Comments for Brazil Earmarks US$ 2.2 Bi for 36 Fighter Jets. Just for Starters at http://www.brazzilmag.com , comment 0 to 8 out of 8 comments http://www.brazzilmag.com Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:18:45 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8835/54/#pc_14197 ;D you know nothing. Look IRAQ!, IRAN!, the Middle East! Russia, China...haha - Manuel Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:51:43 +0100 http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8835/54/#pc_11942 The thing is they are almost double the cost of the F161 - aes Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:13:52 +0100 http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8835/54/#pc_11939 Lockeed Martin Sufa F161 is on sale for $45 million per plane. That is about $35 million considering the comparative strength of the Real from a year ago. The time to buy is now. If the Israeli airforce is choosing the F161 there must be a reason. The life of that nation depends upon such choices. Not in theory, but in daily reality. - aes Wed, 07 Nov 2007 07:06:13 +0100 http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8835/54/#pc_11938 Maybe the others are significantly cheaper than the American units. Maybe the feeling is that the Americans would play hardball in the tech transfer area. Maybe the financing is more favorable. Commerce is a good thing for all, good they are planning to upgrade, if the past 50 years is any guide at all the planes will never be used for anything but training anyway. Fighter jets to deal with car theft? Sukhois deployed against smugglers? How would that work? - Ric Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:35:19 +0100 http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8835/54/#pc_11937 How far ahead of the pack is the F-22? Especially when compared to European fighters like the Rafael, Eurofighter, and Gripen? This is something that matters a lot to the Air Force, which thinks the F-22 is vital to maintaining air superiority – replacing the F-15C as soon as possible, even at the expense of reducing the buy of the F-35. How valid is the Air Force’s claim? First, one needs to look at how visible the aircraft in question are on radar. The F-15C is probably the most visible, entering service just as Lockheed began work on the F-117 Nighthawk. The Rafael and Eurofighter have taken steps to reduce their radar-cross section from the front. The Gripen has not had as much work on this front. The F-22, however, has the lowest radar-cross section and has it on all aspects. It also has another major advantage in this regard when compared to these European fighters: the F-22 carries its weapons internally, while all three of the European fighters carry the weapons externally. While some missiles like the Storm Shadow and SCALP have reduced radar cross-sections, some weapons still reflect radar well. This means that the Rafael and Eurofighter will still be at a huge disadvantage. The next question is how good the radars are. The F-15’s APG-70 has been upgraded over the years, to the point where it can distinguish an aircraft using Non-Cooperative Target Recognition (NCTR). The Air Force does not reveal much about the system, but NCTR is said to be capable of revealing the model and even variations on a given model of a target being tracked by radar. The Rafael’s RBE2 is capable of searching out and tracking targets in the air and on the ground or sea, as well as classifying those targets, and it also is a low-probability of intercept radar, which means that it can track targets with less chance of the target knowing it is a target. The Eurofighter’s CAPTOR (a variant of the Blue Vixen used on the retiring Sea Harrier F/A.2s) has a unique three-channel system that gives it additional ability in electronic counter-counter measures (ECCM) as well as air-search and surface-search capabilities. The F-22’s radar is designed to use spread spectrum transmission to locate and track targets before they even know the F-22 is there. The F-22 also has the most advanced NCTR system put into a fighter aircraft. Finally, how good are the countermeasures? The Rafael, Gripen, and Eurofighter rely on active jamming systems. These put out energy to distract radar. However, these systems will still advertise the presence of the aircraft and provide ample warning. These days, missiles can be programmed to home in on jamming – and that means life could be exciting and short for pilots who use them. The F-22, on the other hand, does not rely on jammers as much as they rely on diverting and absorbing radar waves. Comparing these systems is difficult, since information about systems used in electronic warfare (including jamming and systems like NCTR) is usually classified. Even though stealth is wrapped in cloaks of secrecy, two things are apparent: First, the United States has a significant head start on stealth technology – mostly because of the head start of ten to fifteen years that was gained by the successful protection of the F-117’s gestation. France is working on a stealthy UAV, which will supposedly have a lower RCS than the F-22 or F-35, but that is not yet proven. The United Kingdom is also rumored to be working on a stealth aircraft called HALO, with D-Notices allegedly being issued to press outlets to keep sightings from making news. Second, the stealth race is on, and efforts are being made to catch up with the United States. - aes Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:32:03 +0100 http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8835/54/#pc_11936 Hmmm. Begin with thinking. - aes Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:18:31 +0100 http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8835/54/#pc_11935 Main guidelines? "long term strategy outlined by Lula,"?? "the Brazilian defense industry must again take the lead in the export of missiles, aircrafts and several different kinds of equipment."??? You have a plan to sell these to whom and you want someone else to bankroll it all and bring in the external technology for you to assimulate???? Who's idea is it to try to rake in quick returns from your neighbors - you're offering an alternative to all that expensive soviet gear????? Nothing but questions no one is going to like answering - least not honestly nor publicly. - Simpleton Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:35:54 +0100 http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/8835/54/#pc_11927 no air refuling , all aircraft listed need long runways & lots of maintence by well trained qulifide personal all need a well defined fuel mix , groung crews ,ground equipment ,spare parts sims for pilots , tranning aircraft there is another billion right there unless you keep them all on one base in SP or brasilia then what use would they be looks like 2.2 billion dollars worth of targets how about 2 billion worth of cruse missels and a few trucks just parked in old barns all over brasil with 25 prop planes for spotters with lazer or GPS com the infamous AK 47 , can be used by any idiot as it is built on the KISS prinsipal still a good gun to arm the right people to do your dirty work and you sit back and watch the country come apart from the inside sound like something chaves would do ??????????? - forrest Brown Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:39:30 +0100