T
tigisfat
Guest
We are talking about Iran, right? Iran is not broke and has no lack of scientists, training and facilities. Their F-14 program was set up by the US Navy and Grumman. Iran's government is one of the richest on the planet, and they are more than capable of funding their programs.I'm not a pilot,I was a tanker.I look at this the same way I look at any other weapons system.Recently the Russians finally junked tens of thousands of armored vehicles,they simply couldn't keep them running with out spare parts and the money and personal to fix them.
And a T-62 is a lot easier to maintain then an F-14, I am willing to guess.The Russian armored force is a shadow of it's former self,the truth is they went broke trying to keep all of that equipment and most of it didn't even run.
Fuel? Holy cow, they are an oil producing nation. They built their strategic stockpiles off of the illegal Iraqi oil that was smuggled into Iran at rock-bottom prices. That's why our embargoes didn't hurt Saddam. Since the revolution, their F-14 program has gone indigenous. They can manufacture whatever they want in-country, and their research has lead them to upgraded components. We're not sure exactly what their Phoenix missiles are even capable of anymore because they've been upgraded. As far as maintenance knowledge, again, their program was set up by us and they have the money to keep it going and keep training new guys.I would guess you would have to look at availability of the equipment.Do they have fuel and spare parts,maintenance personnel with the knowledge and ability to keep things moving.I was also an ASE auto tech..
Let's be positive that we don't assume other countries are filled with dumb people that can't learn just because we see their huddled masses on TV. Iran is home to some extremely well respected universities, and contributions by those of Iranian descent in fields such as science and medicine are recognized around the world.You can send a guy to school to learn how to fix something but....if he doesn't have some inherent skill,what we called the touch,he will be a lousy mechanic.I've seen it time and time again,guys with all kinds of training and schooling who couldn't fix a bicycle.
the Russians or the Iranians? The Russians recieved a bad rap after copying the B-29 directly, and it's been assumed forever that they copy our work. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most often, we've copied their work in a race to provide a counterpart for weapons systems they've built. Many prominent cold war aircraft were a response to a similar Russian design. The west has had some pretty large advances in avionics, but the Russians have always been extremely effective in aerodynamics and reliability. Have we forgotten how much of the space race they lead?They understood the theory but couldn't make it happen.I can't type.....same thing.I have been thru typing class in college and can't type to save my life.
As for the Iranians, underestimating them could be costly. They aren't dumb, plus they have money and decent equipment.