Competition for Our Stealth
The Cold War was a period in which the U.S. and USSR competed for any military advantage in the air and on the ground. No stone was left unturned by the U.S. to catch the Soviet’s air superiority. They flew higher, and faster than any of our fighters. But the Soviet arsenal was unreliable and not as combat worthy as the U.S. planes.
Granted combat was not against the Russians but against surrogates in S.E. Asia. The story might have been different at the hands of the Soviet’s best pilots. But it was not the case, and our aircraft won again and again.
Since the Cold War Russia has been less interested in it’s arsenal. The old TU-95 Bear Bomber still flies. Their arsenal of nuclear warheads housed near by to the base. Top long range stealth bombers were not as important to them as utility.
Today we learn the Sukhoi factory has turned out a functional stealth fighter. Time will tell us if the Russians can produce enough of these fighters to be a factor in any combat. Previous high tech offerings rarely made it into production.
The idea of engaging the Russians today seems far fetched as we disengage from Europe and I doubt they would venture in the Middle East or Asia. I wonder why the Soviets need stealth craft unless they are worried about a long term disagreement with China.
As an old Cold War guy, I will be interested to see if the new Sukhoi makes the grade. But, doubt I will need to dust off my old headsets.
Sukhoi flies new PAK FA fighter
Sukhoi on Friday achieved first flight of its PAK FA advanced tactical frontline fighter.
Sukhoi test-pilot Sergey Bogdan spent 47 minutes in the air and fulfilled all assigned tasks before returning to the Komsomolsk-on-Amur factory runway, the plane maker announced.
“In the course of the flight we’ve conducted initial evaluation of the aircraft controllability, engine performance and primary systems operation, the aircraft had retracted and extracted the landing gear,” Bogdan said. “The aircraft performed excellently at all flight-test points scheduled for today. It is easy and comfortable to pilot.”
New Fighter
