I think it is up to the pilot, and who sees who first. The aircraft can’t do anything without a well-trained pilot in the cockpit.

Poor economies, shrinking defense budgets, diminished strategic threats, an evolved battlefield, and the incredibly high costs of developing an aircraft are big factors in the down-turn of European military aviation. This is not endemic to Europe it is everywhere. The lack of a credible air threat from the former USSR strains the new for new, high-performance combat aircraft. 21st century wars have seen little, if no air combat. Western and NATO have operated with near impunity over hostile areas, despite the advent of advanced SAM systems. Terrorists and rebels tend not to operate these types of weapons (the former Yugoslavia excluded). The cost of developing a new combat aircraft is so high that there is a very little chance of profitability from a single nation perspective. The last few projects have been multinational collaboration efforts (Alpha Jet, Tornado, Typhoon). Only Sweden and France have gone it alone. For Sweden, the proposition has paid off nicely with several export orders. Sweden also built an aircraft tailored to their defense needs and not so much for the international market, which turned out to fill many other nation’s needs. The idea of a light fighter doesn’t really sit well with all military planners as the can carry fewer weapons and less fuel than a heavier, twin-engined strike fighter. The Rafalé has just met with export success, and that has come from wealthy nations in the Middle-East. The A400M is Europe’s biggest military aviation project as of now, with the most potential, despite the recent crash. Airbus Military even believes a substantial market exists for the aircraft in the U.S. (I’d like to see the market research behind that). These products are more expensive than their counterparts from the 20th century, a time when economies were better and defense spending was up. European air forces are forced to procure fewer examples and do more with less, like every other air arm.

????

The only country that could possibly threaten Finland, is of course Russia.

IF such a situation should arise, rest assured that Russia would use whatever means they deem necessary to handle the conflict.

I would turn this around and ask; why on earth would they NOT put S-400 along the border of Finland during a conflict that has the potential to escalate to a full-blown war? Why would they not do it? Please make your case!

F-35 has had a lot of issues, it is far above budget, however it is coming along nicely now. The costs for developing F-35 are staggering; HOWEVER most of the bill is picked up by US tax-payers. In particular, when Finland is about to go shopping, the F-35 price will be significantly lower than what it is today. Finland will not be hit by the huge budget overruns, that will all be history and sunk costs when they place their order.

It doesn’t make sense for Russia to stiffen-up its border with Finland. Didn’t they get the hint from the last war they had? What would Russia have to gain from a tense situation with Helsinki. Putin may be bold, but he is not stupid. He is going to leave the Finns alone. Back when Russia was in the Soviet Union, and was much more powerful, they didn’t mess around there. The Russians used to show off their latest military aircraft in Finland (1978, 1986). It was in Finland, the West got their first real glimpse of the MiG-29. Why would Russia opt to demonstrate and market theirs goods to a nation that they are ready to go war against? Why would the Russians make waves now, when their armed forces are at a low in capability? The majority of Russian AF aircraft are old an in poor shape from years of on-again, off-again maintenance and support. A few examples of some later types like the Su-30/34/35 does not equate to an overall enhanced force. If things keep up their pace, in ten years the Russian AF could pose a significant threat to its neighbors, but I’ll put my money on a Finn in an F-18 over a Russian in an Su-27.

Gripen E/F, 36 of them

“This gets kind of tedious.” This is a discussion thread, last time I checked.

How’d he get the Cessnas? Black market?