I’ve got my little bro thoroughly convinced that the reason NORAD escorts santa is to protect him from the Russians. :diablo:

Epic win!

I just don’t see the LCA suffering another long delay. Remember, India is co-funding the development of the PAK-FA with Russia. Clearly, by that time as the PAK-FA enters service. The LCA would for all practical purposes be obsolete………:(

You might be right. What I’m trying to figure out is what the hell kind of niche the Tejas is trying to fill.

I mean, they already have the Mirage 2000, and they’re still going for the MRCA contest. Isn’t that kind of redundant?

High-lo mix? It looks like they’re going for a high-mediumhigh-medium-kindalow-low-cannonfodder mix here. 😮

The good ol’ paralay/saturn drawing. You know, I really like that design. It has it’s Sukhoi heritage while being truly fifth gen. 🙂

The first pic you will get will likely be the first flight.

Amen!

Someone else said it first a long time ago, but I think it’s only too appropriate when dealing with the PAK FA. The very minute that picture comes out:

1) Someone will draw similarities of the PAK FA to the F-22/Typhoon/F-15E/Tie Fighter and declare it as a clear copy of an obviously superior western design, while using other copied designs (Tu-160, Mig-29, Su-25… pretty much anything if it has wings) as proof of evidence.

2) A russian fanboy will decry this claim, pointing out various features of the new aircraft that make it distinct, while proclaiming this new aircraft as the greatest invention since dirt and/or the harbinger of Jesus. It’s ability to do the Cobra-maneuver-times-eleventybillion will be a particular point of conflict.

3) The first person will begin a flame war with the second person so vast that it will raise JonJames and Star49 from the dead. This will be known as the Great Cataclysm of Keypublishing.

3) A third person will duly point out that the UNITED STATES copied THE RUSSIANS via the F-15 and the Mig-25, accusing the US of doing the very same.

3.5) Someone will, of course, call it a photoshop.

4) A person of intelligence will point out that similar intended roles generally result in a similar design, at some point using the quote “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” by the fourth page of the argument. This brave soul, though noble in pursuit, will quit the thread by page seven.

5) Someone will attempt to point out that looks don’t account for jack **** in the long run, and actual performance and capability is what actually matters. This person will, unfortunately, be unheard as the fanboys grind each other into permabannage and page closure.

This pattern will spread throughout all aviation forums; particularly in irandefense, acecombatskies, and any russian-based forum period. Prepare for anarchy.

EDIT: That being said, I seriously propose that the PAK FA Saga thread be split into two: One for pictures, news, and data about the PAK FA that comes in as a sort of database of information, and one for the actual speculation (a.k.a. inevitable flame war). Cause I dont feel like sifting through twelve pages of arguing to find the one post with actual meaningful information or news.

Calm yourself, pfcem. You’re getting a bit worked up there. 😮

The Su-35 will just be a jack of all trades type platform.

Quick offtopic question: That Su-35 pretty much ends the heyday of the Fulcrum’s service life with the RuAF right? Cause there would be no real need for the Mig-35…?

Hell, we here at Keypublishing should start our own mercenary fighter squadron. Call it the Flaming Trolls squadron. :diablo:

I would imagine that the most important factor would be maintenance/support costs of the aircraft. Can any current PMC afford an entire fleet of fighters, let alone maintain them AND charge profitable yet affordable prices to their customers?

I guess we need numbers: What are the costs of a typical air policing mission for a country, and is it really economically viable to pay a third party to do it for you?