The high-tech German Eurofighter which will be carrying the
IRIS-T and
Taurus s/o weapon, radar-cancelling emitter pod and IR scrambling
wingtip sensors?
Lots of production variants flying around.
The ICE Phantoms that can fire AIM-120s?
The integration of the radar and fire control suite is largely
*******ized,
and in no way comes close to the capability of Dutch or Danish F-16s.
The re-engineered MiG 29s that beat the USN and Marines several times
in mock combat?
When allowed to 'survive' a post radar missile engagement perhaps.
Their
high off-boresite IR missile capability is cool, but something can be
said
about the fact that they are phasing them out of service.
The Panavia Tornado that can fly 75 ft off the deck at 920 mph armed
with an array of weapons plus Mauser's 27mm BK-27?
Which is exactly how the Brit Tornados got schwacked during Gulf War
'91.
... speak up... I can't hear you...
I must say the German pilots are very talented, and get their primary
training in the US (and F-4 and Tornado training in the states as well).
However, they do NOT have the most advanced aircraft out there, and the
Eurofighter is still not out there in any numbers yet. One of the
reasons
the Italians are going with leased F-16s in the interim.
The German pilots do train in the US under GERMAN command in NM.
The German pilots do train in the US under NATO command in TX for their
primary training. All Luftwaffe and Navy pilots report directly to their
flight commander, who may be American, British, German, Dutch, Norwegian,
Spanish, Italian, or from several other NATO countries. Since the training
is in the U.S., a large percentage of their T-37, T-38, and AT-38
instructors are American.
What you said about their training in NM is correct, though there are
American IPs there too.
And yes, they do not have the most advanced aircraft around... even with
the best of the Eurofighter fittings; however, despite the press, the
Luftwaffe has plans within a larger EU on various stealth projects and
UCAVs. Perhaps...
snip
Maybe they do, maybe they don't. It is nice to dream about such things.
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