Looks like the Eurobug will win for sure. France has been placated with this waaaaaay over-priced upgrade.

About IAF logistics… well just look at the number of different platforms they have been operating. I dont think they care too much about commonality of parts.

Spot on.

The argument ‘what does Rafale or EF do that Su27 doesn’t‘ kinda misses the point IMMOO. There may (or may not) be technical advantages or significant technical advantages but that ain’t the main reason. Our Indian chums have shown themselves to be past masters as weaving a web of friendship and alliance. Mig27 and Jag did ostensibly the same thing and other air forces would have gone for one or the other. Buying (building) both tied three powers to India.

Yes it also provided a better bargaining and supply position and prevented one supplier holding over a barrel but I think that the Indians have been smarter and more positive than that.

But India have not bought anything from UK or France recently (Mirage2k you say, Jag, Sea Harrier, Leanders, Sea Eagle you say; but when?). Currently they have P8 and C17 from US and Mig29, Su27, Brahmos, PAK-FA and others from Russia the time has come to get involved with France or UK (and Germany and Spain and Italy) again.

YAH-56

I think that last one is an S-67 Blackhawk rather than YAH-56 Cheyenne.

Nicest shot I’ve seen of the S-67 though and both fully deserve to be on the list.

I brought SAC (Shenyang Aircraft )

Ta

Well, they have got a carrier with modern jets flying off it, we have nothing. Who’s the clever one?

The Spams who watched us fight over one slice of the pie whilst they got to keep the whole rest of it.

Pah that’s nothing, everyone knows that Audacious (previously Ark Royal4 previously Audacious) and Eagle (did you never wonder why the names were never reused?) are in a secret harbour on the south of Vectis along with their airwing of Fairey Rotodynes and navalised TSR2s (FSR2s in FAA parlance of course). The early ‘retirement’ of Concord(e) was of course because the RAF and ADA needed them as spares for their Strategic bombers -Discord(e)s which are based in the Camargue and in the Aussie outback.

Oh and the Comanche was ACTUALLY cancelled when senate investigators got too close to finding out that they were merely Gazelles with fibreglass cladding and a mirror to make the tail look canted.

Bilateral cooperation could be very efficient if all partners agree on a common need, and not on a common project.

Nic

That is a very perceptive comment. Bang on the money in my view.

The PAF F16 vs RAF Typhoon story is mentionned here now :

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/08/eurofighter_beaten_by_f16/

Excellent news for Eurofighter now that the Register is reporting this any lingering interest or concern that it might have happened will evaporate.

This is all lovely and all that but if we’re talking daydreams here then why not go one further and say that Eurofighter is designed from the beginning as carrier capable and the French stay in the pogramme.

:cool:;)

I confess I was gonna out that it but felt that it strayed even further from the ‘why haven’t we got enough medium utility helos‘ strand of this thread I was responding to. But you are right of course. And in actually I think that you are adding more weight to my (sadly entirely unrealistic) premise.

Whilst we are at NATO standardises on Mauser 27mm revolver as aircraft cannon.