Meet Russia's conceptual replacement for the MIG-29 and SU-27:
SUKHOI PAK FA:
(http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/2009/07/custom_1247008364792_SU_PAKFA_pic_6_01.jpg)
Should we be concerned?
If it's only a Concept, I say we have nothing to worry about...
Looks like the stolen F22 plans have finally been analized.
Worried? Depends on if China has any plans to expand their empire or not as they're the only ones with the wherewithall to effectively deploy such an aircraft.
Clint Eastwood is going to fly it back to America! boo yeah!
It does seem to share some similarities with this model by Testors from the 80's though:
(http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/TestorsF-19BoxArt.jpg)
I thought the Stealth fighter was the F-117?
Quote from: NAKID on July 08, 2009, 10:08:08 AM
I thought the Stealth fighter was the F-117?
You are correct Sir. [thumbsup]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-19 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-19)
Quote from: Monster Dave on July 08, 2009, 08:26:39 AM
Should we be concerned?
only if North Korea has purchased a few
Quote from: Drjones on July 08, 2009, 08:54:31 AM
Looks like the stolen F22 plans have finally been analized.
someone assraped the F-22 blueprints?
Don't the mig engines need to be rebuilt all the time?
Quote from: cyrus buelton on July 08, 2009, 11:44:37 AM
Don't the mig engines need to be rebuilt all the time?
It depends. If you ever read "Mig Pilot" by John Barron, the author recounts the story of one Lt. Belenko who decided to escape Russia in his trusty Mig-25. The Lt. talks about the quality of Russian millitary hardware--looks scary but is fairly unreliable.
The flip side of the coin is that the SU-27 and Mig-29 had a much better maintenance record, in spite of a freak crash by a Mig-29 at the Paris Airshow in 1989.
Who knows? This model may be better given recent changes over there. But I'm with some of the other folks: more worried about China and N. Korea at this point.
Quote from: ducatiz-e on July 08, 2009, 10:36:46 AM
someone assraped the F-22 blueprints?
Not the F-22s but the F35's prints were snatched up by some cleaver hacker.
They can have all the pictures and blueprints they want.
They will never have "our" Pilots. 8)
Quote from: kopfjager on July 08, 2009, 12:31:41 PM
They can have all the pictures and blueprints they want.
They will never have "our" Pilots. 8)
True [thumbsup]
Quote from: Monster Dave on July 08, 2009, 10:01:58 AM
It does seem to share some similarities with this model by Testors from the 80's though:
(http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/TestorsF-19BoxArt.jpg)
I remember I had a Micro Machines version of that plane and also this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-47 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-47)(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Sukhoi_Su-47_outline.svg/180px-Sukhoi_Su-47_outline.svg.png) which, according to the mighty Wiki was one of the two precursors to the Sukhoi PAK FA.
Quote from: kopfjager on July 08, 2009, 12:31:41 PM
They can have all the pictures and blueprints they want.
They will never have "our" Pilots. 8)
True, but a lot of foreign nations' pilots are trained by us...
Quote from: Drjones on July 08, 2009, 08:54:31 AM
Looks like the stolen F22 plans have finally been analized.
Anal-ized?
Quote from: NAKID on July 08, 2009, 01:10:24 PM
True, but a lot of foreign nations' pilots are trained by us...
Of course they are. They are trained by us but, they aren't us. [thumbsup]
This I promise you. ;)
Oh I know, we show them enough to get by, but not compete with us...
Quote from: XJDAVE on July 08, 2009, 01:23:29 PM
Anal-ized?
Engineer types . . alone . . . with interesting design schematics. enough said.
Im not worried about anyone but the middle east. China? Theres too much of a connection going on between the two nations to start shit. same with the russians, when the country starts destablizing, then ill worry.
Quote from: spolic on July 08, 2009, 09:59:22 AM
Clint Eastwood is going to fly it back to America! boo yeah!
Dammit..beaten to the
Firefox reference!
BTW..watching that movie was pretty friggen cool on the big screen back in 1982.
Saw it a couple years ago and hmm..not so good with the effects by today's standards.
Quote from: NAKID on July 08, 2009, 10:08:08 AM
I thought the Stealth fighter was the F-117?
The aircraft that actually made it into production, and subsequently into the AF's inventory, was the F-117. But there was another design that was going through prototype testing around the same time that borrowed heavily from SR-71 technology. The latter aircraft was designed more as a stealthy high speed intercepter as opposed to the much lower speed fighter/bomber (ironic as it was used almost exclusively as an attach aircraft) F-117.
QuoteOf course they are. They are trained by us but, they aren't us. waytogo
This I promise you. Wink
I used to work near NAS Fallon and at that time at least, there were Israeli pilots there training
us.
Quote from: DCXCV on July 08, 2009, 12:52:35 PM
I remember I had a Micro Machines version of that plane and also this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-47 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-47)(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Sukhoi_Su-47_outline.svg/180px-Sukhoi_Su-47_outline.svg.png) which, according to the mighty Wiki was one of the two precursors to the Sukhoi PAK FA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_X-29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_X-29)
Quote from: Monster Dave on July 08, 2009, 12:27:42 PM
Not the F-22s but the F35's prints were snatched up by some cleaver hacker.
???
(http://www.takeourword.com/images/cleaver.jpg)
You can get a lot of explanations of who has the best overall fighter pilots. The best way to determine that I think is to look at the selection and training programs, their equipment age and maintenance, and lastly, their retention policies.
Most military reviewers (i.e. Jane's) put the USA and Israel at the top two, depending on how you ask the question.
Israel has a conscription military, as most of you know, so selection for their pilot program actually starts around 9th grade. Also, until recently, Israeli pilots see far more actual combat than American pilots.
USA has better overall equipment support and maintenance, but some would argue that because Israel has a "no mistakes" policy that iffy pilots get weeded out faster.
Israel also does not have female pilots, which I don't know which way that cuts, if at all.