Flight of the Flanker: Ultimate jet fighter turns 30

Russia & India Report ^ | August 24, 2014 | Rakesh Krishnan Simha

[sukhoi-30mki]

[Rodamala]

aviation list ping

[Pox]

Fact is, the F-15 was far superior to the SU-27. Improvements were made but in the end, the improvements were never superior to those that the U.S. fielded and aside from the mechanical/technical aspects, the training of the pilots in the Soviet Union/Russia would never reach the standards achieved in the U.S. during the 20th Century.

The flanker is and was a very capable aircraft, but it was and still is inferior to the aircraft it was designed and produced to “fight”.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Reads like Russian propaganda.

[doorgunner69]

In fact, in the Su-34 (fighter-bomber version) the cockpit is so massive that the pilot can stand and move about inside during long missions.

I would dearly love to see some photos of this. Hard to believe, but impressive as hell even if true only for small pilots!

[fella]

Air Show Video

[doorgunner69]

Unfortunately, existing F-15s are wearing out. There is barely enough money to keep them flying, let alone for any "improvements". New F-15 variants could have been built a long time ago, but the money is needed to keep the ghettos pacified.

Su-27s and derivatives are still rolling off the lines.

[Pox]

4++ generation Flankers are also making future western aircraft redundant. In July 2008, at the US Air Force’s Hickam airbase in Hawaii, in a simulated dogfight involving an attack by Russia’s Su-35 against a mixed fleet of American F-22 stealth interceptors, F/A-18 Super Hornets and the latest F-35 stealth fighter, the F-35 was “clubbed like baby seals” by the Super Flanker, adding to the beleaguered stealth fighter’s ongoing troubles.

This sentence is particularly entertaining. The F-35 was never designed nor intended to be an "Air Superiority Fighter", so such a "boast" is both incredulous and laughable!

I'm not attempting to disrespect the capabilities of the SU-27 and its subsequent upgrades/derivatives, but this is just absurd and seems to be meant for an audience that has absolutely no clue concerning interceptors and tactics (perhaps meant for simpletons who make purchasing decisions in countries interested in obtaining Russian aircraft).

[Pox]

That may be somewhat true, however, F-15’s are still being produced and are easily the equal of the upgraded SU-27’s (note that I was earlier referencing the 20th century).

The F-22 is in no way inferior to this aircraft, period.

Consider the roles that specific aircraft are intended for.

[Rodamala]

Seems we have "designed" to allow this updated aircraft to win... by investing in modern stealth turds instead of the F-15SE.

[Pox]

Specify.

[Chode]

it's pretty big...

[eartrumpet]

During one of its early flights when the Su-27 was chasing down the F-15’s world records, the fighter had to start at full power from a dead stop. To achieve this Su-27 was tied to a tank with a cable.

I wonder if the F-15's record that they were chasing down was also set with the F-15 tied to a tank, or was it from a rolling start?

[doorgunner69]

Dayum, guess they better double check that the entry hatch is secured before heading back to the bar/head.

Forgot it was a tandem cockpit. Saw that some time back. Allows them to smack the copilot when he farques up.

The Russian designers are certainly not hidebound to any orthodoxy when it comes to military aircraft, though they have come up with some real clunkers in the past.

[doorgunner69]

I wonder if the F-15's record that they were chasing down was also set with the F-15 tied to a tank, or was it from a rolling start?

Of more practical interest, what was the remaining range of each fighter after the record stunt? Empty tanks are not of much use, Russian or USA.

[RedMDer]

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[Chode]

LOL,,, 100%

[skinkinthegrass]

thanks, for the post.

[GeronL]

I don’t understand the second hatch thing after the ladder, I was told there was a tiny bathroom there.

[Rodamala]

In the video I linked to they clearly show that when the Su-27 variants were matched against a team of JSFs, Raptors, and Hornets... that the Russians were superior to the point of having the simulation referred to as "like clubbing baby seals"... That is kinda specific, I guess... "Can't turn, can't climb, can't run"