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A comment on Photos of a Sukhoi Su-27 dogfighting with a USAF F-16 around Area 51. Parent comment

Re:Photos of a Sukhoi Su-27 dogfighting with a USAF F-16 aro... by Inconel on Tuesday January 10, 2017 @01:37AM (#13363127)
The USAF has a long history of acquiring foreign aircraft[1], sometimes through defectors, other times by purchasing them from foreign militaries. I don't know the source of the Su-27's in question here but I believe the USAF acquired a few airframes from the Ukrainian Air Force. Various MiG's have also been acquired from the Moldovan and Belarusian Air Forces.

Also, there were two Su-27's for sale privately in the US a number of years ago[2].

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4477th_Test_and_Evaluation_Squ...

[2]http://www.prideaircraft.com/flanker.htm

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Re:Photos of a Sukhoi Su-27 dogfighting with a USAF F-16 aro... by sremani on Tuesday January 10, 2017 @02:26AM (#13363292)
According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-27#Operators)

Two Su-27s were delivered to the U.S. in 1995 from Belarus.[60][72] Two more were bought from Ukraine in 2009 by a private company, Pride Aircraft to be used for aggressor training for U.S. pilots.[73]

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Re:Photos of a Sukhoi Su-27 dogfighting with a USAF F-16 aro... by TorKlingberg on Tuesday January 10, 2017 @06:26AM (#13364102)
I imagine it is tough work maintaining them. A decades old soviet plain, and you have no access to the manufacturer. I suppose the cannot just call Russia and order parts.
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Re:Photos of a Sukhoi Su-27 dogfighting with a USAF F-16 aro... by trentnelson on Tuesday January 10, 2017 @10:14AM (#13365338)
Similar to Iran trying to maintain a fleet of F-14s.
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Re:Photos of a Sukhoi Su-27 dogfighting with a USAF F-16 aro... by Inconel on Tuesday January 10, 2017 @02:59AM (#13363417)
The two Su-27s that Pride Aircraft acquired and certified were big news when they were publicly put on sale around 2009-2010 but I'm not sure if they were actually bought by the USAF or a private company to do contracted DACT.
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