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  • in reply to: Rafale 2017-2 #2208672
    FBW
    Participant

    Around 25-30%, but nvm…

    really? Count again please.

    µI have great respect for CAB, but your post is a vast uninformed stack of…

    Roughly one squadron sounds about right considering two things:
    Current availability documented of AdlA aircraft
    Number of squadrons

    I seriously doubt France could maintain long term deployment of 2 squadrons (if carrier is unavailable, which it is roughly 60% of the time). Consider:
    2 squadrons on QRA, air policing mission in France
    2 stand down rest
    1-2 in training cycle (or transition)
    1 working up for deployment.

    Obviously, in a major conflict, the number could be maximized at the expense of training, maintenance, R&R. But the current multi-year missions in places like Syria, Afghanistan. I’d say he’s exactly correct.

    in reply to: Russia moving tac air troops to Syria #2208844
    FBW
    Participant

    Camp Bastion was the first thing I thought of too. Doesn’t take much sophistication to drop some rounds on a large area target, and the sheer size of an airfield makes it difficult to secure, not only the perimeter, but the surrounding area from which mortars and rockets can be staged.

    in reply to: Russia moving tac air troops to Syria #2208848
    FBW
    Participant

    Some reports now saying it’s 6 Su-24, 1 Su-35S, 1 An-30, and an Mi-8. Also, 2 Su-24 and the Su-35S already repaired. Some pictures show fairly significant damage to a pair of Su-24.

    in reply to: RuAF News and development Thread part 15 #2208869
    FBW
    Participant

    I believe @ Duks:

    http://duks.su/taxonomy/term/3

    Thanks

    in reply to: 2017 F-35 news and discussion thread #2208872
    FBW
    Participant

    Like it or not, interesting article about A10 picture and F-35..

    – What does this have to do with the F-35 “News and Discussion?”

    Budgets are finite, while I know you want to paint this as an F-35 vs A-10 argument, it is an “A-10 vs budget realities”. Every aircraft has to fly off to greener pastures at some point (or brown and drier in the case of Davis-Monthan AFB).

    There are many ways to do CAS, and the A-10 is only survivable in a small niche (one that could be met by buying a few A-29’s with cheaper O&S). I simply reject the logic that we must keep the A-10 to meet “blue sky, permissive environment, bush war or COIN, close air support” at the expense of recapitalization of an aging fast jet fleet.

    in reply to: Naval News From Around the World VI #2003597
    FBW
    Participant

    Brazil announce purchase of HMS Ocean for £84 million

    UK largess of selling off “surplus” ships and equipment for a song is befuddling considering MoD budget woes. £65million overhaul (2014) for four years of service.

    in reply to: 2017 F-35 news and discussion thread #2208973
    FBW
    Participant

    A reminder of just how large the F-35 program is:

    “there are 160 in assembly production across the globe, and the production rate at the Fort Worth facility this year is roughly five a month”

    http://www.sldinfo.com/adding-new-digital-capabilities-to-the-f-35-line/

    in reply to: RuAF News and development Thread part 15 #2208976
    FBW
    Participant

    Where is the RVV-SD (Izdelie 170-1) actually produced? Organization of KTRV difficult to decipher.

    in reply to: 2017 F-35 news and discussion thread #2208988
    FBW
    Participant

    The video may be about the EMD F-22 being refurbished, but they don’t show that F-22. All those shown were active F-22’s, tailcodes from Tyndall, Langley, Elmendorf.

    in reply to: 2017 F-35 news and discussion thread #2125379
    FBW
    Participant

    strange as a concept that official bodies from different countries who criticise the F-35 are all in error and repeating a single faulty report…

    Do tell, what parts of the DOT&E reports quoted was Parliament unsatified with MoD or L-M’s response or corrections?

    What other country’s official bodies have been unhappy with the progress and issues listed in the DOT&E as of late?

    Lot of bark happening via news and the usuals, little bite from the same.

    in reply to: 2017 F-35 news and discussion thread #2125381
    FBW
    Participant

    When so many dogs bark… There might be a real issue.

    What dogs? Did you read the actual report or just headlines off the internet?

    Parliament has acknowledged the costs associated with the contracted F-35’s as largely accurate. They are also asking for future costing that by the very nature will be inaccurate due to dozens of factors (like the eventual number ordered) that MoD cannot predict now.

    When you buy a car, do you compare sticker price, or total cost of ownership and then calculate future accidents, replacement tires, increased Mileage from possible new job, chips in windows, and a hundred other costs that might occur?

    No. Most sane people look at what the car will cost them to buy, perhaps gas mileage. Because those can be calculated accurately

    in reply to: 2017 F-35 news and discussion thread #2125969
    FBW
    Participant

    https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmdfence/326/32610.htm

    Overall, a very balanced refutation of claims leveled by ” The Times” (really the newspaper just compiled some claims from POGO and others, including DOT&E analysis from third parties).

    While it is easy to understand why Parliament is pressing for total program (total ownership cost), it is also easy to see why MoD is resistant. The current URF cost curve has a high degree of confidence, APUC as well. When you start looking at PAUC and life cycle costs, any current estimate’s margin of error makes it worthless. The costs associated with procuring first 48 F-35, support, training, spares, and infrastructure are relatively stable (except that 19 aircraft aren’t under contract yet, and URF is likely to be lower). Projecting a total ownership cost comes with a list of assumptions: 148 will be procured, basing, what portion of the fleet will be upgraded to new blocks over program life, fuel costs, on and on.

    in reply to: What will Germany replace The Tornado with? #2126005
    FBW
    Participant

    Buy European please. Stop selling out our soveriegnty.

    – Ahhh, so give up sovereignty to join a “pan-european” vision. Wouldn’t true sovereignty be the freedom to buy whatever aircraft was deemed most operationally and economically suitable by the air forces and Defense Ministries?

    Or is it “buy a French weapon system that no other European nation has a stake in due to French insistence on protecting national industries instead of a fighter that was developed via European consortium… or your not truly free”.

    Or is it “The F-35 may be most suitable in the future, and offer Germany a workshare but… you’ll be supporting dependence on the US (which NATO already does). So buy Rafale and support a strong Europe, one French aerospace jobs program at a time”.

    in reply to: SAAB Gripen and Gripen NG thread #4 #2126012
    FBW
    Participant

    I thought Jacksonville AFB was 13.000 feet unobstructed

    – I have JAX main runways 8/26 as 10,000 feet long and 14/32 7700 feet long (FAA) data.

    Ayone got data about thoses runway lengths? (and takeoff/landing). Taht is a very interesting subject!

    Here are all USAF bases:
    http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2000/May%202000/0500bases.pdf

    Here are the USAF basing regulations for various aircraft:
    http://govdocs.rutgers.edu/mil/af/AFI11-2FTV3.pdf

    I believe there are NATO regulations for airbase design and runway length, am looking for them. There were the 1950’s regulations (DOB minimum 7,900 ft runway. MOB 10,000 min? ) looking for something newer.

    Min for any AEF deployment was 11,200 feet runway due to KC-135 tanker.

    in reply to: Military Aviation News #2126199
    FBW
    Participant

    C’mon I was just amused by the title. And I’m no francophile, I’m french.

    – I know, I would have put a smileyface after the comment….. but I’m too old to use stupid emoji.

Viewing 15 posts - 556 through 570 (of 2,935 total)