I don't really no much about the islands other than where they are, but it would make sense that they're easily defensible because I'd imagine that if they weren't the PRC would have taken them decades ago. And as you point out, they're certainly in target rich environments for any artillery statio...

Remember, the F-35 is a turkey and completely rubbish despite winning every competitive evaluation it has entered.

RunningStrong wrote: ↑05 Dec 2021, 17:04 Didn't the French just use Laser Guided inert practice rounds in Libya?

They could well have done, i'd be curious to know how much the guidance kits cost for the bombs cost though. Sounds like one of those capabilities that sounds cheap but in retrospect isn't.

I suspect potential buyers use up all their budget on the sexy aircraft with munitions left out in the cold. Or maybe they just want fighters. Arguably the investment in lower-yield weapons in the West has been driven by the need to provide accurate effects while keeping collatoral damage to a mini...

I'd think that the Kinmen and Matsu Islands would be relatively easy to pick off given their proximity to mainland China, however do they even need to bother? Given the disparity in forces wouldn't it be easier to suppress intervention from the outlying islands and mop them up once the main island ...

Copied this from another thread as my reply was very Taiwan heavy for a Ukraine thread My worry is that an invasion of Ukraine might only be the first move. I've no doubt that western powers being distracted by Ukraine would look like a great opportunity to launch an invasion of Taiwan, especially i...

My comment was on why the USN are doing it in response to your comment WRT P-8A survivability. They're going to be waist deep in contested environment CONOP planning so if they think putting LRASM on P-8A is a good idea, they probably have some idea how to use them without getting shot to bits. The ...

If P-8A is operating within range of the Chinese mainland then you can bet your boots she's going to be accompanied by a whole bunch of friends. Moreover if it's looking like something is going to go after it, then it'll withdraw the same way all the other big aircraft have done over the decades. Sh...

Little J wrote: ↑02 Dec 2021, 13:01 A400m must be a contender...

It's confirmed by Airbus that they're in discussions but no further explanation.

Can you explain a bit please, because you go from Italian naval needs to expanding out to the wider EU enterprise. For the former, is Italy likely to acquire catapult-equipped carriers? If the answer is no then the naval capability of Euro FCAS is a bit moot as they will never consider STOVL capabil...

Seems weird because it relies on so many people not noticing. Not just the ground crew and the pilot but aircraft handlers and people in flyco.

He might want them to, but it doesn't politically fit. It's difficult to imagine the sequence of events that would force this to happen bar one of the efforts collapsing.

How’s it a terrible idea? If you need a Honda Civic, is a Ford Mustang the better choice because it goes faster? No. KF-21 does what South Korea needs to do because ... It'll be cheap enough to acquire and operate in quantity to replace the 250+ F-5/F-4 they intend to replace It perfectly satisfies...

Jake1992 wrote: ↑21 Nov 2021, 12:04 I’d love to seem them join Tempest project

Terrible idea for just about everyone. KF-21 is perfect for South Korea both militarily and industrially. Their partner might be a pain in the ass but this isn't a program problem, it's a money problem.

In a nutshell the RM are moving away from being seen as another Infantry brigade/Battalion organisation aimed at moving such formations over the beach. It is returning to its roots so to speak and destined to be conducting raids and other smaller scale operation as the norm. The way i've wrapped my...

Lockheed exec says they're still in discussion with Spain regarding F-35A/B despite denial from Madrid

https://aviationweek.com/shownews/dubai ... rid-denial

Honest question - if there was a surface threat to the CSG what is the possibility of a ASM being used versus a SSN / F35B / Wildcat strike? IMO we can't keep relying on SSNs to do so much. We have precious few boats available and, while very capable, they can only do so many tasks concurrently. I'...

Probably the strain of being on the inside and knowing how it really is, but not being able to actually put that across here

Sounds like a more expensive and complicated way to do something worse than Wildcat with LMM/Sea Venom, and a significantly less effective capability than what I-SSGW was supposed to do.

Whatever we'd need to give up to fund that effort is probably more valuable than what we'd get.

Is it not still in the running for the hundred+ Indian competition (which is not for the navy, who have said they are not going to buy more)? It's ostensibly still a program of record for the Russian air force for the time being. If the Russians come with a brochure and some specs India will hardly...

Going back to India so many damn acronyms in Indian programs as their domestic fighter numbers have now been capped (they up-powered it, to allow carrier ops), is there any "Made in India" fighter in sight... e.g. Rafale does not count? - their engine production has gone better (though th...

Copied over from the Indian thread ... the main reason Russia went for MiG-29K over Su-33 was (so i hear) to do with carrier capacity If you meant to say 'Russia' the main reason was that the Su was too big for their carrier... meaning that it could in practice carry only A2A and thus was no 'strike...

An ex-Navy chief said on an Indian daily that they won't be buying any more of those as every arrested landing needs some remedial work afterwards... easy to make a navy plane into something else but v.v does not hold This does not mean that the plane in itself was bad (Russia buying quite a few fo...

Chiefly because they operate so many fewer (Janes puts them at 14) if they've flown them with any sort of regularity, it's unlikely they'll have any worthwhile life left in them.

How many years left do their Harriers have? and does Spain still actively embark them on the Juan Carlo? I am not up to date with the Spanish Navy. Last I heard the Spanish Navy chief said they'd be out of life in the 2025-27 period. They might try snag the best examples the USMC hand over but ther...