PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Saudi Arabia commits to Eurofighter Typhoon deal
Old 2nd Jan 2006, 14:44
  #55 (permalink)  
ARINC
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Not Ardua enough
Posts: 266
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs down Re: Saudi Arabia commits to Eurofighter Typhoon deal

I can't help but comment on this....

Having seen up close for 2 years exactly how the RSAF operate Tornado, It seems like Typhoon is just another expensive toy the RSAF can add to the inventory.

A few interesting facts regarding current toys.

1. Not one Saudi IDS made it to the Tanker let alone the target in the first Gulf war.

2. At least one crew ejected South ! of Dhahran short of fuel.

3. Several Pilots were quietly removed, to one degree or another, due to LMF !

4. Sqn commanders actually to big to get into the aircraft !

5. Aircraft abonded by crew at the end of the active, fully armed and live exiting cockpit by using a ladder from a passing non Sqn. source !

6. Maintenance levels of IDS in particular, carried out solely by RSAF personnel (uncharitably known as the dark side), is to put it mildly a joke. On a superficial level these aircraft leak all and any fluids they care to put in them. Systems availability can only be guessed at.

7. I'll never forget the nervous small talk as I strapped in many expat Navs tasked on training sorties with less than current RSAF pilots, who crew in thus.. G vest check, Maps check, Seat pins check, worry beads check ! I kid you not.

I could go on..but suffice to say any meaningful talk of RSAF fast jet assets is a complete waste of time. They cannot operate them.

Edit

I will concede my comments don't include the F15's, It did seem to me these were almost exclusively expat maintained. And certainly not flown at night !

Last edited by ARINC; 2nd Jan 2006 at 20:45.
ARINC is offline