Exercise for the reader: how many airframes did the first F-35 LRIP contract comprise

Not sure how you can really compare both projects like that. The T-50 has been flying for almost 9 years now and their are still only 10 prototypes flying. How many F-35s were flying in 2015 (9 years after its first flight)?

This is almost the most interesting feature so far, pending any potential engine changes, as any modernisation would have looked at avionics changes anyway, IMHO.
I wonder if the mention of FADEC means confirmation it will now stick with the original engines…as there would be no point doing this if the engines were to be replaced?

People seem to forget just how difficult it is to re-initiate production of a jet engine, especially a beast such as the NK-32. It would be like asking GE to restart production of the J75 or RR to resume Olympus production – it would barely be possible, and even if it was it would be hideously expensive. I have read though, that the new NK-32-2s are undergoing bench tests at the moment, but I have also read that the new production of the NK-32 is turning out to be difficult because many of the components were originally in Soviet times produced in Ukraine and Azerbaijan, a political problem today.

To Framige,

“what essential requirement is that?”
Manoeuvrability.

Maneuverability is certainly not the most essential requirement for Russian aircraft – how do you explain MiG-25 and MiG-31? The essential requirement is usually to have the most capable and powerful avionics, radar and missile systems available in order to carry out the fighter plane’s role.

“Possibly the same can be said for the USAF as well?”
Possibly but the Americans keep praising stealth which, according to them, will make close combat impossible together with long range AA missiles. Nevertheless both F22 and F35 embark two short range missiles and a cannon…
Reminds me of those brand new F4 Phantom that were sent to VietNam with air-air missiles but no cannon based on the same idea. But after some of them were shot down by MiG-15 which had no missiles but one 37mm and two 25mm guns the Phantoms where rushed back to the US and equipped with a nice Gatling cannon under the nose…

A lot of combat planes in the 1960s never carried guns – or else they were fitted to pods like the F-4D. Most Soviet PVO air defence interceptors were not fitted with guns in the 1960s – except perhaps gun pods.

BTW, it was MiG-17 armed with 37 mm and 23 mm guns

And a successful project in my mind means: completed and operative in about the scheduled times, produced in about the numbers that they are supposed to and with not too much cost increase in relation to what was originally forecasted. Export numbers is just something you cannot foresee during development.

That just about includes every military and most civil aircraft project active today then? Name a ‘successful project’.

For reference, the analogue APQ-120 had a MTBF in the single digits, and the first attempt at reliability testing the APG-66 (all-digital, air-cooled) failed, achieving 10 – 15 hours (60 envisaged). Meanwhile APG-63 MTBF goals were reduced from 150 originally to 60 hours (a level it didn’t achieve out of the box either, and pre-APG-70 variants never made it past 80h). Last but not least, the infamous Blue Circle saga bears mentioning

The APQ-120 is the radar of the F-4 – that’s about 2 generations before the Su-27. All you are doing is pointing out how the Mech N001 radar was actually a somewhat unadvanced radar for the 1980s.

Its similar depressing to read about the;
“Singel engine small fighter” airheads on this forum.
I mean the logic of Russia wanting and more importantly need such class of fighter is both funny and sad.

Every other country, big and small, has such a fighter: USA, China, India, Japan, most the main European countries, etc. Why wouldn’t Russia not need such a plane?

I want to remind you that the modifications of the MiG-23ML and MIG-23MLD were equal in maneuverability F-16

Well, as there probably aren’t any MiG-23 left flying (Angola?) around world – who cares?