I’ve already searched and not come up with much concerning the actual missions that the Fullback is intended for. I know a great deal of effort has been expended making it comfortable for long flights, yet the range/payload just doesn’t seem worth the effort? It seems too light and small for serious interdiction or assault right now, though as Russian PGM’s come back up to speed, it might be useful for small, high priority attacks.
At the same time, it seems too heavy/bulky to be anything but a dedicated strike aircraft, relegating it’s A2A role to self defence only. Russia doesn’t seem to lack for fighter/bomber aircraft that can still defend themselves, so why build one that is too large for A2A, and yet too small to carry the large loads of an effective A2G striker?
I guess what I’m asking is: What kind of missions did they have in mind when they were designing it?
It seems “Playtapus” is an entirely correct name, for a plane that’s neither fish, nor fowl.
Matt
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November 24, 2006 at 10:18 pm