USAF Flankers, anyone?

[Supertom]

No longer a whatif!

http://www.air-attack.com/news/article/3702/US-buys-Su-27-fighters-from-Ukraine-for-aggressor-training.html

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Didn't see that one coming !

Ian

[Supertom]

There was another post recently (can't find it now for some reason) about 2 privately-owned Flankers.  So now we know, they're not for joyriding!

[ChernayaAkula]

I guess they'll be used like the Drakens and Kfirs of ATAC. Someone also uses Hunters in the DACT role.

[Shasper]

I dont think we'll be seeing these used for DACT but for electronic Green Flag type stuff . . . Now that I think about it, none of these "Rent a Badguy" companies offer DACT as a service (guess its the insurance!)

Shas

[Mossie]

Didn't the US purchase some MiG-29's some years back 'to prevent them falling into undesirable hands' or somesuch?  Can't remember where from now, although I think they were bought to be scrapped?

[Shasper]

Moldova seems to ring a bell . . .

Shas

[ChernayaAkula]

<....> none of these "Rent a Badguy" companies offer DACT as a service <...>

Really?  What's the point in flying these types of aircraft then? Wouldn't it be much more economical to use Learjet or something like that for hauling around some electronic gadgets. Okay, getting a Learjet to Mach 2 might pose some problems, but surely there would be other types that could do the job a lot cheaper than such "oddballs" as the Kfir, Draken or Flanker.

[dragon]

I had been thinking of making one as a NASA chase plane.

[B777LR]

I hope they will update these Flankii with more western avionics. Old early production Flankers are worthless in air-combat training. They offer nothing compared to the latest Flankers, offering vectored thrusting, helmet mounted HUD, better radars, ECMs etc. Even if they are only to be used in dogfights, they are not really gonna pose a realistic target in their current outfit.

I had been thinking of making one as a NASA chase plane.

Me too.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Someone also uses Hunters in the DACT role.

There's a Canadian outfit that has a couple of camouflaged Mk58's but I thought they were just for film work 

Ian

[ChernayaAkula]

^ I meant THESE of ATAC.

[Joe C-P]

Too bad it wasn't the USN picking up a bunch to fill out their flight decks if the F-35C is delayed any further as the F/A-18As, Cs, and Ds wear out from overuse.