The problem is RD-33 and RD-93 has about a 200kg gearbox and starter package that isn’t included in the weight, but is needed for installation.

That helps make sense of why a MiG-35 advert bothered to point out a new — and presumably lighter — gearbox/starter package.

But every cloud has a silver lining: for Canada deferment means that it should be clearer what F-35 will cost to procure and operate before a decision on procurement is made, allowing a better informed decision to be made. If it becomes clear that F-35 will not be the budget-draining monster it currently promises to be, then it could be a wise choice for Canada. If the pattern of the last 10 years persists and there are more delays to development and procurement and projected operating cost remains very high, it could be a stupid choice for Canada.

Indeed, the schedule has been pushed so far out that — incredibly — the Canadian government might find itself assessing F-35 as a reality rather than a slick Powerpoint presentation. Exactly what that reality will turn out to be is unclear, but the fact that so many have worked so hard to obfuscate it to date is telling. Kudos to Canada for having political institutions responsible and accountable enough, and civil institutions engaged enough, to produce this outcome.

!
http://vimeo.com/105478034

A little long, but great footage and sound design/editing. Thanks for the link.

The advantages of subsonic AShMs (particularly modern ones with low RCS, wave-skimming, exhaust suppression) are clear and compelling. My question, for proponents of such systems, is whether they believe there is any target or niche for which supersonic AShMs are superior. One answer that intuitively suggests itself is when engaging a time-sensitive or mobile target from a distance and with non-persistent target fix, but I’m not sure how significant the ‘search box’ problem really is.

I was just throwing out some old papers and came across an intriguing artifact of the past: the 2000 Australian Defence White Paper.

Page 86: “We need to address the future of our air combat capability after the F/A-18 aircraft reach the end of their service life between 2012 and 2015.”

Page 87: “Provision has been made in the Defence Capability Plan for a project to acquire up to 100 new combat aircraft to replace both the F/A-18 and F-111 fleets. Acquisition is expected to start in 2006-07, with the first aircraft entering service in 2012.”

Page 93: “Alternatively, the best option [to replace the F-111, anticipated for retirement 2015-2020] may be specialised strike variants of air-combat aircraft. This would allow the replacement of the F-111 by the same type of aircraft as we buy to follow the F/A-18, which would result in large savings in operating costs.”

Of course, as it happens the F-111 had to be retired somewhat earlier than anticipated, but this only strengthens the need to make the right choice in that 2006-2007 period for deliveries from the early 2010s. And knowing what we do about where prospective aircraft programs stood at that time, there are only three responsible candidates available:

1. Rafale
2. Super Hornet
3. Strike Eagle (F-15SG standard)

Outlying contenders in any responsible analysis would’ve been Typhoon (multirole capability roadmap a problem) and Gripen NG (insufficiently developed, but potentially an affordable F/A-18 replacement complementing SH or F-15SG as F-111 replacement).

F-35 — currently scheduled for RAAF IOC in 2020 — should never have got within a mile of Australian service.

Here is a thread on the subject from that blissful era before Mountain showed up.

In short, if finances permit, JF-17 will be the PAF mainstay in 2025, complemented by smaller numbers of F-16s and J-31s. If finances do not permit, scrap J-31 and retain some older aircraft.

J-31 sharing WS-13 engine with JF-17 will help with affordability. The engine itself could well be cheaper than current RD-93 too.

^ Fencer is an ugly bird, but that’s a good shot. Great B-1 shot above also, pity about the targeting pod ruining those graceful lines.

That photo and many more on flickr: https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=valiant%20shield

Great stuff, thanks!

It’s ‘kowtow’, by the way. It’s oddly fitting that a cultural reactionary like yourself would appropriate words from a foreign land without acknowledging or even knowing it.