The National Interest: Does the PAK FA outperform American fighters?
New Russian military equipment projects are attracting attention both in our country and abroad. Foreign media are trying to follow up with Russian work and keep their audience up to date. One of the topical issues is the development of the fifth generation fighter as part of the PAK FA project (“Perspective aviation front-line aviation complex ”). Various statements by Russian officials have contributed to maintaining interest.
June 3: The American Interest has published the article F-22 and F-35? (“Is the Russian fighter PAK-FA superior to the American F-22 and F-35?”). As is clear from the title, the author of the publication, Zachary Keck, decided to study the state of the three projects and to compare their possibilities using open sources. The actual reason for the appearance of the publication were the statements of Russian officials, voiced in the last days of May.
Z. Keck begins his article with a direct statement about the characteristics and capabilities of the new Russian aircraft. Referring to high-ranking Russian officials, the author writes that the fifth-generation Russian-designed fighter will surpass its American "classmates" in the face of the F-22 and F-35 aircraft.
Such an opinion was voiced at the end of May by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev. According to this commander, the PAK FA aircraft will be able to effectively counter existing fifth-generation American fighters. Bondarev noted that the PAK FA is no worse than analogs of American development. In addition, there is reason to believe that it is superior to the F-22 and F-35 aircraft in some characteristics.
In general, V. Bondarev evaluates the new Russian project quite highly. He believes that the existing capabilities and the achieved characteristics will provide the new aircraft with superiority over all existing and prospective fifth-generation fighter jets, which have already been created or are being developed in foreign countries.
Z. Keck recalled the parameters due to which, in the opinion of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, superiority over foreign technology is achieved. Such characteristics include the possibility of flying at speeds greater than M = 2. In addition, V. Bondarev noted other features of a promising aircraft, which should ensure its superiority over competitors. Much attention is paid to stealth for the means of detecting the enemy, weapon systems and characteristics of maneuverability.
At the moment, according to V. Bondarev, the PAK FA aircraft shows good performance of various systems. In particular, the armament complex will allow effective work on air and ground targets. In addition, it provides the lowest possible visibility for enemy radar stations. Also, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force noted that the PAK FA will be able to attack not only ground, but also surface targets.
The National Interest journalist notes an interesting approach to the use of technology, revealed by V. Bondarev. According to the commander in chief, the newest technologies are used in the PAK FA project as they appear and are developed. At the moment, the project uses the latest components and technologies. In addition, the introduction of new developments currently being created is underway.
According to the latest data, the PAK FA prototype aircraft are currently being tested. The first cars are scheduled to be handed over to the air force next year. A year later it is expected to begin the delivery of serial equipment. These are the deadlines for the implementation of various stages of the project confirmed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force in his recent statements.
At the end of May, Colonel General Bondarev also touched upon the number of fighters planned for procurement. According to him, the military department wants to purchase as many of such equipment as industry can produce. It is assumed to purchase the maximum possible number of aircraft. Naturally, the industry will not be able to quickly build a batch of 24 aircraft required. For this reason, the military will buy as many vehicles as they can build businesses. If it is possible to produce only four aircraft, then four will be bought; if they build ten, then the Air Force will buy ten.
The author of The National Interest notes that the latest statements by V. Bondarev to some extent contradict the plans of the military department, announced earlier. Thus, in March of this year, Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said that due to economic difficulties, plans to purchase PAK FA aircraft could be reduced. In this case, it is supposed to start operation of the fifth generation fighter jets, and also to use the 4 + generation technique in the face of the Su-30 and Su-35 aircraft in the most active way. However, according to Borisov, by 2020, as mentioned earlier, the Air Force must receive a new generation 55 aircraft.
Z. Keck also mentions reports in the Russian state media. They mention the PAK FA aircraft (the alternative designation T-50 is also used) as an unobtrusive single-engine twin-engine aircraft, which will become the first type of Russian-made aviation technology with full use of the so-called. stealth technology. Also in the Russian press it is mentioned that the PAK FA is a multi-purpose aircraft and is capable of performing various combat missions, both to gain air superiority and attack ground targets.
The available information about the PAK FA project, as noted by Z. Keck, causes concern among American specialists. So, last year, the former chief intelligence officer of the US air force, Dave Deptul, expressed his opinion on the fifth-generation Russian fighter project. In an interview for The National Interest, he said that the available information and analyzes indicate a rather complex project that will provide high potential. According to its capabilities, the new Russian fighter can be equal to American developments. There is also an opinion that the Russian PAK FA surpasses the American F-22 and F-35 in a number of characteristics.
As the reasons for the possible superiority over the American planes, D. Deputla named several characteristic features of the PAK FA fighter. This is the ability to change the thrust vector, full turn tail, as well as excellent aerodynamics. Thanks to these things, the PAK FA can surpass the latest American fighter F-35.
As you can see, foreign media are trying to monitor the news Russian projects, primarily the most famous. For obvious reasons, publications on the PAK FA or Armata projects being created in Russia regularly appear in the foreign press. High hopes are pinned on these projects, which is why foreign journalists are trying to keep their audience up to date.
The latest publication of The National Interest on the progress of the PAK FA project attracts attention, primarily due to the demonstration of interest shown by foreign experts in Russian projects. In addition, it is interesting because the author, considering the statements of Russian military leaders and American experts, raises the heading question: does the PAK FA plane outperform its foreign counterparts?
For objective reasons, Zachary Keck cannot answer this question yet. Moreover, the exact answer is still unknown, even to specialists and the military. To answer the question from the title of the article, you need to know the many characteristics and parameters of the compared aircraft, and this is not only the maximum speed and range, or the payload weight. When analyzing the real combat capabilities of aircraft, it is necessary to take into account a host of other factors, some of which are unlikely to be declassified and published in the near future.
Nevertheless, and in the current situation with a lack of necessary information, specialists on both sides of the ocean express an opinion, which may be a cause for concern among the US military. Judging by the known data, the Russian fighter PAK FA, by its characteristics and capabilities, is at least not inferior to its main competitors in the face of American aircraft F-22 and F-35. How far this opinion is true is not completely clear. Perhaps in the future, the public will know the exact answer to the question from the title of the article in the American edition.
F-22 and F-35 Is Russia's Lethal PA-FA Fighter Superior?
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-lethal-pak-fa-fighter-superior-americas-f-22-f-35-13034
June 3: The American Interest has published the article F-22 and F-35? (“Is the Russian fighter PAK-FA superior to the American F-22 and F-35?”). As is clear from the title, the author of the publication, Zachary Keck, decided to study the state of the three projects and to compare their possibilities using open sources. The actual reason for the appearance of the publication were the statements of Russian officials, voiced in the last days of May.
Z. Keck begins his article with a direct statement about the characteristics and capabilities of the new Russian aircraft. Referring to high-ranking Russian officials, the author writes that the fifth-generation Russian-designed fighter will surpass its American "classmates" in the face of the F-22 and F-35 aircraft.
Such an opinion was voiced at the end of May by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev. According to this commander, the PAK FA aircraft will be able to effectively counter existing fifth-generation American fighters. Bondarev noted that the PAK FA is no worse than analogs of American development. In addition, there is reason to believe that it is superior to the F-22 and F-35 aircraft in some characteristics.
In general, V. Bondarev evaluates the new Russian project quite highly. He believes that the existing capabilities and the achieved characteristics will provide the new aircraft with superiority over all existing and prospective fifth-generation fighter jets, which have already been created or are being developed in foreign countries.
Z. Keck recalled the parameters due to which, in the opinion of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, superiority over foreign technology is achieved. Such characteristics include the possibility of flying at speeds greater than M = 2. In addition, V. Bondarev noted other features of a promising aircraft, which should ensure its superiority over competitors. Much attention is paid to stealth for the means of detecting the enemy, weapon systems and characteristics of maneuverability.
At the moment, according to V. Bondarev, the PAK FA aircraft shows good performance of various systems. In particular, the armament complex will allow effective work on air and ground targets. In addition, it provides the lowest possible visibility for enemy radar stations. Also, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force noted that the PAK FA will be able to attack not only ground, but also surface targets.
The National Interest journalist notes an interesting approach to the use of technology, revealed by V. Bondarev. According to the commander in chief, the newest technologies are used in the PAK FA project as they appear and are developed. At the moment, the project uses the latest components and technologies. In addition, the introduction of new developments currently being created is underway.
According to the latest data, the PAK FA prototype aircraft are currently being tested. The first cars are scheduled to be handed over to the air force next year. A year later it is expected to begin the delivery of serial equipment. These are the deadlines for the implementation of various stages of the project confirmed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force in his recent statements.
At the end of May, Colonel General Bondarev also touched upon the number of fighters planned for procurement. According to him, the military department wants to purchase as many of such equipment as industry can produce. It is assumed to purchase the maximum possible number of aircraft. Naturally, the industry will not be able to quickly build a batch of 24 aircraft required. For this reason, the military will buy as many vehicles as they can build businesses. If it is possible to produce only four aircraft, then four will be bought; if they build ten, then the Air Force will buy ten.
The author of The National Interest notes that the latest statements by V. Bondarev to some extent contradict the plans of the military department, announced earlier. Thus, in March of this year, Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said that due to economic difficulties, plans to purchase PAK FA aircraft could be reduced. In this case, it is supposed to start operation of the fifth generation fighter jets, and also to use the 4 + generation technique in the face of the Su-30 and Su-35 aircraft in the most active way. However, according to Borisov, by 2020, as mentioned earlier, the Air Force must receive a new generation 55 aircraft.
Z. Keck also mentions reports in the Russian state media. They mention the PAK FA aircraft (the alternative designation T-50 is also used) as an unobtrusive single-engine twin-engine aircraft, which will become the first type of Russian-made aviation technology with full use of the so-called. stealth technology. Also in the Russian press it is mentioned that the PAK FA is a multi-purpose aircraft and is capable of performing various combat missions, both to gain air superiority and attack ground targets.
The available information about the PAK FA project, as noted by Z. Keck, causes concern among American specialists. So, last year, the former chief intelligence officer of the US air force, Dave Deptul, expressed his opinion on the fifth-generation Russian fighter project. In an interview for The National Interest, he said that the available information and analyzes indicate a rather complex project that will provide high potential. According to its capabilities, the new Russian fighter can be equal to American developments. There is also an opinion that the Russian PAK FA surpasses the American F-22 and F-35 in a number of characteristics.
As the reasons for the possible superiority over the American planes, D. Deputla named several characteristic features of the PAK FA fighter. This is the ability to change the thrust vector, full turn tail, as well as excellent aerodynamics. Thanks to these things, the PAK FA can surpass the latest American fighter F-35.
As you can see, foreign media are trying to monitor the news Russian projects, primarily the most famous. For obvious reasons, publications on the PAK FA or Armata projects being created in Russia regularly appear in the foreign press. High hopes are pinned on these projects, which is why foreign journalists are trying to keep their audience up to date.
The latest publication of The National Interest on the progress of the PAK FA project attracts attention, primarily due to the demonstration of interest shown by foreign experts in Russian projects. In addition, it is interesting because the author, considering the statements of Russian military leaders and American experts, raises the heading question: does the PAK FA plane outperform its foreign counterparts?
For objective reasons, Zachary Keck cannot answer this question yet. Moreover, the exact answer is still unknown, even to specialists and the military. To answer the question from the title of the article, you need to know the many characteristics and parameters of the compared aircraft, and this is not only the maximum speed and range, or the payload weight. When analyzing the real combat capabilities of aircraft, it is necessary to take into account a host of other factors, some of which are unlikely to be declassified and published in the near future.
Nevertheless, and in the current situation with a lack of necessary information, specialists on both sides of the ocean express an opinion, which may be a cause for concern among the US military. Judging by the known data, the Russian fighter PAK FA, by its characteristics and capabilities, is at least not inferior to its main competitors in the face of American aircraft F-22 and F-35. How far this opinion is true is not completely clear. Perhaps in the future, the public will know the exact answer to the question from the title of the article in the American edition.
F-22 and F-35 Is Russia's Lethal PA-FA Fighter Superior?
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-lethal-pak-fa-fighter-superior-americas-f-22-f-35-13034
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