the problem seems to be with the missile ejector racks or the associated missile release/trigger equipment.

or, since the missile left the plane before malfunctioning, then maybe they were indeed using near-expired missiles that just did’nt work as promised. it’s russian equipment after all.

as for the one with the Jag/Aden, if the blast had anything to do with the gun at all IMO it wasn’t a chamber explosion. that would have been kept in by the breech and merely have caused a misfire and not the entire magazine to go. chances are it was faulty ammo that combusted for some reason while still in the magazine or in the ammo belt and caused sympathetic detonations.

the RSAF contract only has the fighters in service by 2008. if Dassault and EADS hurry a little we’ll see pretty mature Rafales and Typhoons by then, while the only really new thing F-15T will have will be APG-63(V)3 and perhaps slightly improved ECM.

if Singapore needed the planes NOW, then IMO the Beagle would be the better choice… but the Eurocanards have more potential, are basically more modern and will be better in the long run, CFTs, AMSAR, active cancellation, METEOR and all.

Originally posted by PhantomII
I know that USAF F-4E’s operated against targets in NW Iraqi during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Anyone know if they used their 20-mm cannons in anger?

What about IDF/AF Phantoms in more recent smaller conflicts against Palestinian targets?

good chance of a yes wrt the USAF ones…

but an even bigger chance of a no with the israeli ones. they usually use F-16s or AH-64s for terrorist fragging, and prefer PGMs like Paveway and SPICE and Hellfire for the job to avoid collateral damage. looking at the way fast jets strafe i would think fighter-mounted 20mm gatlings aren’t nearly as accurate and present a higher than reasonable chance of hitting some poor palestinian mother or child. though it’s not as if they havent killed any innocents anyways…. 🙁

they should also stop doing stupid things like dropping 2000lb LGBs on apartment blocks like they did some time back. sheer overkill and the target still got out.

what you said wrt the GAU-8 IMO applies to the depleted uranium AP round — that can actually frag T-72s — but it does have a powerful HE/fragmentation round too that’s like WHOA MAN!! against exposed/lightly protected infantry and other soft targets… decent area damage too.

Originally posted by Distiller
Ever flown in such a beast? VERY choppy!

is that so… so your stomach contents will come out faster than if you were in a UH60 or Puma or something?

i would have thought a bigger airframe would be more stable/comfortable. but noisier duh…

Originally posted by Dubya
And stealth isn’t that useful, when disgruntled non-American types are taking potshots at your $58 million chopper with RPG’s and AK-47’s like in Somalia, Chechnya and Iraq.

Given that most military operations in the near future will probably be against low tech types, then the beasty AH-64 or Hind will probably be a better bet, than the lil RAH-66.

As for F-22, there is always a need for a superior interceptor even if only for homeland defence.

Also if the F-22 is called an F/A-22 cause it can carry a couple of bombs, then I propose the following designation changes 😀 :

F/A-14
F/A-15
F/A-16
B/A-52 (it did fly tactical support missions in the last couple of wars)
F/A-10 ((it carries Sidewinders)
F/AH-64 (Stingers can be useful against helos)
F/R/AH-66 (same as Apache)
E/P/A-3 – (AGM-65, SLAM etc capacity)

good one!

i too see very little logic for a “stealthy” chopper… when much of the opposition is sand and small arms fire. imagine how many AH-64D longbows could be bought for the price of the RAH-66 program. they’d be so much more effective too, being so well-armored, assuming of course decent tactics are used………….

Originally posted by MarocMirage
One more thing, airliner pilots are often ex-airforce pilots so they know what to do with them right?

knowing what to do is one thing. being able to do what u know to do is another…
u cant be pulling high-G jinks in an airliner, and they dont have chaff/flare dispensers yet.

and i was thinking that no airplane ever built can survive a missile hit on the cockpit section.