On the flat cold steppe of northern Russia a low flying cruise missile could be engaged by R-60s or R-40TDs (which BTW don’t have a datalink and therefore don’t require a guidance pod as SOC suggests above)

The problem is that most sources claim that the operational birds need what is described as a “datalink pod” to employ the R-40. Maybe there is a capability to use the R-40RD and that is why the pod is needed? Also, the R-40TD1 variant could perhaps have an added datalink feature for use by the MiG-31? Who knows.

the Russians don’t seem to have upgraded it much in recent years.

The MiG-31BM upgrade program is currently underway.

My wife has various iPods, I have two Microsoft Zunes. The Zune, while a larger unit (I’ve got the original one), does have a lot better software. You can tell the software specifically what to do with your music, so that you avoid these types of issues. I’ve had the Zune for a few eyars now, and I have no issues with it, so maybe you should consider a switch.

Yo, Mr Sean O’C…….another item for your Google Earth skills 😀

😀

well, an intention is something different entirely from actually achieving the real thing…

That doesn’t mean it wasn’t the first SST design to fly. It spawned the most capable SST, the Tu-144D, which had the ability to carry more passengers over a longer distance than the Concorde…

Yes, but not by carrying fee paying passengers.

I never said it was by carrying passengers. Doesn’t change the fact that the Tu-144 was the first SST to earn money, just like a redesign doesn’t change the fact that the Tu-144 prototype wasn’t the first SST in the air. Even the Concorde had some redesigns before entering service, so do you throw out the first Concorde prototype flight as well?

A bit of a cop out… if they are only going to build weapons for NATO then they should only sell weapons to NATO countries.

Not really, as all of the projected users so far use US or European weapons compatible with NATO systems, whether they are NATO members or not. Using NATO compatibility as your standard makes sense as you’ll target the broadest base of customers (recalling, of course, the nations you would and wouldn’t sell an F-35 to in the first place). The exception could be India, but they’d probably take US weapons for the jet as I can think of at least one reason why they’d love the idea of having AIM-120s lying around…

REM — George Bush blows goats.

Eh what now?

All files are now 300KB.

The problem with integrating Brazilian weapons is probably due to the fact that they might not be compatible with the NATO architecture (which would make it easier to add a weapon like Penguin for one European nation, for example), and beyond that the DoD might not wish to invest the time and money to integrate weapons for only one client which won’t be used by anyone else.