Quote:
Originally Posted by Targan
If any of our American friends here have a direct line to the Senate and Congress could you please get them to allow Australia to buy F-22s? Because the F-35 program is a complete cluster-f**k, we've already contributed a fistful of cash to its development, it's way overdue and it's left us with a yawning capability gap.
Yes, I know the F-22 and the F-35 were designed for different roles but Australia buying more Super Hornets as a stopgap measure isn't exactly an ideal situation.
K thanx bai.
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For Australia there is really no option but to hope that the F-22 will be resurrected and upgraded over the next five years, because the F-35 will leave Australia with precisely the same type of aircraft as the Super Hornet.
The Super Hornet holds two distinct advantages over all current flankers. Its more stealthy and its liquid cooled APG-79 AESA radar is superior to the current Russian BARS which gives it an advantage at BVR. However in the WVR arena even the well trained RAAF pilots in Super Hornet's are at a distinct disadvantage because the Super Hornet is severely handicapped by its lower combat thrust/weight ratio and hybrid wing planform.
The Super Hornet cannot compete with any Flanker variant in terms of supersonic speed, supersonic and subsonic acceleration and climb. In terms of combat radius performance the Flanker also outperforms the Super Hornet even with the latter carrying external tanks. The Flanker in all current variants outperforms the Super Hornet in aerodynamic performance, and the near term advantage the latest Super Hornets have over legacy Flanker variants in AESA and radar signature reduction features will not last long given ongoing Russian development of supercruising Al-41F engines and better AESA' and BVR missiles. Aerodynamically and performance wise the F-35 is more of the Super Hornet, and the F-35 if its works might keep ahead of the Russian and Chinese Flanker's in the technology curve but not against an T-50 PAK-FA. The only alternative to an upgraded F-22 would be an upgraded F-15 which is aerodynamically at least a match for a Flanker with better pilots and US/NATO grade avionics. The F-15 production line in St. Louis may be shut down this year, hopefully they will extend that until we know if they are going to re-open F-22 production. Hopefully John McCain and others with sense can influence all this.