Best modern fighters

[funkedup]

[Jack55]

Originally posted by Hortlund
Well, I guess I'll go first.

If we would compare western fighters though, we'll find that most of them use the same (US) weapons ...

Are you sure about that?  

[Hortlund]

Pretty sure.

Why?

[midnight Target]

Never heard of the Gripen before. Nice plane.

[SFRT - Frenchy]

http://www.rafale.com.sg/

 

[funkedup]

Gripens are cool.  Great value for the money.  When I build my own air force we will use those.

[midnight Target]

uh, Frenchy.

Doesn't the fact that it's a French plane disqualify it automatically?

Just askin.

[LePaul]

I used to think the F-18 was a step up/equivalent to the F-16.  Well, after listening to friends who have worked on F-18s (crew chiefs, mechanics, armament folks)...the F-18 sure doesn't come off as "loved" by these guys.  What's up with that?  These guys do not know each other, its just interesting how all of these guys generally despise the damn plane.  "flying parts" was a common mention  


I was Air Force/Air National Guard in Otis and learned a lot about F-15s and was very impressed with their systems and capabilities.  Maybe I'll buy one on eBay someday!  

[SFRT - Frenchy]

Originally posted by midnight Target
uh, Frenchy.

Doesn't the fact that it's a French plane disqualify it automatically?

Just askin.

If you disregard all Americans who picked F, hell yeah!:cool:

Gripen is cool birdie, cheap and easy to maintain too, too bad 3 crashed thank to their on board FBW computer.

[Angus]

The good old Harrier turned out to be an air-to-air killer. Does it really not have a chance in here?
Good save the queen!

[Sandman]

Originally posted by LePaul
I used to think the F-18 was a step up/equivalent to the F-16.  Well, after listening to friends who have worked on F-18s (crew chiefs, mechanics, armament folks)...the F-18 sure doesn't come off as "loved" by these guys.  What's up with that?  These guys do not know each other, its just interesting how all of these guys generally despise the damn plane.  "flying parts" was a common mention  

Let's see... it replaced (or eventually will replace) the F-14 as a fighter and it replaced the A-6 as an attack platform...

Sure... it's a better bomber than an F-14 and a better fighter than an A-6, but... jack of all trades, master of none...

Oh... I remember the F-14 guys complaining about maintenance on the Tomcat as well...

"If the Tomcat isn't leaking, it's empty."

[Hangtime]

the F-14D Tomcat would be my pick.. mach 2+ with tanks and full armaments loaded.. a combat range better than any USAF fighter...let alone it's potential adversarys.

it can stand off and engage up to 6 targets.. better than 100 miles out, well before they are aware they are targets.

at medium range, it's still in action with it's superb radars and upgraded sparrows.. still engaging the enemy before most of 'em can even determine there's an adversary in the neighborhood.

At close range in eyeball to eyeball ACM it can and does hold it's own.. easily the superior of the F15 eagle with it's sweep wing geometry, and packin a 20mm Vulcan cannon and forward quarter aim-9 sidewinders it's truly a squeak to mess with in a knife fight.

No airforce fighter platform can come close to it's targeting and flight to the fight abilities... yet it could easily do the job any airforce plane is tasked with.. air to air, or air to ground.

After 30 years there's a reason it's still in the inventory.. and still to this day engaging adversarys of the nation and the fleet. There's nothing better.. and likely never will be. The JSF will not have the range or weapons inventory the Tomcat has.. and as a result, the fleet will be more vulnerable when they are finally retired.

[Russian]

Originally posted by Hangtime
the F-14D Tomcat would be my pick.. mach 2+ with tanks and full armaments loaded.. a combat range better than any USAF fighter...let alone it's potential adversarys.

 

Mig-31? Speed M3+, ceiling 20600 metere and range of 3000k

[Hangtime]

LOL! can that russian rocket land on a CV? With out any off platform help can it track 20+ targets and silmutaneously engage 6 of em better than 100 miles out?

That rooski popsickle stick may have a 2,400 mile range.. and fly better than mach 3 for maybe 300 miles of that.. but it's helpless without a GCA, and in a shooting fight with a tomcat it would never get within 100 miles of one.

yer bird was a bust the day it was made.. a flying drag racer, it was piteously incapable in ACM. It was designed to intercept a Valkerie or a SR71.. and it proved unable to do even that.

[streakeagle]

Originally posted by Hangtime
the F-14D Tomcat would be my pick.. mach 2+ with tanks and full armaments loaded.. a combat range better than any USAF fighter...let alone it's potential adversarys.

it can stand off and engage up to 6 targets.. better than 100 miles out, well before they are aware they are targets.

at medium range, it's still in action with it's superb radars and upgraded sparrows.. still engaging the enemy before most of 'em can even determine there's an adversary in the neighborhood.

At close range in eyeball to eyeball ACM it can and does hold it's own.. easily the superior of the F15 eagle with it's sweep wing geometry, and packin a 20mm Vulcan cannon and forward quarter aim-9 sidewinders it's truly a squeak to mess with in a knife fight.

No airforce fighter platform can come close to it's targeting and flight to the fight abilities... yet it could easily do the job any airforce plane is tasked with.. air to air, or air to ground.

After 30 years there's a reason it's still in the inventory.. and still to this day engaging adversarys of the nation and the fleet. There's nothing better.. and likely never will be. The JSF will not have the range or weapons inventory the Tomcat has.. and as a result, the fleet will be more vulnerable when they are finally retired.

Note the Tomcat with a crutch, a sling, and seeing stars as an F-15 buzzes by
F-15s have had no problem dispatching F-14s in simulated combat unless they got in both close and slow (as in less than 300 kts). Using AMRAAM, Eagle could theoretically engage 8 targets if all AMRAAMs are carried. The "100 mile shot" capability of the Phoenix system was a one time demonstration against a high-altitude, high-speed, straight line drone with a blip enhancer. The electronics on the latest upgraded F-15C Eagles are easily superior to the F-14D, especially the ECM. No US air-to-air fighters top the range of an Eagle with both CFTs and external fuel. The Eagle is still the fastest as well, and with the F100-220 engines still has the best T/W and climb performance. The swing wing does not give the F-14 any useful ability other than low speed cruising/endurance, it is mainly a weight penalty (it is still the heaviest of all the air-to-air fighters even though it doesn't carry as much internal fuel as an Eagle), which cripples it in comparison to other fighters with engines in the same class. The only aircraft an Eagle should fear are the later derivatives of the Su-27 which are getting comparable electronics to go with their superior flight performance.