Yes that is what I’m referring to.

It only ever made the one 15-minute flight – again AFAIK.

It did fly twice. On the second flight the main gear was retracted. This did not occur on the first flight. Here’s a picture from the second flight. If you notice, the two exhaust nozzles are open to different degrees. Differential thrust for directional control, maybe?

The MiG 1.44 made a grand total of two flights. The current rumor is that it’ll be sent to Monino at some point, perhaps after MiG uses it to test a few more things.

The Su-47 may have been intended to have TVC as it was intended to use the AL-41 engines. The Su-47 wasn’t an “official” project however, so the few AL-41s went to MiG for the 1.42 program and flew in the 1.44 demonstrator.

1.42 could have been a “Raptor killer” if the Keldysh system worked as advertised. Acting as an active ECM system to defeat AIM-120s, it could have forced the F-22 into a WVR environment, and the 1.42 was intended to be extremely agile. At that point it comes down to missile performance and pilot ability, but on paper the Raptor would not have been invincible against a well flown 1.42.

The Su-47 was a reduced observable aircraft but not true LO. As there has been no connection between the aforementioned Keldysh device and this aircraft, it’d likely have been vulnerable to a Raptor’s AIM-120 load and therefore not have been a true equal in terms of combat ability. The 1.42 wasn’t a true LO platform either, of course, but the Keldysh device could’ve been a real problem for an active radar missile seeker.

Either of those aircraft, in their intended forms, would have likely outperformed any of the FLANKER variants around at the time, as that was their purpose. Put either one into service, and it becomes easily the most advanced and capable air superiority fighter outside of the USA.

To change the 1.44 into the 1.42 for production, MiG would have added a cranked-arrow delta wing style, a different intake more reminiscent of that found on the Tu-160’s nacelles, and obviously both a radar and rear-facing radar. To change the Su-47 into a production fighter would have likely involved adding a radar and IRSTS, as well as a rear-facing radar system. Obviously the weapon bays would have been fitted out with the ability to actually carry and fire AAMs as well, and it wouldn’t have suprised me to see wingtip R-74 rails on either jet.

The Topsight HMS is a bad example. Why? Because they were integrated with new aircraft under a new contract. Indian AF MiG-29s were delivered before you claim they should have been buying the Python 4, so they already had Russian systems installed and integrated. Next.

Oh yeah, here’s one for you. I guess the MKK/MK2 must be superior to the MKI as China did not acquire the tandem triplane layout, the TVC engines, or the Bars radar, right?

Your arguments are simply based on past events which you are skewing to make your point for you. There is nothing factual in your argument. Reminds me of the whole “Pakistan inducts weapons before they test them” debacle :rolleyes:

If you want a really “good” Bruce Campbell flick, check out “Bubba Ho-tep” :diablo:

It’s a pretty amusing story 😀 The details are on the placard in front of the aircraft at the museum. I thought I’d snapped a picture of the placard, but I guess not.

I have talked with the USAF Officer who sourced the East German MiG-23MLs for Air Combat Command. He states categorically that they were sourced for static exploitation. One is in the Threat Training Facility at Nellis, but I do not know the whereabouts of the others.

It is possible one or more was siphoned off by Air Force Materiel Command and flown, but I cannot confirm that.

I think one of them is on static display at Goodfellow AFB in Texas. There’s a MiG-29, a MiG-23, and a 2K12 TEL and radar pair. The SAM kit is a sight to see, let me tell you!

The USAF Museum MiG-23 is not an East German example (it’s an MLD anyway), I forget where it came from but it was not purchased by AFMC or sourced by the USAF. It was actually impounded because some genius was trying to import it into the US!