would a modernized MiG-23 still be viable today?
there was a MiG-27 with an AL-31 engine installed..

imagine a MiG-23 with AL-31 and Zhuk-AE radar installed.
however is the operation and maintainance costs higher than the mig-29?

. With that being said, if they have more T-38’s (which I assume they do), and they recently have been upgraded then they will certainly be useful in both jobs. Economics drives everything so it certainly makes sense to retire the type that is present in fewer numbers.

you knew full well they have at least twice the number of T-38s over two seat F-5s, recent mods to the T-38s, and the global number of T-38s far surpassing the number of active two seat F-5s , yet you still persist on using the F-5 instead!?

You know what they say, the best defense is a good offense. PAF needs to concentrate it’s limited resources on offensive platforms like the JF-17. Besides the heavy bomber runway requirement of the J-8 makes it too vulnerable given Pakistan’s lack of strategic depth. JF-17 can take off with 500 meters of runway. It’s basically a cheaper Gripen that the Pakistanis can build themselves.

you need range to be an offensive weapon and neither gripen nor jf-17 has range. gripen NG maybe.

Is this certainly a “Whats Your Favorite Aircraft” Thread? Anyways my Favorite aircraft are:

the person asked favorite aircraft. TWO per Country! you just listed seven for one country.

following the ops request:

US: F-14 and A-7
USSR: Su-35 and Yak-141
Ukraine: An-70 and An-158
Commie China: J-31 and JH-7
Japan C-2 and T-2
Ikea: Tunnan and Viggen (Gripen is really boring)
Great Slavic nation of Poland: w-3 sokol and orlik
Scotland and England: Tornado ADV and Handy J Victor
France: Rafale and Mirage 2000 two seater

sure TF-X in europe can be a reality.
Turkey is already in Europe
.. or is it

I would imagine that photo is an F3H-2, F3H-2N or F3H-2M given the missile rails. Remember that it was only after 1962, that the Demon became the F-3B or F-3C…depending on what it was prior to that time. The Tiger was also the F11F-1 before that date.

I would have to say I think the Tiger is a better looking design than the Demon, but there is no doubt that the Demon was the spiritual successor to the F-4, which was first known as the F4H-1F (later F-4A).

Great thread about a pretty airplane.

looks are subjective but the Super Demon looked much better than the Tiger. the regular demon outlasted the tiger in service.

Of course the US underestimates China’s capabilities. Look at the latest report on China’s military. It basically says everything China develops is stolen from the US through cyber espionage. That basically covers all their future mistakes because if they underestimate again that’s because it had to have been stolen. It also covers everything China develops on its own. So if something new pops up even though no one else has it, they can always say China stole it from them.

long live the cyber warrior who must correct every wrong on China!

they need trainers. the T-38 is a trainer.
they were using their F-5s only for training not for fighting.

Thanks for that superb analysis…

you are very welcome 🙂

they use KT-1s for basic training and T-38s for advance lead in training.
They no longer operate single seat F-5s and there’s no need to operate the two seat version.
further lead in training can be done by two seat variants of their F-16 and the F-4 which is already two seats.
there are only a few number of two seat F-5s left compared to T-38s (which were upgraded recently) and most of those F-5s are used for acrobatic purposes.
the Turkish Air Force is a bit more sensible than to hold on to redundant aircraft they don’t need and don’t suffer from a complex with retro aircraft. They don’t want to waste tax payers money thats why.