so you’re saying that frontline pilots from Kadena, Japan are basically not particularly highly skilled and got beaten 90% of the time by IAF pilots, who were also a mix of very experienced and younger pilots? the IAF pilots that flew in that exercise were from a cross-section of IAF, including Mirage, Bison, Fulcrum, Flogger and Su-30 pilots.

anyway, they themselves were frank enough to accept that they had underestimated how good the IAF was and the exercise changed their opinion..it was something even the guy in the video said, about not a single violation or error of area rules, despite none of the IAF guys having flown in the US anytime before, showing how professional they are.

IAF sent a bunch of very young and inexperienced pilots to Red Flag along with some experienced guys..I don’t have the time, else I’d start posting pics, which would show how young most of them were.

We have yet to see a scenario involving an MKI vs. an AESA equipped F-15 w/ JTID/JHMCS/AIM-9X/AIM-120C7D. I don’t think anyone doubts that the non-AESA F-15s would have their hands full, especially against a skilled foe. Pilot skill obviously has been shown to play a significant factor.

During Cope India, standard operational F-15Cs were used and they would have surely used their internal jammers, and yet got shot down in droves..so what does that say about them- that they absolutey require a EA-6B or Growler to be around them to provided electronic support?

Do you suppose that perhaps the USAF wasn’t demonstrating its full ECM capabilities, anymore than the Indians were demonstrating the full capabilities of the Bars radar?:rolleyes:

To be realistic and neutral is easy just you need to admit some facts:

Fact five the Su-27 carries more BVR air to air missiles and will fight at longer range more time

fact not acknowledged by many but a reality the Su-27 can carry six AA-10s and more AA-12s than the F-15s AIM-120.

While I won’t argue that it’s nice to be able to carry 10 or 12 AAMs, but in most real world scenarios you’re not gonna have a high enough concentration of targets to make use of that, before reaching Bingo fuel. Secondly you’re gonna pay a much higher drag penalty, which’ll affect your performance. The F-15 can carry 8 AIM-120s, which is only a nominally inferior load, and IMHO a superior weapon(less dependant on ripple fire).

The same applies to the MKI too, it does not go into combat with just an ACMI pod nor does it radiate in training mode all the time. The IAF also hopes to reach out and touch all bandits with an RVV-AE before they get a chance to reply back.

The range estimates for the RVV-AE are impressive, but useful only against conventional targets. The -120C7/D is supposed to be in the same class if not longer ranged(again useful against conventional RCS targets).

Pilots surely know alot more about aircrafts just like Professional car driver know about car parts. It is part of there syllabus to memorize.
This person was talking about PESA radar capabilities. (Range. how come he knows the range of MKI radar vs US fighters), usefullness of TVCs, Pilot experiace. (here different assumptions can be made.)
I have said clearly only Manufacturer research and create new tactics as they can modify platforms right upt to different materials use in airframe construction.

I would imagine organizations like the CIA, MI6, Mossad, etc.. might have something to do with that knowledge of capabilities, rather than surfiing open source websites.;)

If your point is that a few flights of tactical fighters with Kh-35s alone will not be enough to put a dent in a CVBG, then you’re right of course. It’s not like that is the only conceivable naval target for a Russian built combat aircraft though, and nor is it really the kind of objective the Kh-35 was designed to defeat. Against a carrier group, tactical aircraft armed with this missile will form at most a small part of the assault – for a less powerful target like a group of frigates, they would be a formidable threat in their own right. Horses for courses.

To answer your question though, no idea about how many could be made available, but I think it is quite reasonable to expect that they would be able to hit a known naval contact 1500km from their base, unrefueled. Since we are assuming the Kh-35 to be carried internally for the moment, that makes the PAK-FA both stealthy (i.e. it won’t have to fly low to hide) and clean, so it should be capable of achieving a Flanker-ish radius even if carries less fuel.

1500km unrefueled range from base, might be a tad optimistic for that sort of mission. What sort of loiter time would they have, etc…? I’d imagine an TU-22/TU-95/TU-160(and maybe an SU-34) would be a more likely launch platform for those sorts of ranges.

Pior to first day of war. U can expect Billistic missile attacks on airbase where AWACS is parked. It is large airframe its fight routine can be observed from long distances through ground based radar along with satellites. importance of AWACS is decreasing.

It doesnot have long range if u want to loiter it. Not permananet like Ground based radar.

There are more fighters in a group. like 8 to 10 MIG-31 covering more than 1000km and that was 1980s capability. Now u expect it can sweep almost 3000 to 4000km.

Why is it that you insist WWIII conditions can be expected? The only scenario you seem to imagine is the US attacking Mother Russia. You assume that the hypothetical country that is going to be attacked, knows that it’s getting ready to be attacked. You also assume that all assets will be in one basket, so they’re easy to take out in one fell swoop.

Ground based radar has far more limitations in coverage/range(i.e. tactically speaking, you’re only gonna be able to protect a small amount of real estate), than airborne radar which can see over the horizon, and in low lying areas that ground based can’t see. Ground based radar is gonna have a much harder time running away if under attack, than an AWACS.

3000-4000km in which direction? Are the Foxhounds flying that far, or are they flying side by side looking forward 400km+ at a time?

Russian AF upgrades are in a horrible state! Despite all sort of talk, Russians have upgraded only a few planes from a much larger fleet. And that upgrade is extremely limited! If we compare USAF upgrade to Su-27 Russian upgrade, former is much better in most ways. One issue is of airframe life, but even there USAF flies much more than Russian AF. In German magazine Flug Reveu I have readen that Russia VVS was flying 40 hours per year. :shocked:

That was a sarcastic remark meant for the poster I sent it to, that believes the RuAF upgrades every plane, every time there’s an improvement available.