Dear sirs,

I would like to point out some minor flaws in your argument regarding 5th generation.

1. Note how the Boeing company disregards 5th generation, but plans to sell the USAF a 6th generation fighter. Boeing and to a lesser extent the Euro-canard makers have a financial interest in down playing 5th generation.

2. The Russians, India, Japan, China, and others certainly don’t share your assessments on 5th generation. If they did they they would not spend billions in treasure .

3. The shift in tactics and the 5th generation leap over current fighters is already here. The F-22 is not a outlier but rather a trend, The T-50,YF-23, X-32,F-35,F-22 and even the Japanese Mitsubishi Mock up all show what 5th generation should look like. The F-22 has proven superiority over even modern french designs. The F-22 has done to the F-15 what the F-15 did to the F-4.

4. When you feel like your design is the beginning of a trend and its difficult to match, you can call the design what ever you want. If you built something new and advanced would you call it the same generation as the last? How does it benefit LM to say the fighter is a 4th generation fighter?
A. That assessment would not be accurate and B. when your selling a 200 million dollar plane to your congress you should be able to describe what distinguishes it from the others.

TY very much for your time.

P.S> I very mush await your spirited debate. 🙂