A performancewise detail of JSF.

At 2:16, it’s clearly visible that trailing two-seat F16 engages AB after the F35 and disengages it immediately after F35 does the same.
The important point is F16 carries 2 fuel tanks.

This clearly contradicts claims that F35 is in superior to F16, performancewise (accel, climb, etc…).

Even though afterburner is engaged they could be using different stages of afterburner. Another interesting detail is the F16 appears to be the twin seat version and its airbrakes are extended.

F35B BF-03

February 3, 2010.

The jet, known as BF-3, departed the runway near Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant at 4:02 p.m. CST for its first flight. During the one-hour sortie, F-35 Chief Test Pilot Jon Beesley tested the aircraft’s handling qualities, engine functionality, landing gear operation and basic subsystem performance.

http://www.aviationnews.eu/2010/02/03/stovl-jet-is-fifth-lockheed-martin-f-35-to-enter-flight-testing/

Boeing BAe EADS 6th GEN Stealth fighter

Boeing needs a next gen fighter for export. Aircraft like the F-15SE and Superbug are starting to look dated when there are aircraft like the J-XX and PAKFA coming.

If Europe needs a 6th Gen fighter how about if they form a consortium to develop it? Boeing, EADS, BAe, Mitsubishi as partners. The UK could reduce its orders for the F-35 and participate in developing this export aircraft as a replacement for Tornado and Eurofighter as well.

I think Putin has done a great job for Russia. What will be interesting to see, is , apart the costs, who else apart India will be politically “OK” to be offered the PAK FA.

I think the PAK-FA would be really great for the Aussies. Its stealthy, twin-engined and it has the range thats needed for Australia’s vast territory.

Its also a good replacement as a strike aircraft for the F-111 because of its range and large internal weapons bay.

The other outcome is Japan will definately begin lobbying for the F-22 again and failing that I hope they build the ATD-X.

Economy

Will there really be war among developed nations when most nation’s economies are highly integrated. Today, Sukhoi makes an airliner with jointly developed Snecma and NPO Saturn engines and European avionics. The satellite launch industry uses Russian engines. The ISS uses a progress spacecraft for resupply. China makes parts for Airbus airliners. Japan makes the wings for the Boeing 787.

It doesn’t even make sense to fight wars over economic resources. Wars are expensive costing billions. Might as well just get the resources like oil on the open market.

China, Russia are already part of the UN security council. It doesn’t make sense for Russia to unilaterally attack another nation. To do so is bad for prestige as the US faced when they went into Iraq. Who has a bigger stick was already settled in the cold war. Russia lost. It showed that economies mattered more than military might. The US is also forgetting the lessons that Russia learnt in Afghanistan.

The West and countries like China are fighting a “soft-war” over knowledge and technology while their biggest threats to stability come from within from ideology, social-economic disparity or conditions uncontrolled by man. Examples are epidemics, earthquakes(Sichuan, Haiti) or Katrina.

Prestige comes from soft-power based on scientific progress, economic power and political power. This is why China wants to go to the moon even though the US has done it before. This kind of prestige also attracts capital, the arts, intellectuals and scientists, people looking for a good life. This in turn has an effect on quality of life and economic power.

I think there’ll be trading blocs rather than security blocs like NATO or Warsaw. The problem with countries like N.Korea or A’stan is that they do not have a developed economy or are integrated with the global economy. They don’t get it yet.

Whats will we see in the future ? Visual spectrum stealth a la klingons? airborne lasers? Odd-looking robo-fighters controled by supercomputers , the pilot becoming a thing of the past( and with him a thing of the past will also pe the excitement and exhilaration we experienced today …whos gonna be that excited for the first flight of a hideous UCAV i ask? )

Is the concept of the 6th gen. combat aircraft begun to be drafted yet ? what is the future going to bring ?

I think it would have energy weapons. New lifesupport systems that’ll allow the pilots to pull alot of Gs like 24Gs sustained. Maybe neural interface to the aircraft including projecting displays directly to the visual cortex.

Onboard sensors that will detect IR signature (engine thrust settings) and radar that can detect the opposing aircraft’s flight control movements and change in position/acceleration to predict possible flight paths and envelope.

This will allow a computer to compute and recommend manouveres during a dogfight.

Don’t know if its already been mentioned but there are two aircraft with similar specs. The JAS-39 Gripen and the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, both have been flying for years and are powered by the GE F404 engine.

For non-US engines there’s the JF-17 or FC-1.

only two syllables allowed.

why no J-10 name in that case AFAIK ?

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=66388

The J-10 codename thread.. Its funny how similar the thread is to this one. 🙂
It seems that the J-10 doesn’t have a codename so far.