justify building one.

The heavy US investment in stealth technology was driven by the need to find a way to effectively penerate Soviet Union/Warsaw pact airdefense. The planes themselves was never cost-effective since only so few was built in either case. But they had the requirements and the political will / support to execute it.

Question, couldnt they obtain SA-7s if they could smuggle weapons regularly?

It would not be a first, the IRA was involved in the plan to build surface to air missiles with IR homing in the 1980s. I think it had to do with Irish-American’s as they had access to the motors.

I am sure Bin laden was/is a excellent skipper! I mean what boy hasnt tried to skip stones on water :O

this is just the armed forces getting in on the act in all the frenzy, they would be better served to use the money to employ more “intelligence men” (differs from men with intelligence as the “iraq can bomb us within 40min” claim has proven.)

I don’t see these subs are directly effective against AQ or OBL type terrorists unless they start to camp along the coast.

No, these subs are there (other than a normal SSN type hunterkiller mission) for crawling around NK, China and Iran’s coasts.

I do not comment on aviation matters but as I understand, the WS10A is China’s equal to the AL-31P with some improvements. It is probably more important as PLAAF regards the J11 and the J10 as primary platforms.

For the FC-1, credible domestic alternatives exist (Qinling?) but perhaps for ‘friendship’ reasons as well as the above reasons they can afford outsource the engine to the Russians. It is not that critical to PLAAF as they need the J11 and J10 more now (and thus the engines) and the immediate future than a need to buy more FC-1s.

hey, what happen to the photos?

BTW, the Y-8 AWAC appears to be the AVIC Y8-F200 with registration number B-576L. Wearing the same blue color marking of AVIC.

Take it from me the problem is overstated, IMO. If the system is a closed design, it can be tested extensively and most importantly, only essential services run.

You are more likely to encounter harddisk corruptions as a result of using COT harddisk. (something that can be solved by using SSDs)