Aircraft Super Thread Mk.VII

[Shadow]

I'm pretty sure the second Frogfoot picture is of a Su-25UB trainer. The 3rd would definitely be the Su-25T or TM.

Also, The Blue Angels practicing the Super Hornet.

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Shadow

[Thom]

YUgh!! How do I embed these so they show as other than a dang, boring link!?

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJHsUKKh0ck/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_again

 

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by Thom

[Dobber]

^Lol

[Chronocidal]

I'm not even sure what category this should exist in, but man is it ever awesome.

 

[Dobber]

So cool!

Chris

[electric indigo]

First regular production Su-57 "Blue 01"

[kalvasflam]

3 hours ago, electric indigo said:

First regular production Su-57 "Blue 01"

At last, the spiritual descendant of the YF-23.  Either that or a drunken night of passion between the YF-23 and the SU-27, and we get this result.

[F-ZeroOne]

The more and more I see of the SU-57 - and I'm fully prepared to find out its a mistaken impression - the more I think its essentially a souped-up SU-27, similar to all those "Silent Eagle" ideas that were flying around. If it turns out to be the next Firefox, fine, I'll eat my... urm... Dalek?  

[sketchley]

3 hours ago, F-ZeroOne said:

The more and more I see of the SU-57 - and I'm fully prepared to find out its a mistaken impression - the more I think its essentially a souped-up SU-27, similar to all those "Silent Eagle" ideas that were flying around. If it turns out to be the next Firefox, fine, I'll eat my... urm... Dalek?  

It's a bit more than a souped up Su-27, for starters it has two internal weapon bays between the engine nacelles.  I also read somewhere that the US military suspects that it has targeting radar arrays on the sides of the cockpit aimed perpendicularly (spotted on the experimental models)—meaning it is a pretty lethal plane hunter that doesn't even have to turn to look at you in the eye.  Or something to that effect.

[F-ZeroOne]

Wasn't the original F-22 supposed to have some sort of lateral radar array or something?

Perhaps "souped up" was the wrong phrase, maybe Su-27 ver 2.0 is more what I was trying to get at.

[505thAirborne]

 

[Uxi]

How many DCS players we have here?  I've been rocking the Tomcat and Hornet and Supercarrier since release. 

Didn't see this interview posted, but loved it.  So many great stories this guy has.  One of the VF-84 pilots from The Final Countdown.

 

[Dobber]

Yeah, I watched that when it came out. I LMAO at the final Carrier Qual prank in the Tomcat. Dude has great stories.

Chris

[Uxi]

Yeah that one is great. The Vulcan intercept is probably one of my favorite from that collection.  He needs to write a book or two and do a movie like Bio (I picked up his Tomcat RIO book, too. Great stuff there, too). 
 

[Chronocidal]

I picked up an HP Reverb almost entirely for DCS, and have been piecing together bits to build a VR-focused cockpit.  The Hornet and Tomcat packs have been amazing, and I need to actually get to designing the pit and cutting boards this year.  

[Uxi]

I'm running a Samsung Odyssey+ which was a great deal at the time.  Built a new rig just for DCS (and Elite Dangerous) last year 9900k 32GB RAM and a 2070 (got tired of waiting for Ampere) and an nvme SSD to boot off of. Probably go to 3080 or maybe 3090 and 64GB in a refresh this year, though maybe next since everything is pretty smooth right now with almost everything high and pd1.3.  Finally retired the old Saitek X36 in favor of a VKB MCG Pro and a virpil throttle (the v3 of the bigger one).  I have one button box built and planning on a couple vertical panels which I'll start after I do an ejection seat cable.  

[M'Kyuun]

Been awhile, so I'm playing catch up. The vid with the guy flying his RC Flanker virtually from a cockpit view is pretty impressive. I kept waiting for him to do the cobra maneuver , but alas, he didn't. Still, that model flies well. The amount of thrust that those ducted fan engines can produce is pretty impressive.

The Su-57 is a pretty impressive bird, definitely inspired by the YF-23. Looks like the Russians aren't down with nixing the horizontal stabs and enclosing the exhaust like Northrop did with the YF-23. Funny how they only seem to concentrate on fuselage characteristics for stealth with little consideration for IR or radar return from the exhaust section.

[Knight26]

21 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Been awhile, so I'm playing catch up. The vid with the guy flying his RC Flanker virtually from a cockpit view is pretty impressive. I kept waiting for him to do the cobra maneuver , but alas, he didn't. Still, that model flies well. The amount of thrust that those ducted fan engines can produce is pretty impressive.

The Su-57 is a pretty impressive bird, definitely inspired by the YF-23. Looks like the Russians aren't down with nixing the horizontal stabs and enclosing the exhaust like Northrop did with the YF-23. Funny how they only seem to concentrate on fuselage characteristics for stealth with little consideration for IR or radar return from the exhaust section.

That's because Stealth is really only useful for forward intercept.  Once you close with a target and get within range where you are into a "turning fight" the rear stealth characteristics are actually a hinderance.  The Russian's have been all about that close in fight design since the Su-27 and MiG-29 family of jets.  Yes, in a long range engagement, the F-22/F-35 have the advantage in stealth, but once you get in close, the Su-57 can outturn and outgun them.

[Uxi]

Of course, that presumes the Russians build more than a dozen or so of them... and they actually get some engines that aren't POS.

[electric indigo]

Current order for the Russian Air Force is 76 machines.

[Knight26]

 

[ErikElvis]

For some reason (likely aesthetics) I have a soft spot for Russian fighters. 

[Dobber]

NICE!! They howl like the old F-104.

Chris

[Uxi]

Upcoming Calibre Wings model on this livery: 

[Dobber]

Nice! I recommended that one to them!

Chris

[Uxi]

It's definitely an unusual one.  Never saw the low viz tails with yellow markings.  I am kinda hoping for a late 80s with black tails and ochre radome. 

[Dobber]

Damn! No this is some LOW flying....This SLUF is in the slush. 
 

 

[renegadeleader1]

You call that low? This is low!

 

 

[Thom]

1 hour ago, renegadeleader1 said:

You call that low? This is low!

 

 

That looks (and sounds) fantastic! But I was clenching unmentionables at the thought of a bird strike! They do hang around in trees. Unless they cleared them out first.

[F-ZeroOne]

There was at least one bird in the background of the P-40 pass and what may have been a duck on the water in the Spitfire pass, so if they did clear them out, they didn't get all of them!

[altermodes]

On 12/29/2020 at 10:27 AM, Chronocidal said:

I'm not even sure what category this should exist in, but man is it ever awesome.

 

About time someone mashed those two devices together

[Shadow]

Really fascinating interview with a former chief engineer for the ATF program.

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by Shadow

[M'Kyuun]

World's first supersonic unmanned combat drone

All we need now is a flyoff between competing variable fighters and a rogue AI named Sharon. Oh, and Yoko Kanno to write the theme music.

Edited March 2, 2021 by M'Kyuun

[slide]

4 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

World's first supersonic unmanned combat drone

All we need now is a flyoff between competing variable fighters and a rogue AI named Sharon. Oh, and Yoko Kanno to write the theme music.

You need to add the word "combat" to your link 

the D-21 was an earlier supersonic unmanned drone, but it didn't do combat.

[M'Kyuun]

2 hours ago, slide said:

You need to add the word "combat" to your link 

the D-21 was an earlier supersonic unmanned drone, but it didn't do combat.

Ah man- egg on my face. I've seen that drone in person at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in Oregon and at the AF Museum in Dayton, and I should have been more mindful. Thanks for pointing it out. Fixed.

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by M'Kyuun