http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2013/04/af-x/

A/F-X would’ve been the true successor of the F-14 and A-6, and the Lockheed/Boeing AFX-653 was the most developed concept. Apparently the swinging wings would be set at a certain angle for maximum stealth. Over on f-16.net there was a pretty insightful post that said that the F/A-18E/F resulted from the need for an interim aircraft until the A/F-X would come online in the 2000s, and the choice was between the F-14D and the F/A-18E/F. Due to political and cost reasons, the Super Hornet was selected. Unfortunately, the A/F-X was canceled as Navy budget shrunk and the “interim” Super Hornet had to do a job that it was frankly not designed to do.

Navy still wants A/F-X capabilities, hence the F/A-XX talks right now. Neither the Super Hornet nor the F-35C can really do what the A/F-X could have.

You are assuming two strange things. One that any T-50 ever had or will ever have 3D TVC. They don’t, and wont. T-50’s TVC drop is exactly the same as on Su-35S.

Didn’t one of the PAK FA patents claim that the nozzles can vector in two axes?

lol @ JSR’s “reasoning”. Unfortunately, the right to freedom of speech also means the right to be an imbecile.

I’m still waiting for a better planform shot of 2011 to see if the wing LERX has been straightened or not. The fewer and larger serrations is also interesting, though I don’t know if that indicates better than anticipated stealth at lower frequencies, or just some measure to reduce production costs.

A few things regarding the F-22’s acceleration. According to the 2010 SAR, the unclassified acceleration of the F-22 is 52.4 seconds from Mach 0.8 to 1.5 at 30,000 ft, apparently at full fuel.

Sure……..What is the article talking about then???

Let’s get this straight once and for all. The PAK FA’s current interim engines are designated AL-41F1, or the 117. It is related to, but not the same, as the AL-41F1S, or the 117S used by the Su-35S. The PAK FA engines currently under development is called the Izdeliye 30, or Product 30.

So basically, the PAK FA is using an interim engine similar to (but not the same as) the Su-35S engine.

It was indeed from a discussion over at secretprojects, though the article was not linked. Still, my Google-Fu was sufficient to track down the source:

http://www.popmech.ru/article/6090-rossiyskiy-nevidimka/

The relevant part reads thus:

Note that the article actually specifically refers to ‘cruise speed’ (крейсерскую скорость), though it does not say so in the sentences that are quoted verbatim from Commander Mikhailov – he merely says ‘speed’, with no qualifiers as to maximum or cruise. Being Russian and dated November 2009, this article is probably quite far up the ladder to the primary source, even if it is not the original report.

So we have various Western/secondary sources attributing the reduction to maximum speed, a report that is likely closer to the the original source saying it referred to cruise speed and then there is the man himself who probably did not clarify one way or the other. Bearing in mind the quality of other statements by people like Mikhailov in general, it is probably better to take his words with a modicum of salt anyway, so I return to my original position that in absence of hard facts (if I may paraphrase) “configurations speak louder than words” 😉

I really don’t mean to derail this thread, but the Mach 2 speed being cruise speed is somewhat of a stretch. Another version of the Popmech article doesn’t say cruise, and neither does other sources that I’ve been digging up.

http://www.aviaport.ru/digest/2006/01/18/99775.html
paralay.com/stat/reliz.doc‎

В.Михайлов сообщил, что снизил на 0,15 число “М”, заданные в тактико-техническом задании характеристики скорости нового самолета”.
“К примеру, задана характеристика 2,15М, чтобы самолет летал с такой скоростью, однако это число – 0,15 влечет за собой необходимость усиления киля, увеличение веса самолета”, – сказал главком.
По его словам, “анализ эксплуатации самолетов типа Су-27 и МиГ-31 показывает, что эти самолеты, хоть и способны ходить примерно на этих скоростях, но редко на них выходят”.
“Зафиксировано всего лишь несколько полетов летчиков-испытателей на таких скоростях, это влечет сотни проблемных вопросов по усилению хвостового оперения и плохо сказывается на других характеристиках самолета”, – сказал В.Михайлов.

I think that given that context, it’s more likely that he was referring to max speed instead of supercruise speed, IMO. In addition, Bondarev recently talked about designing a replacement for the MiG-31, though he didn’t specify if that is the T-50 or not.

F-22’s T/W is not 1.4, unless it’s at a low fuel load.

Also, the F-35’s T/W at 50% fuel is comparable to the Su-27’s fuel load at its normal takeoff weight (with 56% fuel, IIRC).

Why has this forum become a safe haven for the likes of Tu 160?