Search results

Looking at this from afar - with no allegiance to Turkiye, Hamas, Israel, Germany or the US - I rate the chances of Turkiye receiving F-16 or Typhoon as near zero, given what I hear Erdogan say in his speeches since Israel struck back after the October 7 Hamas attack. In my opinion it is now...

Very bad news. That could well be disastrous for Ukraine.

Vietnam and Afghanistan are not on the EU's doorstep. EU is wary of a belligerent, institutionally corrupt, totalitarian state being anywhere near its borders unless it is adjacent to a NATO member. Who knows what any neo-Czar will do to boost his popularity with Russian nationalists by...

A bizarre thing to write. Russia will get its revenge? For what? When did support for Ukraine stop? US just confirmed it intends supporting Ukraine long term - for what that is worth. EU does not want a democratic Ukraine to be replaced by an autocratic, anti-democratic state.

You have a good point - just flying it will send a message to reluctant suppliers. If they want to make a profit from supplying/hold some control over use of TuAF assets, supplying sooner would be better than later. Providing the prototype is flightworthy, the first flight will not be premature...

Is it on schedule to fly this year? It is November 20 now. 27 December is less than 40 days away.

OK. I was unaware of discussions over the years, so sorry to have repeated them.

That's good to hear - no problems will be had with Rafale because of failure to honour contracts. Perhaps I'm a bit strange but I see breaching a contract where you can get away with it without consequences like an apple. Breaching a contract where you cannot get away with it without...

Not a brilliant suggestion. Just a sensible one. Don't bother passing it on to the Finance ministry or MOD. They know they are in a vulnerable position. They might act sensibly. They might not. If you spend several billion dollars on a weapons system (Rafale) important to your national...

If Indonesia had been sensible 1 It would have made payments according to the contract with ROK 2 It would have made payments according to an agreed amended payment schedule to cover debts run up 3 It would not have made contracts with other OEM's eg Dassault and made payments to them instead...

I think that Indonesia's 'performance' in this international partnership has shown potential international partners that they should not partner with Indonesia. It has also shown that Indonesian government promises to pay are worthless. I agree with you. The potential benefits of KF-X have been...

As an outsider uninformed about the political machinations in the region, that sounds like an appealing course of inaction should F-16 be blocked. Especially if the F-4's have a few years' life left in them and are not extremely expensive to maintain.

They did not initially. I suspect they acquired better A2G capability later, even if still limited

OK, so NO Rafale NO Typhoon NO Su-30, Su-35 (NATO members do not buy Russian fighters) and if NO F-16 NO Gripen E (uses a GE engine) NO HAL Tejas, KAI KF-21 (both use a GE engine) What's left? JF-17?

I think UK would be pleased to sell its 30 x Tranche 1 Typhoons. They are scheduled for withdrawal from service in 2025. Spain and Italy might be interested is disposing of early Typhoons, too. I don't know what control Eurofighter partner governments have over other partners selling their used...

The 40 x new F-16 can come through despite Congress voting against it, I think. I believe there is a procedure in the US whereby if a proposal which comes from the president does not get majority support (in the Senate?), the president can 'appeal' and the Senate? then needs a 2/3 majority...

If there are 200 serviceable jets (that will remain serviceable for several more years), what is the fuss about? Will it be a problem if KAAN does not enter service for another 10 years and 200 x F-16 can be replaced 2034-2044? The ones updated in the modernisation programme will not need...

The time to consider Eurofighter has passed, I think. I recall it was considered many years ago but F-35 was selected. If Germany will not agree to KSA buying it (the murder of the journalist at the consulate/embassy + bombing in Yemen), what chance is there of the current German government...

Regarding supply of F-16 kit, Turkiye's agreement to Sweden joining NATO (after passing through Turkish parliamentary bureaucracy) may persuade the US Congress to approve. Or it may not. I read that Erdogan does not see Hamas as a terrorist body and I hear (in translation) that he sees Israel as...

When F-16 turns up I suspect that its presence alone may limit use of Russian aircraft by way of caution. It may be that it will not need to engage Russian fighters and ground attack aircraft to limit their sphere of action. More important to me will be its ability to strike at Russian radars...