Why MiG-31?

Because the article said (per Google Translate)

As previously reported, PAC DP will be called the MiG-41 and is developed on the basis of MiG-31

It then contradicts itself by saying

At the same time, the aircraft will not become a product of the profound modernization of the MiG-31, but will be a completely independent new car.

That may just mean that it’s a new build rather than a block upgrade to an existing airframe.

Like I said, I wish there was more information to form a better-informed opinion.

Mach 4, “near” 160k feet, and pilot-less?

:very_drunk:

lol…. Fighter “Generations” have typically had some feature or group of features that delineated & demanded a new number.

Having just “more” of existing features is not a new “Gen”, it’s just adding a plus sign to the existing one.

Take another look at the hit. The F-15 makes no change in course or speed and it’s IR signature does not change (ie not fire).

More likely a scratch rather than a shoot down.

So.. When are we getting a Rafale 2018-1 thread?

Flight of 4 F-35s fly UNDER a helicopter along the 2017 Fiesta Bowl parade route.

By David Cenciotti

Here’s another interesting flyover once again filmed from the above.

The footage below, filmed from a unique viewpoint by Chopperguy, shows four F-35As belonging to the 62nd Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Wing, from Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, conducting the Fiesta Bowl Parade flyover at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. on Dec. 30, 2017.

By the way, the 62nd FS is one of the three dedicated F-35 training squadrons at Luke. The 62nd and 61st fighter squadrons train an international cadre of F-35 pilots from partner nations like Norway, Italy and Australia. The 63rd, activated in August 2016 with the first jet taken on charge in March 2017, trains F-35 Lightning II fighter pilots as a joint international effort between Turkey and the United States.

https://theaviationist.com/2018/01/03/take-a-look-at-this-video-filmed-from-a-helicopter-of-four-f-35s-doing-the-fiesta-bowl-parade-2017-flyover/

I don’t think SEAD necessitates an F-35 since the F-4’s were doing it for decades prior to the F-16 taking over. It’s also not just a US thing since other nations have SEAD specific weapons.

Given the ever-increasing range of SAMs (hundreds of kilometers) and the tight spacing of countries in Europe, these SAMs can be considered offensive weapons. Given this, then we can include SEAD in the requirements, even for a purely defensive purposes.