Depends on threat, its a good idea vs relatively short ranged AShM, but vs Tu-22M zooming down at M1.8
loaded with 300 nm M4 missiles you really want a really good sprint to catch the backfire before launch

But is Tu-22M armed with Kh-22 still a real threat? Kh-35 more likely?

Is that an F-104G next to that Blackbird?

When did the USAF fly those outside of the German training unit at Luke?

http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Contrails/contUSM-21.htm

Certainly a completely different approach compared to F-35..

Certainly a different approach compared to the new combat aircraft projects of most other countries. I wonder to what extent commandeering 3 T-50 prototypes to carry out air show displays has delayed the PAKFA flight test programme?

How many IAF MiG-21 have been lost in the last 5 years or so, especially the Bison version. It seems to be around 2 per year?

Lightning is the most overrated fighter interceptor. It only carry 2 missiles, can’t fire head on.

Such an armament was typical for interceptor designs from the 1950s: MiG-21, Mirage III, Su-9/11/15.

So Sukhoi can sell Su-34 at a unit price as cheap as a single An-148, or for about 30% more than the price of a single Mi-17V. Hard to believe?

It is funny to see you defending a stance that you were so fiercely fighting against just few years ago in F-22 vs Su-xx threads. 🙂
Looks like your logic is pretty adaptable to boundary conditions. When your favorite aircraft doesn’t have IRST, then IRST is useless. When it does have some advanced IR sensor, then suddenly the IRST becomes The Magical Solution. 🙂

Anyway, what kind of weapon will you use on those 30+nm miles distance? Your AIM-9X makes some 8-9 nm in typical situation.

What difference does it make what he said then and what he says now – doesn’t he have a good argument?

That’s truly rare. The hunter was a good plane, its record in the subcontinent doesn’t do it justice.

The Hunter was hardly any worse than the F-86 or J-6, fuel, range or endurance wise, was it?