@Aspis: The US Army has always believed in ballistic protection as a total concept. And your post on the Apache seems to confirm that thinking.

Against 9mm? It’s not like the Apache will go to rob a bank and face a policeman with his handgun.

On a more jovial note, the US Army provides gear with 9mm ballistic protection to its soldiers. For ex: the US Army produces standard face masks with 9mm ballistic protection. Just send in a few heavily protected soldiers to rob that bank. 😉 An apache will be overkill. 🙂

Almost, but why MiG-25 over MiG-31 ?

Nostalgia maybe 😀

This is that kind of thread. 🙂

The refit of the Gorshkov into the Vikramaditya has been highly costly and risky

It is NOT being refitted in the OEM country, she was built in the Ukraine at the Nikolayev Black Sea shipyard.

They didn’t have correct internal drawings of the ship.

I think you will find the Ski Jump is a British invention but I concede that it doesn’t have much bearing on developments.

Wrong. Nevermind, I will give you proof myself.

Conversion Program Designed by the OEM Designer

The vessel was designed by St. Petersburg’s Nevskoye Design Bureau

The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in December 1998, during a visit by Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, by which India agreed to acquire the carrier and fund a refit & refurbishing program. This program was developed by the Nevskoye Design Bureau and will be carried out at the Severnoye shipyard at Severodvinsk.

The Gorshkov conversion program was designed and developed by the OEM design bureau i.e. Nevskoye Design Bureau 😎

Fedaykin, Where is St. Petersburg? It’s in Russia not in Ukraine and Nevskoye Design Bureau is in St. Petersburg. 😎

These are the main reasons why I said the program is risk-free i.e. technically sound …

Again let me reiterate: the refit is being done by the country that gave the original designs i.e Russia.

The word OEM in this context refers to the meaning “original design source”. That is where the Intellectual Property is.

India wanted a ski-jump and the Mig29K. This meant the Nevskoye Design Bureau who had the IP had to be involved from the start.

There seems to be a lot of cabling that needs to be done. From my source above it says 50% of cabling left. Also officially, sea trials begin in 2011.

He said “Which of the above mentioned fighters/interceptors …”. I can’t see Tu128 there. 😉
Levsha, don’t keep the suspense for too long. Maybe wait for a day, thats it. 🙂

By “airliner style control yoke” you mean something that looks like the steering wheel of a car right?

I doubt that.

Gorshkov conversion program is risk-free because:
– The refit is being done by OEM country, Russia and
– Internal “OEM structural plans” of Gorshkov are available
– Mig29K and Ski-Jump both designed by the OEM country

and biggest advantage:
– Russia would actually prefer to keep the Gorshkov for herself :p

All of these factors make me conclude Gorshkov will be a major force to reckon with.

Israeli Airforce to test IAI-developed Arrow 3 in 2011

Actually the F15E and F18E are pretty new and will have most of their airframe life as of today. So current customers like SK, Australia may add some of the features from the F15SE/F18E-Advanced as MLU’s to their operational F15e’s/F18E’s, while waiting for their F35’s.

For ex: the Conformal Weapon Bay on the F15SE and the new EPE Engine on the F18E-Advanced could be chosen as the MLU features.

Unless Boeing makes a press release we won’t know if there actually are new customers for the F18E-Advanced and the Silent Eagle.