The simple fact of the matter is that any figure becomes a meaningless totem in a situation where both the national GDP and defence needs vary year on year or even month on month.

Everyone with a particular axe to grind for or against can find some statistic somewhere which will support his/her particular viewpoint.

This topic has scant relevance to an aviation forum unless you’re an economist – or perhaps a military/industrial complex spokesman…

It is in some way it is about personal views only and there can be no other way for “desk-top-warriors” . The related time scale demands the same generation at least, when it still ignores the overall efficiency in different missions. Some design were battle tested, when others are not. Till the 80s the fighter role (here A:A) pushed that to the limits in agility. All the fourth generation ones differ in smartest weapon/avionic-system and some stealth treatment and you can find some curious 4+++ designations of questionable value. Today the question is, who can outfight the opponent and no longer who can outfly the opponent. Today some lower rated fighters with smart ugrades are deadly opponents again.
When the Korean War in the 50s gave the impression that future air-warfare will high up related to the medium to heavy bomber threat, the further local wars did show, that it was low level to medium at best, where the bomb-loaden fighter-bombers or strikers are to find. Supersonic capability was of limited value except for the interceptor role and all air-superiority fighters stay well below Mach 1,5 there with a small AAM load only. Even the Raptor has limited opportunities to make use of his supersonic capabilities.
As SOC quoted, the Congress did learn it first before the USAF. Even the Russians did learn it with their MiG-31, which was/will be run at Mach 0,85 most of the time.

Quite right. Especially the point about older fighters with modern upgrades. I made the point some time ago on the missiles forum that micro-technology – or even nano-tech – is the thing to keep our eyes on.

I am convinced that significant upgrades/add ons will be available in future with minimal negative or even positive space/weight implications. In all fields – engine performance, teleguidance, stealth, you name it – it will be possible to uprate an existing design to achieve performance way beyond the original concept.

However, this is a point which does not apply uniquely to ‘fighters’.

OH NO, those pesky South Americans, buying fighters… OH MY…
Why would some pacific coffee planters need combat jets?!!! :rolleyes:

Get yourself a decent history book and you will discover that South America has been “playing” the “border war tune” for two centuries… And for a few times those “border wars” were a multinational “can of worms”.
In 1995, Peru and Equador were at each other throat´s, in 1982 there was a thing called “Malvinas war”, etc…

Get yourself a decent sociology book and you will discover that there are far better and more urgently needed things Brazil could be spending $2billion+ on.

Much as though I am interested in planes, that doesn’t stop me, at least, from seeing the broader picture.

Let’s face it, Brazil is just following the example of many African nations whose régimes make military strutting a top priority while their people starve.

Rather distasteful, in my view.

Can anyone please tell me why Brazil – or any other S. American nation – needs state of the art interceptors?

Uruguay about to invade, is it..? Or, maybe they make good spray planes for use in anti-malarial programmes..?

Damn, silly me, just twigged… they’ll use the afterburners to ready-dry-roast all those coffee beans….

Anybody in here who knows the context of this photograph ? 🙂

Sure:

Another of our pilots is missing, presumed married…

It could be (though a tenuous suggestion) that Robin in HMS Victorious context could have that the Robin was England’s national bird, until the currency changes when our Farthing (which had a Robin on it) was withdrawn. Still, I’ll leave it at that- Trivial Pursuits…

Ah, yet another dodgy bit of ID-ing. That’s your chance of heading up the Observer Corps gone west.

The bird on the back of the farthing was not a Robin but a Wren.

Wrens?… at sea? It’ll never happen, I tell you…