Comments on: Indian Flankers beat RAF Tornados

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:38:08 +0000

In all these kind of exercises, the idea is not to check a machine vs machine fight, but to conduct a mutually beneficial exercise that provides learning opportunity for all sides. And each exercise is conducted with a predetermined scenario. So the outcome of an exercise should not always match to an outcome of a real fight in war. Also in a war many more factors comes into play.

Please note that both sides has not come up with there total available capability. Google it and find out, that is a minimum work expected to be done.

By: the only decent guy here

the only decent guy here — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:40:19 +0000

ALL OF YOU, THE RAF IS OK. IT HAS’NT GOT ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY Su-30s OR F-18 SUPER HORNETS. IT WIL HAVE TO MAKE DO WITH “OLD AND CRAP” TORNADOS. ALL OF YOU, THE RAF IS NOT A JOKE. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY SENSE AND STOP RABBITING ON ABOUT OUR ROYAL AIR FORCE HEROES (THAT SAVED YOUR BUTTS IN WW2, IT WAS NOT THE AMERICANS, THEY WERE LATE AND LAME), THEN YOU WOUD’NT BE EITHER.

By: rajat

rajat — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:12:45 +0000

indian airforce can own raf.

RAF Air Marshall Cristopher N. Harper commented that the Eurofighter Typhoon at the time entering service is trhoughoutly a different case. He said that the Su-30MKI has little change to survive in the hands of the Typhoon. Mr. Harper still had to admit that the RAF needs to enhance its cooperation with AWACS systems used in the exercise.

harper thinks it is 18th century.

By: Dariusz

Dariusz — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:13:20 +0000

Sukhoi was introduced in 1996. Tornado in 1979. I am glad that indians finally won something. Next time guys try with Me-109.

By: joe

joe — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 10:35:35 +0000

the raf tornado maybe phased and old but it still is a brillaint aircraft, ad are the flankers but if they ran into the path of the typhoon they would be blown into oblivion. the indian airforce may have beaten the f15 and f16 in training excercises but the typhoon took part in an american excercise and took care of the f16, f15, f14 and nearly the raptor!!!

By: Andy W

Andy W — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 14:29:31 +0000

I’m not surprised. The aircraft the RAF currently use is a national ‘joke’, most of their current aircraft are very old and crappy. (The only ones worth keeping for now are the Harriers II)

They should scrap all those antique Jaguars, Tornados, Nimrods and buy F-18 Super Hornets off the Americans until the F-35 is ready, scrap those unsafe Nimrodes for E-3 Sentry. The RAF don’t even have anything which can match the MIG 29 Fulcrum. The Eurofighter Typhoon is no match for the SU-30 or F-18 Super Hornet

By: adeenas

adeenas — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 13:51:54 +0000

anyhow a simple question is that,name which hi-tect&modern aircraft fighter from western that a capable to fly a very basic&classic ‘tail slide’?…NONE!
Can outdated russian aircraft fighter be upgraded to MRCA and modernized?…YES they did!
This is a fact that an old MiG-29 can be fitted with hi-tech equip. same level as F-16, but none of the F-16 can match like those MiG’s fly&menuever ability-simple tail slide?…until now…mmm..mmm…

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 18:26:42 +0000

Personally, the above comments both by Grazhoppar & H.Khawaja are by far the most relevant with regards the subject in question. Briefly, I believe in a different environment, for instance around Leuchars / Fife, the outcome could be quite different. The point is, that indeed familiar terrain + familiar groung control assets, can obviously make the difference and even compensate the very differnt technology levels of opposing aircraft.
Armée de l’Aire 2000C5’s (MICA armed), have in the past been pitted against RAF Tornado F3’s. The precise outcome, in unknown, but, French pilots did give to understand that they prevailed but, could never follow the Tornado when it went into a dive or at low level.
The comment by Chip (above)is in my opinion, not correct, as the capacity to intercept long-range bombers depends far more on ground &/or airborne EW assets, than on the fighter itself, obviuosly. Nevertheless, on that level the F3, especially todays version, remains a very capable aicraft because of it’s loitering (swingwing)capacity (ability to remain on station far out to sea)and sturdiness of the platform for very low-level flying at high sustained speeds.
The F3, has often been matched against such aircraft as the digital array radar USAF F15’s based in Alaska with’good results’which is saying something! These are not quite up to the S.Korean F15 standard planes but are potent aircraft in the SU30 class and Tornados have certainly often managed to take the advantage of F16 & F18’s.
Going back to MICA armed French aircraft such as the Rafale N, these have, following the Afganistan campain, managed to prevail over USN
Super-Hornets and, played an important interdiction role patrolling offshore during the last India / Pakistan crisis to thwart the possibilty of a coastal pre-emptive nuclear strike by any one of the two sides.
The new F3 standard or the export Rafale armed with the long range ramjet powered METEOR would be even more capable. Curiously, France does not see the need for IRIS T or ASRAAM type weapons because of MICA’s versatility, the close-in weapon being the canon amazingly, not operational on RAF Typhoons, although, they now seem to have retracted and are begining training in its use, once again, following experience in Afganistan.
Michael

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:22:28 +0000

Returning to the subject in question and to be more specific, in my opinion the comments by ‘Grazhopper’ & Hamid Khawaja (above) are very relevant and exact. Both insist that it was a well thought-out, prepared environment similar to what was set-up during the Flanker-Eagle encounter. I.E. armament restrictions and out-dated analogue radar etc. in the case of the US planes. Undoubtedly, the F15 as for instance, those supplied to S.Korea, would provide a very different story (Digital phased-array radar + AIM 120C5’s). Similarly, rest assured that the RAF F3 crews with thier unbeatable training doctrine & experience, would sureky be a fairly equal match for the more modern Flankers on more familiar terrain (Leuchars-Fife), especially, if additionally vectored by thier own GC assets.
So, how can we get closer to the truth regarding fast-jet performance comparisons which are of such interest? Well, through deductions some things can come to light:
F3’s have been pitted against Armée de l’Air Mica-armed 2000C5’s in the past, the outcome of which could be very revealing but as yet nothing has been published or discussed other than informal impresions in favour of the latter by French air crews. In turn, Mica-armed Dassault Rafale has also, in principle, been matched against Amraam-armed F18 Super-Hornets and aparently prevailed. F15’s on their part, have apparently tried to bounce the Eurofighter Typhoon without sucess. Lastly, F22 Raptors have reportedly beaten the Eagle hands-down (zero losses), 8 aircraft against 30 of the latter of unknown spec.
When both Typhoon & Rafale recieve METEOR + their proposed up-rated radar, few aircraft will be able to surpass these be they from the East or from the West,in my humble opinion. Thrust vectoring + more powerful engines aside. Let us wait and see!?

By: Braxton

Braxton — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:58:29 +0000

lol, I just know the facts.