The only airfields that and A-50 (or E-3) AWACS aircraft can operate from are those airfields which are equipped to handle such an aircraft. Mostly big airfields, with long smooth runways.

Big AESA radar with various pods/electronics in wing, nose and tail make aircraft even more heavier and hence airlifter is needed for shorter runway. now headphone and confortable ergonomic chair is advanced enough that no need for civil airlines . AWACS also not have windows which is more common with transport . Off course too wide transport like C17/Y20 not suitable.

Point is though if the F-35 is not right because Belgians have no business being in the middle east etc, what is right?

I already post about Italy procurement. now even operating deployment is getting reduced which was basically a static mission. now think of unloading cost of F-35 on Belgium.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-defence-niger/italy-pm-plans-to-shift-military-forces-from-iraq-to-niger-idUSKBN1EI0E2
Italy PM plans to shift military forces from Iraq to Niger

Yeah I doubt that to put it mildly.

it took AdA over 2 years to carry out 2,300 sorties (lets take Iraq and Syria together, because their Syria figures are….small), unless I am wildly off,

https://translate.google.com/transla…hp&prev=search

VKS carried out over 23,000 sorties in a shorter time frame…. https://function.mil.ru/news_page/co…2120736@egNews
Last edited by TR1; 3rd January 2018 at 03:23.

by late August they already approaching 30K fighter sorties. bomber and combat chopper sorties over top of it.

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2017-09-21/extent-russian-uav-use-over-syria-revealed
the grand total of UAV flights has exceeded 14,000. But this is still only half of the total flown by manned Sukhoi combat jets, at 28,000 sorties (for 90,000 air strikes). No statistics have been made available for helicopters, but they are understood to be making as many as 100 sorties daily to fire-support the Syrian troops.

The thing is they are not the only Gulf state doing this, the last twelve months has been a veritable buying spree amongst the Sunni ruled GCC states! They are all putting in big ticket purchases from multiple sources.

last twelve months have been good for energy and metal prices. Pallidium is the star.

In my opinion the penny is finally starting to drop that the Oil is finite and very few of them have properly prepared for life after Oil. Ironically Persian Iran having spent decades outside is sitting on huge reserves of Oil and Gas plus unlike the Arab states has the ability to feed itself due to its large tracts of farmable land.

It does not matter what reserves they are sitting on it. the price of protection and extraction of those reserves going up. the more they remove subsidies the higher the will pay salaries from Pilots to everything else in that economic system.
All those Tu-22M3M/Tu-160M/Tu-95MSM with latest missiles will create the sustainable strike capability.

(Good lord I am starting to sound like JSR!)

yup the slow turn around.

Janes on Kh-50

http://www.janes.com/article/76602/r…cruise-missile

well the missile is stealthy, low altitude cruise, self protection devices, long range and can be carried on long range fast and loitering platforms. what else needed for sustainable round the clock strikes.

why make such statement unless its for entertainment and sarcasm.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201712271060341967-usa-syria-base-blocked/
US Base in At Tanf Fully Blocked by Syrian Troops

The one weapon the Rafale cannot offer is the US B-61 and that IMO is why the German Air Force remain keen on a US airframe.

Germany is too small and too close to France that it does not need separate weopon.