Mobius_One1021 wrote:
First of all, I have to say that this is an awesome topic. I'm in college now going for my Aerospace Engineering degree and am most likely going to go for a job in Lockheed Martin (the guys who make the F/A-22 and the F-35). I go to RPI and we have good placement into their company, so I'm really looking forward to it.
As far as planes go, I've always been a huge fan of the F-14 (I grew up on Long Island by [Northrop] Grumman, so I have my loyalties there). However, the F-15 in closer combat situations is superior....but it still can't sarry Phoenix missiles . For anyone who doesn't know, the F-22 is basically replacing the F-15 (I think there's a rumored 2-seater F-22B to replace the F-15E at some point, but don't quote me on this). The F-35 is basically replacing everything else. It's basically taking the place of the F-16 in the USAF, the F-18 in the Navy, and the Harrier in the Marines. In a dogfight however, F-15>almost anything. In fact, I think perhaps only the Raptor could truly beat it.
But to answer the question in-game, F-15
Thank you are planes are and always will be better!
I'll make sure of that, Mike!
Teehee. RPI. I went there on a scholarship in my sophomore year in High School (before I moved back to Canada) for some of their Computer Science courses. Oddly enough I'm in University now and I'm in Humanities, which has nothing to do with computers OR fighter planes! (And despite all the partying I do, woe to me, who could recite the F-14s specifications at the age of 6... I can't anymore! Those were my childhood dreams!)
Anyway, no offense to the pilot in our ranks, but I'm getting rumblings that USAF training is suffering (as compared to previous decades) as of late. And groundpounders... well, won't even speak of them... they've got fancy gadgets and not enough brains to knock between the lot of them. (I kid, of course, I know quite a few Army kids back from HS, I like to jibe at them). Which is too bad.
Which is not to say that their training still isn't top notch... (USAF, not the groundpounders. It's a bit of pride for me to know that in exercises the Canadian Reserves fare rather well against the Rangers.. but then we've got the training cause we've got none of the gear. Maybe a canoe and some guns. Heh.)
The F-15 is some pretty hot shit. In fact, I'd say it's *the* hot shit in the skies. But I'm willing to bet that if the SU-47 airframe was handed over to a bunch of Western pilots (not for lack of intelligence or balls, but for lack of funding and training) they'd fare markedly well, especially if (again, because of funding) Western electronics engineers took a peep inside beforehand.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is nice. Very nice. In fact, it entered service with the Italian Air Force not too long ago. I'm not about to compare it with the F/A-22, because... well, they're two different kinds of planes. The EF is a gorgeous, agile plane, while the F/A-22, while not being as agile, is a floating silent platform of death. The kind that shanks you in the back when you aren't looking.
However, I will pit up (and again, no offense to our resident pilot) the EF with the F-15s, since a trainer got the jump on two F-15Es in a mock engagement (where the F-15s had bounced the EF from behind at first)... but let's face it, the EF is new tech. If it couldn't outmanuever an F-15 there would've been no point in building them in the first place.
The F/A-22s are gorgeous. Like I said. Silent floating platforms of death. Silent being a term I'll chalk up to artistic license. I'm sure being next to it when it broke the sound barrier would hurt, a lot.
To be honest though, these planes cost a LOT of money. Even the Russian one. Which is a surprise. In a way. If I were to outfit a developing nation (trade embargoes aside) with the best equipment on a budget able to afford any of these planes... I would go, for the best $$$/performance value, for the Saab JAS-39 Gripen. Purely as a defensive fighter, mind you.
Which is another thing, it's difficult to compare these machines on a purely level scale when their roles may be rather different.
Last edited by TigrisJK (2006-03-07 15:09:23)