Stolen from
here:
Quote:
When asked by the Herald Sun if the Russian-built war planes would be considered, he said all options would be included.
"The review should include a comparative analysis of everything on the market," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
"I'm not ruling out any option."
That would include the latest Russian Sukhoi 35 and MiG-29 fighters, which compare favourably on performance and very favourably on price with US-built planes.
In the early 1990s Sukhoi offered the government a fleet of its Flanker aircraft for less than the RAAF spent upgrading its existing fleets.
Politics and the ANZUS alliance with the US prevented serious consideration of the offers.
Both Sukhoi, with its Su-34 and 35 attack aircraft, and MiG, with its MiG-29 combat fighter, are in service with air forces around the world including India, China, North Korea, Burma, Malaysia and Indonesia.
..............
The stealth aircraft, which are primarily designed for air superiority, are built by Lockheed Martin and Boeing and cost more than $150 million each.
The Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter is predicted to cost about $70 million a plane.
Mr Fitzgibbon said he would not tolerate any delay in the JSF delivery or any increase in costs.
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looks like, if the US doesn't export the F22s, or something doesn't go smoothly with the F35s, there's a high probability for the RAAF to become another happy owner of Su aircrafts
