RED FLAG RAPTORS

[Hawk MMS 0]

Whenever I have to work vacation coverage for a night guy (1800-0600), I swing by Barnes and Nobles and pick up some magazines. One is usually 'Combat Aircraft'. There is an article in the current issue about Raptors participating in Red Flag. Its a good read. The kill ratio is astounding. There is also a really good article on BRAC (Base Realignments and Closures).

 

There is also an article Mig-35 (29) Good cockpit shots.

 

[JediMaster 451]

I hate that Russian tendency to redesignate fighters with totally new numbers.

Su-27 -> Su-30/32/34/35/37.

Su-25 -> Su-39

Mi-24 -> Mi-35

MiG-29 -> MiG-35

[Falcon161 3]

I hate that Russian tendency to redesignate fighters with totally new numbers.

Su-27 -> Su-30/32/34/35/37.

Su-25 -> Su-39

Mi-24 -> Mi-35

MiG-29 -> MiG-35

 

Yeah but if you notice the aircraft that derived from the originals are vastly improved EX: SU-27 and its most advanced derivitive the SU-37 which is vastly improved and has better maneuverability, canards, and TVN's.

[eraser_tr 29]

Worse, they'll have two designations. One will be a variant of the original like Su-27SK and then give it a new number designation as well.

 

The Su-37 may be the most advanced derivative, but it is beneath it all, still an Su-27. Just a variant letter would suffice, we didn't give the eagle a brand new designation when we made the ground attack variant(F-15E)

 

But then again if you look at airwar.ru and all the variants they have of russian planes, it kind of makes sense. There are so many its hard to keep track of.

 

Why did sukhoi skip Su-26, 29, 31, 31 and 36? a russian f-19 case?

 

What has been other AF's reaction to the raptor? and what were they flying against it?

[+SkippyBing 8]

Mind you, a lot of the new Russian designations are manufacturer driven for marketing purposes rather than anything to do with an Air Force designation system. For instance if Boeing were trying to flog the Super Hornet as the next big thing they probably wouldn't want to call it the F/A-18, but as the USN were trying to get a new aircraft without anyone noticing it was handy to keep the old designation.

 

I can't remember the exact logic behind Sukhoi numbering, but a lot of the even numbers are used for the 'mad as a box of frogs' aerobatic planes they develop.

 

As I understand from the articles I've read about the recent Red Flag the Raptors, B-2s and F-117s were all flying on the Blue side so only the Aggressors were flying against it.

[eraser_tr 29]

Ah, if only they'd used the raptors as aggressors. Not only would they have better paint schemes, they would've had a chance to fly her against some of the better foreign fighters to see how she'll really fare against another AF instead of just the F-16 and F-18 aggressors we can fly them against any time we like ( are they at least still using the superkitty as a simulated flanker aggressor, or have they retired her from that too?)

[+SkippyBing 8]

I think they were flying them against F-15 aggressors mostly, as far as I know the F-14 has been completely retired so no play from her. Of course the story doing the rounds is that when two F-22s went up against a couple of Typhoons they got all upset and refused to play when the 'Hoons got a radar lock!

[eraser_tr 29]

But the F-22s were on the blue side? do you mean the eagles didn't want to play with the typhoons?

[Victory103 0]

There is also that Raptor vs Super Bug vid around somewhere.

 

Skippy, sadly all Tomcats are gone.......can't.....type.....the pain!

[+SkippyBing 8]

Eraser, the Hoons weren't playing at Red Flag, it was while they were at Nellis I think for trials work.

Victory I feel your pain.

Edited May 2, 2007 by SkippyBing

[JediMaster 451]

Worse, they'll have two designations. One will be a variant of the original like Su-27SK and then give it a new number designation as well.

 

The Su-37 may be the most advanced derivative, but it is beneath it all, still an Su-27. Just a variant letter would suffice, we didn't give the eagle a brand new designation when we made the ground attack variant(F-15E)

 

But then again if you look at airwar.ru and all the variants they have of russian planes, it kind of makes sense. There are so many its hard to keep track of.

 

Why did sukhoi skip Su-26, 29, 31, 31 and 36? a russian f-19 case?

 

 

Su-29 exists, and you could even fly it in a few sims. It's a small prop plane for aerobatics.

Anyway, the difference is the Russian Air Force and the manufacturers will have two different designations for the same plane. The Su-27IB became the 32FN and/or 34 because mainly it turned out Russian politicians were more likely to fund a "new" airplane then a derivative of an "old" airplane.

In the US, it can be a major PITA to get them to give a new letter to a plane. I mean, the F-16C Blk 50/52 is so far removed from the original F-16C off the production line it was silly. Finally the Blk60 was given a new letter, so it's the F-16E/F.

[Guest 531_Ghost]

Crap! I'm feelin' "it" Last time I was at Red Flag, we were flyin' F4Ns!

[BUFF 8]

" In a tour de force Red Flag debut, the 1st Fighter Wing’s 94th FS cleared the skies of “Red Force” fighters with only one purported loss during the entire two-week exercise. The Langley AFB, Virginia based squadron’s exceptional success surprised even the most experience Raptor pilots. One was heard to say, “The Raptor isn’t invincible, it’s just the closest we’ve ever been able to come to that claim.”"