Aircraft Super Thread Mk.VII

[electric indigo]

The Gripen is still the most boring 4th gen designs in the air. It's the equivalent of a Volkswagen Golf. The Eurofighter is boring, too, but it still has that edge of ugliness.

[Knight26]

Saab jets in general have a unique beauty that many people just don't get. I still love the draken, viggen, and the gripen, they might not be the prettyist girls at the dance, but they are still pleasing the eyes and sure know how to move and can get right down to business.

As for the Czech Tiger Meet scheme, that is freaking psychedelic, but don't the czechs usually have some of the best and most unique TM schemes?

[Shadow]

The Draken and Viggen had character but I don't see that with the Gripen or as much. Maybe it's just because of Europe's love affair with delta wing fighters but I don't see much personality in any of the 3 powerhouse fighters with maybe the exception of the Rafale.

[electric indigo]

The Draken and Viggen are indisputable beautiful and powerful design classics.

The Rafale is the best looking of the modern 4th gen. fighters IMO.

[Lightning]

in that pic there, what's going on near the tailplane with those hatches that are open?

Edited August 15, 2013 by Lightning

[Bri]

in that pic there, what's going on near the tailplane with those hatches that are open?

Those are the air-intake and exhaust of the APU.

[LOW_ALT]

[Shadow]

Very recently, the German Air Force retired its fleet of F-4 Phantom IIs. There was a big article about it in Combat Aircraft Monthly.

Farewell you wonderful beast.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Shadow

[Noyhauser]

The Gripen is still the most boring 4th gen designs in the air. It's the equivalent of a Volkswagen Golf. The Eurofighter is boring, too, but it still has that edge of ugliness.

The vacuum cleaner intake? yeah... not very pretty or stealthy.

[raptormesh]

Two vids quickly:

Some of you have probably watched this, but it's worth watching again. A lot of WVR footage from the pilots themselves with GOPROs.

http://youtu.be/DsUKeqjFQM8

Recent SU-35 air display at the Paris Air Show. Pretty entertaining stuff, you can practically imagine that's Isamu up there with his Alpha One.

Edited August 20, 2013 by raptormesh

[Model-Junkie]

Pak-Fa / T-50 formation flight and flight demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B4Q2-1IiaOk

[Shadow]

There must have been a mandate since the Su-27 that all new Russian aircraft must be able to pull off the Pugachev's Cobra.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Shadow

[Graham]

The Gripen is still the most boring 4th gen designs in the air. It's the equivalent of a Volkswagen Golf. The Eurofighter is boring, too, but it still has that edge of ugliness.

Strongly disagree. IMO, the Typhoon (single seat version only) is the best looking of all modern fighters. The only thing that surpasses it for prettiness was the YF-23.

I think Rafale is ugly, but then I'm biased as it's produced by the ancient enemy.

I will concede that the two seat Typhoon won't win any beauty contests.

Graham

[raptormesh]

Strongly disagree. IMO, the Typhoon (single seat version only) is the best looking of all modern fighters. The only thing that surpasses it for prettiness was the YF-23.

Dat barn door intake. Still much better looking than SU-27 derivatives though.

Still, you've got taste good sir because YF-23.

[anime52k8]

Flanker Family members are sexy as hell, (excluding the Su-32). I also love Gripens and still don't care for the YF-23.

Edited August 30, 2013 by anime52k8

[electric indigo]

If you talk about the Su-34, it may not be as sexy as the Flankers, but it's still sexy as hell.

[raptormesh]

About as sexy as Adele. But YMMV.

[David Hingtgen]

I of course, must chime in:

The Gripen's the overall best-looking of the Eurocanards. Above all else, it's clearly a SAAB. Their designers obviously wanted it to "look" like one of their designs. Most rakish design of the 3 by far, a flying arrowhead.

The Rafale----the forward fuselage/intakes create a neat "diamond-cross" cross-section at times, which may or may not look good depending on the angle. But it is distinctive, and much like the Gripen, you can clearly tell who made it---it's a Dassault, it's an evolution of the Mirage. Back half looks like any other Mirage though, nothing new or "cool".

The Typhoon----has no soul. It looks like a Chinese KO of the other 2. There's no art or form to its design at all. It's like they put all their requirements into a computer, and it spit out the numbers for the most efficient/simple/direct way to do it---thus all the straight lines and simple curves. It doesn't "look" like anybody's or anything. It's not British, it's not German, it's not anything----it's a flying generic "jet". SAAB and Dassault put some art/skill into their designs, the EF consortium----"design by committee".

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

I always had a thing for the modern Russian birds ever since seeing the MiG-29. Before all that though, this workhorse always captivated me, and it still does:

[Bri]

I

I always had a thing for the modern Russian birds ever since seeing the MiG-29. Before all that though, this workhorse always captivated me, and it still does:

A swingwing beauty indeed. I prefer the Grumman F14 and the Panavia Tornado of the 4th gen fighters. I'm not too fuzzed about delta wings a;though most have their own charms.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Panavia-Tornado-IDS/1483597/L/&sid=3812243cdbb32a9e606450b0cc418828

[anime52k8]

hey guys, what's going on in this thread?

Edited August 31, 2013 by anime52k8

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

hey guys, what's going on in this thread?

Oh nothin', just carrying nukes and being sexy:

[hutch]

Yeah, sucks that we lost a B-1 the other day. Beautiful bird

[skullmilitia]

Personally I think the JSDF needs larger access to outside foreign conflicts.

I mean the whole deal from WW|| is outdated.

With all the Chinese knock off jets and the slow creep of the encroaching

Chinese world take over, it'd be nice to have some Allies who want to build amazing

Aircraft.

I'm pretty sure if the JDSF would have had the last 40 years to build aircraft

We'd probably have some sort of Valkyrie influenced VTOL fighter.

Also, the Typhoon is what China stole in design.

So it can't look like a knock off, because its the original

Front Canard, Delta wing.

[Vifam7]

Personally I think the JSDF needs larger access to outside foreign conflicts.

I mean the whole deal from WW|| is outdated.

Disagree. It's better that Japan does not get itself involved in stupid foreign conflicts. Saves money and lives. Use the money and brains to create an awesome fighter jet. That's as far as i'm going with the political thing.

I'm pretty sure if the JDSF would have had the last 40 years to build aircraft

We'd probably have some sort of Valkyrie influenced VTOL fighter.

Also, the Typhoon is what China stole in design.

So it can't look like a knock off, because its the original

Front Canard, Delta wing.

Back in the 1980's when the FS-X program was in its early stages (ie. before the US government got involved), this was one of the concept designs being floated around.

Edited September 2, 2013 by Vifam7

[anime52k8]

Disagree. It's better that Japan does not get itself involved in stupid foreign conflicts. Saves money and lives. Use the money and brains to create an awesome fighter jet. That's as far as i'm going with the political thing.

Further, if your not getting involved in conflicts, you can just skip designing jet fighters entirely, and devote that money and brains to developing REALLY important things... like robot women.

[Ghost Train]

Personally I think the JSDF needs larger access to outside foreign conflicts.

I mean the whole deal from WW|| is outdated.

With all the Chinese knock off jets and the slow creep of the encroaching

Chinese world take over, it'd be nice to have some Allies who want to build amazing

Aircraft.

I'm pretty sure if the JDSF would have had the last 40 years to build aircraft

We'd probably have some sort of Valkyrie influenced VTOL fighter.

(Overlooking all other problems with your post)

It's not like there are that many active conflicts, require air power nonetheless, where you can sign up your dudes to fight once a month to get some experience points so they can level up .

[Shadow]

Joining the swing-wing party alittle late. Rare shot of East German Floggers.

And another classic.

Finally, interesting news from China on their concept bomber.

The East seems to appreciate the YF-23 design enough.

[David Hingtgen]

The East seems to appreciate the YF-23 design enough.

They don't have to deal with conservative Western generals who don't like "funny-looking" planes and try to shoe-horn stuff into existing F-15-shaped infrastructure. They can simply "pick the best" to start with.

[anime52k8]

They don't have to deal with conservative Western generals who don't like "funny-looking" planes and try to shoe-horn stuff into existing F-15-shaped infrastructure. They can simply "pick the best" to start with.

and by pick you mean steal.

[David Hingtgen]

Yes, but there's no point stealing anything but the best. They're not going to go out and copy the F-2A or Mirage 2000....

[skullmilitia]

Disagree. It's better that Japan does not get itself involved in stupid foreign conflicts. Saves money and lives. Use the money and brains to create an awesome fighter jet. That's as far as i'm going with the political thing.

Back in the 1980's when the FS-X program was in its early stages (ie. before the US government got involved), this was one of the concept designs being floated around.

Meh, designs don't mean actual flying sexy Typhoons.

The J-10 is pretty much a KO of the Typhoon.

[raptormesh]

F-35 feeding in the sky. They look so cute.

[Chronocidal]

Also, the Typhoon is what China stole in design.

So it can't look like a knock off, because its the original

Front Canard, Delta wing.

Canard/Delta's have been around a while

Seems like it's always the go-to format for advanced concept designs, too. To be honest, I don't care for how this design looks.. but I would have loved to see it made, if only to extend the service life of the F-106.

Someone also did a computer mashup of what that FSX concept could have looked like (mostly by photo-hacking a Gripen).

Edited September 3, 2013 by Chronocidal

[Shadow]

F-35 feeding in the sky. They look so cute.

Papa Harrier showing them how it's done.