there’s been talk of blended wing designs for well over a decade now. Surely there must be some major practical pitfalls that have held back any significant prototype integration in the past few years.

sorry I’m unfamiliar with WP. what is it?

DU seems like an odd choice to the uninitiated. Wouldn’t think of putting it for armour.

So is it simply due to DU’s much higher density? Are there other benefits it affords over say traditional metals and alloys?

been reading this great thread on the new armata series

that single plane windscreen looks great, sure visibility must be awesome as well but wonder if it’s more vulnerable than the normal split screen set up

Also, I wonder just how effective this Saudi action has been? Personally I feel it’s the young prince who’s the current Defense minister who is the driving force behind it, maybe to cement his place in the minefield of the Royal Family’s politics and I imagine a bit out of youthful exuberance.

Could someone tell me what the principle behind using Depleted Uranium for armour? Is it because it’s a dense metal?

I think it’s a bad work ethic that’s permeated in the emirates and Saudi. I was travelling through Dubai once and the guy next to me was a former air traffic controller at Heathrow (so you can guarantee this guy was competent at his job). He was telling me that he was going back on a fat 3 year contract, but said he…

No you’re absolutely right with all your points. None of those countries have a pressing need or the wherewithal to acquire the Mistrals.

It pains me to read about historical sites and antiquities being pulverised by those godforsaken a-holes.

granted, I forgot to consider the alterations made to suit the Russian needs. In which case I guess it really isn’t as simple as finding a buyer. Shame though, I quite like the look of the ships. Heck, I would want India to buy them and I understand that the French firm that built it is one of the companies in a…

there’s an excellent 3 part BBC documentary called the Ottomans that in one episode explains the problems of Middle Eastern borders in that context (the empire not the sofas)

I’m really surprised there aren’t more countries just willing to cough up the cash for the 2 very capable and most importantly immediately available Mistrals. They’re undoubtedly good platforms that are just gathering dust while the French try to find a buyer (or wait it out to give it to the Russians eventually).

could be used as launch pads for coalition campaigns in the future maybe? (though what appetite parliament or the public would have for future such ventures is debatable and unlikely at best)

I read about the failures with the rifle. While its safe to admit Indian industry isn’t mature enough to manufacture complex kit like jets entirely on its own I think there are some promising avenues. Shipbuilding seems to be something India has done reasonably well for a few decades, at least when it comes to stuff…

yes indeed, even a single Pakistani squadron of J31s will throw a significant spanner in the Indian defence works, the massive MMRCA shortfall withstanding. I can see why Pakistan would release soundbites about their intention to acquire the jet. It’ll definitely give them something they could make excellent use of…

oh man, all these acronyms. Why can’t they just give them normal names at the prototype stage? Like Bob. Or in this case Ravi.

India should rationalise what it continues to support as part of the Make In India initiative. It shouldn’t be used as a crutch for substandard programs. Surely smaller scale programs like a replacement APC would encourage more public-private partnerships and private players to get some of the largesse. Indigenous…

India fly F-16s? a jet the arch nemesis across the border already fields? I’ll eat humble pie the day it happens. I mean sure during the big MMRCA contract there was the super roided up F-16IN but it was out of the reckoning at an early stage. It’s unlikely IAF head honchos will be persuaded to change their mind…

alright, hypothetical query. Say the developments in radar tech render any gains in stealth tech prohibitively expensive and impractical, what’s to prevent the new approach being jets that are merely fast sleds with increasingly powerful AESA, etc. to help them see for miles on end able to launch high tech high range…