Fighter Jets for the Air Corps -

[Fouga]

Say the Airspace is a UFO hotspot and all Aircraft entering Irish Air Space do so at their own risk..... '>

[warthog]

dig out the 303's, FN's and the bren's make every child under 15 shoot for the their junior cert!!

[Fouga]

Aw i miss the FN i remember everybody who didnt hold the weapon properly when on the range came home with a bruised/black eye! Power!

[sealion]

Quote (Fouga @ 24 Aug. 2006,12:45)

Aw i miss the FN i remember everybody who didnt hold the weapon properly when on the range came home with a bruised/black eye! Power!

I didn't realise you were old enough to remember one?

[Fouga]

Quote (sealion @ 24 Aug. 2006,11:49)

I didn't realise you were old enough to remember one?

You still alive?

[Frank]

Ah Guys,

Stick to the fighters please.


Regards,

Frank.

[Hess]

Hi there,
well, the ideas so far haven't been worth that much.
We're looking for fast jet interceptors, so why not do a deal? With the Russians....they have more types of interceptors than you could shake a stick at (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know about maintenance, running costs etc), but maybe we have something that they want. Remember how we got the Steyr AUG for a big boatload of butter from the Austrians? Well, let's export something to the Russians as part payment for a squadron of MIG-29s.
We have:
a.) Information Technology & Telecommunications
b.)  Business Skills
c.) Education system second to none
d.) Possible fast track visa for Russians willing to emigrate to Ireland
e.) Butter ..... ah, no, we gave it all to the Austrians
f.) Polish people
g.) Clean Irish Spring Water, it's been pissing here since before Christ was a young lad
h.) the knowledge of how to make a polititian to be on both sides of the fence while sitting on it.
Just a thought...

[Hess]

I'm being flippant, but do you get my point, guys? Think about the Russian A|Cs.

[SousaTeuszii]

You might have something there Hess. The Russian market is one of the biggest Irish Beef importers, meanwhile Irish farmers are being paid for empty fields. Answer, increase beef production and do a deal with the russians.

As for aircraft, no money concerns, it would have to be a version of the SU27. If a budget is required then a version of the Mig 29 should suffice.
As regards maintenance they are termendously tough aircraft designed for field maintenance with no special tools or equipment the main problem is TBOs on parts such as engines. Mind you engines from russia are dirt cheap. Believe it or not you can pick up a good mid time Walter turbo prop for the same price as a western piston. I imagine the military jet engine market being much smaller would also allow for cheap deals.

[SousaTeuszii]

Have a look here!

Could this price be right?

Flight Journal year unknown

From the Above

A recent unofficial quote from a Russian source says that Su-27s can be bought for about $8 million apiece.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SousaTeuszii]

Maybe this is more realistic.
Still a very good price!

Military analysis network

From Above

The cost of one Su-30MKK fighter jet is estimated at $35 million - $37 million.

[sealion]

Would avionics and manuals not mostly be in cyrillic?

[SousaTeuszii]

I am not sure to be honest but I am sure for a contract for a couple of aircraft the manuals and cockpit could be 'dechypered'.
Read somewher though that the airframe overhaul on the Mig29 is only 2500 hrs. How does that compare to westren types?

[pilatus]

8mill for a SU-27!it would be one of the type thats in storage left over from the soviet era!the flanker would be the wrong type for the aircorps!the MiG on the other hand would be nearly perfect for starters they are cheaper,just as capable as a flanker,cheaper to maintain, and they are not as noisey as a flanker.plus have you guys seen the size of a flanker?they are flipping huge,they are bigger than a casa!theres no way a hanger is going to be built to house even 6of these things!

[sealion]

I was reading recently how India is replacing almost all its soviet built fleet as they can no longer get the spares as they would like to. They still operate the Bear in Maritime Patrol.