The actual report said new radars and ugraded engines.

The TF-30 was a very problematic engine anyway, that took years and tears just to get to an acceptable level. I’d imagine that with some outside help, some “hot parts” and components could be manufactured. Some of these may even be optimised. The engine control systems could probably be modernised. The Iranians received their Tomcats over 30 years ago now, so there is scope for upgrading. I really can’t see a new engine unless their fleet was large enough …. say 30 plus airframes? Otherwise, it would make sense just buying one of the 2 seater Sukhoi Flanker models.

The radar on the other hand is interesting. If they had a usably sized fleet, perhaps a new radar would be a good thing. I doubt many, if any Phoenix missiles are still operational, so perhaps a radar optimised for medium range engagements, but benefitting from being far more modern and with fewer Mean-Time-Between-Failures would be a sensible option. Many nations before have upgraded an aerodynamically-still-competitive airframe with a new radar in this manner.

My opinion would be that unless they have a decent amount of airframes, what would the point be, short of an airborne control role?

I have some basic info of the F1-M53 at home with some measurements and weights that I will post tomorrow morning.

One drop tank (450 Gal) gives the Gripen NG an extra range of approximately 1000 km.

That sounds pretty optimistic. That would be over 1 mpg, which I highly doubt.

Perhaps you have made an elementary mistake here? The gallon as measured by the US is not the same as the gallon as measured by the UK.
US gallon = 3.8 litres
Imperial gallon = 4,5 litres

This is why the rest of the entire planet has metricated.;)

Fantastic!

I was wondering when a deep upgrade/redesign of the Super Frelon would happen, and sort of knew it would be China doing it in the end, seeing as France have basically given them licence rights and lost all interest in the design.

I’ve always thought an upgraded/redesigned Super Frelon, with 3 engines in the 2000hp class instead of the original 3 engines of 1300 to 1500hp, perhaps a redesigned rotor or more modern rotor blades, local strengthening, and some aerodynamic and avionics tweaks would make a very competitive helicopter.

Any Chinese speakers out there got any further details of the engines? I see this has a maximum takeoff weight of almost a ton more than the original Super Frelon.

Thanks Scorpion.

Does anyone have an inkling what those “modifications” will be on the first flyer? Possibly tweaks to the flight control system?

Ask him what it did to the life of the engine. 😉

You have no information on the design solutions used to acheive this extra thrust. There may have been a redesigning of the compressor, the blade shape or manufacturing casting process…… different metalurgical solutions for all we know, over and above the original.

Let us be wise and try and stick to the hard facts, not assumptions.

=HAWX ace;1528861]
Needless to mention the unprecedented at that time HMS and IRST, not to be found in any (or just a handful) western airctaft?

No, it was not; the US Navy never adopted it, it was too primitive. The first US operational HMS was in Army’s Apaches. Check your sources.

Still, even if I take your claim for granted, why no other later fighter did not adopt any HMS system untill JHMCS appeared? Tres bizzare, no?

South Africa had the first HMS that was adopted in squadron service, on the V3 series AAM, if you exclude the relatively primitive earlier USN first effort that was not taken into service.

The V3A, with HMS, was already out of SAAF service in 1978, production having switched to the V3B.
In fact, the South African HMS and subsequent later Soviet HMS may be more similar than you think……