where is russian tech?

I'm not sure about their submarine, but I do know their most futuristic unclassified jet is the Su-47 Berkut. There is another project in the works but all it is is some designation number, I don't even think they've released concept art or diagrams yet.

Is this how the modern day Pentagon collects data these days?

<ppppttttth> please. They are still using TV and printed media.

Su-47 Berkut is the most advanced jet. It has forward inclined wings. As for the submarine it is the 'Borey' class submarine. The first sub of this class is 'Dolgorukiy' which has been completed and recently commissioned. But it is still in dry dock. Russia intends to manufacture about 5 or 6 such submarines in the next 7-8 years.

Come on, you guys. We all know that their most recent submarine is the Blak-Blak 120, which is capable of flight. And their most recent plane is the MIG-97 that is capable of diving into the sea and flying under water.

Please report to your nearest CIA office for debriefing. Thank you.

Comrade PLACID;

If i tell you I vil have to kill you......

A lot of people were amazed at their last generation, like the Su-30 which did a good job of showing their controls tech and their engine tech that seemingly avoids stalling out/flame out of the compressors and keeps on thrusting well outside of laminar flow and the flight envelope, allowing recovery from stalls that would drop most western previous-generation craft like a rock. It's another large, flanker-derivative that matched up well against earlier F-14/F-15 aircraft.

The Su-35/37 super flanker was a great design with thrust vectoring that compared well even at larger sizes to the flight capability of the F-16 & F-18, and did tricks our guys could only dream of. And the awesome interceptor Mig-30 can run out and attack FAST as long as it doesn't run out of fuel...

Of course, next gen US fighters like the F-22 (or F-23, had it won) use similar methods as well as even newer engines, and though the Su-47 is right on a par with what we would expect the other-superpower to develop in response to US designs, it also reveals the mindset and goals of their industry. They are basically superior to anything the Chinese and anyone other than the US can sell to third-world nations in search of dog-fighting, ground-pounding fighter-bombers needed by anyone to whom the US won't sell, and at a price that beats anyone except China.

Of course, in an "actual" situation, everyone pretty well knows by now that it would seldom come down to dog-fighting, though pilots will still need this extreme training to be proficient 'just in case,' and any fight that survives initial radar contact will depend on the man as much as the machine. In most, on the US side of any engagement the AMRAAM's , like the AIM120D, would be flying toward targets well before visual range (BVR engagement) and the newest Aim-9x's would be ready right behind, with the american's tech onboard like gimbal seeker and vectored nozzle. Everybody else, though, would have to close in a bit and then the Russians have the advantage.

The Russians have some nice reach with their newest AA-11 (Archer 73), it's same generation as the Aim-9x so it would knock out anybody except the US guys that can fake it at distance, and has the range to get even to the US guys if they don't take out the Russian jet "soon enough." Excellent missile.

The Russian tech on the engines is also close behind America's, with the new structure, for instance, of the Yak-141 (though it has a much poorer t/w at 7.5 then the GE-135's 10.1). That leaves the US F-22 and F-35 with much longer legs than any Russian, but most countries buying the Russian craft don't need legs, just performance, and the Russian's certainly have that.

Really the only areas the Russian tech is still catching up is in the data/fly-by-wire and radar tech, and of course the stealth. And I doubt those are very far behind.

That's some of the main reasons the Russians will likely keep fielding the cheaper and rock-solid Su-37's rather than mass-producing the 47 - it's too expensive and they don't currently need that bit of "edge" to fight anybody. They'll wait till they have enough of the tech in development for a stealthy fighter-bomber before adding a whole new system to their main inventory, since that will likely be about the same cost/benefit for them. Maybe the PAK-FA? Though I'd love to see their performing team field a squadron of 47's just for the awesome show. Same reason the Typhoon is in service - though everybody may wish they had a fleet of F-22's, the Typhoon is cheaper and excellent at what it does and certainly sufficient to field any of the real weapons...the missile and bomb systems that are used to take out the targets.

It's actually pretty amazing to see that even with their economy just now really recovering due to the rapid implementation of capitalist market economics, the Russians have been able to maintain a tech and aircraft development pipeline that is so close to the US and even superior in some particulars.

One thing is obvious - anybody who lets one of the leading edge Russian fighters get close to them at all is in trouble. You remember that goofy speed-brake-monkey move in Top Gun? Looks like the Russians took it seriously...and then some. Any of the flankers can move like that, turn and shoot regardless of the attack angle, and throw Archers at a retreating bogey - ouch.

Hi Sandman: That was a pretty impressive summary! I certainly know where to tune in for future info. We participated in small way on the F22 and the JSF. Sounds like they are still up there in capability.