Best modern fighters

[Furball]

Originally posted by Ike 2K#
LOL that French Rafale will kick the Eurotyphoon's ass/arse

BS it will, helmet mounted targeting system and new ASRAAM missiles will own.  Eurofighter Typhoon much better performance and more advanced systems too.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

Originally posted by Furball
BS it will, helmet mounted targeting system and new ASRAAM missiles will own.  Eurofighter Typhoon much better performance and more advanced systems too.

Hell NO!:D

[Vulcan]

Originally posted by Furball
BS it will, helmet mounted targeting system and new ASRAAM missiles will own.  Eurofighter Typhoon much better performance and more advanced systems too.

A few years back I used to play EF2000, the Typhoon sim, with... get this... a VFX-1 Virtual Reality Headset.

Helmet mounted target acquisition was interesting. You could mark the target before it came into the missiles firing 'cone', and release as soon as it was 'in'. Quite a fun sim, esp if you had a VR Headset which the game supported natively

[mjolnir]

Originally posted by GScholz


A unique feature of the Mig-31 is its ability to coordinate a four-ship formation through a digital data-link. Four Mig-31s can link their radars together, to establish a search pattern covering a width of 800-900 km with four aircraft, spaced at 200 km. Each aircraft can engage four targets simultaneously.

This sounds suspiciously like FDL (Fighter Data Link), which our planes use all the time.

[Ike 2K#]

Originally posted by mjolnir
This sounds suspiciously like FDL (Fighter Data Link), which our planes use all the time.

that doesnt mean the soviets copied it.

[Ike 2K#]

Originally posted by GScholz
I'm sorry but you are plain wrong with regard to the power output. The AWG-9 has a power output of 10.2 kilowatt vs. the Zaslon's 14+ kilowatt. The Zaslon also has an almost 50% larger antennae with a diameter of 1.4 meters. Signal prossecing superiority goes to the AWG-9 as with most if not all US/Russian comparisons. The (upgraded) AWG-9 can track 24 targets and engage 6, the Zaslon can track 10 and engage 4.

I'm a little curious why the Su-30M(K)(I)(K) hasn't been included. It is by far the most capable evolution of the Su-27 and is in service with the airforces of three countries.

The Su-30M is a two-seat version of the basic Su-27 airframe, has an upgraded Zaslon radar (of the Mig-31) that can track 20 targets and engage 8 simultaneously, has a rearward facing NO12 radar with a tracking range of 50 km/31 miles and can deploy the R-73RDM2 (AA-11 Archer B) missile which can engage targets in the rear hemisphere.

The Su-30M is the superfighter of today which incorporate many features from the Su-35/37 project. With radar capabilities similar of the F-14 plus rearward facing radar, better maneuvreability than most figthers with thrustvectoring jet nozzles, and a wide range of weapons. It's a lot better in the air-mud role than previous Russian interceptors aswell.


IAF(India) Su-30MKI's.




Su-30M fiering a R-73RMD2.




Front cockpit of Su-30MKK (Chinese).


Rear cockpit of Su-30MKK (Chinese)



Thrustvectoring nozzles.



The Su-30MK(I) is what I consider the most stunninglly beautiful fighter yet seen, especially the way the cockpit blends with the fuselage.



Absolutelly stunning!

LOL whats the point of selling SU-37 if the SU-30 MKI comes with thrust vector nossles, good avionics, and better weapons

[mjolnir]

Originally posted by GScholz
Well, "all the time" is perhaps an overstatement. The Link-16 became operational (in fighters) in what? 2001? 2002?

Anyways, the Link-16 is a much more capable system in the C2 role, capable of sharing information with many platforms. However the Mig-31 data-link is a C3 system. The flight leader does not just get information from the other planes, but actually controls their radars and weapon systems so that each Mig-31 tracks 10 different targets and egages 4 different targets. The Flight leader has a different data-link to share information with ground controllers and AWACs.

This is actually a re-visit of an old Russian concept. The Mig-17P was controlled (on autopilot) by ground controlers and maneuvered in position to fire its four K-5 missiles. The Mig-17P could also be landed by remote if the pilot was incapacitated. The Mig-29, Su-27/30/33 etc. and Mig-31 have a similar remote-control system.

Ok, there's a very good chance you're right, you seem to know much more about these systems than I do.  All I know is that when our Eagles are using FDL, combined with this:

There's not very much out there that they're afraid of.

[funkedup]

GScholz are you aware of the networking capabilities of the F-22?  Tell me more about that if you can.

One thing that I never hear much about this in these conversations is the thrust vectoring ability of the F-22.  I have seen some footage of these things doing really evil maneuvers, almost as extreme as what the X-31 could do.  Anybody have more info on this?

I had an opportunity to get a real good look at the YF-22 at the USAF Museum, when it first arrived and they hadn't roped it off.  They said don't touch but I couldn't help myself.  Absolutely the most beautiful airplane I have ever seen.  The manufacturing on that thing is incredible.  Some of the parts look like they belong on a UFO.

[Smut]

Originally posted by Mini D
Holy disappearing posts!

Hey Smut... which Jane's production was it that you worked on?  Did you handle the technical reference / data / performance aspect of things there?

MiniD

I was part of the EA Baltimore team that created Jane's F-15 and Jane's F/A-18. I was a Designer on F-15, and Lead Designer for F/A-18. A great deal of what I did was to gather and translate technical data into game terms.

-Smut

[Smut]

Originally posted by GScholz
I'm sorry but you are plain wrong with regard to the power output. The AWG-9 has a power output of 10.2 kilowatt vs. the Zaslon's 14+ kilowatt. The Zaslon also has an almost 50% larger antennae with a diameter of 1.4 meters. Signal prossecing superiority goes to the AWG-9 as with most if not all US/Russian comparisons. The (upgraded) AWG-9 can track 24 targets and engage 6, the Zaslon can track 10 and engage 4.

As a former F-14 maintainer that has had access to Jane's Information Group data and analysts, I stand by my earlier post.

-Smut

[Smut]

Originally posted by GScholz
Well, "all the time" is perhaps an overstatement. The Link-16 became operational (in fighters) in what? 2001? 2002?

Your knowledge of western systems is lacking. The USN had fighter to fighter data link (not Link-16, but very capable nonetheless) in the F-14A in the mid-80's (ASW-27C).

JTIDS became operational in the early 90's in the F-14D as well as other platforms.

-Smut

[Smut]

Originally posted by GScholz
Yes that is true, but as far as I know those systems only shared information between C3 platforms (E-2, E-3, GC and ships) and the figthers. Not between the fighters. Nor could the fighters use the shared information for targeting purposes, they had to use their own sensors.

Again, I'm relying on textbook info here, and I'm not an expert in any of these technologies ... just and enthusiast.

Fair enough. Just to be clear, I'm not an operator or an engineer. I'm a senior reliability & maintainability engineering technician. (Try saying that three times fast). So I can be wrong too.

The fighter to fighter data link capability in the ASW-27C allowed targets to be shared between fighters. Our squadron used it to good effect during Red Flag in 1987...much to the dismay of the F-15's we were up against.

JTIDS could do all that and more. JTIDS didn't really catch on because the terminal cost was high, and it was coming out during the big post coldwar draw down. The latest Link-16 system to become operational is MIDS, which I'm not fully up to speed on to be honest. These days I mostly worry about whether or not the systems I support (F/A-18 COMM and ID) are MIDS-compatable. MIDS is multi-national, and my MIDS counterpart has gotten some good travel out of that program...but the development / deployment process has been, shall we say, less than smooth. The sheer scope of of the MIDS program, at least on the F/A-18 side, is very impressive.

-Smut

[StSanta]

GScholz, when's the next Harpoon game gonna ship?

I remember playing H1 on an Amiga 500. At accelerated time (max), it still ol did 1 second at a time.

Got Harpoon 2, that was the last Harpoon game I played.

[Furball]

The Eurofighter Typhoon Helmet Equipment Assembly represents the state-of-the-art for Helmet Mounted Displays. It incorporates a Helmet Tracking System (HTS) which effectively informs the aircraft system where the pilot is looking. Modern head tracking systems provide better than one degree of accuracy at all viewing angles. This means that the Eurofighter Typhoon pilot can direct missiles to look in the direction of a target and the missile can then be locked on to that target. The pilot can maintain the target visually and designate the target even at angular extremes such as the elusive "over the shoulder" shot. The HMS therefore truly provides a 'look and shoot' capability.

here is a good link where it compares F-22, eurofighter, Rafale, F-15, F-16 and F-18.  It also allows you to enter specific criteria to find the most suitable a/c (such as supercruise, A2G etc.)

http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/Eurofighter/tech.html

[Dowding]

If the Tornado ADV is such an outclassed fighter, why did it frequently smack the arses of the USAF in the Red Flag exercises?