They don't cost a lot, they just sit around uselessly rotting away in air bases devoid of most or all electronics, which are locked up in hangars. When necessary, they are made ready.
Google "USAF boneyard" and check images for more clues.
Mirage 2000H, MiG-29UPG, Jaguar DARIN III - Medium Multirole Aircraft of IAF
- Thread starter Ashwin
- Start date
They don't cost a lot, they just sit around uselessly rotting away in air bases devoid of most or all electronics, which are locked up in hangars. When necessary, they are made ready.
Google "USAF boneyard" and check images for more clues.
That seems plausible. I didn't know they actually stored jets to be used when needed in the boneyards, just thought it was like a graveyard. Never really looked them up before. Seems like we don't have any, and we just donate decommissioned jets to be used for display or sell them as scrap metal (this hurts to hear).
We use our jets until near the end of their life and store them away. But the Americans stored theirs away midway through their life primarily due to the end of the Cold War. Plus they also fought some big wars that resulted in a lot of airframes being built and those were stored away too. They lost 12500 aircraft in Vietnam, so you can imagine how many were actually built. A lot of their airframes are sometimes just a few years young. That's why we don't have a dedicated boneyard.
Question is how many of those can be made ready for war? Even with electronics stored away in hangars, both airframes and electronics will gradually rot away unless they are maintained regularly - which I don't imagine they are.
The Indian ones or the American? The Indian ones will be relatively younger and serviceable. A lot of the boneyard aircraft are also serviceable, although most are meant for spares or scrap.
Marines pull aircraft from 'boneyard,' get used Navy jets amid aviation crisis
With most of its F/A-18 strike fighters unable to fly on any given day, the Marine Corps is pulling 23 Hornets out of the “boneyard” and getting another seven from the Navy.
www.marinecorpstimes.com
‘Wise Guy’ flies again: B-52 resurrected from Boneyard
The Stratofortress is only the second to ever come back from the Boneyard, where aircraft are typically cannibalized for parts and rarely fly again.
www.airforcetimes.com
The desert air is less demanding on the aircraft.
OK, thanks.The Indian ones or the American? The Indian ones will be relatively younger and serviceable. A lot of the boneyard aircraft are also serviceable, although most are meant for spares or scrap.
Marines pull aircraft from 'boneyard,' get used Navy jets amid aviation crisis
With most of its F/A-18 strike fighters unable to fly on any given day, the Marine Corps is pulling 23 Hornets out of the “boneyard” and getting another seven from the Navy.
‘Wise Guy’ flies again: B-52 resurrected from Boneyard
The Stratofortress is only the second to ever come back from the Boneyard, where aircraft are typically cannibalized for parts and rarely fly again.
The desert air is less demanding on the aircraft.
The new cockpit just looks wow! Hope MKI UPG's cockpit will look equally neat if not more
How Indian MiG-29 UPG thrilled everyone by shooting down many planes in Egyptian Ex Bright Star-23
Don't you think they are acting way too slowly concering the M2000 upgrade? 2026 just to decide if they need life extensions and upgrades.
Is there any potential for Rafale sales to Taiwan?
Rafale was always the best choice for Taiwan. But they are betting too much on F-16s which will get pounded in the very first day of war by J-16 and J-20. M-2000 is going to be their best performer, but eventually both J-16 and J-20 will kill it too.
Rafale with Meteor would have kept every other Chinese fighter away except J-20.
It's not Taiwan's choice. They wanted F-35s, but were forced to buy F-16Vs. They were actually forced, the US even tried convincing them to get rid of the M2000.
As for Rafale, AFAIK, Taiwan is willing to buy the Rafale, but France isn't willing to upset China. Macron was clear about that, so was the French military, both want to keep France and NATO away from China. There's the problem with US pressure too in not wanting allies getting comfortable with the French. But with new geopolitical realities of today, it's possible that France can change its mind. For example, Taiwan may try persuading the French to allow Rafale sales in exchange for the M2000 upgrade. But if that fails, they may kick France out of their market by selling it to someone else.
This will be Macron's last term and it's possible that the next administration will change its mind.
Taiwan's also interested in developing a stealth jet, so a Rafale purchase could pave the way for cooperation.
Anyway, fighter jets with AESA and IRST can fight the J-20.
U.S. sensor systems will greatly boost Taiwan's air combat readiness: MND, experts - Focus Taiwan
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Thursday that a proposed arms package, comprising infrared search and track systems (IRST) for the country's fleet of F-16V aircraft, will vastly improve their long-range detection and target tracking, significantly boosting its air-to-air combat...
With the help of the IRSTs, pilots will be able to determine earlier how close the enemy aircraft are, thereby gaining more response time, Chieh said.
It's still a huge disadvantage, but it's still possible. Anyway, it's very likely that the US will come in with F-22s and F-35As during war.
Well, I've already said even in the past that with new gen IRSTs and GaN AESA radars, stealth could be defeated. We had our differences and debates regarding MKI(upgraded) vs J-20 regarding the same premises.It's not Taiwan's choice. They wanted F-35s, but were forced to buy F-16Vs. They were actually forced, the US even tried convincing them to get rid of the M2000.
As for Rafale, AFAIK, Taiwan is willing to buy the Rafale, but France isn't willing to upset China. Macron was clear about that, so was the French military, both want to keep France and NATO away from China. There's the problem with US pressure too in not wanting allies getting comfortable with the French. But with new geopolitical realities of today, it's possible that France can change its mind. For example, Taiwan may try persuading the French to allow Rafale sales in exchange for the M2000 upgrade. But if that fails, they may kick France out of their market by selling it to someone else.
This will be Macron's last term and it's possible that the next administration will change its mind.
Taiwan's also interested in developing a stealth jet, so a Rafale purchase could pave the way for cooperation.
Anyway, fighter jets with AESA and IRST can fight the J-20.
Due to the J-20s specially designed fuselages that reduce radar reflections, when a radar system picks up the signal of a J-20, it is often closer than indicated, Chieh said.U.S. sensor systems will greatly boost Taiwan's air combat readiness: MND, experts - Focus Taiwan
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Thursday that a proposed arms package, comprising infrared search and track systems (IRST) for the country's fleet of F-16V aircraft, will vastly improve their long-range detection and target tracking, significantly boosting its air-to-air combat...focustaiwan.tw
With the help of the IRSTs, pilots will be able to determine earlier how close the enemy aircraft are, thereby gaining more response time, Chieh said.
It's still a huge disadvantage, but it's still possible. Anyway, it's very likely that the US will come in with F-22s and F-35As during war.
Anyways, read somewhere that Taiwanese F-16s are going to get IRST-21 pod. But still defeating J-16s and J-20s when they're armed with PL-15 is going to be very difficult for them. Rafale solves this problem because it has integrated IRST(F4 onwards) and Meteor.
Even 40 or 50 Rafales will give a bloody nose and more to PLAAF, IMO.
The problem is the MKI's RCS is still too big, and every single charateristic on the J-20 is superior to the MKI in every way. Big radar and decent IRST, but will still be detected and shot at first, so the MKI will always be in the defensive. And by the time we are expected to fight each other, the MKI will be even older, and the Chinese will be inducting thier 6th gen by then.
The F-16 is slightly better but has the same problem. Only LCA Mk2 will be a better bet against stealth. Rafale of course. Base RCS has to be less than 1m2.
I'd actually like to see the Taiwanese operating the F-35B instead of Rafale. But the only way they will get them is if they announce independence. Another fear is spies leaking secrets to China.