Even the F-15A had HOTAS from the very beginning, and more capable avionics. The Flanker went through several iterations before having a radar that reached parity. MFDs were not the basis of my assertion- it was pilot workload/heads down attitude, in operating the weapons systems.

Again, it’s a matter of theory vs reality. If your model uses assumptions, which don’t reflect reality, then you can expect skewed results.

LM: We can build the F-22 so it is cheaper to maintain than the F-15.

USAF: We’ll go with that.

DoD: Whoops.

I’d love to see the source where anyone said that the F-22 would be cheaper than the F-15. A more important metric is in how little difference the operating costs are between the 2 planes, considering how much more capable the F-22 is. As far as the second part of your original claim, only the most willfully delusional would say that the F-22 isn’t an amazing aircraft.

It’s a disadvantage if you have to take your eyes off your foe, to look down in the cockpit, and then try to visually reaquire them. They or their wingman may have maneuvered into a firing position by the time you see them(or don’t). Additionally, when your situational awareness of incoming threats is hampered by less than user friendly presentations/procedures, from your RWR, that’s yet another increase in workload, during critical moments.

If I speak about my company/work, our projects or company representatives in the open, I NEVER say anything negative. Am I lying? No, I carefully choose which topics to highlight and which topics to avoid so that I don’t have to lie and at the same time only spead good image. It’s easy if you got some brains. Only idiots bite the hand which feeds them.

Mr.Beesley is a loyal employee and a skilled speecher who is able to win sympathies – for the company this is even more important than his testing work. But that doesn’t make the F-35 better than it is. Or do you want to imply that F-35 only marks one success after another because Mr. Beesley hasn’t had anything negative to say?

I’ve never tried to imply that the F-35 is better, than it is. I am also sure that there are some negatives that could be discussed. The point though, is that many of you claim that it’s a dog, a bomb truck, sluggish, etc…. and these are the areas that Mr. Beesley has spoken directly about, and those haven’t been his conclusions(especially since he has addressed a lot of the naysaying specifically). What is he omitting when he says it turns/accelerates like a clean F-16, and very similarly to an F-22 in the subsonic regime, or that he doesn’t see any current/projected threats outclassing it? Those are pretty black and white statements. So we’re left with the conclusion that either the F-35 can in fact do these things, or that he wasn’t being honest.

MFDs? Must be quite a time since you’ve looked at an F-15 cockpit. 😉 Look here, a non-MSIP F-15C.

http://www.howitflies.com/files/photos/wikiexport/5/54/F-15_Eagle_Cockpit.jpg

According to Indian pilots, N001 of their Su-30K was quite unexpectedly visibly superior to APG-63 in one on one engagement, especially regarding the lock-on range. In furball where they needed to fight numerous enemies, greater versatility of slotted array turned the tide on the APG. So let’s be objective and call it a draw.. 🙂

MFDs were but one example. The take away is that the amount of heads down tasks were greater on the Russian aircraft, which is a disadvantage(especially at the merge, where you need to keep an eye on your foe, or incoming missiles). As far as detection ranges, that’s difficult to assess, not knowing the specifics(I.e. were the F-15s demonstrating their full capability, etc…)

That report is from March 2008, and the numbers aren’t coinciding with what has been demonstrated with the LRIP prices, etc….