Welcome back to Chile Raptor

originally posted by: drwire
a reply to: intrptr

something like that but with Blackjack and Hookers.

Don't forget the roast piglet and cigars…

a reply to: Imagewerx

Technically you could. You'd even get a really nice tour of a couple other buildings too.

a reply to: Zaphod58

When any U.S. Jets come this way they're not supposed to have weapons on board, we have quite different gun laws 😁 but customs have a if we don't see it, it doesn't exist policy when it comes to these things so they don't bother checking the cockpit lol

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Imagewerx

Technically you could. You'd even get a really nice tour of a couple other buildings too.

Would that include a free overnight stay in my very own cell?

a reply to: Zaphod58

More problems with their obogs so they taxied all the way there ;-)

a reply to: Imagewerx

If your lucky. It is close to Seattle so they might just shoot first, ask questions later.

another cool video from FIDAE 2016.

a reply to: drwire

Some interesting headlines from FIDAE this year.

a reply to: Zaphod58

It'll be interesting to see what Chile goes with to replace their F-5s...

a reply to: Barnalby

not anytime soon, the economy isnt growing well (thanks socialist goverment).

a reply to: drwire

Time to buy more copper products, I guess...

The country is in this really interesting place though, and it'll be interesting to see what sort of effect the explosion of college-educated workers will have on the economy.

Last year, it almost felt like a more extreme version of the bubble-like growth in the US. I hadn't been there in over a decade, and even in that time period some parts of Santiago became unrecognizable, which made the fact that parts of the rest of the country looked as tired as ever stand out that much more.

At least a ton of the infrastructure Improvements seem to be privately funded/operated as concessions, so there's that at least.

I'm hoping that it all works out for the better. Chile, unlike other commodity-driven oil economies like Canada, Russia, and the US that are still at the mercy of other producers, is at least sitting on the world's largest copper reserves and as such is in much more of a place where it can dictate prices and it's own economic fortune than the oil economies can.

Let's hope that demand for copper continues to surge. I would hate to see Chile go the way of Canada or Russia, where all of its commodity-driven economic growth is wiped away by market forces (along with all the defense procurement that was to be funded by it like the F-35C or the Pak-FA).

Although realistically, even the Gripen is honestly overkill for what Chile needs from a fighter (aka, something to harass Bolivia, Peru, and the Argies), and perhaps Northrop will decide to release a fighter variant of their T-X design to be marketed as a sub-Gripen F-5/Mirage replacement.

Chile could then spend the extra cash they'd save on a fleet of Kawasaki P-1s for maritime reconaissance and fisheries enforcement.

a reply to: Barnalby

I wouldn't look for that to happen any time soon. Merex Group was awarded a contract last year to rebuild the wings on all of them, which will extend their life awhile.

a reply to: Barnalby

the problem isnt only the low copper prices but a low confident in the economy and the goberment. We have an economic system that has brought us wealth and prosperity that we never saw in the history of our country, but people do not understand that they need to protect that wealth and let the government was taken by a minority socialist. A minority that dont care about economy but into his own agenda to transform chilean society.

Years ago F-35 was offered to the chilean goberment as a replacement to the F-5, I dont know if in the near future we will see one of those beauties with the lonely star in his tail but the F-15C/D will be nice or F-16 will be more than enough.

a reply to: Zaphod58

And who will tell them otherwise.

a reply to: drwire

I'm glad to hear that they passed on the -35, it's a beautiful aircraft but it's absolutely overkill for what Chile needs.

Better to buy 2x as many F-16s or Gripens.

I really hope that Mitsubishi develops the X-2 into a (relatively) low-cost light air superiority craft that combines the F-35's stealth and 5th gen avionics with an airframe that isn't compromised by the strike role.

Basically, something with the Rafale's size, flight envelope, and dogfighting ability, but with the ability to carry a couple AMRAAMs/Meteors (OR some SDB's) and a pair of sidewinders internally to allow for a 'clean' A2A capability.

Essentially, it would be a 5th gen F-16/F-2 aimed at the export market for countries that don't have the budget or need to split air dominance and strike between different platforms like the F-22/F-35 do, and instead would rather combine both role into a smaller, cheaper, and slightly more compromised aircraft.