Its big report on drone crash data for past 10 years. crash rate is far worse than 30 year old used F-16 let alone twin engine fighters. and that’s not even air to air war where fighters are laden with EW equipment.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2014/06/20/when-drones-fall-from-the-sky/
A limited ability to detect and avoid trouble. Cameras and high-tech sensors on a drone cannot fully replace a pilot’s eyes and ears and nose in the cockpit. Most remotely controlled planes are not equipped with radar or anti-collision systems designed to prevent midair disasters.
•Pilot error. Despite popular perceptions, flying a drone is much trickier than playing a video game. The Air Force licenses its drone pilots and trains them constantly, but mistakes are still common, particularly during landings. In four cases over a three-year period, Air Force pilots committed errors so egregious that they were investigated for suspected dereliction of duty.
•Persistent mechanical defects. Some common drone models were designed without backup safety features and rushed to war without the benefit of years of testing. Many accidents were triggered by basic electrical malfunctions; others were caused by bad weather. Military personnel blamed some mishaps on inexplicable problems. The crews of two doomed Predators that crashed in 2008 and 2009 told investigators that their respective planes had been “possessed” and plagued by “demons.”
•Unreliable communications links. Drones are dependent on wireless transmissions to relay commands and navigational information, usually via satellite. Those connections can be fragile. Records show that links were disrupted or lost in more than a quarter of the worst crashes.

how it will know when to drop the tanks. and if Flanker refuse to fight in tail chase engagement EF range without ET will be greatly reduced. Flanker can still turn around for fight. there is no evidence of RCS with 6 AAMs that will make difference against all kind of radars.

That Flanker looks like a relic from the 1980s. I presume it’s a Su-27S or ‘P’ – not even a modernised ‘SM’? In which case that flanker in the picture probably hasn’t got an advantage upon the typhoon’s predecessor, the Tornado F3, certainly regarding radar and BVR missiles.

Russia thinking is the obsolete fighter enough to deal with EF as this area is not that far air defence coverage so no need for radar use.

How could MiG-35 be operational in Iraq by now if production has slipped to 2016? Never mind. It’s JSR.

That is production for Ruaf if they want to order. Export version are much less sophisticated and come way earlier in production. look at MIG-29K first flight and its delivery to RuNavy. see Su-27SM vs Su-30MKK history.

First off, the Mig-35 is not yet in production as Mig is still working on the design. So there is no price to compare to the F-16IQ. Second, as has been explained, if you cared to look up what the contract specified, 150 million is not the flyaway of the F-16. The original FMS request included:
.

MIG-35 is fully certified production plane. and it will not come with obsolete weopons like AIM-9L/M/AIM-7 etc.

http://www.ato.ru/content/radars-india-and-other-customers
Will your proposed solution be based on the Zhuk-AE radar?

— The Zhuk-AE AESA radar, which we proposed as part of Russia’s bid in the Indian MMRCA tender in 2010, is a production item. This means there would be no critical issues that could affect series production. We are currently designing an all-new 3D AESA radar but we need another 1.5 to two years before we can launch its series production. The problem is not creating the 3D transmit/receive modules [TRM], which we already have. At the moment we are focusing our efforts on making all components located behind the array, i.e. the power sources, the steering devices, and so on, as thin and compact as the array itself.

Firstly a block 52+ is not a downgraded block 52. The + designation came about to account for the surprising amount of changes that were introduced to the airframe in that Block. There is a strong argument that the Block 52+ should of got a new block number. So you are wrong about that.

I am fully aware about the operational advantages the F-16 has benefitted from but that doesn’t take away it’s impressive kill count. If the situation was reversed old JSR would be huffing and puffing if we pointed that out.

Clear advantage goes to mig 35? Based on what? The paper capabilities of its airframe, engine and missile combination?….don’t make me laugh!

:very_drunk:

is Block52+ gets newest IRST?
MIG-35 is 90% unified with MIG-29K. which is in production and is fully certified. Structure is fundamentally sound with up to 5 fuel tanks tested. production rate is increasing. lower wing loading, higher TWR, higher altitude cruising. contribute to decisive advantage energy to both air to air and air to ground strike weopons.

it is even lighter than MIG-29SMT.

http://www.janes.com/article/36742/russia-orders-more-mig-29smt-fighters
The airframe of the MiG-29SMT is, however, the original 9.12/9.13 ‘Flanker’ airframe, rather than the newer, lighter, 9.15 aluminium-lithium alloy airframe of the MiG-29M.

I kind of agree with Tu22m. The Yanks would be better off sending those planes and the military support they planned to send to the al-Maliki regime to the Kurds. The Kurdish Peshmerga seem to be the only disciplined military force in Iraq that doesn’t run away from a buch of thugs driving techincals. It was amazing to see the kind of gear the Iraqi army just abandoned as it ran away. They had armored cars, APCs and even Tanks and they just abandoned that equipment and their arsenals and ran away. You could drive a T-72 up to one of those ISIS technicals and crush it without having too much to fear from an RPG-2 or even an RPG-7. If the new citizens militia really manages to beat off the ISIS the abject humilitaion of al-Maliki and of the Iraqi army will be complete.

Iraki army has same problem that Syrian army. In Middleast you cannot have all inclusive military. backstabbing very common.
Kurds don’t have such problem.

You think he expected the fight?

I think if he did he would have supplied the heavy weapons right from the start and not waited until recently.

There is no need to supply heavy weopons or cross the border. Ukraine is defence less against Ruaf airstrikes.
Putin allowed Pro EU government in Ukraine. (that’s why he accept the election result) so European Union can spend there limited funds in that hole.