I’m curious why you trust the USAF more than multiple independent nations that operate the Typhoon?
Do they get a pass because the F-22 is cool?
where does efficiency come into “can fly faster than sound with only dry thrust”
Lightning p1a did in 1954
once again a later plane to lightning.
the principles of physics have never changed
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no falcons for US and other falcon operators either, its quite sad along with the lack of both British and US cold war aircraft.
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well the threshold for what is considered stealth probably has
Id consider anything which has a smaller RCS as being somewhat stealth. just because its not a B2 doesn’t mean it isn’t stealthy in nature
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exactly, the US would consider it below idk, like 0.001m^2 i guess, what is stealth varies depending on who you ask.
‘Stealth’ is a relative term.
A Rafale or Typhoon are ‘stealthy’ compared to an F-4 for example. Most modern ships have ‘stealth’ features but are still massive lumps of metal in the water.
One popular term was ‘low-observables’ as applied to the F-117 and B-2. Probably where the entire premise of the aircraft design is driven by stealth, for stealth, etc. almost to the exclusion of all other considerations.
Edit to add - however we are kind of dancing on the head of a pin. Abilities such as supersonic, supercruise, look-down radar are very much binary/clear-cut - YES or NO qualities with no such fuzziness in the definition.
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this ^
the concept has stayed the same.
It may have shifted, but a stealth jet made back then is still considered to be stealth now. Its now a spectrum (dont get me started i hate using it but it fits). For super cruise i think lockheed (just a guess) has muddied the waters introducing their own definition of it.
Lets say super cruise is going mach dry, you can pick a name for what the f22 does for all i care. ill role with whatever you chose.
well yeah, but some consider the rafale stealthy when clean, but it doesnt come close to say, a B-2 or F-117 when you look at them side by side, what is considered stealth depends on who you ask, its all relative like Crazed_Otter said
I have some great news about that. Apparently the tests done for the red tops all aspect capabilities were against a buccaneer, which can neither go mach nor has an after burner so maybe weve been under selling the red tops (shocking, i know. as ive been milking them hard).
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i think that definition of supercruise was created by the air force’s requirements, not lockheed, just going off both ATF prototypes
I still consider a rusty ford focus a car when its next to a ferrari
What would you expect parking your car next to a shiny turd?
thats too general, id consider a sopwith camel a plane next to an SR-71, but i wouldnt call the rafale or EFT stealth fighters next to an F-22 or F-35, same way you wouldnt call said ford focus a performance car next to a viper ACR or C6 corvette
If it was designed with a stealth feature in mind no matter how limited its still got stealth as a feature.
at that point, just put a lip spoiler on every car and call them all performance cars, there is a threshold before it is true stealth and not just slightly lower observable
Audi has entered the chat
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Add the Audi Quatro in game, slap some stingers on that bad boy and let me rip round the battle drifting round all the enemies.