It was already taken out of service this year with only 2 Gripens delivered.

4 Gripens in service now.

I believe the fact that the Cheetah C carries a BVRAAM as a matter of course during it’s career probably makes it the the ultimate Mirage III upgrade.

Rooivalk with Darter V3C.

Anyone want to post Helos with Winders!!??

Rare pictures of the Atlas Aircraft (Denel) XTP1 Beta, a Puma based gunship used in the Rooivalk project, and later as a stand-alone upgrade programme. Note 20mm under cabin floor.

Cape Town. Winelands. Garden Route. Kruger National Park.

Anyone want to post Helos with Winders!!??

Are we talking AIM-9 Sidewinders only in this thread, or generic Sidewinder type missiles that were inspired by the original AIM-9 Sidewinder? Eg: Magic, PL-series, Atoll, Darter, Piranha, Python…..

Out of the three V-Bombers, my vote goes to the Vulcan, since it turned out to be the most adaptable (although there is a large amount of hindsight involved in this judgement, of course).

Whilst I agree with most of your choices, I humbly submit that the Victor was in fact more adaptable than the Vulcan. Apart from it’s original bombing role, it had a strategic recce role and obviously a tanker role. It could carry far more bombs than the Vulcan, could radar map an area the size of the Mediterranean in a single sortie, and lasted in service longer than the Vulcan. In fact, it outlasted the Cold War!

I reckon if only one V-bomber should have been produced, it should have been the Victor.:)

LOL. Show me any country other than the US that is more advanced in national UAV/UCAV programmes. LOL.

Do you know much about China’s various UAV/ACAV programmes, particularly recent developments in larger airframes? You may be surprised, and that is only what has been leaked.

On topic, I think it obvious that the traumatic 1960’s tribulations of the British aviation industry led us to todays scenario. That Britain is still an important player internationally is not in dispute, particularly regarding engines and wings. It would be very feasable technically for Britain to design it’s own fighter jet, but perhaps not fiscally prudent. This stands for most of the larger European countries and Canada.

And that is the whole crux of it.

Only The US, China, Russia, and France are building fighter jets that contain anything approaching 100% indigeneous content. And that is not leaving out Swedens exceptional accomplishments.

Yet it is Ukraine that petitioned NATO to join not the other way around. Curious how powerful that last 10% seem to be!.

Perhaps you could clear something up I dont understand in this situation. 30% of Ukraines population are ethnic Russian and want to split off from the Ukraine to, presumably, form closer ties with Moscow. Why havent the Ukrainian authorities simply pointed them in the direction of Moscow and told them to leave?.

They have clearly renounced any claim to be Ukrainian by their behaviour, displays of mob vandalism at Sevastopol Naval Base etc being next door to treason in my view. If these people claim Russian nationality and want to be Russian, with an offer of reasonable compensation for their land where appropriate, send them to Russia and let them be Russian and be happy!. I live in Reading in the UK and, here, we have a generations established vibrant and thriving Polish community tens of thousands strong….where they to behave in the fashion that these ethnic Russians have done in Sevastopol there would be mass deportations following a huge national outcry. Why is Ukraine tolerating what looks, really, like an attempted Russian annexation of part of its territory?.

Like your country does to British Muslims perhaps?

I didn’t think so… because I thought for a moment you were advocating the forced mass expulsion of 30% of the Ukraines population. You know, ethnic cleansing and all that.:rolleyes: