Two Russian Su-30 fighter jets arrive in Venezuela

interfax ^ | 7/3/06 | Interfax-AVN

[Flavius]

06:42 GMT, Jul 03, 2006 Latest Headlines...

Two Russian Su-30 fighter jets arrive in Venezuela

MOSCOW/CARACAS. July 3 (Interfax-AVN) - Two Russian Su-30 fighter jets have landed in Caracas to join a military parade to mark the anniversary of Venezuela's independence from Spain on July 5, an official with the Russian defense and industrial complex told Interfax- AVN. "It has yet to be decided whether the planes will remain in that country until a contract is signed for the sale of 24 Su-30 fighter jets to Venezuela, or they will return home after the celebrations," the official said.

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[mad_as_he$$]

True. Why waste the good stuff on a third rate gas bag. Even more fun have OUR F-16's dust their Su-30's

[fish hawk]

Got insurance?

[Erasmus]

The technical term is, I believe,

"Uncontrolled departure from airspace."

< }B^)

[Non-Sequitur]

Alberto Muller Rojas, the presidential advisor, has indicated that Venezuela is considering selling the planes to Iran if Venezuela does not receive spare parts from Washington.

Let's see, the Venezuelan F-16s don't work because the U.S. cut off spare parts. The solution is to sell them to another country without a chance of getting any spare parts either. Just how stupid does Rojas think the Iranians are?

[akorahil]

Well, I am perhaps a neophyte airpower afficonadio, but I do wonder where they will find trained pilots to fly their SU-30s.

If they just grab some 'crack pilots' from their air force, methinks a few jet jocks in F4 Phantoms will school them...

[corkoman]

Where did these fighters fly in from???? In flight refueling over the atlantic - musta had to do it twice - not a long range aircraft.

[Army Air Corps]

"The solution is to sell them to another country without a chance of getting any spare parts either. Just how stupid does Rojas think the Iranians are?"

Well, if he has been listening to Ahmedinejhad's speeches, then he may think that they are two steps below Sean Penn.

[Gumption]

They will replace the F - 14's that Iran doesn't have parts for.

BTW, why can't these back assward countries fabricate these parts for themselves? I mean, they don't have to design them just duplicate them. Am I missing something?

[TaMoDee]

I think that was at the Paris Air Show a couple of years ago.

[akorahil]

Well the news agency is Interfax, and the dateline is Caracas/Moscow.

I would say our old friend Pooty Putin sold them.

I might be wrong. however.

[John Lenin]

Aircraft	Odds vs. Su-35
Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor	10.1:1
Eurofighter Typhoon	4.5:1
Sukhoi Su-35 'Flanker'	1.0:1
Dassault Rafale C	1.0:1
J-10	1.0:1
McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle	0.8:1
Boeing F/A-18+	0.4:1
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C	0.3:1
General Dynamics F-16C	0.3:1

[John Lenin]

---

These results mean, for example, that in simulated combat, 4.5 Su-35s were shot down for every Typhoon lost. Missiles such as the KS-172 may be intended for large targets and not fighters, but their impact on a long range BVR engagement needs to be factored in.

[Conservative4Ever]

BTW, why can't these back assward countries fabricate these parts for themselves? I mean, they don't have to design them just duplicate them. Am I missing something

Shhhhhhhhhh! You don't want the NYT to read this and then tell the bad guys, do ya???? :)

[rellimpank]

--amongst my momentos of six months in Venezuela twenty-five years ago is a snapshot of a government (Dep't of Mines and Hydrocarbons) helicopter--with a window replaced with cardboard, held in place with duct tape--

--somehow I doubt the Russki jets would get any better maintenance--

[mgstarr]

So what?? If they want to buy/borrow/steal them I have no issues.

Two (or twenty-four) Su-30's does not a credible air force make against ours. I recall the fear in the 80's about the F-14's the Iranians had.

Plane's no good without the pilots to fly them....

[bmwcyle]

Just a snack.

[chmst]

Simple parts can be fabricated, most parts that break are not simple. It quickly become much cheaper to buy new aircraft from France, Russia, or China. I remember the case of a Mitsubishi robot that the Soviets tried to reverse engineer back in the eighties, they took four years (I think) to get a copy that still didn't work right. Mitsubishi was asked if they were going to raise a fuss, they said no, what was the point when the robot was hopelessly obsolete. I knew the USSR was doomed at that point because it was clear they could not steal technology fast enough. Iran is even worse off because they do not even have the USSR's crappy tech base.

[Leo Carpathian]

helicopter--with a window replaced with cardboard, held in place with duct tape--

Amiiigo, yu don anderstaaaan, they made it into 21 century - they got duck taaaape! Do not underesimate dem!

[LasVegasMac]

I'm thinking you are right, but more than a couple years ago. I was still in the USAF when I saw this film. And I've been retired for 11 years.

[conservativecorner]

My thought exactly BUMP!