Again,one has to understand the chronology of the deal.those who can remember that far,know that there were few if any options.RN Illustrious carriers,smaller than the Hermes/Viraat itself,which could only operate Sea Harriers,the ancien Clemenceau,with equally ancien Super Etendards,rejected even by Brazil.There was no Cavour,Juan Carlos ,etc. available as well.Building a new carrier for the IN in Russia would've at that time taken far more estimated time than refurbishing the Gorshkov and added significantly to the costs.Also remember that the carriers were built in the Ukraine,which became independent after the Sov.Union collapsed,and they couldn't build a new carrier for us too.There were if I recollect another one or two Kiev class sister ships of the Gorshkov.been tougher at bargaining,we could've got two for the price of one! In fact,I saw sev. pics of many warships of the once great Sov. fleet being broken up at Alang.
The Chinese cannot be compared.They will spend any amount of money to get what they desire.In fact,they bought up almost every carrier that was being scrapped,from the Melbourne,the Vikrant's sister ship,the Kiev and the Minsk,the Baku/Gorshkov's sister ships.They bought the Varyag for scrap value,ostensibly to turn into a floating casino at Macau.Great big Chinko lie.Few believed them.The entire ship has been virtually rebuilt,plus they also bought the drawings for the Ulyanov class carriers,3 of which are reportedly being built in China,the first already under construction.China has studied carrier aviation for decades.The Varyag/Liaoning is currently undertaking regular sea trials.It is only a matter of time before sea trials of aircraft are undertaken on a regular basis.There will be extra urgency as the Vikram has just been delivered to the IN.
I personally am a great believer in STOVL aircraft for carriers ,esp. in the IN context.They are far simpler to operate from flat tops,no cats,arrestor wires and the extra power req. for operating cats.In fact the Soviets had eevloped a better aircraft than the Yak-38,the Yak-41/141,which Lockheed bought into and used the etch to develop their STOVL fighter ....the JSF!
Wik:
Yak-41 or Yak-141
From April 1991, various kinds of rolling take-off and run-on landings were performed on normal runways and also "ski-jump" ramps at the lift jet center at Saky. Throughout its testing, the aircraft demonstrated excellent combat maneuvers.[1] Chief test pilot Sinitsyn went on to set twelve new world class records, but as the Yak-41 designation was classified, the records were submitted under the fictitious name "Yak-141".[1] As a result, the previously unknown aircraft came to be known in the west as the "Yak-141".
The design was initially designated the Yak-41M by the Soviet military. Once testing commenced, and the two prototypes began accumulating numerous world class records, it became necessary to invent a designation for use in the west, as the name Yak-41M was classified. The designation Yak-141 was selected, and it was by this name that the aircraft became known to western allies, though officially the aircraft's designation remained Yak-41M within the Soviet military. In 1991 Lockheed-Martin entered into partnership with Yakovlev to further develop an aircraft they had always known as the Yak-141. Largely as a result of this agreement, by 1992 Yakovlev changed the aircraft's designation to Yak-141 for the two flyable prototypes. Series production in Russia could further change its designation.[1]
Cooperation with Lockheed
Following the announcement by the CIS on September 1991 that it could no longer fund development of the Yak-41M, Yakovlev entered into discussions with several foreign partners who could help fund the program. Lockheed Corporation, which was in the process of developing the X-35 for the US Joint Strike Fighter program, stepped forward, and with their assistance 48-2 was displayed at the Farnborough Airshow in September 1992. Yakovlev announced that they had reached an agreement with Lockheed for funds of $385 to $400 million for three new prototypes and an additional static test aircraft to test improvements in design and avionics. Planned modifications for the proposed Yak-41M included an increase in STOL weight to 21,500 kg (47,400 lb). One of the prototypes would have been a dual-control trainer. Though no longer flyable, both 48-2 and 48-3 were exhibited at the 1993 Moscow airshow. The partnership began in late 1991, though it was not publicly revealed by Yakovlev until 6 September 1992, and was not revealed by Lockheed until June 1994.[1]
Just as the RN has found that the STOVL version of the JSF fits the bill best for its requirements,so should the IN pursue the option of acquiring a STOVL fighter in the future.Perhaps the JSF once its performance has been evaluated in the field,oer even a new design based upon the Yak-141 or a development of the FGFA.
...beg your pardon? Is there an expectation that a carrier does simultaneous launch and recoveries??!! Do not pass GO, Do not collect $2 million, Go straight to carrier school.
Enlighten us as to what exactly that point was, dear sir, and I shall gladly take my words back.