Monday, November 28, 2005
India Kicks the USAF's Ass in 2005 Joint Exercise?
This will be the second year in a row that the rumor mill has India kicking the USAF's teeth in during the 'Cope India' exercise. Last year it was said that the Indians opened up a Can of Whoop Ass on our F-15Cs. The November 28 article in the Christian Science Monitor states that this year the Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30 MKIs put a hurt on our F-16s.
Ok, back to reality. Last year's 'leak' that the Indian Air Force kicked our ass was anything but factual. The truth is that the so-called leak was designed to push Congress for more funding on the F-22 program. That's about as honest as it gets around here. What better way to get more funding for more new aircraft then to say that your current fighters are no longer capable of maintaining air superiority in combat. Yes, it's embarrassing for the Air Force to go that route, but obviously we'll do anything for new planes.
This year's 'leak' is no different. The F-16's replacement, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), is having serious funding problems in Congress. The Air Force wants the plane and wants it soon, hence the latest rumor that our F-16s are being matched or beaten by India.
So this story is a win win for India and the U.S. It lets the Indian Forces feel great about themselves and their progress, and it makes the case for newer U.S. Air Force fighters.
posted by El Capitan at 10:02 AM
2 Comments:
Em said...
damn thats smart. i dont think anyone could kick the U.S. in aircraft. not even close.
4:00 PM
said...
Until you consider the lack of an E-3 in the fight, pilots still learning the new AESA radar, and ROEs that would not let them use War Reserve capabilities, this sounds amazing. One could speculate that they didn't deploy as we would have in an actual fight (fight like you train, train like you intend to fight). But, lets be honest, I don't think that any of us are briefed into the real story. If you knew what the SU-30MKI/S blocks can do (and the updated older MiGs), you would be less sure that it is all a put up job to buy Raptors and JSFs.
Nice blog, by the way.
V/R,
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