First operational F-22 delivered

[Mathman]

Here is the story with some nice pics too

Pretty slick plane.  Don't like the name though.  They should have gone with Lightning II or something.

[Ripsnort]

Cool! Thks for the link!

Back in 1998, I was in a job interview for an CNC machinist on this bizarre 6 Axis vertical precision NC machine for drilling holes in I believe was the wing box panel at Boeing DC.  They could hold a tolerance of .0005 (1/2 of one thousands of an inch!) over a span of 240 inches.  (I should have taken the job, now that the military division is doing so well)

[acepilot2]

Well, its the dawn of a new age, then.

Wow.

FYI the f22 is stealth, and can kill something before anything else sees it.

Some fighter planes are gonna get owned:cool:

[Gixer]

Just think, in hundred years time you and some mates might be able to buy one as a Warbird on ebay.  



...-Gixer
~Hells Angels~

[FUNKED1]

In a hundred years they might still be the dominant air superiority platform.  

[-tronski-]

Originally posted by acepilot2
Well, its the dawn of a new age, then.

Wow.

FYI the f22 is stealth, and can kill something before anything else sees it.

Some fighter planes are gonna get owned:cool:

I understood it only to be stealthy, not (virtually) stealth like the F-117A or B-2.

Our Airforce should've waited for the export version, instead of pissing away money on the crap F-35 JSF to replace our F-111/FA-18's.

 Tronsky

[Golfer]

the F-35 is anything but crap.

I'd stand in line to fly it, and may end up doing so in the Navy if I go that route.  Very capable airplane and the Lockheed version is muuuuuch sexier than the Boeing version.

F22 is very stealthy, 2nd generation stealth technology and will rival the F117, of course actual capabilities are classified, as they should be.  But I wouldn't knock its capabilities after all, we havent had a chance to test them in combat and with all the luck in the world we won't need to.

[mietla]

Did you dudes see how fast can Mig-21 go?...


Help me out Boroda, I seem to be dying here.

[mietla]

Hey, I just googled some an it turns out the Ruskies have Mig-25 now. Surely 25 is better than 21, is it?

[Gunslinger]

just wanna say...ask anyone whos flown or worked on the F22 and they will say its a POS....This program needs to be scrapped I dont care how much mony we've spent on it...we dont need it

[-tronski-]

Originally posted by Golfer
the F-35 is anything but crap.

I'd stand in line to fly it, and may end up doing so in the Navy if I go that route.  Very capable airplane and the Lockheed version is muuuuuch sexier than the Boeing version.

F22 is very stealthy, 2nd generation stealth technology and will rival the F117, of course actual capabilities are classified, as they should be.  But I wouldn't knock its capabilities after all, we havent had a chance to test them in combat and with all the luck in the world we won't need to.

Compared to the F-111 load/range the F-35 won't compete. And then to sign up to the development program, with its unknown possible costs, on an extremely tight budget like the RAAF's is stupidity.
Coupled with the FA-18 replacement in the near future, a far better solution would be to try extending the F-111's, or to lease perhaps super hornets, or even F-15's then buy new F-22's to gain an highly desirable multirole aircraft with a far better survivability profile based in amongst our neighbours currently re-equipping with new Su-27/30's.

 Tronsky

[Gunslinger]

The F-111 aint a bad aircraft but it is antiquated....the JSF wasnt designed to replace it but rather be an overal attack/fighter air craft to replace several models of air frames from our different services.  Coupled with the peice of junk 22 or even the F/A-18 super hornets, there shouldnt be any frame that could compete with our capability.

in most future wars aircraft will be destroyed before they even take off.  

Just my opinion

[MaddDog]

i dont think either are POSs, both will be very capable aircraft, besides unless we go to war with russia, which doesnt seem to likely, we wont need to worry bout it, as we are rightnow i dont see many countrys capable to defeating the US airforce not just plane against plane but numbers we got tons of capable aircraft to go fight, only country i see close enough to do anything is russia.

[-tronski-]

Originally posted by MaddDog
i dont think either are POSs, both will be very capable aircraft, besides unless we go to war with russia, which doesnt seem to likely, we wont need to worry bout it, as we are rightnow i dont see many countrys capable to defeating the US airforce not just plane against plane but numbers we got tons of capable aircraft to go fight, only country i see close enough to do anything is russia.

Perhaps,

but estimates of the total Chinese Su-27/30 fleet within the next 5-10 years ranges from 350-500 aircraft. The Indians about half that number, with a increasingly high serviceability rate due to local industries replacing Russian spares manufactures. Coupled with the fact Indian Su-30MK's are being equipped with the latest Russian BVR missles, and third party software. India is aparently only the fourth nation to deploy a third gen a/c with a phased array. It is not too much of a stretch to imagine that kind technology seeping down to the Chinese, and other "non-alliagned"  nations equipping with new Sukhois (if not already).

Obviously the pilot factor is highly in favour of western airforces, but the clear superiority of western aircraft is narrowing markedly with cashed up airforces buying excellent russian fighters with cheap advanced software, armed with next gen missles (especially in the AEW killing group). And with many western airforces reaching block obsolescence problems, its going to need more than just the belief all it takes is throwing a heap of standoff weapons to reduce them all to scrap metal on the runways.

 Tronsky

[Octavius]

How can the new Sukhoi's target a pigeon with a BVR?