The first article we’ve seen that speculates on the victor of Cope India 2006 admittedly resorted to Web site blogs to find a prevailing view that the Indian Air Force Su-30s bested USAF F-16s. The report is found in the conservative-minded Christian Science Monitor. Is this a repeat of the last Cope India, in which officials acknowledged that USAF F-15s fell to IAF SU-30s and MiG-21s? As CSM notes, there is no official word yet, from either USAF or IAF officials. There also may be no clear-cut winner because the exercise featured mixed teams of Americans and Indians on the same sides.
It'll take up to 18 months for Lockheed Martin to deliver the 100 or so F-35s that went directly from production line to storage, awaiting the completion of Tech Refresh 3 testing. Customers haven't complained about the order in which the backlog is being delivered.