Killer 5th Generation Russian Stealth Superfighters [Airplanes]

That's what we have Israel and the Arabs for - testing military hardware.

Wow, thats is why after WWII, the us as back an independant nation of Isreal.

What we know for sure is that new Sukhoi fighter will directly compete against the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II. I, for one, hope that they never have to engage in combat.

So, really then - what's the point?

M.A.D. all over again

Perhaps "stealth" is rapidly becoming arcane.

Perhaps the age of the manned airplane is over. Done in by the limits of human physiology and the mass fractions required to support it. A physiology that places extreme limits on performance, payload, and endurance.

Perhaps in the battle space of the near future a manned aircraft will be like an elephant in a shooting gallery; facing anti-aircraft missile technology that uses both passive IR and active RF seekers that require no ground to air or air to air links. Missiles that can be placed forward in the battle space and launched remotely on an azimuth determined by sensors far removed from the active battle space and where the seekers remain passive until timed on. Missiles that are so fast and can turn at such high G that a human manned aircraft would be left helpless to defend against it.

Perhaps we will allow millions of people to go without food and clean water so the world's military powers can can develop unmanned aircraft that can sense and measure their threats by signature, speed, and closing angles and autonomously target and attack, working like packs of wolves to clear the battle space, and with target override capability given to the human controllers far removed from the chaos they create.

Perhaps if a global conflict occurs that dead ends our evolutionary path it will be started using something somebody sold; as if it were a box of very expensive cheerios.

Perhaps I find this technology amazing; but I see the motives that drive it as obscene.

Gavilan

That's not just a good answer, but an evolution defining statement of any intelligent species on any planet, with respect to advanced warfare. Well said.

Chris

In comparison, is it similar to the Eurofighter Typhoon? Is the F-22 Raptor a better fighter than the typhoon?

At this juncture the F-22 requires in excess of 30 hours of maintenance for each hour flown. Operational costs exceed 40,000 dollars per flight Hour. The average flight time before repairs is about 1.5 hours.

The thing is a jobs program, not a viable military aircraft.