It says retention bonuses of half a million dollar for pilots with maintaince crew over the top of it. It may become multimillion bonuses if US does not invest in bullet trains at same pace as China.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/19/air-force-paying-huge-retention-bonuses-to-fighter-pilots.html

I have read Syaaf has bombed Kurds. If US coalition comes to Kurd rescue it will show to Turkey and the rest only Kurd matters and if does not come than every thing is disposable. Another show down.

But having these strategic assets in Iran and Syria without any A-50s is not good. Terror sponsors have an entire spectrum of assets and Russia needs to be careful…

The radars in Su-35/Su-30SM/Su-34 are very powerfull. there is very less need for A-50 and it is not high intensity aircombat that need command and control.

Also, its high time Russia took a review of the useless sanctions on Iran and take necessary steps for sale of aircrafts to Iran. This will also help in taking pressure off the VKS in Syria. Ppl with little common sense would understand that nations under sanctions are mostly potential buyers of Russian military hardware and it in turn reflects on Russian MICs revenue generation

It is far more efficient that Iran gives business to Russia and Russia bombs every one else for them. Iran can only afford airdefence , electronic warfare, BM missiles upgrades at this point.

I bet Ukraine wishes it still had its nukes. If they did, they wouldn’t have Russian-instigated problems in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.

very few countries in EU has budget and technical ability to maintain nukes. Why you think Ukraine importing fuel for its nuclear plants.

here’s a question, seeing how the Iraqi’s are making good progress against ISIS, does this mean Iraq will send its forces into Syria when they’re done in Iraq?
because the surge of Iranian and Iraqi troops, not to mention the attack helicopters and UAV’s, would likely seal the fate for ISIS and the rebels there
combined with the Russian air campaign it would certainly be a potent air force

they already involved when same person is moving around in two countries organizing forces.

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160701/1042304070/iraq-daesh-shiite-forces.html
Elites of the Persian Gulf countries see Soleimani as a threat. Saudi TV channel “Al Arabiya” or Qatari “Al-Jazeera” talk about “the Iranian chief saboteur” showing his images where he is talking with the soldiers of Hezbollah in Syrian Latakia or leaning over military maps in the suburbs of the Iraqi Fallujah

I think Ruaf deployment in Iran is more related to Irak/Iran than Syria.

Why still limit the payload of Tu-22M to 12x250kg bombs or 6x500kg bombs since they are now flying from Iran?

more likely training missions and lighter load give loitering time incase UAV finds new targets. but I think will start using heavier loads.

might the RuAF deploy the T-50 to Syria?
it’s quoted as being “combat ready” in this article
http://sputniknews.com/military/20160813/1044240817/russia-defense-fighter-jet-military.html
if deployed as air cover, it certainly would make Turkey and Israel think twice about attacking SAA/RuAF again
or pose a major obstacle to any interventionist dreams Saudi Arabia might havewould be an excellent testing ground
imagine if the F-35 was sent into combat before being ordered in large numbers 😀

actually Russia will welcome Saudi intervention to drag into the mud of Syria. The airstrikes are designed in such way to create public image of wide destruction to put internal pressure on Saudis to act.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438793/
These developments are a strategic calamity for the United States. Instead of sidelining Wahhabi extremists and diversifying its economy, the House of Saud will now double down on fear of modernity. That means more social stagnation and more Islamic extremism. Putin wants it that way

Turkey/Israel/Jordan are not real countries. there modern existence is due to Saudi petro dollar.

I doubt F-16 can be quickly supplied as LM will put most of workers on F-35 project and F-16 is not low cost either. than there is India obsorption capacity of another fighter when they dealing with M2K and MIG-29UPG. Teja is another in the line. private sector not much skill as they need either.