Chrutschev was not President only, but General Secretary too! In that very case he did not ask the ‘polit-bureau’ and he was the single person with such ‘suit-case’ like President Putin is today. .

He should always ask Politburo. General Secretary was a head of politburo, but he couldnt act alone unless previosly approved for certain action by politburo. In case of planned action, of course. In case of surprise attack there is no time for that and chain of command was simple – radar post -> general staff -> General secretary. Premier-minister was NOT political or military head of SU. He was a head of goverment only, heavly supervised by Kommunist party (i.e. politburo at that level).

Fail to see logic in that sentence.. I said never said that because I never said that… Point..

Soviets did not enjoy freedom of speech, remember?

…

I suppose, soviets also didnt produce anything about mad *americans* generals or anything like Rambo 3. They also didnt produce porn. “Freedom of speech”, in SU case, worked both ways. They didnt showed mad SU generals, but they didnt showed crazy USA generals either.

Ya, sounds like a propaganda. Not the facts itself, but rather representation and overall tone. Supposely Mig-21 with russian pilot overflew Israel. Nah, big deal! Americans used to fly over SU terrirtory till they lost U-2… Israel regulary flew (and fly even now) over arabic countries, yet noone write a big titles “Israel plan a nuclear attack tomorrow!”. I suspect what if we dig russian MOD archives deep enouth we could find a plans with nuclear strike against every imaginable country and enemy including green humanoids from Mars. Plans are just that… brain exercises.

I am surry to upset you, but the present situation of NK is entirely due to its own leaders to its political system and not to some isolation imposed by US. I repeat, the ones that isolated NK form the rest of the world are the NK leaders.

As much as i hate to agree with you, its true. Of course, USA made its best to isolate NK, but America can do only so much. Other counties managed to develop itself under very same conditions and very same USA behavior – China, Vietnam, even Cuba are in much better shape than NK. So, we can conclude what something is very wrong with NK goverment. Whats wrong? Well, they dont want to deal with capitalistic West. Ah, ok. Understendable. But, they also dont want to deal with communistic East. Well, also nothing wrong here. But combining both these points at same time made a very ill developed country – like NK. At least half current world dont care about political system – ex. Russia, China, India, Asiatic counties – they are all sufficiently developed to provide NK anything they need regarding economic and technology – for hard currency , of course. These countries dont care much about USA sanction – yet NK still refuses to make any cooperation. NK is not Warpac and cant produce all on its own, it should very deeply cooperate with other countries – but NK dont want it. Whats why it have so many problems in economic.

USUALL EXPORT PRICES??????
First they asked during 4 days the quadriple of normal price, and now they are still paying double of normal prices!!!!
They are paying more then other countries.
I don’t know but do you live in the Ukraine???

Year 2005:
Ukraine pays 50$ for gas, Germany & rest of Europa – 250$ and more
Russia tells Ukraine for 10th year and for 1000th time what Ukraine should start to pay international price. Russia tells what she want tolerate it anymore – the days of Yeltsin corruption are over.
October 2005: Russia offers Ukraina to pay 160$ for gas price. Ukraine refuses.
December 2005: Russia threatens to stop gas delivers if Ukraine wouldnt agree. Ukraine refuses.
1st Januar 2006: Russia stops gas deliveres to Ukraine. Ukraine starts to steal gas from Russia-European gas tube.
2th Januar 2006: Some european contries starts to feel gas shortage. Europa keep silence. They politicans are still celebrate New Year. Some here with America.
3th Januar 2006. Europa mildly express what Ukraine is, of course, democratic country and heart of “color” revolution, Russia is, of course, not-so-democratic country, but would Ukraine make please some agreement with Gasprom, and FAST! European ministres shedule an emergency meeting for that matter on next day. America start usuall bashing “Russian totalitarian bear wants to kill jung Ukrainian democracy! Russia suddently wants 5-time normal gas prices overnight!”
4th Januar, night. Ukrainian goverment agrees what Gasporm will sell its own gas for 230$, what Ukrainian contracts with Turkmenia would go to joint Russian-Ukrainian enterprise (RusUkrEnergo) , what said enterprise would mix very cheap Turkmenia gas with Gasprom’s gaz and sell it to Ukraina for 95$. Contract is done for first half of 2006 year. and every one knows what Turkmenia wouldnt sell its gas for such low prices (60$) forever. Russian-European joint project what plans to build gas tube directly from Russia to Europe recive much attention. Gasprom market price DOUBLES in one month. After all, no actioner like to sponsor someone from own pockets.
Juni 2006. Ukraine still didnt started talks about gas prices for second half of 2006. Hell, Ukraine dont even have a goverement for 5th month (how they live without goverment – beyond me…). I suppose once 1st July arrives and Gasprom stops its gas delivers to Ukraine again there will be loud crying about “evil” Russia and “jung” Ukrainian democracy – mainly from American side of course. America dont care about Gasprom. But Europa need gas, Europa dont need thieves from gas tube, european banks, gas companies and private shareholders holds a fair share in Gasprom actien, and they need PROFIT. Turkmenia already announced it wants 115$ for next half year and 160$ for 2007. Of course, Turkmenia is ruled by evil dictator similar to North Korean ones, but it have a LOT of gas and every one inlcluding USA wants to be they friends. Anyway, the days of cheap gas for Ukraina is over – democracy or not. Anyone with brains could foresee it for 5 years – but, of course, not Ukrainian goverment.

P.S. Anti off-topic: Russia starts pulling off from joint Russian-Ukrainian An-70 project. Russian MOD’s issue orders to start domestic production of helo and ship engines previosly produced in Ukraine. Any 5th generation plane cooperation with Ukraine, if there was any planned, is about to stop. Ukraine threatens to join NATO. America is happy, Europa is not-so-happy – after all, Europa have quite close economical relations with Russia now, and Europa dont need another America’s puppet in the NATO – at own Europa’s expences.

I never said that sustaining 9 G is easy ot pleasant. But any fighter pilot is required to susteanin 9G for a few secons, otherwise they never get in flying school.

FEW SECONDS! Got it? Whats why you should know EXACTLY when missile is about to hit – i.e. to spot it visually. Or , at very least, to have very, very good guess by RWR signal.

It is the 3d time that I sugest a google. A SARH missiles can be guided only by illuminating continuosly the targets, from the very moment you fired it, up to the last metters of the flight! There is this particularity that let you know that you are targeted. A 7G (I am not even mentioning 9G) is not a small change! especially when the fired missile can’t go over 4G. And especially when the illuminating aircraft can’t pull more thatn 5G!

YES, thank you very much, i know technology. The only problem, is what you start reciving RWR warning about illuminating radar and then guess – will missile hit you in 30 sec, in 40 sec, in 2 min – or said missile is not even fired at all. In case of ARH missile you will at least know what missile IS here (or be sure what its NOT here), and could guess distance by the time ARH seeker gone active. Moreover, in case of MIG-31 your RWR will either not warn you at all (most probably situation for mid-80x) or will light all the time – and MIG-31 can illuminate 4 targets WHILE still searshing for new. If i understand you right, you suggest starting to make endless 9G turns all the time you are illuminated – crazy, not? And i dont uderstand why ILLUMINATING aircraft need pull any G at all. And i dont understand why missile need to pull much G while its flying far away from target – missile need high-G turns only close to target.

Wrong again :p The predecesor of MIDS was called JTDIS and was installed on (a few is true) selected units of F 15 and F 14 in kid 60’…Not to mention the the airframes would be severely stressed. but Bo outturn a MiG 31/R 33 one is not obliged to make 9G for minutes 😀

Thats the main problem. Few experemental units against fully fielded system

Again, in mid 80′ (a benchmark that you established) there were some 7-800 F 15 A/B/C/D and only a few dozens of MiG 29, MiG 31 and Su 27! As for the MiG 23 as a weapon… :p :p :p

In mid 80x (year 86) there was at most 500 F15 – all *without* AMRAAM. By the same time, there was at least 1000 SU27, Mig-29, Mig-31 combined. AND more than 1 thousand BVR-capable Mig-23. AND several hundreds still very capable Mig-25. Against few BVR-capable F-4’s and several hundreds F-15.

What? A fighter pilot is supposed to sustain 9 G with G-suit and ~ 6 G without it, just to be admited in basic school. New G suites, like the German Libelle for the EF 2000 or the Combat Edge/ATAGs for F 22 allows even to support 9G without discomfort.

Dont belive all PR what media repeat. 90% pilots cant sustain 9G more then several seconds consious – and many will black out almost immediatly. Even 6G is too much for half of them – depending from personal endurance, moon phase and if they where with woman yersterday ;). I’ve spoken with some pilots, and all of them said that.

And who told you that a pilot must visually spoting a missile to start evasing maneuvers? The RWR will anounce that a SARH missle is fired, immediately as the CW illumination started. While with a missile designed to shot down fighters (R 27) an evasive maneuver would not guarantee the escape, with a missile designed for slow maneuvring target fired from a non-maneuvrable aircraft, even a small change in course will result in a miss.

RWR will only say what missile MAY BE fired – RWR will detect command sequences from radar to missile. But you know, radar can send these sequences WHITHOUT missile fired – i.e. so-called “simulation” mode. “Small” change in course will do nothing – especeally against long range missile as big as R-33. Missile will just change its direction. After all, thats why it have command guidance. You will need either very large course change at long range so missile will bleed its speed or very high G once missile is about to hit target – so it will miss. But later maneouvr is also quite risky against big missiles – even if said missile miss by 20m it may still “proximity detonate” and kill target.

Again, I suggest a google before posting. If so, you would have knew that the F 15A was operational in 1974 and in “mid-80x” all 360 of them were delivered. The improved F 15C was operational in 1982 and some 400 have beed delivered by 1988. As for the “hordes” of Soviet fighters, they were indeed, but the only fighters capable of challenging with some succes the F 15 (Su 27-operational in 1984 and MiG 29-operational in 1983) were deployed in small numbers in “mid-80x”. As well as the R27 (operational in 1985)

So, only 360 F15A against THOUSANDS Mig-23, Mig-29, Su-27, Mig-31? And early batches of F15C wasnt much better than F15A im BVR – yes, avionic was somewhat better, but missiles was still an old Aim-7. By 1988 it was 700 F15 (and most of them wasnt even near Europe) against about 2000 aircrafts only new types – Mig-29,Mig-31, Su-27, and god knows how much “old”, but still very capable Mig-23 and Mig-25 types. Later modifications of Mig-23 was of course inferior to F15, but they were not hopeless. After all, sufficient reliable radar, BVR missiles in some class as early Aim-7 and VVR missiles in some class as AIM-9.

MIDS terminals, mounted practically on every front-line US fighter do offer IFDL function.

I know for sure what prior to 1999 almost no F-16 and F-15 had any kind of datalink, not to say IFDL. That was confirmed by many ppls who served in that time.

Only the MiG 31 and Su 27 had “advanced” datalink
The IFDL I was talking about (the first of its kind in the world) was on Viggen not on Grippen. And by the way, what do you mean by Grippen being experimental? Grippen is already in significant numbers in Swedish, S-African, Hungarian and Czech AFs. Also, the Swedes do have their own AWACS-Erieye.

Ya, my bad. Reflexes, you know. So much talks about Grippen around…
Hell, even simply, non-advanced, one-way only datalink, but IN EVERY aircraft is very, very helpfull. As i said, many pilots says what USA didnt had it in absolutly most combat aircrafts.

No, they don’t have the R 37. The program is over, without a single missile going operational. As for paper projects, I repeat, the Russians are world champions…

Huh? Prior to 1990 noone ever know what projects had russians. So it was meaningless expression back then. If we speak about post-1990 era, then 1st we all know what state and how much fund recived Russian industry, and second we all know how much paper projects have USA. One of most sound and expencive ones is “Commanche”.

[qutoe]An F 15 can do 9G with all its 8 A-A missiles. The only things they would have to drop are the external fuel tanks.[/QUOTE]
I dont doubt that. Still, making 9G several minutes long will probably results in dead from endless laughting USSR pilots.

would not be better call it combat radius? if i would not know how much fuel any jet spends at full afterburner i would believe you but i know the F-14 at totally full afterburner will gulp 18635kg/h per engine or in few words 37 tonnes in just one hour or it`s own weight fully loaded

Its word twisting. “Range” means both “operational range” and “combat range” – depending of context. Of course, writing “combat range” would clear all doubt, but sometimes ppls in PR department dont even know difference between both. In case of MIG-31, we have numerous sources to confirm 40 min. at 2.35 mach.

Supercruise vs supersonic cruise eh? Supercruise is the better option, but an aircraft like the MiG-31 which can supersonic cruise for extended periods will reap a lot of the benefits of supercruise. However, a supercruise aircraft will still have a few advantages:

Huh, compare 1.5 mach in clean configuration with 2.35 mach? See the difference? Moreover, its not clear what F-22 can fly even 30 min at 1.5 mach. As for IR… lets put it stright: at 1.5 mach you WILL be detected far, far away no matter afterburner or not. You cant hide your IR and radar signature at that speed – at least, not from modern IRST and radar. Thought i agree, what IR signature of F22 flying at 1.5 mach will be somewhat lower than IR of MIG-31 at 2.35M – its no way “stealthy”, but the difference between 1.5 and 2.35 is in fact even bigger than the difference between 0.9 and 1.5.