Excellent photos Stealth Spy !

Right Robban, the RM12 version of F404 has among things a larger fan diameter which the fuselarge make provisions for. Anyway, I suppose that’s another topic and thread 😎

:rolleyes: Thank you for that rather insightful remark into the Tejas development status. While you are at it why don’t you tell us all a little bit why this is (rightfully so)?

Time the AF and GOI are and have been coping with all this time. Weapon integration and subsystem development are accelerating at higher speeds than ever before in the program. IOC of 2008 will be met followed by FOC.

Wow! Did you read that off the Gripen brochure from AeroIndia? You have amazing insight into the India requirements and the way they procure aircraft. Rightfully so, you have zero clue once again. You go do some good research while I ponder if i should consider entertaining a further post to you.

You don’t seem to know what you are talking about (rightfully so)

You seem to have a serious personal problem. Thanks for adding absolutely nothing to the discussion. I suppose you’re one of the more optimistical internet users I was just talking about. You fail to understand this business totally. RTB

Saab’s Gripen in talks with India defense companies on systems

09 Feb 2007 bbj.hu Saab AB, the Swedish maker of the Gripen fighter jet, is in talks with Indian defense companies to build systems, as it prepares to bid for a $9 billion fighter-jet order by the country’s air force.
„We are talking to Indian defense and aerospace companies for manufacturing of avionics, propulsion and software,” Tony Ogilvy, Gripen International director for India, said in an interview today. „The talks are at a very advanced stage.” Saab, Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. are trying to increase their investments in India’s defense companies as they plan to compete for the 126 combat jets — the largest such contest in 15 years, according to Boeing. Saab is marketing the Gripen as a low-cost and reliable solution to the Indian air force. To win the award, Saab will have to beat offerings from both Boeing and Lockheed Martin, as well as Russia’s MiG Corp. and France’s Dassault Aviation SA.

„Gripen will cost the Indian government very significantly less than its nearest single engine competitor and a fraction of its twin-engine competitors,” Ogilvy said at the Aero India show in Bangalore. He declined to elaborate. The Indian air force wants to buy the multi-role combat jets to replace aging Russian-made aircraft. Preparation for the bids is in the final stages and will be called soon, A.K. Antony, India’s defense minister said on February 7. Saab said in September it will enter into a 350 million-rand ($49 million) venture to make airplane parts with South Africa’s state-owned Denel Ltd. Saab will own 20% of the venture, which will be established in South Africa, with Denel owning the rest, according to Kenth-Aake Joensson, Saab’s executive vice president.

Saab, which is supplying the single-engine Gripens to South Africa’s air force, agreed to invest and create jobs in Africa’s largest economy in exchange for being awarded the contracts. Apart from the multi-role fighter jet contract, Saab wants to explore business opportunities to „maximize our engagement with India in land, sea and air business units,” Ogilvy said. „This jet contract is the start of a much larger involvement of Saab in India,” he said. Boeing Co., the second-biggest US military contractor after Lockheed Martin, today said it will bid to sell helicopters to the Indian government for the first time, attempting to break into a market dominated by Russia’s state-owned OAO OPK Oboronprom. Political relations between the US and India are improving. Last year the US lifted a ban on nuclear exports to India, which had led the South Asian country to mostly buy planes from Russia. (Bloomberg)

@ flex and @ sealordlawrence

Eh, just re-read what I typed and you’ll see I never implied Mirage was still in the running. Thus “go the mirage way” == to go out of production.

Still I wonder if MIG-35 and F-16 will survive this tender or go the Mirage way.

Mirage is a dead term. They still could go for Rafales, though..

They cant go the Mirage route- its out of production and Dassault isnt offering it- This has been mentioned here more times than I can count.

OK? RTB

Anyways, I made it just for fun. Hopefully it can be of some help. 🙂

Nice work Robban. I’ll add this list since I had it handy…

————
Hungary (39.3xx)
JAS 39C EBS HU
1. 39301 30
2. 39302 31
3. 39303 32
4. 39304 33
5. 39305 34
6. 39306 35
7. 39307 36
8. 39308 37
9. 39309 38
10. 39310 39
11. 39311 40
12. 39312 41

JAS 39D
13. 39851 42
14. 39852 43

—
Czech Republic (From SwAF Tranche 3 line)
JAS 39C

1. 9234 39234
2. 9235 39235
3. 9236 39236
4. 9237 39237
5. 9238 39238
6. 9239 39239
7. 9240 39240
8. 9241 39241
9. 9242 39242
10. 9243 39243
11. 9244 39244
12. 9245 39245

JAS 39D
13. 9819 39819
14. 9820 39820

—
South Africa (39.28xx)
JAS 39D
SA01 392801
…
————————-

Another baffeling part of the JSF deal was: Traditionally the RAAF wanted twin engined fighters for ops over water, how on earth was the F-35 then selected? Sure you could counter that the lift engines count as a second engine, but that’s only a technical point.

Sadly this point also works against my prefered selection of the Gripen, which was ousted early in the process because of the single engine, weird how the Americans can offer a single engine type yet no one else can 😡

yeah well the twin-engine argument for sea operations sounds like a poor argument made to promote other specific jets, because not only does the Gripen’s fly over water all the time, such as all of the interception alerts.. the French fly single engine Super Etendards off their carrier and Norway fly F-16s all over the North sea, and now the JSF… I think the choice of JSF has more to do with commonality in international operations than anything. IMO the Australian people should demand a real air superiority fighter either to complement the JSF or for the whole fleet.

What about Chimera?

As in mythological fire-breathing monster made up of the spare parts of a lion,goat and snake. Appropriate name for a military aircraft for those European nations who have ordered it but who are unlikely to actually use it in a fight. I believe South Africa has ordered it as well.

Given that during the latest round of NATO discussions there were no European nations who were willing to commit forces to Afghanistan and a recent press story that South Africa will not get involved in any peacekeeping deployments to help out in Sudan or Somalia, the name Chimera is certainly appropriate.

Sauron

Now now Sauron, take a moment, breathe in/out and think about what you just said and why you did so. Because not only is it false. It’s also ridiculous and quite hateful.

Most of the countries ordering A400M is involved in combat operations or other global interventions with a peace enforcement mandate. Unlike some other states these countries have multiple global operations going on at the same time and can not add more troops unless absolutely necessary.

France (Afghanistan, Lebanon, Congo, ++) and the United Kingdom (Iraq, Afghanistan), or Spain (Afghanistan, Lebanon) or Germany (Afghanistan, Congo, Lebanon) and Belgium (Lebanon, Afghanistan) + they are all in the Kosovo and BH ops which is atm in a critical moment of time that could require overnight reinforcements.

Canada has also been able to spend more on troops since support equipment (incl Artillery radards) and alot of airlift has been provided by the US or European states.

Aero India is a international trade show… Typhoon, Gripen and MIG would have been there anyway even without a MMRCA tender. Just like they go to other shows around the world. Maybe not as big but still. Same with the Dubai air show…