How long can NKorean forces remain on max alert? What happens afterwards? How long do they need to go back to higher readiness levels? In the Cold War the answer was something like two days, and then weeks or rather months to recover. Can’t keep combat units on max alert for ever!

The “best” use of NKorean aerial forces is suicide attacks against anything of value within their range. That is SKorea, but that is even more so Japan, in the sense of max damage to the enemy and its minions (= USA plus allies). Anything of value excludes military targets – that would be a waste. Max damage, financially and psychologically. Would be careful in a 1500km radius around NKorea. That includes China, btw. If NKorea madmen see their plans go down they might start biting in all directions – Bejing is only 900km straight line.

I’d also keep a VERY close eye on NKorea’s embassies around the world. They have hundreds of people in certain locations and I wouldn’t bet they wouldn’t do something … unusual, like swarming the streets of Western towns with explosive rucksacks.

Key questions: Are the NKors sane? Is that new Leader sane? Is he really nuts or is he just playing with Western effeminacy? Would the NKorean armed forces follow nutcase orders that lead to selfdestruction? And at what point does the situation enter a stage where a preventive attack is advisbale? And would China play along, or even participate?

With the price of new combat jets reaching ever higher limits more countries are looking at second hand options for first and second line types. So what older types offer the best performance at the best price here is a list of aircraft to start

Mirage F-1 MF2000
Mirage 2000-5/9
Mig-29
F-16 Blk 25
SU-30
Kfir C10
Please use facts and figure and not statements like just because it is and fill free to add different types

Talk politics before you talk types. Any of the above will do nicely for symbolic air policing and for shooting at little brown men on camels.

Traditionally there are two types. One that kills lift (spoilers), and one that just creates drag. Whether the drag type effects trim (which it should not) with landing gear down can’t really be told by looking at it. The spoiler type is more for lighter aircraft with low wing load that are more effected by ground effect during landing. And not enough depth for the hydraulics in a supersonic wing usually, resp you rather want to use the volume for fuel.
And on older jets that was a simple way to keep turbine rpms up and still keep speed down. But it’s not all that lovely, as induced vibrations and excessive noise can damage the airframe. Also it’s heavy (structure, hydraulics, control system) and in most cases requires a bit of volume.
With LO requirements the drap-maxed use of control surfaces has become standard.

Btw – OT: Noise and vibrations: Curious how Ryan Air’s current practice to pop the spoilers at cruise alt and do a max decent affects wing life. That stuff was not designed to be used like that on a regular basis.

That shape is considerably larger than a Kh-31, more the size of a P-270.
Would not pay too much attention, total mock-up monster.
But I’d say too small for a 400km, Mach 4 object.

A low bypass engine like the EJ200 is the wrong choice for such an aircraft.

Otherwise: Get some A-7D or E out of desert storage.

EF Typhoon and anti-ship?
USAF F-15Es have anti-ship capability using AGM-65 or AGM-130 missiles.

AGM-65 and -130 is anti boat capability. Any weapon that forces the carrying aircraft into the target’s defensive bubble, and maybe even linger there, is borderline suicidal.

For one we do not know what is out there (in the desert). But then if it comes to being able to put a bomb on target anywhere anytime the U.S. Armed Forces are second to none, by a country mile. And in the end that is what counts. Not if plane A is a little better dynamically than plane B.

The Euro designs and weapons are nice, but numbers are very low, by-and-large they can’t deploy due to the lack of strategic support complexes, and they run out of ammo after 10 days because they don’t buy enough of it.

The weapon systems angle of the Chinese stuff is totally unknown.

Still, I agree to a certain point that things are not what they used to be. And I guess the answer is there’s no real enemy that you can fight, and that’s actually worth winning against. WW2 won the U.S. an empire, the Cold War defended it, and now the American song as sang by the U.S. is loosing its sparkle. And that’s more of a problem than if one design is a little better than the other. What really counts are strategic nuclear weapons, the other stuff is just toys for proxy wars and to keep the vassals in line.