Not a bad guess for 1977

[fireengineer]

Have a look at the attached picture, now imagine the plane is painted black. Remind you of anything?

Cryptic I know, but after a few guesses I'll say what I think it looks like, just wanna see if it's just me.

Edited October 18, 2012 by fireengineer

[+RAVEN]

FireFox?

[fireengineer]

FireFox?

Bingo, all it needs are some engine intakes above and a canard. Makes me wonder who Craig Thomas was talking to when he was researching the book.

[FastCargo]

If you're talking about the movie version of Firefox, the PAK-FA only looks like it in the same way a general 'large twin engine twin tailed fighter' looks. The original book that Craig Thomas wrote was even more generic...with the cover art depicting a MiG-25.

 

FC

[Fubar512]

The Firefox in the novels was not stealthy due to it's shape, but rather due to either a device, or a coating (Craig Thomas never went into detail in either Firefox novel). The device/coating became ineffective once Gant submer......errrrrr.....I'm not going to spoil it for you....read both novels!

[TeargasHorse]

IMHO it resembles the YF-23 Lightning, but since you mentioned 1977. Firefox had all the flat facets of the F-117, and bent wings like, well idunno, XB-70?

[fireengineer]

Yes he was on thin ice for a while. Well even by 1982 the faceting of the nose was interesting as this would later show up on the F-117, someone must have given him a nudge in that direction.

[fireengineer]

I manage to find a silver one?

[fireengineer]

If you're talking about the movie version of Firefox, the PAK-FA only looks like it in the same way a general 'large twin engine twin tailed fighter' looks. The original book that Craig Thomas wrote was even more generic...with the cover art depicting a MiG-25.

 

FC

Thats interesting, as the real MIG-31 is a close relation of the 25.

[MAKO69]

Fire Fox its only 30 years ago glad they finally caught up!

[+Gepard]

You need a lot of phantasy to see true relations between Firefox and PAK-FA.

[Capitaine Vengeur]

If a real Firefox, I wouldn't fly in its six !

[fireengineer]

35 Years ago!

 

I am just saying that the PAK from that angle in that instance has a passing resemblance of the FF. Especially the nose and fuselage directly behind. The intakes help also.

But yes I agree the YF-23 is closer to the mark.

Edited October 19, 2012 by fireengineer

[JediMaster]

FYI interesting side note: the YF-23 holds the supercruising record of Mach 1.6 without afterburners. Neither the YF-22, F-22A, or X/F-32s/35s can get that high.

[fallenphoenix1986]

Random factoid gents, the studio wanted to use the Viggen prototype for the flight sequences but SAAB and the Swedish AF wouldn't release it from the test program. Personally I'm glad they didn't get their way as the idea of a mach 5, stealth, supper-Viggen sounds just slightly implausible... that and the "Mig-31" looks Russian, particularly the tails, in a way that the Viggen was never going to pull off.

 

Craig

[Fubar512]

Yes he was on thin ice for a while. Well even by 1982 the faceting of the nose was interesting as this would later show up on the F-117, someone must have given him a nudge in that direction.

 

I'm afraid that you're confusing the book with the movie. Even in "Firefox Down" (Which Craig Thomas dedicated to Clint Eastwood, and which was written two years after the motion picture's release), Thomas still refers to the Firefox as having a "sharp nose cone", which puts the decripition at odds with a faceted airframe. You must also keep in mind that the only known example of a "stealth" aircraft the general public had seen up until then, was the Testor's model kit of the non-existant F-19!

 

Edited October 21, 2012 by Fubar512

[Atreides]

Eh ? The Firefox down I've got doesn't say sharp nose unless its cause its revised because he mention how the crew thought it looked like the loch ness anywhoo, mine has this cover.

[fireengineer]

I'm afraid that you're confusing the book with the movie. Even in "Firefox Down" (Which Craig Thomas dedicated to Clint Eastwood, and which was written two years after the motion picture's release), Thomas still refers to the Firefox as having a "sharp nose cone", which puts the decripition at odds with a faceted airframe. You must also keep in mind that the only known example of a "stealth" aircraft the general public had seen up until then, was the Testor's model kit of the non-existant F-19!

 

Well, either way, the film studio did a Movie Aircraft that was 'close'. Faceting for stealth was not in the popular press for stealth craft, as depicted in your picture above. The 80's Idea for stealth was versions of the SR-71, flattened out and capable of hypersonic, plasma assisted flight! Personally the actual F-117 was a let down, subsonic, ugly and in reality not even a fighter. AHh those were the days, the cold war spawned endless avaiation marvels and speculations, no?

[fireengineer]

I used to collect an avaiation mag in the 80's called Warplane. It would have a centre section pull out of a featured plane every month. In this section they would have a cutaway drawing of the featured plane. If it were a Soviet plane the cutaway would just be the outline with a seat in it, lol, and the article would have phrases in it like 'believed to be' assumed to be' engine in the XXXLbs class'.