Sir - I was interested to read the article "Terminal velocity" (Flight International, 13-19 November, P33) and in particular the reported Royal Air Force simulations with the Eurofighter EF2000/AIM-120B and its "poor exchange ratio" against Sukhoi Su-27 and Flanker Plus derivatives.
This is at variance with claims made during a lecture to the Royal Aeronautical Society by Grp Capt Ned Frith (British Aerospace marketing) on the EF2000's advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM)/beyond-visual-range capabilities, reported in Aerospace for September 1994, in which he describes the Joust computer-model air-combat studies as being "superior to the threat", defined to include the Su-27 and Su-35. It now transpires that, far from being superior to the threat, the aircraft requires a weapons upgrade to the future MRAAM before it enters service.
It is all very well to "-give everybody AMRAAM" in the Joust studies, but the AIM-120's range is 50km (27nm). Was consideration given to Vympel's early R-77, with 80km range, fired from an Su-35, with its multi-mode radar having a detection range of some 400km, together with its speed advantage of Mach 2.4 compared with the EF2000's Mach 1.8 at altitude?
I suspect that the EF2000/ AIM-120 marriage was never a BAe choice, but imposed by the "buy off-the-shelf" policy of the UK Ministry of Defence. I wonder how much taxpayers' money has been squandered?
E SMITH
Tonbridge, Kent, UK
Source: Flight International
