Iran’s Airborne Adversary: The F-16i
August 16th, 2008 . by JetmanThought of the Day:
Do you think that Israel feels confident in an Obama administration backing them or would they act alone or with help from the current administration in the three months between Election Day and Inauguration Day?
Back To The Jet…
Check out the conformal centerline fuel tanks on the dorsal side of the jet… Plus the actual dorsal element which looks ECM to me.
From Israeli-Weapons.com:
The Sufa is powered by the Pratt and Whitney F100-PE-229 Improved Performance Engine. The aircraft is designed for gross takeoff gross weight of 23,582 kilograms (52,000 lbs), which means it can haul more weaponry than the F-16.
The weapons engineer, sitting behind the pilot, “flies the bombs” down to the targets once they are released.
Allowing for additional fuel, improved engines plus the drop tanks and two Sidewinders for self defense, one configuration could still carry about 4000 lbs of precision ordnance.
Make a strike package of about twenty jets doing sorties at low level across Jordan or Iraq, popping up to bash Bushehr, and proceed onward.
Israel - Iran Economic Attack Theory
If Israel is smart, they also target the Iranian gas refinery by the Straits. There’s a limited ability for Iran to produce their own gasoline and this would keep them busy internally for months.
Related Links:
F-16I Sufa (Storm) - GlobalSecurity.org’s take
Lockheed Martin Delivers F-16I Flight Systems Trainer to Israeli …
Israel’s F-16I fighters to go down a storm - Jane’s Air Forces News
