intersted in what you think and what designs and theries we come up with!!!!!

I do not know if this has been done before?
If so I apologise
This subject/topic is hypothetical
But I am very interested in what people think and their ideas!!

In another thread ‘Typhoon in strike role?’, forum member Arka Voltchek wrote

‘On a general note, all recent aircraft have been late and over cost. Typhoon is not an exception.’

This got me thinking
In my mind I envisage it partly has to do with the so-called effort (or illusion?) that stearing away from specialized / single role aircraft to that of multi-role aircraft saves money!
But does it?
As you have stated ‘all recent aircraft have been late or over cost’
This more than ever has been due to political indecision – on again off again, revisal of total numbers to compensate for R&D cost over runs……………..
A major factor in todays combat aircraft delays has been the inability to integrate a multitude of electronics and avionics for different roles (so as to be multi-role) into a given aircraft = massive delays in I.O.C., entering service without 100% capability and ongoing ‘fix it’ programs.
The other major concern is weight blow outs! Know with all the computer programs and technology an aerospace engineer and designer has at their disposal and all the IT gurus that man them, how are they able to get these figures so wrong?
Hell an aircraft designer and engineer of the 1950/60’s appear to have done better and more accurate work with a slide-rule and a calculator!!

And what about Joint / Cooperative programs?
I thought the idea of such programs was to save money, share the burden and spread the knowledge amongst the given countries and aerospace industries?
When was the last Joint program truly cost effective and on schedule?
Airbus A-400M program
(Project began as the Future International Military Airlifter (FIMA) group, set up in 1982 – prototype first flew 2010 – wow!)

Eurofighter Typhoon program
(Started 1983 Future European Fighter Aircraft (FEFA) programme to first in service delivery 2004 – and yet it is still being procured under three separate ‘Tranches’ contracts, each for aircraft with generally improved capabilities.)

JSF / F-35 program (hell I don’t even want to go there!!)

Eurocopter NH-90 program (The program ran into a 2 year production delay! – in todays big picture big deal!!)

What of aircraft and programs like the advanced ATF / F-22 Raptor?

Are we better to look at going back to specialised aircraft and roles – in this way at least only one aircraft type and role/mission is delayed if the program runs into trouble – as opposed to a blanket spread of all missions/roles as in the case of the Eurofighter Typhoon!
By not packing everything into the one airframe so as to become ‘a jack of all trades and master of none’! (The Eurofighter Typhoon has been a perfect example of this!!).
Whilst waiting and pinning all their hopes and capabilities on the I.O.C of the Typhoon, how much additional money has been spent in carrying out unforeseen problems and issues?
How much additional money has had to be spent onBut due to delays of the Typhoon the need for upgrades and additional maintenance?
Would it be better and more sensible to go down the path of setting out to develop a combat aircraft in a multi-stage arrangement like what the Eurofighter Typhoon ‘Tranches’ system has become – so as to get the basic aircraft and manufacturing skills into place, the training of pilots and flight instructors in place…………….. For example say in ‘Aircraft X’ a ‘Tranches 1’ arrangement is implemented – equipped with an existing radar, sensor and weapon systems, whilst the new state-of-the-art systems, avionics and weapons are still in development and introduced into ‘Aircraft X’ as the definitive ‘Tranches 2’ arrangement!
By the time ‘Aircraft X’ ‘Tranches 2’ is introduced into service all the bugs and basic issues of basic ‘Aircraft X’ should be ironed out and the lessons learnt incorporated into the definitive ‘Aircraft X’ ‘Tranches 2’.
Or what about the United States stopping for a moment and taking a breath about its true aircraft needs (as opposed to its foresighted wants!) in a modern state-of-the-art air superiority / supremacy fighter!
With the exception of the Ilyushin IL-76 ‘Candid’ transport aircraft, Mil Mi-26 ‘Halo’, the Mil Mi-24 ‘Hind’ helicopters, and the Sukhoi Su-25 ‘Frogfoot’ there are no aircraft designs I would have thought the United States military needed to take note of or consider taking a page out of the Soviet’s book.
But with the advent of the MiG-29 and Su-27 (Themselves heavily encouraged and to some degree inspired by the likes of the United States own F-16 Fighting falcon, F/A-18 Hornet and the F-15 Eagle!), I for the first time thought it was time the United States bit their pride and seriously looked at these excellent Soviet fighter, which equaled anything in the West.
Apart from the MiG-29’s and Su-27 series obvious all-round air combat capability, I have to say that I am greatly suprised how they their design bureau’s were able to design them with such outstanding aerodynamics and manoverability in one of their cases without even the use of fly-by-wire technology. Not to mention their price tags
The United States Air Forces answer to the Mig-29, Su-27 and MiG-31 threat was the ATF / F-22 Raptor.
Whilst the USAF strived to create the ‘ultimate fighter’ or silver bullet, which incorporated the likes of stealth, super cruise, super agility, AESA radar etc….for a long and drawn out time frame of an amazing 24 – years (June 1981 a request for information (RFI) for the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) – to – F-22A Raptor achieved Initial Operational Capability [IOC] on 15 December 2005.)
in the end it has succeded to shot itself in the foot, for what looks like a grand total of 187 x F-22’s in its inventory! Far below what it would like and what it realy needs.
Yet in this time frame the once thought delepitated former Soviet Union, which was viewed by most Western analists to be on the scrap heap as far as threat and military related production, was to rise like a phenix from the ashes in the form of a new and revitalized Russia, who cleaverly utilized its previous military industrial might, production and knowlage to stimulate its crippled economy with the williness to sell everything and anything in the form of military weapons and equipment to anyone at bargen basement prices to whom ever had the hard currentcy.
So the threat of the likes of the MiG-29, Su-27 and MiG-31, which was thought to deminish as almost as quick as it had apeared, was over night back on the table – but even worst. For although the Russian Government or its military could not afford these new-built advanced combat aircraft, the Russian were wise enough to know that it wanted and needed to keep its weapon design buerous and their manufacturing skills and capacity employeed, so when times got better for the new Russia, the old Cold War ambitions of the former Soviet Union could be renvigerated under a new title.
Whilst the USAF struggled to justify the F-22 Raptors escorlating costs, time delays and actual numbers needed to Congrees, with the demise of the Cold War enemy – the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, the poliforation of the ultimate Soviet/Russian air superiority fighter – the Mig-29 and Su-27 with their lattest and most advanced missiles armaments (not to mention the most advanced former Soviet SAM and Air Defence systems) was just beginning to fill the ‘Order of Battle’ of many emergy powers and threats (with around 680 Su-27s being manufactured by the Soviet Union and Russia – This total includes only Su-27s and not later derivative aircraft and does not include the licence production by the PRC of the Su-27 and J-11 derivative!).
Know the belgulim has begun to swing again, with the emergance of the likes of the Peoples Republic of China, and the new and ambitious Russia, who have no quams about promoting and anouncing their want of Super Power statis and what goes with it.
The basic and still very powerful MiG-29 and Su-27 already in service and gaining an outstanding reputation for both capability and cost value, have been suplemented in production and service by even more powerful and capable variants – such as the Su-30 (this is also in licence production in both India and PRC!), Su-33, Su-34, Su-35 and the PRC’s J-11 derivatives.
The short commings of the MiG-29 have been somewhat rectified in the derivative the MiG-35.
On top of this is the likelyhood of the PRC’s Chengdu J-10 multi-role fighters, (and the FC-1 (JF-17) Thunder) which although young in its PLAAF service has the potential to be greatly exported due to the ever growing influence of the expanding political, economic and military power of the PRC , at very competitive prices, which will finally allow air forces which use the likes of the venrable MiG-21 to finaly be replaced, with oa quantom leap in capability!
And then there is the new 5th Generation fighter types under development by the likes of the Russia Sukhoi T-50 (Project 701) ‘PAK FA’ and the PRC J-12.
Even evolving countries like India are stearing towards the building of advanced and capable Indegenous combat aircraft designs!
So how would you envisage the need and design of a next genaration fighter/multi-role fighter, which is both state-of-the-art and cost effective?
Are you a fan of a modern Light weight Fighter?
Or are you in favour of ‘jack of all trades’ and a two-engine heavy weights?
Does it have to be so stealthy, with internal weapns?
Or do you think that spacific air superiority fighter, strike-Interdiction, ground attack types need to be revisted?
Or are you a fan of using evolving engine, electronics and weapons systems could be incorporated into existing 1970’s/1980’s (i.e. F-16XL, Su-27, Typhoon ………..designs?

I am very intersted in what you think and what designs and theries we come up with!!!!!

Regards
Pioneer