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To: GreyFriar

Thanks for the ping. That is a VERY agile air-superiority fighter. Look at the canards set well forward.


16 posted on 03/10/2012 8:10:03 PM PST by zot
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To: zot
That is a VERY agile air-superiority fighter. Look at the canards set well forward.

Not so much (in fact, many defense analysts rate it well below the F-22, Rafale, etc. in maneuverability). Even if you discount the engines (which are a big issue, since sustained and coordinated G turns are dependent on available thrust), non-lifting control canards (which those look like in that picture) usually act to control stall properties (the canards usually stall at slightly lower AoA than the wing lift surfaces, meaning that the canards stall before the plane does) compared to a conventional setup. If you look at the NASA research on both control and lift canards, there's a reason OUR fighters don't have them. They really don't add much to the design, and they have some significant drawbacks (see the lifting canards on the X-29 for example)...

28 posted on 03/11/2012 11:01:33 AM PDT by Charles H. (The_r0nin) (Hwaet! Lar bith maest hord, sothlice!)
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