What fighter plane do you think Romania should use?

...and some (some???) Scalps.

Iama

You should hold a party if they ever sell a single Rafale outside France:)

Is that news for real? Does Romania have any chance to get JSFs?

Probably not but one could hope.Definitely I didn't expected that. I was always thought that they will buy something like the Falcon/Gripen or maybe Hornet ( a long shoot).
But JSF, I never thought they will see it as a viable option for the budget they have.So far,no JSF was delivered>I do see some advantages in the decision to go after JSF.Most probably they will opt for that becasue is a whole program,countries joining to this effort are pumping money not for the buy,but also R&D and very probably for manufacturing.
And given the fact that the first amount will be paid somewhere in 2006-2007 it will give them some room.ATM Lancers are doing their jobs just fine.They will be phased out in 2010 most probably so there is enough space.
As for the news,you should take it as it came but the journalists are the same that adverted for free one month ago the Gripen . I see this article in the same light as the previous one

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/business/articl...990014&cid=1205

Edited: Quite strange that I didn't find on Reuters this news...

This post has been edited by Dani on September 23, 2005 01:25 pm

Mr. Martin Dokoupil is a Slovak working for Reuters. The following infos are public:

Email: martin.dokoupil@reuters.com;
Tel: +421-2-5341-8402

(A short search on Google will display the above informations)

From http://www.romtehnica.com.ro/

-GENERAL LIST OF MILITARY PRODUCTS AVAILABLE TO BE DELIVERED FROM ARMY STOCK
-III AVIATION
-1. AIRCRAFT

AN-24 - 3 pieces;
AN-26 - 3 pieces;
AN-2T - 3 pieces;
HONG-5 B - 5 pieces;
HONG-5 C - 2pieces;
HONG-5 DC - 2 pieces;
IAR-93 DC-B - 4 pieces;
IAR-93 DC-PRESERIES 1 - 4 pieces;
IAR-93 DC-PRESERIES 2 - 4 pieces;
IAR-93 SC-B - 22 pieces;
IAR-93 SC-MB - 14 pieces;
IAR-93 SC-PRESERIES 1 - 8 pieces;
IAR-93 SC-PRESERIES 2 - 13 pieces;
MiG-21 C - 9 pieces;
MiG-21 F-13 - 1 pieces;
MiG-21 M (2 without engine) - 6 pieces;
MiG-21 RFM - 29 pieces;
MiG-21 RFMM (7 without engine) - 41 pieces;
MiG-21 U - 6 pieces;
MiG-21 UM -5 pieces;
MiG-21 US (1 without engine) - 6 pieces;
MiG-23 MF - 32 pieces;
MiG-23 U - 2 pieces;
MiG-23 UB - 4 pieces;
MiG-29 MF - 15 pieces;
MiG-29 UB - 3 pieces;

-ENGINES
R 29-300 ENGINE FOR MiG-23 MF - 38 pieces;
R 27-300 ENGINE FOR MiG-21 A/C - 9 pieces;
WOPEN-5JIA ENGINE FOR HONG-5 A/C - 23 pieces;
VK 1A ENGINE FOR HONG-5 A/C - 42 pieces;
RD-33 ENGINE FOR MiG-29 A/C - 8 pieces;

I quoted only planes and plane engines available from stock.
So we are preparing for new aircrafts!

Heard on the news that Romania will buy Israeli second-hand F16s which will then be modernised with the same Israeli firm that did the MiG21 upgrade.

Yah, here's the link. Is just rumour.
http://www.adevarulonline.ro/index.jsp?pag...ticle_id=160011

BTW : I don't think is true. 150 mil is peanuts if you want to refurbish your whole fleet. You might buy around 15-20 pieces second hand for the same amount you can get 10 brand new.

This post has been edited by Zayets on October 30, 2005 09:04 pm

And here is the news cited by Adevarul:
http://www.arutzsheva.org/news.php3?id=91992

It might be a different thing..
We get the F-16s from USAF stocks (they have a lot of them in stores-prepared for WW3 ) and the deal is with Israel to upgrade them.
This way we might be close to reality
110 lancers update costed 300M$
x F-16 update .... 150M $

No way in hell to get more than 10 F-16 at that price tag. A new one is 40M$. Older ones at 15M a piece.
We need more data.

Yes and don't forget F16i are top of the line. I want to see at least a Romanian F16 patrol equiped with the "i" model. This news is vapour ware. It is indeed more plausible that we'll benefit an upgrade program worth $150 mil. Here's the I version, courtesy of Israeli-Weapons

It is spreading:
http://www.southeasteurope.org/subpage.php...d=15372&head=hl

Sweet. So, if I put all these information together I conclude that we'll buy anno 1983-84 A/B's and then we will pay $150 to upgrade these to the Israeli standards ("I" model anyone?)
This will give tons of ammo to the ones saying that the Fulcrums were newer than the Falcons we're about to buy.

Actually they are older than that ...
Osirak was in 1981 and was bombed by trully yours F-16 A's.

I'd say is a cheap bargain ...we will get shitload off spare parts...

This post has been edited by tomcat1974 on October 31, 2005 08:23 pm