Give Russian even 1\4 the money that went into the f16 program, then compare what is under the hood of Mig 29 via F16.
Before the Sukhois it was the Mig29s that kept Pakistani F16s at bay , i think it speaks volumes about the true capability of 29s.
Your senseless statement speaks volumes about the lack of understanding you have of defense matters.
Mig-29's NEVER kept anything at bay.
To counter the capability the F-16's offered Pakistan India had to buy two separate jets..
It bought M2K's for deep strike and Mig-29's for Ada.
Even then.. till the induction of the sukhoi's there was real and constant consternation on part of the IAF planners about the F-16.
The oft quoted example of the Mig-29 lock incident should be taken at face value only.
What is not documented are a series of similar cases of IAF aircraft being locked on during the 87 standoff..
Or the recent probing incident by IAF aircraft... where older gen jets were able to achive the same on IAF jets.
The Mig-29 is a marvel of engineering..
But if the Poles and the Hungarians are any examples..they did not buy the newer mig.
One chose a F-16.. the other a Gripen.
Pound for Pound..
the F-16 is more reliable, more proven..with better avionics throughout the years.
Please look for a review by an F-18 pilot of the Mig-29G.
The newer mig-35 will be a very competitive machine.
Since the entry of capitalist concerns into the Mig-Tsagi.
One can expect all the refinements that were the hallmark of western fighters to be now part of Russian jets..
Take the Su-30 MKM for instance...
Possibly the last handicap is the susceptibility of Russian engines to FOD compared to their western counterparts.
Safety systems have and will improve further..
reliability was a major issue with Russian equipment.. in some cases more so than the Chinese..
Electronics too have moved from relying on brute power to clever software programming.
One of the leading companies in Signal processing is from Russia.
This thread has been dragged left and right... based not on the bearing of what the Russians think.. but because of what our Indian members feel is undue(albiet indirect) praise for the JF..and a little let down for what can be potential equipment for the IAF.
While in my view.. the JF-17 isnt a competitor.. but rather a very suitable complement for the Mig-29(35).
And offering the Russians a mixed deal whereby a country may be encouraged to purchase a Hi/Lo mix of Mig-35's and a
Russianized JF-17.
I hope the F-16 vs Mig-29 debate is taken elsewhere now..
its been discussed on almost every darn forum on the net.
With equally mixed opinions...
98% of them from people who have no actual experience of either jet(like I do
).. and are just there to defend their national pride in some egoistical form or the other.