In the news...

[Tankbuster]

The MiG isn't only used as an Interceptor, it is used for multiple roles, but has been slowly but steadily phased out, especially as the Russians are gigantic pricks whens ToT is concerned. Therefore it will eventually phased out by the LCA. I wonder how sooper awesome the American Stealth Fighters are, considering that they are stealthy because they don't carry missiles. I wonder how they would do against a souped up MiG.

[Zoologic]

Well, our Air Force has recently acquired new Russian hardware. So, to compare both planes (F-16 vs. Su-27 and Su-30), they say Russian planes are quite a pain to maintain.

For every 1 hour flight, F-16 needs 3-4 hours of maintenance, the Su-27 is so "reliable", the figure even exceeds the 2-engined F/A-18 (about 8 hours/1 hour flight), like 10-12 hours per 1 hour flight. Engine wise: GE F-110 lasts about 22,000 hours. Saturn AL-31F can churn 8,000 hours on average.

No wonder Russian SAMs are scary. We are acquiring S-300 systems while getting upgraded F-16CJs for cheap from US excess inventory.

[Tankbuster]

On top of that, the engines have to be sent Back to Russia for repairing. The Ruskies love their engines, especially since the Chinese have been trying to 'acquire' engines for their planes.

[Tuco]

I wonder how sooper awesome the American Stealth Fighters are, considering that they are stealthy because they don't carry missiles. I wonder how they would do against a souped up MiG.

They carry missiles and other ordnance in their weapon bays. Not sure where you got the notion they weren't carrying missiles.

[Zoologic]

Most modern stealthy planes are like that:

F-22A


In addition to that, they also now plug the wings to carry external fuel tanks and some more extra missiles when stealth is not required.

F-35


This thing also able to carry extra weight on wings.

T-50


Even the Russians did it too. Rumors say they also able to carry load using underwing pylons.

J-20


The Chinese too!

[Tankbuster]

But they cannot carry as many as conventional fighters,  W/O external hardpoints. Unless stealth missiles have been developed that don't leave heat signatures, the weapons themselves would be visible on Radar.

[Tolga<3]

Well, some Indian in Cracked tell us a story about his father, a MiG-21 pilot. The plane is called the "widow maker" for a reason. His father ejected twice, and on both occasion, he has to fly deadheading and cleared from any wrongdoings. So, after the 2nd ejection, his backbone compacted, and now relegated into flying cargo planes.

http://www.cracked.com/article_20991_5-reasons-flying-fighter-jet-way-crazier-than-top-gun.html

We also have MiG-21, a beautiful sleek-looking plane. But their small wings, mean that they have a very very low wing loading, and that semi-delta wing also means they are not particularly easy to control during tight turns. What our Air Force veterans say is that it is obviously very fast (clean aerodynamics), but not very good at controls, it easily spin out of control. MiG-17 is deemed far more agile and more controllable, but very slow.

Maybe the Indian Air Force is looking for interceptor. In that case, the MiG-21 shines more than F-16, because it has one of the fastest acceleration to Mach 2.0, behind English Electric Lightning and the famous Concorde passenger jet. Yes, not even the famed F-15 or MiG-29 or Su-27 can catch them when they dash for it. Or maybe, they just hate the F-16 because Pakistani is using it. LOL

BTW, I was quoting the cost for Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1, the Tranche 2 version is probably very similar to Rafale-C's current price. I haven't seen any data for the new flyaway costs.

From what I remember it was the Starfighter they called a widow maker, we personally called them flying coffins.

[Zoologic]

Widow maker is indeed pilot's term instead of real nickname.

F-104, MiG-21, F-4U Cutlass, Dc-10 etc... all were named widow maker once.

[|7th|Nighthawk]

I loved "Sargfighter" the most

[Zoologic]

Racism and anti-racism in "minority" countries:

http://tokyodesu.com/2014/03/17/pictures-ultra-nationalist-demonstrators-overwhelmed-by-anti-racist-counter-protest/

[THeTA0123]

I guess these fellows dont know how things have escalated in westren europe. Oh wait, i'm not allow to say that.

[Zoologic]

Well, unlike Germany, these little people don't have big enough heart to admit their wrongdoings in the past. That's why they never really dominate us, the other Asians, unlike how Germans dominate the other Europeans. They are not big enough to carry that burden, that weight to become an example to lead us through perilous, dirty, and cruel world. Their economic and industrial reign was rather short, like their WW2 achievements.

If one would recommend the leader of the world. I would say, the Chinese has the most experience, but sadly their current heading was rather shoddy and their vision is too blurred. Probably, the US is the best of the worst choice as of now. I would recommend the Brits too. But they are all suffering from one big problem as a leader of the diverse world.

Clearly, the west still suffer from that "double standard" issues. Take a look at Ukraine for example. This potential ally was in turmoil, and those Russians in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine don't want to be part of that deal, so they chose to secede. They simply won because their overwhelming numbers in the population. I have to admit that Russia is quite an asshole by moving in first. It is an illegal act, but the Crimean people's choice is theirs. You can say they were voting under gun totting ethnic Russian mobs and Russian Navy personnel, but if you look at the composition of population, you'll see that holding a fair referendum there isn't the best interest for Ukraine and the west be it without Russian intervention.

So what's the deal with Ukraine' territorial integrity. The Chinese was once stripped of Xinjiang, Tibet, and many other Central Asian countries, including Russian-Manchurian borders along its course of history. Clearly, the Han Chinese were minority there. But why they were supported to secede? Especially those who were part of China in 1949? Then the independence of East Timor, which Indonesians still try to reason on why these Portuguese-speaking fellas don't feel that 1945 spirit. We try to justify that being occupied by Portugal isn't like being occupied by the Dutch (like the rest of Indonesia), they just don't share that 1945 feeling, and them being close to communism, was just like us before 1966.

[Slayer]

I guess these fellows dont know how things have escalated in westren europe. Oh wait, i'm not allow to say that.

Huh? I don't get it. Which fellows don't know what exactly?

[Dukat]

Clearly, the west still suffer from that "double standard" issues. Take a look at Ukraine for example. This potential ally was in turmoil, and those Russians in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine don't want to be part of that deal, so they chose to secede. They simply won because their overwhelming numbers in the population. I have to admit that Russia is quite an asshole by moving in first. It is an illegal act, but the Crimean people's choice is theirs. You can say they were voting under gun totting ethnic Russian mobs and Russian Navy personnel, but if you look at the composition of population, you'll see that holding a fair referendum there isn't the best interest for Ukraine and the west be it without Russian intervention.

We, in the european west, believe that it is no good idea to further segment the world into inefficient sovereignties. The world is already fully segmented into sovereignities. Each place on earth got a government and can be adressed. Minorities should no longer receive protection by creating their own nations, but by granting them the required rights in the those existing nations.

Accordingly our priorities are these:

• Create democratic governments where no governments exists or support revolutions where governments are undemocratic.
• Protect minorities and civil rights by influencing the existing governments to do so.
• Return to step #1 and create 2 different countries, only if influencing the government fails hard (genocide etc.).

If you countercheck some major conflicts of the past and today, this guideline fits well.

• Yogoslavia saw a genocide (thus new nations were created).
• Iraq had an undemocratic regime.
• Tunesia had an undemocratic regime.
• Libya had an undemocratic regime.
• Egypt had an undemocratic regime.
• Syria has an undemocratic regime.
• Ukraine had a rather democratic regime, but can be considered a special case. The country is a rather instable nation, with previous regime changes. In this case we prefer presence of any (democratic) order over lack of any governance (unrest).
• Crimea saw no genocide.

I don't really see the double standard here on the first glimpse. As long as you don't blame us for cooperating with undemocratic regimes during times when there is no significant opposition to support.

I guess these fellows dont know how things have escalated in westren europe. Oh wait, i'm not allow to say that.

Huh? I don't get it. Which fellows don't know what exactly?

For some reason THeTA0123 managed to find an neighbourhood in Belgium compareable to Compton, with him being the only white person within one squaremile.

[Tankbuster]

So Theta lives in the Belgian Bradford?