So since this story broke out its gained a lot of momentum and shockingly there are some articles going about on the internet to backup the story - to a certain extent.
But here is my take on it.
A couple of days prior, PAF acquires jets from Egypt. US is not surprised that Pakistan took that route to avoid the trouble of going through Capital Hill for used F-16's.
Then all of a sudden this story comes out about:
Pakistan -
Russia (of all people) -
US $9 Billion.
Somewhere in the US, Board Members at
Lockheed Martin just went, "
What the f**#!!!". They're scratching their heads and wondering why they're not getting a piece of the pie.
I sense this is merely a tactic the PAF have played to see if the US will blink in a staring contest. Question is:
Who's playing who, here?
Donald Trump on the other hand is thinking...[feel free to watch the whole Video]
Now...
How can you be certain. You're obviously comparing its earlier variant - the MiG-29 which was designed during the Soviet-era in the late 70's. The MiG-35 had its 1st Test Flight in 2007. You do know that both MiG (Mikoyan) & Sukhoi, both belong to UAC (United Aircraft Corporation), so as far quality is concerned - they are at par with one another.
Exactly...
The last point is actually the first point.
Precisely...
Though, I agree with you... How exactly did you come to the conclusion that it faces built quality issues? How many Airforce's are currently operating the MiG-35?
Since when? Have you seen their GDP as of late...? This is a nation that was the first to place an order for the Rafales with 24. They are not broke! They have suffered some setbacks, politically. But even by being the most populated country in the Middle East, their Economy is steady & certainly one should not compare their situation with the likes of Pakistan (sorry guys).
Hmmm..., yeah okay - one could argue that its a '
beast', and its certainly (far) less than a Su-57. That is another conversation. But it is a very capable jet. And though I know that we'll never see it in the PAF, but i'd be itching to know/see what our boys would be capable of behind the controls of those jets.
Agreed 100% - And for the guys who have the Su-35 & S-400... Why not the S-500? Khuab pora...
We are. That's probably the reason why
Leonardo has opened an office in Islamabad. Just imagine what we can get out of them... C-27J (Spartan), M345/6...things for the Navy.
Finally..., you may all find this part interesting:
The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Caatsa) was introduced in 2017 to target Russia, Iran and North Korea with economic and political sanctions. It also prohibits any country from signing defence deals with these nations.
India got a '
Get out of Jail' card because Trump on the purchase of the S-400. Hasn't worked out well with Turkey.
Reason: Well, you're all smart.