Comment Re:Not to say it's unnecessary (Score 1) 843
[quote]The F16 seems to be holding up fine and the Russians, the only non-allied force with similar capabilities is flying mostly rust that is older than the F16 program.[/quote]
Uh, no. They're actually way ahead of us. The F-35 was a response to the Su-27. They're two generations ahead of that now. The Sukhoi series is faster, better armed, better armored, more maneuverable, has a longer range, and basically kicks the crap out of anything we have. We'd better hope we don't get in a real war with the Russians or the couple of countries that can afford to buy their gear.
https://youtu.be/c2MW8DoJJXg
The Russians have done fantastic things with the Su-27 family. It is interesting to note that when the first prototypes of the Su-27 flew they badly underperformed. The Su-27 prototypes just could not match the relatively new F-15, which already held several world records. Rather than scrap it or built it as-is, the Russians went back to the drawing board and radically re-designed the plane. The result was nothing short than spectacular as the new Su-27 started capturing all sorts of records for time-to-height was capable of performed a variety of awe-inspiring maneuvers etc.
On a side note, one of the main weaknesses of the F-22 and US aircraft in general is their relatively short range. This is not a problem when you are operating in "small" countries and launching from carriers situated nearby but for any kind of operation over a large operational theatre (Russia, China, etc.) you depend on in-flight refuelling or the use of drop tanks. The former means that you have to protect those support assets and the latter nullifies your stealth capability. Stealth is sexy and handy when everything works out perfectly but it does impose its own limits and problems.
I would also be willing to bet that maintenance and repairs on Russian aircraft would be much simpler and cheaper, which matters in a real confrontation.
Anyone who dismisses the capability of the current crop of Russian aircraft, particularly when in the context of potential conflicts, is being disingenuous at best or has no idea what they are talking about.
