Niiiice! Wonder if their bort numbers go from 10 to 13(?)…:)

Just found this.

Pentagon Cuts $6.9 Billion by Delaying Lockheed F-35
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-25/pentagon-cuts-6-9-billion-by-delaying-lockheed-f-35-purchase.html

. When one considers that the first 4 examples(or more), won’t even be fully production representative, that leaves 6 to train on, and equip a unit. Suffice it to say, I’m more than slightly skeptical of a 2015 IOC.

I would assume ( i might be wrong offcourse ) that the 10 initial LRIP(?) aircraft are ON TOP of the 6 prototypes already ordered, 1 static, 1 KNS , and 4 (?) flying/to fly.

MiG MFI was suposed to have cheek arrays if i’m not wrong ( plus rearward radar/s aswell). Also i think initially F-22 was planned to have cheek arrays( or is this something planned for the future ? I’m not exactly sure ).

Logically, i don’t see why PAK-FA won’t have “5 radars”. Speaking of which, maybe this doesn’t really mean 5 radars per se, but maby for instance several antennas on the airframe serving one or two radar sets.

Regarding cheek mounted arrays, i got a neophite question, are these super-fancy AESA radars still vulnerable to Doppler notch ?:confused:

( Just thinking of this hypotethical scenario, F-22 vs T-50, Raptor sees T-50, which alerted turn to break lock while keeping an eye on the Raptor with the side arrays, maby send a wee missile after it, etc. etc.)

If i got it right, Paralay posted something about “buffeting” related to T-50s rumoured problems.
Total speculation on my part, ( if true) maby those cute little fins are responsable for ? What do the experts think?:confused:

Just found this link on another forum, you can see what looks like being the first (or firsts?) Su-35S in final stages of contruction . Check between minutes 2:35 and 3:30. Video was posted on youtube on 26.12.10 ( i don’t know when that particular TV programme was aired, any ideas? ). :confused:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qat98Ikpggg

PS: NVM the last query , by the looks of that “festive” TV logo on the top right , it looks like the programme was aired around christmas 2010.

Pm3, if the T-50-2 is suposed to fly in febr-march, do you know if there’s an ammended schedule for T-50-3 and T-50-4 ? Are they still suposed to fly by the end of 2011? And are they both flying airframes?( i think i read somewhere that one of them might also be a static, i don’t know how accurate that is ).
And finally what is the status of T-50-1 atm , how many flights has it logged so far ? Is it still at LII?
Thanks .:)

Thanks for your advice Haavarla, just checked the KNAAPO website and this was right on the front page. :p

Final assembly of the Su-35S
13.10.2010

Company completed general units’ assembly of the first production Su-35S fighter. The state contract with the Russian Defense Ministry on the delivery of multifunctional super maneuverable Su-35 fighter jets was signed at the 2009 MAKS air show. The works on the contract started in autumn 2009 at the KNAAPO (JSC) facility of the Sukhoi holding in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

At the present time the first production Su-35S is at the final assembly shop of the KNAAPO. The preparations are underway for its flight testing. The first production Su-35S will be delivered to the Russian Ministry of Defense by the end of the year.

Su-35 is also intended for export sales. Sukhoi is holding talks with customers in South-East Asia, the Middle East and South America anxious to re-arm their air forces on Su-35 sales.
….