Main:
-Russian Option: Su-37 Super Flanker(AA, Anti-Shipping, Strike, Reconnaissance, SEAD, CAS, etc) + Su-39 Frogfoot(CAS, Strike, Air Defense, Anti-Shipping, etc)(Operated by the Army)
Su-37: Since I have so few Aircraft types in my Airforce, most of them are pretty cheap to buy and cheap to maintain so they can easily be supported. I can easily waste some money on something more expensive and capable as the Su-37 and to be used on something else besides Air Superiority. It can be armed with longest ranged Anti-Shipping Missiles and Air-to-Surface ordinance that combined with it?s range, it is as good as a Tu-22M Bomber.
Su-35: It would be used by the Army in their Close Air Support needs and also be used for Strike. It can also adopt secondary roles of Air Defense and Anti-Shipping because it can be armed with such weapons like R-77M-PD, R-73M2 and Kh-35.
OR
Cheap only Defence Option: S-400 Long Range SAM(Air Defense)(Operated by the Airforce) +
Su-39 Frogfoot(Heavy CAS, Strike, Air Defense, Anti-Shipping, etc)(Operated by the Army)
Since most of my Airforce is cheap to purchase, maintain and support, I can easily afford one or two expensive weapons such as the Su-37. The last option is only self-defence, emplying a Long Range SAM + Su-39 Frogfoot multirole striker to support it.
-K-8 Karakorum(Basic & Advanced Training, COIN, Helicopter Hunting, Drug Interdiction, Border Patrol, Airbase Defense, etc)
This is probably the cheapest jet trainer out there that can be bought in large numbers and is cheap, very simple and easy to operate and on top of all can be used for wide array of missions. It can be used for Helicopter Hunting/Airbase Defense by arming it with maximum of 4 R-73M2s and in the COIN and Drug Interdiction role it can be armed with Kh-29T, Vikhr and many other weapons.
-S-80TD/TP(Maritime Patrol, Drug Interdiction, Light Transport & Cargo, Troop Transport, Airborne Assault, Search and Rescue, Training, Limited Anti-Shipping & Strike, Pilot Training)
A great nice light transport that?s also very versatile. Besides being a transport, it has good avionics and radar and is armed with weapons like Kh-29T, Kh-35 AshM, Vikhr ATGM, R-73 for self defense and other stuff which opens it up for new capabilities. It?s cheap to buy and requires minimal maintenance.
-H-60 Variants(ASW, Anti-Shipping, Cargo, Drug Interdiction, C/SAR, Cargo, Utility, Transport, Special Operations, Medical Evacuation, etc)
Very versatile and capable helicopter that comes in many different versions. Comes in many different variants and is cheap to maintain.
-Il-76MF Candid(Heavy Transport & Cargo, Airlift, etc) + Il-78M Midas(Tankage)
A very reliable and capable plane. By operating two similar types, you greatly reduce maintenance, support and other costs.
-EMB-145SA/RS(Airborne Early Warning & Control, Airspace Management, Border Surveillance & Control, Sea Surveillance, Search & Rescue Coordination, Signals/Electronic/Communications Intelligence, Ground Surveillance, etc)
A very good plane with good radar that can perform wide array of missions. Affordable too.
1)Airforce Cost Savings in Maintenance, Support, Weapons, etc:
-There are 7 different aircraft types OR6 different types + 1 SAM.
I)Su-37 + Su-39(2 types of aircraft)
OR
S-400 + Su-39(1 type of aircraft + SAM)
II)EMB-145 comes in the RS and SA versions(1 type of aircraft)
III)K-8 Karakorum(1 type of aircraft)
IV)S-80 comes in TD and TP versions(1 type of aircraft)
V)Il-76 comes in the Il-76MD transport version and the Il-78M Tanker version(1 type of aircraft)
VI)H-60 comes in SH-60 Naval version and the UH-60 land version(1 type of aircraft)
-There are not many weapon types in my inventory
I)Su-37, Su-39, K-8 Karakorum and S-80TD/TP use the same weapons. S-80TD/TP uses R-73M2 for self defense while K-8 Karakorum uses it for Helicopter Hunting, Airbase Defense and Self-Defense. K-8 Karakorum uses Kh-29T and Vikhr for COIN, Drug Interdiction and Training while S-80TD/TP uses it for Drug Interdiction, Airborne Assault and Limited Strike. Meanwhile S-80TD/TP is also wired for Kh-35 supersonic Anti-Shipping missiles for limited use, the K-8 Karakorum is also wired for other weapons such as unguided bombs and rockets, machine guns and etc. The Su-35 uses all those weapons plus many, many others
II)The H-60 Variants, notably the SH-60 Naval version use obviously different weapons such as Torpedoes and special helicopter Anti-Shipping missiles.
-Weapons of Interest
I)H-60 Variants(AAM: FIM-92_ Stinger – AshM: AGM-119B Penguin – ASW: Mk50 Torpedos – ASM: Joint Common Missile)
II)K-8 Karakorum(AAM: R-73M2 – ASM: Kh-29T, Vikhr & other weapons)
III)S-80TD/TP(AAM: R-73M2 – AshM: Kh-35 – ASM: Kh-29T, Vikhr)
IV)Su-39(AAM: R-73M2, R-77M-PD – AshM: Kh-35 – ASM: all kinds)
V)Su-37(AAM: R-73M2, R-77M-PD, KS-172/K-37M – AshM: Yakhnot, Kh-35 – ASM: all kinds)
2)Dependability
-Besides also saving lots of money by operating very few types, I have also taken into consideration not to depend on single source of weapons. As you can see my weapons mix consists of American, Brazilian, Chinese and mostly Russian.
Also Optional/Secondary:
-SAMs are secondary
S-400(Long range SAM)
BUK-M1(Medium range SAM)
TOR-M1(Short range SAM)
Tanguska-M(Short range SAG)
S-400 is arguably the best longer ranged SAM in the World and the only thing that comes close to it is the S-300 series and the PAC-2. It is a generation ahead of them and would only be bought in smaller numbers since it can cover such a huge area of air space. I also chose BUK-M1 and TOR-M1 because their commonality with their Russian cousin the S-400 could somehow reduce some costs and they are also probably the best medium and short ranged SAMs in the World. All these SAMs come in affordable prices compared to pricey Western counterparts.
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