Monty77
unfazed: you're right. Smaller countries put up better jets for their display teams.
Lucky for them they're not fighting very expensive wars at the same time. Sadly, bean counters rule these days - to the extent it endangers those at the sharp end. Bean counters should not rule on such serious matters especially bean counters who also make bad decisions based on incorrect information - Where are the leaders with the big moustaches who are meant to kick the bean counters arses and tell them how things will be (or have we got too many YES men in command ?)
I personally have difficulty with a Typhoon display team when a Para in Afghanistan is issued with cheap !!!!ty 0.5mm ammunition that constantly jams his weapon. I saw a video on You Tube of just that, and it certainly made me have a game of priorities. It was a full-on firefight and the end result could have ended up in close-quarter fighting with entrenching tools. That's something from which we here in the mil aviation community are mostly distanced. Thankfully. All because some arse saved a few quid somewhere. Quite agree with you but again it comes down to effective and strong military leadership with the determination not to let things get that far - Why can't we do things properly like we used to ? It's not because we don't have the money, it's because we have inneficient processes and systems that waste money and innefective leaders who allow this situation to prevail.
Anyway if the bean counters had their way the Red's would become a unicycle display team. My point is that there should not be a conflict between REDS flying a decent fighter jet and a well trained military force with appropriate capability and equipment.