From the Interfax News Agency: Test flights of fifth-generation aircraft to be held in 2009.
By comparison, our "first" fifth-generation fighter, the F-22 is already operational. Our next fifth-generation aircraft, the F-35 (Joint Strike Fighter) is now in limited production, although there's some debate over how quickly they'll be produced.
In both cases, the Russians are still playing catch-up in the fighter business--and that's the way we want it. With initial flight testing in two years, the Moscow's advanced fighter won't be in series production until sometime well into the next decade. By that time, we'll have even more advanced F-22 Raptors on the ramp, and many of the F-35s will be in service with the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and our NATO allies.
It's called maintaining air supremacy, and it again illustrates why both the F-22 and F-35 are essential to that task. There will be one notable difference between the F-22 and its Russian competitor. The Russian jet will almost certainly be offered for the export market, while the U.S. (currently) has no plans to see the Raptor abroad. Availability of a fifth-generation Russian jet might cause us to rethink that position, although the Air Force has made it clear that no one else gets the F-22--not even longtime allies like Israel, South Korea and Japan.
Two opposing views on the F35 vs F22 debate at Ares: A Defense Technology Blog
ReplyDeleteThis 5 generation fighter is news to me.
do you have any details?
A story appeared on the Australian 60 Minutes show late last month regarding the Aus. Government's investment into the F35 JSF program. One of the critics interviewed was Australian Air Vice-Marshall (Ret) Peter Criss, who claimed that the F-22 should be the preferred fighter purchased to replace our aging F-111's, and that most of our regional neighbours already have sukhois that can beat the JSF.
ReplyDelete??
1: JSF = multi-role, and better suited to replacing both the F-18's and F-111's Australia currently operates.
2: The most important point of all that 60 minutes did not even touch: The F-22 is NOT FOR SALE, and officially has been since the beginning of 2007, well before the 60m story went to air.
It makes me angry that the media can give such a one-sided view, leaving out important facts, even ones that can alter the reasoning why the argument is presented in the first place.
But for placement of pure, multiple warheads on foreheads - there's nothing like a fleet of freshly refurbished and upgraded A-10 Warthogs.
ReplyDeleteAn A-10 took out an Iraqi Hind in Desert Storm with its 30mm cannon. Exactly one more air to air kill than the F-16 had in that theater.
And we got 300+- of these right now.
Who then will be getting the F-35? Many countries are involved in the development work like Canada Australia and the UK. Will they be purchasers?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blog, it's very informed and informative.
ReplyDeleteWould you care to comment on this story:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/printer-friendly/29092/i-found-saddams-wmd-bunkers.thtml
(sorry don't see any other way to communicate other trhan a post)
Nice to know Russia is so far behind.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was in the service and our people were scared of the superior MIGs because we didn't know anything about them.
With China's mad dash into space based weapons and turning out subs by the dozen, and building neat toys using our very own plans and specifications, we are going to need something more than airframes. Especially one's that cost so damn much per airframe.
ReplyDeleteOur Navy is fast srinking and can't even get little shitty ships built that don't crack up even if they do cost hundreds of millions per defective copy.
Our land Army can't get transportation that works, the Stryker is so damn heavy and top heavy it is unsafe at any speed, plus it has no armor unless you add it on, which makes it even more slow and unsafe.
The Marines can't get helos, instead they get a fifteen year old boondoggle that is unsafe and not suitable for combat now or ever and costs millions per copy itself. And doesn't even have a damn gun onboard. They can't get a multi-role vehicle, even though we have spent millions on development and the result is a vehicle that won't run 12 hours without breaking down and uses so much fuel that it can't go a short day without refueling.
I think I'll stop there. My blood pressure is topping out.
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePrayers for the family of LCDR Kevin Davis.
ReplyDeleteBlue Angel No. 6