R-77s aren’t even the worst. They’re like 4th best.
Also the Zhuk just “decent”? AFAIK its the best radar on a jet with the best gimbal limits.
I generally agree that Russian aircraft at top tier are worse than its western counterparts but these points are cherry picked and made to look like Russian aircraft are much worse than they are to prove a point.
And giving us the F-15 - still a bitchin’ plane even if it’s birth was basically an “oopsie”.
The range in the R-77 is terrible, it isn’t hitting most things past like, 10-20km, the drag on it Is atrocious, literally every missile besides the Mica (which is getting buffed) can outrange it
The radar on the SMT isn’t bad, but like, a good radar on a crap platform which performs like a brick with the worst Fox 3’s doesn’t save it, and the SM doesn’t even have the luxury of having a good radar, with the same issue of terrible missiles and flight model, so Russian top tier is still terrible.
Pull doesn’t make it good
Pull is very useful. You can kind of offbore the R77. Having pull also allows you to fire first and get back into the notch faster. For something like an AMRAAM you’d need to be careful as it has the largest turning radius and 0.6s guidance delay. Not saying the R77 is better than the AMRAAM but don’t discredit the R77’s ability to pull hard.
Its not bad. Its the best.
Having a radar with 85deg gimbal limits is pretty crazy, that in combination with the R77s make it very good at staying in the notch.
But the AMRAAM also has better range, and it keeps it’s speed better than the R-77, sure the R-77 has better performance close up, but this is both niche, and not really usable, since the flight models for Russian jets are terrible
And if you want to see an example of a jet with close range Fox 3’s that can actually use them effectively, look no further than the Mirage 2000 5F
Yes that is correct. Overall the AMRAAMs are still better hence why I didn’t say the R77 is better than the AMRAAM.
Because it doesnt have a flight model actively trying to work against it
Up close the MiG-29SMT’s flight model is so limiting that you will not be able to make use of this, because you’re a brick, good luck getting on target
Compared to most jets, you dont pull more than them, you dont retain energy better than them, you arent faster, it’s an inadequate platform with subpar missiles
You should read my previous comments. I’ve already said that Russian planes are generally worse than its western counterparts. The problem here is you’re great overexaggerating the weaknesses to prove a point and cherry picking points.
I’m not, it’s me being brutally honest, you said it yourself, they’re generally worse than Western jets, and that’s like, majority of what it faces, there is very little they do better than the competition
The SMT has a good radar, it wont be able to use this well because it’s flight model wont allow it to get on target, the R-77 is good in a close up fight, but again, if you arent outranged before you get to said fight, your flight model will hold you back.
The SM has a worse radar but more missiles, but the flight model is terrible and the missiles are outranged by most things, so again, if you arent outranged, you arent able to even do your niche anyway. All of these points arent a big deal by themselves but it’s the fact they perform poorly in most of these factors
An example of Russian jets that are good are the:
Mig-29 (9-13):
*Decent flight model
*Excellent SARH’s, but worse IR missiles
*Decent radar, wonderful HMD range
Yak-141:
*Excellent flight performance
*Excellent weaponry in 2x R-27ER’s, and the less good but still respectable 2x R-27R’s, with the downside of 4 weapons in total
*A good radar, wonderful HMD range
The top tier ones do not have nearly as much things going for them
You seem to have missed my point completely.
Basically, you cherry pick points. The Su-27SM while worse than its western counterparts still have things going for it. Example: 12 missiles, R-27ET (longest range IRCCM missile), IRST (great in combo with R-27ET).
You also downplay some aspects like the SMT’s radar calling it decent as if its the middle of the pack when in fact its the best radar on a jet.
Anyway I’ll just leave you be.
