What a beauty, can't we bring the YF-23 back as a F-111 replacement, pretty please?

What a beauty, can't we bring the YF-23 back as a F-111 replacement, pretty please?

Yes, that was also my first thinking, nobody can say the T-50 "Firefox" is not a very beautiful plane ...

When I saw it for the first time, I thought "Yep, it's a Russian plane".

Optimistic, of course, but they won't have to work particularly hard to beat the F-35 into service.

 

From RIA Novosti

 

[excerpt]

 

Russian first stealth fighter jet 'to enter service in 2015'

14:58 16/08/2011

ZHUKOVSKY (Moscow region), August 16 (RIA Novosti)

 

Russia's new stealth fighter jet will enter service in 2014-2015, the country's air force chief said on Tuesday.

What a beauty, can't we bring the YF-23 back as a F-111 replacement, pretty please?

How about finding the technology to see these 'marble' sized aircraft on our radar? Cant shoot what you cant find...

From Aviation Week's Ares blog

 

[excerpt]

 

T-50: The Fifth Generation Fighter's Sensors

Posted by Robert Wall at 8/17/2011 8:00 AM CDT

 

With the T-50 fifth generation fighter making its MAKS air show debut, the Russia industry also has provided some additional insight into some of the elements that will make up the aircraft.

 

Some elements have been been shown before, but the collection of the subsystems on display is unusual.

From Defense Aerospace

 

[excerpt]

 

Russian Next Generation Stealth Fighter Unveiled at Air Show (excerpt)

(Source: ABC News; published Aug. 16, 2011)

 

Russia showed off its next generation stealth fighter for the first time at a highly-publicized air show today, as the best and most expensive stealth fighter jets America has to offer sit idle on the tarmac.

From RIA Novosti

 

Good data if they are real. The previous estimated speed of F-22 was inferior to the F-15A/C speed !!!! . Also, apparently the T-50 cited range without external tanks of 1080 nm, stated as equal to the F-22 range in the RIA Novosti file is more consistent with the F-22 estimated range with internal fuel of 1309 nm

The Ares article, talking about the sensors, is even more interesting than the claimed specs, imho.

 

AESA radar, L band embedded antennae, front and rear IRST, and built in sensors that seem akin to JSF's EODATS.

 

Impressive if they can pull that off.

The Ares article, talking about the sensors, is even more interesting than the claimed specs, imho.

 

AESA radar, L band embedded antennae, front and rear IRST, and built in sensors that seem akin to JSF's EODATS.

 

Impressive if they can pull that off.

 

And further, how much of the software integration they do. Still, I might take a T-50 at $100 million JSF even if the T-50 doesn't have fully fused sensors and systems.