Slater

No worries. When I entered the USAF, all the NCO's were Vietnam veterans. That was quite a non-PC crowd to learn from.

The US looks like it wants to keep it's cluster munitions options open. I think this is partially due to the potential North Korean threat.

I'm retired military (USAF Munitions) so maybe I'm not aware of certain sensitivities regarding CBU's (having handled thousands over my career)? In my time it was just another weapon to be applied as the situation required. Of course, nowadays more humane substitutes are being sought that will achieve a similar effect without the residual hazards.

IIRC, the USAF originally selected the Airbus KC-45, but Boeing eventually won when that selection was protested. Given the KC-46's apparently endless teething issues, I'd say that the USAF made the correct choice to begin with.

IIRC, early F-104's had a rather dicey ejection arrangement.

In theory at least, the overall reliability and serviceability of the T-7A should be very good and much better than a MiG-29 (although probably less capable). So the long-term cost of ownership should be quite competitive.

Congrats to the crew at Martin Baker (from today's US DoD contract announcements): Martin Baker, Uxbridge, United Kingdom, has been awarded a maximum $150,000,000 five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for T-6 and T-38 Sustainment. This contract provides for T-6 and T-38 replenishment spares. Work will be performed in Uxbridge, United Kingdom, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2026. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 munitions procurement funds; NASA funds; Army funds; and Foreign Military Sales funds, in the total amount of $13,316, 027 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8213-20-D-0004).

I thought Canada wasn't interested in the F-35? https://www.defensenews.com/global/the-americas/2020/07/31/these-three-companies-submitted-bids-for-canadas-fighter-competition/

Isn't Japanese kit even more expensive? They build in such small production runs.

Wonder if this has a realistic chance of making it all the way through to aircraft delivery? https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/serbia-notes-interest-in-boeing-saab-t-7a-red-hawk-jets

You're right, of course. For some reason I had "P-3A" on the brain.

Compared to the all-around visibility of the F-15 and F-16 canopies, the rearward view of the F-35's cockpit appears a bit more restricted.

Back in 2017, New Zealand requested some old P-8A's for upgrading. Presumably that fell by the wayside?

Did the New Zealand C-130J sale ever go through to delivery? https://www.dsca.mil/sites/default/files/mas/new_zealand_19-69.pdf

Maybe Indonesia can reserve them exclusively for flypasts