Is the F-35 more comparable with the F-15 in many ways?

IMHO you have to look to things like Tornado, Su-17, Jaguar or if you want something more modern of F/A-18 and JH-7 and you would be surprised as the performance numbers fit well.
F-35 wing load, maximum speed, range are those of a modern,very advanced strike fighter not of an A2A bird.

I have noticed this too. One possibility is that they are taking off before targets are identified, so they are expecting some loiter time. At least this would make sense for CAS missions.

It could be a simple cost analysis. Why go to the complexity and expense of laser/TV guidance if you can achieve the desired effect with cheaper ordinance?

Thank for reply, I had almost the same idea.

So, they do so to capitalize at maximum level the possibility of coordination with troops on the ground: leaving at the SU-34 to deal with the deep strike missions on predetermined targets.
All agree with this?

About the guided bombs, I have no idea of the different price of the different types of KAB bombs.
May be they use this occasion to deplete existing stock of a weapon they have discontinued buying.
In every case the mix is both impressive and confusing: SADARM type cluster bombs, high drag free fall bombs, old Kh-25 missiles with heavy multirole fighters used only in A2A role and the heaviest asset of all carring only two bombs most of time.

Certainly they can’t be accused anymore of operational rigidity and lack of innovative thinking like in the old soviet times.

I think, one: The Russians do not want their planes to spend time in the air that is not necessary. If a plane is shot down now it would be a very bad thing.

Two: I think the Russians figure that what is needed is not “surgical” strikes to showcase some kind of superior technology, but rather tonnes and tonnes of explosives to grind those butchers to pieces.

To be honest, a few months back I advocated the use of B1s and B52s by the west to carpet bomb entire areas of Iraq and Syria and blow those backwards *******s to oblivion.

I totally understand this approach.

It must be my english but seems me that you have reached conclusions completely opposite to my own.

First , if they doesn’t want to stay in air too long and drop as much ordnance as they can, why to carry fuel tanks,in a plane that has lot of autonomy in itself like the Fencer?
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It is because of the not so high precision of satellite guided bombs compared to unguided ones plus a modern targeting device on the lower side and the more precise laser and TV ones on the other end that they has not purchased them in great numbers.
In their assestment they concluded that such kind of weapons doesn’t offer any practical advantage over the combined use of the two others attack methodologies but now they seems to have changed idea.

I will just post it my two cents and after it I will advice all to take that interesting and intelligent political discussion to the section where it belong to.
The great difference and the main weakness of US politics in the middle east is its lack of both a deep knowledge of its internal dynamics and even more the absence of a real vested interest in it.
Not first time however, comparing this situation with Vietnam is absolutely correct but almost in that case there was a worldwide ideological confrontation going on, so every time it was US against THEM.
Now situation is much more blurred, there is a common enemy for both the contenders but in this case the other part has, thank to their deeper link with the country a way greater knowledge of the situation , and has (Iran and all the Shiites above all) much more at stake.
Honestly, the permanence of Bashar al Assad as Syria’s president is such a danger for the West? Enough for refusing to put on a common effort to beat ISIS?
Or is just that USA take this as an excuse because it just doesn’t want others to take care, even also in a common, concerted effort, of the problems it was unable to solve by itself?

Is that for me or the Author and is it worth anything? I could use my winnings to buy some meat for halloweene!

For the Autor obviously as he has putting as a title something that was cristal clear from the same inception of program.
For Halloweene I don’t know about it but for All Saints day we usually go back to our place of origin, pray for ours old ones and made a great family lunch, if you are somewhere near there you can join, lot of chesnuts and red wine.

Su-34 with 4 KAB-500S now.

And Su-25 with rocket pod for CAS.

They were repeatedly making official statements that they’re there to fight ISIS during their deployment which is what prompted me to post that I doubt that they will be hitting ISIS targets since there’s no threat from them to the coastal areas currently.

I’m not advertising their approach. I think most neutral observers would agree the an ideal approach would have been to force the regime to reforms by various diplomatic and economic pressure. But, the fact is that the rebellion started and the regime helped firing it up by it’s brutal response and then by releasing those very radical Islamists that they were “keeping under control” as they started to fear that the rebellion might get the support of the middle class. As said, the Assad regime will stop at nothing to remain in power. For example, nobody even knows how many people were killed at Hama in ’82 when the whole city was supposedly reduced to rubble (estimates go in tens of thousands given that supposedly around 1000 government troops died in the operation).

You’re not seriously comparing the situation in some Western country and the Middle East where the religion plays a big part of the identity? I don’t think that it needs much explaining how being ruled by a religious minority your religion group considers heretics can be abused to stir strife.

Jiiozic the fact is that Regime HAS MADE reforms, approved a new constitution, held first multiparty presidential elections and above all has called for general mobilitation and the formation of NDF, something that hase given it a string of (altough undecisive) victories until the formation of a rebel or better their supporter united front and the fall of Idlib and Palmyra.
There was also a string of talks in Moscow between the regime and a array of not western -backed opposition forces and the fact that those talks went into stall after said turning of the tide that has resolved Russia to finally intervene.
Look, I’m not saying that this half-hearted reforms would suffice, just to make clear that the reality is much more complex that some superficial and often biased news sources put forth.

There are probably no high-g manoeuvres expected.

In an escort plane. This speak volumes how they really evaluate Turkish/Nato menaces.