[Farmer Dean]

There’s nothing wrong with using proven designs.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Farmer Dean :" There’s nothing wrong with using proven designs."

Then bring back the 'Warthog' , for close in , ground support !

[YogicCowboy]

There’s nothing wrong with using proven designs.

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While I value a proven design, there are considerations:

Metal fatigue.

Spare parts availability.

Inventory attrition.

Avionics equipment limitations.

Maneuvering envelope limitations.

Changing mission parameters.

You can only upgrade an old design so much. Putting an old design back into production from scratch is very costly, and almost never done; attrition alone is going to ultimately end its career.

(My father was an aircraft designer. I have more than a passing knowledge of military aircraft and their history.)

[Oztrich Boy]

>There’s nothing wrong with using proven designs.

Not exactly news to the Chicoms

Started out as Tu-16That's an Anatov An-12

There's a Mig-19 in there somewhere