If pilots and bodies where found then i stand corrected, but that information was not available at the time, and to me it sounded a little odd that a terrorist group could shoot down a longbow without a top end manpad.. and i didnt think there where many of them laying around in Iraq

Given that between 4’000 and 6’000 MANPADS “disappeared” with the end of Saddam’s regime and that Iraq had a certain number of SA-16 (a top end MANPADS in anyone’s book), your statement does not hold much water.

hmm no Rafale? Is there something between French-Turkish relations?

The fact that the French parliament has officially recognised the armenian genocide plays a key role, given the sensitivity of the Turks on this issue.

To this, you have to add that France has been far less positive about a possible Turkish entry in the EU than other countries such as Germany.

If you guys haven’t figured it out yet, there are numerous reasons why the U.S. won’t budge on this issue.
…..

Plus various other aspects that complicate matters. It’s obvious the carrier design will eventually be given to China, so France and the UK may not get any American equipment for the future carrier, including any potential catapults.

How ludicrous and preposterous. Please mate, give me any single solitary example of the UK having leaked US technology towards a third party !!!! Because I know of none whatsoever.

The UK is becoming more and more aligned with France and the EU rather than the U.S. .

After what the Brits have done in the Iraqi episode, this statement is simply mindboggling. If you represent the average US point of view on this issue, I hope that any potential future ally is taking note – you may commit all the troop you can and take all the political risks possible to support the US, you will not get anything in return if not scorn.

We all know France would sell it’s mother for a profit.

Coming from the country that is willing to sell its soul for a drop of oil, that is at best hypocritical. As they say in Paris, c’est la merde qui se fout des chiottes (or “it’s the **** that pokes fun at the boggs”).

Somehow, there is something I fail to grasp in this Franco-british cooperation.

The French are now paying the Brits to have access to the design of the CVF, when they have themselves recently built a brand new carrier. How come, then, the situation is not the opposite, ie the Brits seeking access to the French design?? To me, this seems to imply that from a conceptual point of view the CDG is so crappy that there is no point trying to rely on this project/ship to develop a new vessel !!! Or is there another rational explanation???

BTW, to be clear, I am not against Franco-British cooperation (rather the contrary) but I simply fail to understand the logic behind not relying on the CDG per se.

Don’t forget though, part of the problem with the Tsunami relief was that conventional aircraft could not land in the areas that required relief. Rough field ability for disaster relief work is very much a nice to have.

I agree. For relief, it makes sense. But not to rapatriate stranded tourists.

The large majority of stranded tourists will be found close to international civil airports, not in regions were planes able to land on non-paved runways are required. I mean, if you take the Tsunamis, tourists where to be found in Phuket, not in Aceh.

I think any limited chances for Rafale have just decreased:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000102&sid=a_W1kUNS1VnY&refer=uk

“The government should consider a plan to build a naval version of the Eurofighter combat plan as a “fallback” in case it can’t get greater transfer of weapons technology on the Joint Strike Fighter, a U.S.-U.K. program, Turner said. “We do not see any other fallback solution,” the CEO [of BAE]said.”

Is this what we call “tongue in cheek” in english??? 😀 😀

I have a basic question here concerning the Brazilian forces. Do they intend at any stage (in the near to medium future) to beef up/complement their air wing of A-4s that is found on the carrier Sao Paulo, or are they ok sticking with such a “unidimensional” force????

What about scuttling it in Mururoa ?!? I would not expect too many people to want to bath or dive there anyway !!!!!!!