Funny: If anyone is near Edwards AFB today you will see a MiG flying there. Park at the truckstop just northeast of the base and listen in on your scanner on 132.75 for Cobra Seven-Zero to check in and keep your eyes peeled over the mines when it comes back to the initial in about an hour. Wave! I'm the guy in the front seat....
Form follows function. There's a reason the Buran looks like a STS Orbiter, and a An-12 looks like a Herk, and a Viper looks like a Fulcrum, etc: It's because the form factor fits the mission.
BTW the MiG has navigation lights installed in it that are parts interchangable with Grimes nav lights made in Pennsylvania. We sold them Bell P-63's in WW-II with Grimes lights installed. They made spare parts and then made complete assemblies from those parts. They are still in use today. Simplicity of design? The proximity switches that show flap, landing gear, and speedbrake position on the MiG are the same part number switch that are used for the brake-lights on their military trucks. You want to keep jets running in austere conditions? You might take some lessons from these guys. There's plenty to be learned by studying other engineering systems. I could write a book about Russian aerospace design. Uhh... <sigh>... actually... I have. You just can't buy it in a store.
Who studies who more? Regarding the Russians (not Chinese) we probably study them more, copy them more, and certainly buy more of their stuff today than they do of ours. I bet there isn't a Viper being flown by a Russian at Ramensykoe today. And I wonder why Boeing bought a part of Zvezda (Russian Ejection Seats) and why the factory that built the Mig that I fly is now owned by Sikorsky, and why is the United States the largest purchaser *in the world* of the excellent Russian Mil Helicopters? Maybe it's because no western company builds a heavy lift helicopter with the same capability. We buy them as fast as Mil builds them. We just don't bring many of them back stateside. We bring a few, if you keep your eyes open and know where to look.
And finally,
we have no manned space program. None. We gave it up. Nowadays our "astronauts" are cargo carried into orbit by Russians flying the most reliable and most numerous space vehicle design of all time, with over 1900 launches placed into orbit. Compared to their record... we're kidding ourselves.
So, a few Eotech sights for the Russians? That's very small stuff in a big big world.
Willie
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