But IMO the second one has clearly a much taller tail than the others and (not 100% sure) it looks as if it has the larger rudder – see on the fin’s base – than a regular Flanker.

I think you are right. The clipped tails and nose resemble the early Su-33, of which China allegedly bought one from the Ukraine.

Notice the overall smaller profile when compared with pictures from Su-27 and Su-30 versions. I’m leaning to believe this is the Su-33 they allegedly bought. Is there actually three in the picture? Looking closer to the picture the next one behind looks like an Su-30, but the two after that look like they have clipped tails, too. If they were offshoots of the J-11 program that would be news.

Was this a relatively cool or warm system? I’d imagine if its inlet air the friction should be heating up the tubes the air travels to a certain extent. Otherwise this is relatively ambient compressor air, right?

IMO, the torpedoes from the helicopters and destroyers would have been just as effective as the ones from the SSN.

The F-15 is limited to subsonic flight through most of its flight regime. The reason it doesn’t supercruise is because its not meant to fly extended periods of time at the transonic and supersonic velocities. The leading edges of the wings and the canopy are but two limitations for sustained supersonic flight. This is why I don’t see the F-15SE being a big factor in sales against the F-35 for the future.

I bet a cold one that it will not be so heavily laden with control surfaces. China wouldn’t use canards and tail planes on J-XX, if its truly stealth, they would use TVC and minimal control surfaces. The fan art looks like a cross between Su-30mki and the J-10, only using twin engines. I am very doubtful it would become reality.

You’re not talking just 7 A-4’s. The land assets up to that point in time would have still been present. I imagine the air force units would have been massed and the exocets that were fired later would have been used at that time with far better trajectories.

Its unavoidable that the SSN’s would have had a turkey shoot. But without them the British fleet would have retreated deeper out into the ocean and played a layered defense to neutralize the land assets. This may have allowed the Argentinians to bolster the island against invasion and delayed the inevitable.

Just a couple things to consider-

A-The F-22 doesn’t supercruise at military power.
B-What’s the fuel consumption of both aircraft at M1.8?

Please clarify point A. I’ve never heard that claim.