Many thanks to France for providing planes, missiles, tanks and other weapons! It is good to have you on our side. I have a really nice memories about working together with a French team from Montpellier a few years before the invasion.
Well, it would be fair to say that French made Muscovites burn Moscow themselves. Like they (together with British) made them sunk Black Sea fleet in 1854.
A very good one, Tom, thanks. Iraqis had an extemely daring programme back in late 80s: M2000s, 140 Fulcrums, Su-27s were expected to be purchased to complement Mirage F1, Su-24&25. Sad that you failed to mentioned Mig-25s with mighty R-40 missiles which were (in the role of interceptor) almost a peer to Tomcats.
Good point raised about M2000s AAMs. To use MICAs against Shaheed will lead to bancrupcy.
Yup. Though: don't forget that while ordering 140 MiG-29s, they've been so disappointed by the type, that they've stoped that acquisition after receiving less than 40 (the others were then sold to countries like Malaysia, Yemen, Sudan etc., in the 1990s) - and went for 'super-Su-27s' instead.
I.e. even in this regards they were about 10+ years ahead of Indians, not to talk about the Soviets.
And nope: MiG-25s were never peers to Tomcats. The Iraqis were the first to say so. That type had much too narrow engagement envelope (alone because once airborne, it - de-facto - can only accelerate, until it runs out of fuel and must literaly glide back home). It was nowhere near comparable to the F-14.
And the use of MICAs is not going to lead to bankruptcy. On the contrary: it's financing the development of the Meteor and Astra-30. Hopefully also an expansion of production facilities (all provided Moron wakes up from his hangover after all the parties in London of the last few days). The Ukrainians have also spent hundreds of Patriot SAMs to shot down hundreds of Shaheds, and nobody complained (except for the FSB-asset known as Donald J Trump). That didn't bankrupt anybody: when one is at war, and lives and nations are at stake, nobody is counting bucks.
Tom, the supply of Fulcrums to Iraq stopped due to the embargo. Only 41 birds were delivered. It was supposed to replace Mig-21s. Back in 1990 it was a very good asset. And Su-27 was cleared to export only in 1991, so Iraqies were only dreaming about and negotiating Flankers.
As per Foxbat - it was almost a peer to Tomcat as an interceptor. Of course, Tomcat mini-Awacs capabilities, range and other features are nowhere to be seen in Foxbat. Still mighty radar with rather long-range (for that time) R-40s and 2.8 M speed gave them huge advantage over Phantoms and good chances vs. Tomcats (they downed 1 or 2 F-14s). Never heard of gliding Foxbats.))))
As per MICAs - cost of a single Shaheed or its replicas should be around 50-100K. Good luck with the use of MICAs. As per Patriots, we can judge (indirectly) that they were used against high -value targets (aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles). Drones are coped with my cheaper missile (Iris, Hawks, SA-3s) as well as by manpads, copters and AAA.
The MiG-29-project was cancelled by Iraq already in 1989. The embargo of August 1990 was then the reason they didn't place an official order for Su-27s: it took them time to develop and formalise their ideas for what they expected to get in this fashion (i.e. without an embargo, 'Su-30MKI' would become reality already in the early 1990s).
Re. MiG-25 and F-14... I find it silly anybody is still talking about the F-14 as mini-AWACS. That's the old Western mythology from the 1980s. Please check here what they were really used for:
Re. what are Ukrainian Patriots used for: OK, you're right and I'm wrong. Therefore, as next I'll write an official request to the PSU for its troops to remove all the (dozens of) kill markings for Shaheds from command posts of their PAC SAM-systems...
Iraqi Mig-29 project was not cancelled in 1989. For example, 8 planes were supplied in 1990 right before the embargo in August. Try to think logically Tom, there was no alternative to Fulcrum to replace 200+Mig-21s and J-7s. Flankers were not available for sale that time.
As per mini-Awacs.....F-14 was used in many roles, see no contradictions here. Of course, Mig-25 is not potent to be mini-Awacs contrary to Mig-31.
Regarding Patriots killing Shaheeds, could be a few (mistaken for smth more serious). Anyway, if so, good exchange for RU forces.
Thanks Tom. Two questions. 1. How picky are the MIRAGE 2000 aircraft transferred to Ukraine regarding the quality of the runways and 2. Have the first MIRAGE aircraft that arrived in Ukraine already entered combat (the media mentioned three aircraft received).
Less picky than F-16s. Due to position of their intakes, F-16s are much more susceptible to so-called 'FOD': foreign object damage. Jet intakes love sucking any lose objects from the ground: sand, gravel, nails, shoes, even people (if the engine is powered up sufficiently, and somebody walks right in front of the intake).
Re. first combat: didn't follow carefully enough, the last two weeks, so can't say. Must check.
This is the official information that MIRAGE 2000 aircraft were used for the first time in repelling a missile attack today. The effectiveness of their actions is not mentioned.
Good read, thanks! I have been away from your substack due to some, in my opinion, blind hate for israel, but with new gaza realestate oppurtunities, I'm sure you think jews are not that bad at all:) Sorry, I had to tease, a little.
Since im no expert, 2 questions, if you wrote about ut earlier, sorry for being ignorant:
1. Does Ukraine currently have effective, f16, mirage, effective kit vs russian air defense?
2. Swedish awacs is playing hide and seek, any info and what is the real benefit from those?
Anybody complaining aboujt my critique of Israel can always be so kind and explain me one thing: how comes the most valuable of its export goods - the one earning Israel most income - are diamonds?
...although the country has no diamond mines at all.
***
Re. your questions:
1.) Not really (but then, all of the West has no effective conventional SEAD/DEAD-capability, right now. It's undergoing development). Though, thanks to availability of advanced UAVs, that's not necessary. Ukrainians are meanwhile doing SEAD/DEAD in different fashion.
2.) AFAIK, there are no Swedish AEW aircraft in Ukraine - not yet and not for a while longer (for reasons I've explained about a year ago). The last year, Australia secretly borrowed one of its Boeing E-7s to Kyiv, though. That one did prove as highly successful.
Look into the saga of Dan Gertler and the Congo. It's quite the rabbit hole, especially for the very bestest ally of the very greatest upholder of the "rules based international order."
That was the person I was trying to remember, thanks. Did not come up when I did a Google. Yes he popped up quite a every now and then on the back pages of newspapers in the 90s and 2000s
Thanks for a detailed and informative piece. Yes spare parts will be a problem. But it’s systems are not US build, which would be a pluss these days. Regarding spare parts. I wonder whether 3D printing is an alternative for some of them? It would probably be necessary with some reverse engineering first to get the dimensions correct and of course the 3D printer in question couldn’t be any simple child’s toy. But 3D printing is taking great strides and might be more efficient for at least some of the parts. Especially if France provided the files. As I understood it Ukrainian agents supported 3D printing files for drone production to the Syrian rebels who toppled Assad so they are not unfamiliar with the concept? Or have I misunderstood what happened in Syria?
Of course, yes, the 3D-printing could solve lots of problems. I'm just not sure if it's already possible to, for example, 3D-print brake discs? (Is one of spares spent the most on fast jets.)
Neither am I. But I think the technology has been developing rapidly the last years. And if you have the «geometry» of a piece you can print quite a lot. Since the French at least might provide the geometry or accept reverse engineering I guess it is worth a try.
I guess that making new brake disks instead of 3D printing would be easier (you could start with blank disks of the suitable material and diameter, then cut the required holes in a CNC machine). The 3D printing would be more suitable for complex geometries and curves.
There are plenty of M2000B/C/K/Ns stored in France, so most spares should be available for the airframe. The -5F uses a different radar/system architecture, so maybe that could be the weak link although there may be spares in production available for export clients like Greece
There better be some (sound) solutions in place. Otherwise, plenty of people are going to cry - already in about a year from now.
See the F-16s: there are already such problems with the fleet, that back in... was it November? ... the USA had to send a team of technicians to repair a number of jets that were stored because dysfunctional.
Old is old, no matter how much 'refurbished before delivery'.
and with the latest developments with the Trump administration, even the European F-16s might be problematic in maintenance...
That was a major reason why Greece bought both the F-16 and the M2000 in the eighties, instead of settling on a single type: redundancy and complementary capabilities
(that customization of the M2000 is a real headache for modelers, with kits offering multiple vertical stabilizers, noses, antennae, etc. - you really need to check actual photos of the jet you are modeling in order to avoid any mistakes)
Probably the plan is to run them until it is no longer possible; maybe a couple years. It’s better than nothing and good enough to engage Russian drones until something more suitable arrives. T1 Eurofighters anyone?
What prevent the French to include the RBE2-AESA (or any upgrade) coming from the Rafale Suite in the 2000F-5 frankeninterceptor but which was initialy tested on a 2000 back in 2012 ?
Verstaility by modularity.
Of course some things may be not said at this time and will be guessed later on.
To use with what missile? From what I remember, the M2000 cannot carry the Meteor missile. Better to go to Rafales instead, which offer much higher combat radius (up to 1700 km) and load capacity etc.
Very nice article Tom, the other countries using Mirage 2000 Fs would be still holding to their aircraft until replaced by better/newer ones for their mission sets.
Would the APKWS II air to air effector used by the USAF to shoot down drones instead of expensive AIM 9Xs be the needed weapons by the PSU? The said effectors are 25 USD only, are in pods of 7, has laze capability carried by the 2 plane flight and the PSU aircraft can still carry other AAMs, the system is for a 2 aircraft flight capable of taking on drones and cruise missiles plus still has AD/AA capability?
A nice movie about the Mirage 2000 is Sky Fighters, aka Les Chevaliers Du Ciel, where you can see Mirage 2000s battling other Mirage 2000s over Paris during the July 14th parade, which was filmed over Paris during the rehearsals of the July 14th parade.
The movie was filmed with little or no CGI, as they mounted in a recce pod a full sized movie camera, so a Mirage 2000 was filming other Mirage 2000s...
Not a lot of plot in the movie, but fun to watch, and it derives as a reboot from the Tanguy et Laverdure comics and tv show.
"which… think I’ll stop here." Ho ho ho, you obviously get to speak to some knowledgeable people. OSINT happens everywhere!!! From your traffic stats and IP addresses, I guess you know you have a few of Pudding's crowd reading your posts.
Well, Mr. Cooper, if only you weren`t so biased you would have known that Su-30s were used to provide air cover, as they are better in that regard compared to ‘super-turbo’ Mirage..
According to Indian Flanker pilot, the Su-30 proved to be a superior platform to Singapore air force`s F-16s during exercises, both BVR and WVR.. not to mention how American F-15Cs and F-16s got trashed in 2004.-2008. exercises with the IAF.. Royal Malaysian air force`s Su-30MKM which is similar to Indian Su-30MKI (the airframes are practically identical) also proved their worth even against American F-22 and F-18 Super Hornet.. even against RAF`s Eurofighters..
During NATO`s illegal bombing campaigns over ex Yugoslavia, first you had a French Mirage getting shot down by Bosnian Serb forces in 1995. by MANPADS; than in 1999. you had two faulty Serbian MiG-29s scrambled to intercept a group of Mirages over western Serbia and as a result the Mirages simply fled..
An Indian Fulcrum pilot described how the French were disappointed when they got defeated in simulated dogfights involving MiG-29 vs Mirage-2000 as even in areas where it was believed that the French wunderwaffen has the upper hand the MiG simply dominated..
So yes, the Su-30, heck even the MiG-29 is more than good enough to compete with an average aircraft such as the Mirage-2000.. the Rafale is a different story, but only until the Su-35 joins the party.. or Su-30SM(2).. but according to Mr. Cooper, Rafale`s EW proved to be too much for Su-35, I guess that`s why we`re seeing Mirages instead of Rafales in Ukraine..
So you compare F15c which is plane from 1980 with planes from 2000 and saying that russia planes are good? And yes dogfight. Dogfight is past skill. not only because of long range AA but also that by dogfight 1 side must be in range of SAMs and we remember that at the beginnig russia must stop fight over UA. So dogfight can sometimes happen, but is far less important as before.
Up front: yes, I'm terribly biased. And anti-India, too. And Serb-hater, and Russophobe, and anti-Semitic, and a Jihadist-supporter.... and working for around 50+ different intelligence services (would be happy to supply a full list, on request, of course).
But, and foremost: yes, it's entirely my fault - solely mine - that Moron has delivered Mirage 2000s to Ukraine, no Rafales.
...and, generally, it's my historic animosity vis-a-vis India why the entire West hates it, and the USA are going to invade India tomorrow in the afternoon - and not everybody is adoring the Su-30MKI the way they should. Heck, the type should get its own religion, and places of religious worship, too.
***
BTW, whenever you happen to wake up, and provided you find it worth wasting your precious time with such trash like me, spreading blasphemies about the Su-30MKI, check how comes there are books like this one, written by a gentleman that co-wrote the Indian nuclear weapons doctrine:
Thanks!
Boy, did we get our money's worth on these "few words" ;)
You give me a great gift! Tom Cooper!
Thanks for this article,with too many data!
Is like my birday!
I hope the best ise for this airplane!
I i hope too,someone in france track and list all the mirage2000 in storage!
Or some one thinks about anothers countrys with this plane abroad.
And i have a cuestión...nobody think about put and okd amx30 tank chasis with a oerlikon system on top?
Too many in estorage,or amx chasis with artillery turret?
They shouldn't copy Americans and send 40-years-old stuff, but send Rafales.
I think about "profit" and practicability. Amx chasis...too many oerlikon a
Skyguard or similar efectiv...money happy aa capacity better. In a very logical Word yes rafales and aa system brand news. But..."profit"
Many thanks to France for providing planes, missiles, tanks and other weapons! It is good to have you on our side. I have a really nice memories about working together with a French team from Montpellier a few years before the invasion.
And special thanks for burning Moscow in 1812!
Do not forget, that there were also Polish in Moscow in 1812 ;)
Sorry to correct you, but Moscow was burned down by the Russians themselves. They did it, so that the French couldn't stay there over the winter.
Well, it would be fair to say that French made Muscovites burn Moscow themselves. Like they (together with British) made them sunk Black Sea fleet in 1854.
A very good one, Tom, thanks. Iraqis had an extemely daring programme back in late 80s: M2000s, 140 Fulcrums, Su-27s were expected to be purchased to complement Mirage F1, Su-24&25. Sad that you failed to mentioned Mig-25s with mighty R-40 missiles which were (in the role of interceptor) almost a peer to Tomcats.
Good point raised about M2000s AAMs. To use MICAs against Shaheed will lead to bancrupcy.
Yup. Though: don't forget that while ordering 140 MiG-29s, they've been so disappointed by the type, that they've stoped that acquisition after receiving less than 40 (the others were then sold to countries like Malaysia, Yemen, Sudan etc., in the 1990s) - and went for 'super-Su-27s' instead.
I.e. even in this regards they were about 10+ years ahead of Indians, not to talk about the Soviets.
And nope: MiG-25s were never peers to Tomcats. The Iraqis were the first to say so. That type had much too narrow engagement envelope (alone because once airborne, it - de-facto - can only accelerate, until it runs out of fuel and must literaly glide back home). It was nowhere near comparable to the F-14.
And the use of MICAs is not going to lead to bankruptcy. On the contrary: it's financing the development of the Meteor and Astra-30. Hopefully also an expansion of production facilities (all provided Moron wakes up from his hangover after all the parties in London of the last few days). The Ukrainians have also spent hundreds of Patriot SAMs to shot down hundreds of Shaheds, and nobody complained (except for the FSB-asset known as Donald J Trump). That didn't bankrupt anybody: when one is at war, and lives and nations are at stake, nobody is counting bucks.
...should there be any doubts: ask Pudding...
Tom, the supply of Fulcrums to Iraq stopped due to the embargo. Only 41 birds were delivered. It was supposed to replace Mig-21s. Back in 1990 it was a very good asset. And Su-27 was cleared to export only in 1991, so Iraqies were only dreaming about and negotiating Flankers.
As per Foxbat - it was almost a peer to Tomcat as an interceptor. Of course, Tomcat mini-Awacs capabilities, range and other features are nowhere to be seen in Foxbat. Still mighty radar with rather long-range (for that time) R-40s and 2.8 M speed gave them huge advantage over Phantoms and good chances vs. Tomcats (they downed 1 or 2 F-14s). Never heard of gliding Foxbats.))))
As per MICAs - cost of a single Shaheed or its replicas should be around 50-100K. Good luck with the use of MICAs. As per Patriots, we can judge (indirectly) that they were used against high -value targets (aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles). Drones are coped with my cheaper missile (Iris, Hawks, SA-3s) as well as by manpads, copters and AAA.
The MiG-29-project was cancelled by Iraq already in 1989. The embargo of August 1990 was then the reason they didn't place an official order for Su-27s: it took them time to develop and formalise their ideas for what they expected to get in this fashion (i.e. without an embargo, 'Su-30MKI' would become reality already in the early 1990s).
Re. MiG-25 and F-14... I find it silly anybody is still talking about the F-14 as mini-AWACS. That's the old Western mythology from the 1980s. Please check here what they were really used for:
https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/iran-iraq-naval-war-volume-2-convoy-battles-1981-1984.php
....is valid for MiG-25s, too.
Re. what are Ukrainian Patriots used for: OK, you're right and I'm wrong. Therefore, as next I'll write an official request to the PSU for its troops to remove all the (dozens of) kill markings for Shaheds from command posts of their PAC SAM-systems...
Iraqi Mig-29 project was not cancelled in 1989. For example, 8 planes were supplied in 1990 right before the embargo in August. Try to think logically Tom, there was no alternative to Fulcrum to replace 200+Mig-21s and J-7s. Flankers were not available for sale that time.
As per mini-Awacs.....F-14 was used in many roles, see no contradictions here. Of course, Mig-25 is not potent to be mini-Awacs contrary to Mig-31.
Regarding Patriots killing Shaheeds, could be a few (mistaken for smth more serious). Anyway, if so, good exchange for RU forces.
Hablando del MiG-29, cuánto habrán pagado los soviéticos al gobierno yugoslavo para rechazar los Mirage 2000 por los MiGs?
Thanks Tom. Two questions. 1. How picky are the MIRAGE 2000 aircraft transferred to Ukraine regarding the quality of the runways and 2. Have the first MIRAGE aircraft that arrived in Ukraine already entered combat (the media mentioned three aircraft received).
Less picky than F-16s. Due to position of their intakes, F-16s are much more susceptible to so-called 'FOD': foreign object damage. Jet intakes love sucking any lose objects from the ground: sand, gravel, nails, shoes, even people (if the engine is powered up sufficiently, and somebody walks right in front of the intake).
Re. first combat: didn't follow carefully enough, the last two weeks, so can't say. Must check.
https://nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/events/ukrajina-vpershe-zastosuvala-vinishchuvachi-mirage-2000-dlya-vidbittya-udaru-rf-7-bereznya-50496030.html
This is the official information that MIRAGE 2000 aircraft were used for the first time in repelling a missile attack today. The effectiveness of their actions is not mentioned.
Good read, thanks! I have been away from your substack due to some, in my opinion, blind hate for israel, but with new gaza realestate oppurtunities, I'm sure you think jews are not that bad at all:) Sorry, I had to tease, a little.
Since im no expert, 2 questions, if you wrote about ut earlier, sorry for being ignorant:
1. Does Ukraine currently have effective, f16, mirage, effective kit vs russian air defense?
2. Swedish awacs is playing hide and seek, any info and what is the real benefit from those?
Anybody complaining aboujt my critique of Israel can always be so kind and explain me one thing: how comes the most valuable of its export goods - the one earning Israel most income - are diamonds?
...although the country has no diamond mines at all.
***
Re. your questions:
1.) Not really (but then, all of the West has no effective conventional SEAD/DEAD-capability, right now. It's undergoing development). Though, thanks to availability of advanced UAVs, that's not necessary. Ukrainians are meanwhile doing SEAD/DEAD in different fashion.
2.) AFAIK, there are no Swedish AEW aircraft in Ukraine - not yet and not for a while longer (for reasons I've explained about a year ago). The last year, Australia secretly borrowed one of its Boeing E-7s to Kyiv, though. That one did prove as highly successful.
Wait, what? Did you write about that E-7 at some point? Is there more info?
No, I didn't. Was 'ultra-must-kill-you-if-I-tell-you-secret'.
Ok, i not tell anybody...
Israel & diamonds... I assume you are referring to Israel washing illegally mined diamonds from Africa through the Tel Aviv diamond dealers?
Look into the saga of Dan Gertler and the Congo. It's quite the rabbit hole, especially for the very bestest ally of the very greatest upholder of the "rules based international order."
That was the person I was trying to remember, thanks. Did not come up when I did a Google. Yes he popped up quite a every now and then on the back pages of newspapers in the 90s and 2000s
Ah, that reminds me of Belarus being a lead exporter of shrimps and other seafood to RF.
Thanks for a detailed and informative piece. Yes spare parts will be a problem. But it’s systems are not US build, which would be a pluss these days. Regarding spare parts. I wonder whether 3D printing is an alternative for some of them? It would probably be necessary with some reverse engineering first to get the dimensions correct and of course the 3D printer in question couldn’t be any simple child’s toy. But 3D printing is taking great strides and might be more efficient for at least some of the parts. Especially if France provided the files. As I understood it Ukrainian agents supported 3D printing files for drone production to the Syrian rebels who toppled Assad so they are not unfamiliar with the concept? Or have I misunderstood what happened in Syria?
Of course, yes, the 3D-printing could solve lots of problems. I'm just not sure if it's already possible to, for example, 3D-print brake discs? (Is one of spares spent the most on fast jets.)
Neither am I. But I think the technology has been developing rapidly the last years. And if you have the «geometry» of a piece you can print quite a lot. Since the French at least might provide the geometry or accept reverse engineering I guess it is worth a try.
I guess that making new brake disks instead of 3D printing would be easier (you could start with blank disks of the suitable material and diameter, then cut the required holes in a CNC machine). The 3D printing would be more suitable for complex geometries and curves.
Creo haber leído algo de que lograron fabricar algún repuesto impreso en 3d para el Tornado IDS hace unos años.
Brakes disks from plastics...well
Why would you use plastic for that? You can print with aluminium, steel, titan and different alloys...
Ans is cost eficient?
Hell no.
Who told you 3d printing is done with plastic only? There are specialized printeres using metals, biopolymers and even clay or cement.
Wow! And are capable of resist stress and temperatures, like metal parts? Thanks, really i am obsolete in this tecnology
There are plenty of M2000B/C/K/Ns stored in France, so most spares should be available for the airframe. The -5F uses a different radar/system architecture, so maybe that could be the weak link although there may be spares in production available for export clients like Greece
There better be some (sound) solutions in place. Otherwise, plenty of people are going to cry - already in about a year from now.
See the F-16s: there are already such problems with the fleet, that back in... was it November? ... the USA had to send a team of technicians to repair a number of jets that were stored because dysfunctional.
Old is old, no matter how much 'refurbished before delivery'.
and with the latest developments with the Trump administration, even the European F-16s might be problematic in maintenance...
That was a major reason why Greece bought both the F-16 and the M2000 in the eighties, instead of settling on a single type: redundancy and complementary capabilities
(that customization of the M2000 is a real headache for modelers, with kits offering multiple vertical stabilizers, noses, antennae, etc. - you really need to check actual photos of the jet you are modeling in order to avoid any mistakes)
Probably the plan is to run them until it is no longer possible; maybe a couple years. It’s better than nothing and good enough to engage Russian drones until something more suitable arrives. T1 Eurofighters anyone?
(Noob inside)
What prevent the French to include the RBE2-AESA (or any upgrade) coming from the Rafale Suite in the 2000F-5 frankeninterceptor but which was initialy tested on a 2000 back in 2012 ?
Verstaility by modularity.
Of course some things may be not said at this time and will be guessed later on.
To use with what missile? From what I remember, the M2000 cannot carry the Meteor missile. Better to go to Rafales instead, which offer much higher combat radius (up to 1700 km) and load capacity etc.
Great article ! Thank you Tom !
Very nice article Tom, the other countries using Mirage 2000 Fs would be still holding to their aircraft until replaced by better/newer ones for their mission sets.
Would the APKWS II air to air effector used by the USAF to shoot down drones instead of expensive AIM 9Xs be the needed weapons by the PSU? The said effectors are 25 USD only, are in pods of 7, has laze capability carried by the 2 plane flight and the PSU aircraft can still carry other AAMs, the system is for a 2 aircraft flight capable of taking on drones and cruise missiles plus still has AD/AA capability?
And is not fasible in cr7 rokets?
A nice movie about the Mirage 2000 is Sky Fighters, aka Les Chevaliers Du Ciel, where you can see Mirage 2000s battling other Mirage 2000s over Paris during the July 14th parade, which was filmed over Paris during the rehearsals of the July 14th parade.
The movie was filmed with little or no CGI, as they mounted in a recce pod a full sized movie camera, so a Mirage 2000 was filming other Mirage 2000s...
Not a lot of plot in the movie, but fun to watch, and it derives as a reboot from the Tanguy et Laverdure comics and tv show.
"which… think I’ll stop here." Ho ho ho, you obviously get to speak to some knowledgeable people. OSINT happens everywhere!!! From your traffic stats and IP addresses, I guess you know you have a few of Pudding's crowd reading your posts.
....including people with genstab.ru at the end of their e-mail addresses...
Super chuckle!!!
Thank you, Tom! At least one good news for Ukraine. Hope the French did not give 3-4 aircrafts only...
Excellent Tom, thank you, that has brought my knowledge up to date on this interesting French aircraft 👍
‘super-turbo’ Su-30MKIs huh?
Well, Mr. Cooper, if only you weren`t so biased you would have known that Su-30s were used to provide air cover, as they are better in that regard compared to ‘super-turbo’ Mirage..
According to Indian Flanker pilot, the Su-30 proved to be a superior platform to Singapore air force`s F-16s during exercises, both BVR and WVR.. not to mention how American F-15Cs and F-16s got trashed in 2004.-2008. exercises with the IAF.. Royal Malaysian air force`s Su-30MKM which is similar to Indian Su-30MKI (the airframes are practically identical) also proved their worth even against American F-22 and F-18 Super Hornet.. even against RAF`s Eurofighters..
During NATO`s illegal bombing campaigns over ex Yugoslavia, first you had a French Mirage getting shot down by Bosnian Serb forces in 1995. by MANPADS; than in 1999. you had two faulty Serbian MiG-29s scrambled to intercept a group of Mirages over western Serbia and as a result the Mirages simply fled..
An Indian Fulcrum pilot described how the French were disappointed when they got defeated in simulated dogfights involving MiG-29 vs Mirage-2000 as even in areas where it was believed that the French wunderwaffen has the upper hand the MiG simply dominated..
So yes, the Su-30, heck even the MiG-29 is more than good enough to compete with an average aircraft such as the Mirage-2000.. the Rafale is a different story, but only until the Su-35 joins the party.. or Su-30SM(2).. but according to Mr. Cooper, Rafale`s EW proved to be too much for Su-35, I guess that`s why we`re seeing Mirages instead of Rafales in Ukraine..
So you compare F15c which is plane from 1980 with planes from 2000 and saying that russia planes are good? And yes dogfight. Dogfight is past skill. not only because of long range AA but also that by dogfight 1 side must be in range of SAMs and we remember that at the beginnig russia must stop fight over UA. So dogfight can sometimes happen, but is far less important as before.
Up front: yes, I'm terribly biased. And anti-India, too. And Serb-hater, and Russophobe, and anti-Semitic, and a Jihadist-supporter.... and working for around 50+ different intelligence services (would be happy to supply a full list, on request, of course).
But, and foremost: yes, it's entirely my fault - solely mine - that Moron has delivered Mirage 2000s to Ukraine, no Rafales.
...and, generally, it's my historic animosity vis-a-vis India why the entire West hates it, and the USA are going to invade India tomorrow in the afternoon - and not everybody is adoring the Su-30MKI the way they should. Heck, the type should get its own religion, and places of religious worship, too.
***
BTW, whenever you happen to wake up, and provided you find it worth wasting your precious time with such trash like me, spreading blasphemies about the Su-30MKI, check how comes there are books like this one, written by a gentleman that co-wrote the Indian nuclear weapons doctrine:
https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/terror-and-response-the-india-pakistan-proxy-war-2008-2019.php