Iran close to closing deal with Russia for 250 Su-30MK

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/mh/paris062107/index.php?startpage=10 ^

[jhpigott]

Show News has learned that Russia's Rosoboronexport (ROE) is close to signing a defense order with Iran that may be the largest in more than three decades.

[jhpigott]

the Su-30MK is a formidable aircraft, a purchase like this is going to set some people off

[jhpigott]

ping

[misterrob]

Guess we need to gaze into Putin’s soul again.....

[CarrotAndStick]

To train 300 pilots on short notice won’t be too easy.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

As Frankie Pentangeli was heard to say to his Don, “Let’s hit em now, while we got the muscle.”

[Blackyce]

Whatever. Flying targets. We could send them F-22s and it wouldn’t make a bit of difference if they actually had to face our pilots. It’ll piss the Saudis off though.

[Red Badger]

U.S. vs ROE............part deux!.......

[jhpigott]

with adequately trained pilots, 250 Su-30MKs could be a headache. Not going to prevent us from eventually obtaining air superiority, but those are good airframes, better than the stuff Mig puts out there

[Red Badger]

To train 300 pilots on short notice won’t be too easy.

Sure it will...........

Instruction #1: When you get within 200 miles of a Raptor, pull this handle between your legs.........

[Fitzcarraldo]

To train 300 pilots on short notice won’t be too easy.

a good way to get 300 crack russian pilots into iran on short notice

[Ingtar]

So that’s why Iran cannot afford to pay salaries right now.

[r9etb]

a good way to get 300 crack russian pilots into iran on short notice

Possibly ... Iran does have a strategic attractiveness for Russia, in that an alliance would give them access to Persian Gulf ports. Deals like this would go a long way toward giving Russia an increased influence in the region.

Way back in the Iran/Contra timeframe, National Review printed something from Oliver North, saying that the Iran part of the deal was meant to head off a Russian-instigated revolution that would have given them Persian Gulf access...

[Pistolshot]

Good looking aircraft, but if you can't maintain it, it's just a ground target.

[AppyPappy]

Even russia knows better than to get too coze to Iran. They have enough problems in Chechnya

[r9etb]

Here is a link to the NR article mentioned above.

[jhpigott]

this could also be a tool used by Putin to evidence Russia’s displeasure with the U.S. missile shield going up in Eastern Europe

[Non-Sequitur]

If an elected senator is unfit to represent his/her state...shouldn’t the governor and legislators of that state have the ability to rectify the problem?

Iran has a core of jet pilots they can transition. The hard part will be training the maintenance types needed to keep the aircraft flying.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Yes, but they won’t know there is a Raptor there.

[chilepepper]

250 of any kind of fighters is some serious hardware... seems to me Iran must be getting ready for a nuclear war

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Looks like an F-14