What a pretty aircraft

[rgraham666]

The Su47 'Berkut'.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

It is...

I designed one almost like it, built a scale model and everything. The only difference I can see is my wings were adjustable sweep forward so if the wings were tucked in all the away forward you had a large diamond shaped lifting body.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

It's gorgeous and those forward swept wings make it highly maneuverable but also very unstable. It will have to be totally computer controlled to keep it from falling out of the air and given the Russian record with computers . . .

 

[TE999]

The Su-47 Berkut (Golden Eagle) is a one off test bed for future fighter planes. It utilizes composite materials and fly-by-wire technology to achieve high manueverability...it can actually hover tail down on the thrust of it's turbofan engines. Recent problems with the swept forward configuration (wing failure)have reportedly led to redesign in a conventional swept wing.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

It's gorgeous and those forward swept wings make it highly maneuverable but also very unstable. It will have to be totally computer controlled to keep it from falling out of the air and given the Russian record with computers . . .

They bought a bunch of Dell's last week.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

The Su-47 Berkut (Golden Eagle) is a one off test bed for future fighter planes. It utilizes composite materials and fly-by-wire technology to achieve high manueverability...it can actually hover tail down on the thrust of it's turbofan engines. Recent problems with the swept forward configuration (wing failure)have reportedly led to redesign in a conventional swept wing.

With the future of combat aircraft looking more and more like RPV's, the Berkut shows Russia to be, once again, seriously behind the power curve. Drinking itself to death, completely failing to reproduce and wasting precious resources on useless military expenditures, Russia is a doomed state. By 2100, it may not even exist.

 

[Handley_Page]

With the future of combat aircraft looking more and more like RPV's, the Berkut shows Russia to be, once again, seriously behind the power curve. Drinking itself to death, completely failing to reproduce and wasting precious resources on useless military expenditures, Russia is a doomed state. By 2100, it may not even exist.

Bearing in mind that the Berkut has been around for a few years, whilst other research has been going on, I think you may be a tad pessimistic, Bear. Only money has prevented further development of a spectacular Mig and I'd back a recent Su35 against almost anything in it's class (and it's real pretty, too).

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Bearing in mind that the Berkut has been around for a few years, whilst other research has been going on, I think you may be a tad pessimistic, Bear. Only money has prevented further development of a spectacular Mig and I'd back a recent Su35 against almost anything in it's class (and it's real pretty, too).

I don't want to put out the effort to find the references but when the Su35 was announced to great fanfare, Russia's own civilian military analysts called it a fiasco. As I recall the engines are the same as earlier models and the country simply can't afford to build enough of them to make much difference. Napoleon and Hitler both badly underestimated the Russian military. After WWII the U.S. and British intelligence agencies badly over-estimated it. My own feeling is that given the other sad factors facing the country, being impressed with their fighting machine is an error.

 

[Bobby_3111]

The Su47 'Berkut'.

Strange design, reminds me of that GI Joe toy jet from 20 years ago.

 

[TE999]

I don't want to put out the effort to find the references but when the Su35 was announced to great fanfare, Russia's own civilian military analysts called it a fiasco. As I recall the engines are the same as earlier models and the country simply can't afford to build enough of them to make much difference. Napoleon and Hitler both badly underestimated the Russian military. After WWII the U.S. and British intelligence agencies badly over-estimated it. My own feeling is that given the other sad factors facing the country, being impressed with their fighting machine is an error.

The Russian Army has a rigid command structure that does not welcome on the spot tactical innovations, stubbornly continues to execute battle plans that are failing in the field, has an officer corps chosen by ideology not ability and treats the GI Ivan like dirt. Their Air Force and Navy are no better managed. Morale is low, alcoholism is commonplace and desertions are common.

Equipment is only as good as the people who operate it.