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Posted

This got posted on Youtube just a little bit ago. This is from the actual first flight.

Wow. If nothing else it's a real sharp looking plane.

I'm seeing all sorts of things that are going to cause it's radar signature to balloon beyond what you would think at first glance (there's still all kinds of small blade antennas and the IRST aperture isn't going to do them any favors). If I had to guess it would probably have a RCS somewhere between a Super Hornet and a JSF, and really that's not half bad. Props to the Russians for getting this thing airborne, I was convinced the most we'd ever see of the PAK-FA was some concept art and a promise that it'll fly "real soon" for the next 15 years.

Posted
Wow. If nothing else it's a real sharp looking plane.

I'm seeing all sorts of things that are going to cause it's radar signature to balloon beyond what you would think at first glance (there's still all kinds of small blade antennas and the IRST aperture isn't going to do them any favors). If I had to guess it would probably have a RCS somewhere between a Super Hornet and a JSF, and really that's not half bad. Props to the Russians for getting this thing airborne, I was convinced the most we'd ever see of the PAK-FA was some concept art and a promise that it'll fly "real soon" for the next 15 years.

Remember you are also looking at the first flight prototype, so a lot of those pitots and arials will probably be made much less obtrusive in the production model. If I had to hazard a guess I would say it's RCS will likely be close to if not slightly better then the F-35s. My biggest question at this point, what are those blisters under the wing roots, sensors, vortex controllers, small weapons bays, what?

Posted

Basically agree what others have said about the looks. An Su-27 melded with a YF-23. It's sorta reminds me of the X-02 from Ace Combat. :p Wonder what its weapons storage capabilities will be compared to the F-22.

Posted

The YF-23 is still my favorite design even though it was never mass produced, But I like this T-50 fighter design! I just saw the video on Yahoo news and thought, "You knew this was coming, a Russian F-22 looking Aircraft". B))

Posted (edited)

If you look at around 2:00-2:04 in this vid it looks to me as if the vertical stabs (?) are of the all-moving type. (the front edge looks to moving just a bit.) I really haven't been following this too close but what do you guys think, all-moving or not?

Edited by hobbes221
Posted (edited)
The YF-23 is still my favorite design even though it was never mass produced,

Agreed.

I think this thing will be about as "real" as the Soviet space shuttle was, though. But nowhere close to even the T-90 levels.

Edited by Uxi
Posted
dz9k5z.jpg

I can already start seeing the Valkyrie within that airframe. Hope this inspires the Hoary Froating Head to make the VF-3X (hope he doesn't wait for the 30th anniversary just to call it VF-30).

Still, I wonder how long will it take for a scale model of this baby to get released?

Posted
Basically agree what others have said about the looks. An Su-27 melded with a YF-23. It's sorta reminds me of the X-02 from Ace Combat. :p Wonder what its weapons storage capabilities will be compared to the F-22.

you know, just looking at it I'm really wondering how it's going to be armed. it's so flat I just can't see it having much of an internal payload (definitely not the dozen or so missiles a flanker would carry).

Posted

Here's a nice hires one:

http://lenta.ru/news/2010/01/29/pakfa/pak.jpg

About the armament:

* The PAK FA can carry either eight next-generation air-to-air R-77 missiles, or two large controllable anti-ship bombs weighing 1,500 kg each.

* The new jet can also carry two long-range missiles developed by the Novator Bureau which can hit targets within a 400 kilometer range.

Posted
Agreed.

I think this thing will be about as "real" as the Soviet space shuttle was, though. But nowhere close to even the T-90 levels.

You could be right, but the Russians will have to replace their ageing Mig29s and Su-27s someday. We may not see many in the Russian airforce but who knows how many will be built for India.

Posted

I wonder how they shielded the engines from radar. From the look of things the entire intake and engine bay assembly is one straight tunnel...

Posted (edited)

115 or more of these aircraft for the Russian air force. Hmm, don't see that happening anytime soon, though I'm concerned more with the export sales of this aircraft if it really does kick off into mass production in the coming years. Might convince Congress into re-looking at putting the F-22 onto the market for allies.

Edited by Shadow
Posted
Remember you are also looking at the first flight prototype, so a lot of those pitots and arials will probably be made much less obtrusive in the production model. If I had to hazard a guess I would say it's RCS will likely be close to if not slightly better then the F-35s. My biggest question at this point, what are those blisters under the wing roots, sensors, vortex controllers, small weapons bays, what?

I don't know, I think that IRST housing alone is going to give them some issues. Look at the EOTS window on the JSF or it's predecessor on the NATF concepts, a Su-27 style fishbowl will show up huge compared to those designs. That and the exposed engine faces (I don't buy the claims that slapping some RAM on the engine faces is some great fix) give me the impression that while Sukhoi has put a lot of thought into having a stealthy aircraft, it's wasn't the priority for them.

Also from what I'm reading those blisters are for short range AAMs, the analogue of the Raptor's side bays.

Posted
I don't know if I'm in the minority or not, but I think this plane looks cooler than the F-22 and the YF-23.!

Right on dude, besides the T-50 reminds e a lot the 1-60 VF-11B (minus canards), it even has small tailfins.

Posted
The small vertical stabilizers give it a very elegant silhouette

KOD-016-300111_s.jpg

Having them on the edges canted out is very reminiscent of YF-23 (and thence to Macross YF-21/VF-22).

Posted

Like the YF-23 had, one in front of the other... (or rather, what a production F-23A would have had--they would have stretched the forward fuselage slightly to make room for a Sidewinder bay right ahead of the AMRAAM bay)

Posted

There are also many who think that those blisters under the wing roots might be for short range missiles, I'll have to find my sketch on how I think they would work.

Posted (edited)
Here's a nice view of the silhouette from the top.

2lvzgq0.jpg

See you in the next Ace Combat.

I think it is already in ace combat, as in a way "it" kind of looks like the X02-Wyvern at some angles. :D

anyway it looks awesome and i have to wonder, if they are going to try and put the maneuverability of the SU-37 in to this design? :unsure:

Edited by altermodes
Posted (edited)

Lol, if this were China's prototype and not Russian, we would have had 3 pages of:

"NOOOOO ASTRO PLAN GTFO! WTF PLAGIARISM.... FAKE LV HANDBAG!!1!!!"

Edited by Ghost Train
Posted

That is one sexy looking plane. Much better looking that the F-22 and F-35 IMO and about equal (if not slightly better looking) than the YF-23.

Let's hope the Russians get it into mass production in serious numbers quickly (unlikely I know), so that the US will have to restart the F-22 production line.

Graham

Posted (edited)

The general planform looks a bit like the F-22. What makes it looks nicer than the F-22 (IMO) is the smaller tail fins which are very widely spaced apart.

Edited by Vifam7
Posted
The general planform looks a bit like the F-22. What makes it looks nicer than the F-22 (IMO) is the smaller tail fins which are very widely spaced apart.

Plus the F-22 looks pretty chubby when viewed from the side, especially the front part.

This new Russian plane looks much sleeker IMO.

Graham

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