On May 6, 5:27*pm, AirRaid wrote:

Also I feel the F-15 was more advanced for the 1970s than the F-22 is
this decade, relatively speaking. *Obviously I am not saying the F-15
is more advanced than the F-22, * I am saying the F-22 is not as state-
of-the-art now as the F-15 was back then. * * The F-15 was a
tremendous leap beyond the F-4. * *Is the F-22 really that much of a
leap beyond the F-15? *Maybe in sensors and low-observability
"stealth". * The F-22 carries almost the same weapon systems and
weapons load as the F-15. *Sure there have been some improvements to
the AMRAAM and Sidewinder, but not a revolution.

When the F-15 came out, a vast many people, especially the GAO and
Aviation Media, claimed that the F-15 was a waste of money because it
offered very little improvement over the F-4. Of couse they looked at
it only in terms of cost vs speed, and the number of on-board kills.
From that perspective, why spend on this money on a jet that is slower
then an F-4 and carries the same number of kills? They failed to take
into account the improvements in sensors, agility, maintainability,
and most importantly, that the design allowed for continuous
improvement as new technologies became available.

So, the F-15A really wasn't that big a leap over an F-4, but as the
APG-70 was added, new ECM, AIM-120, etc, it became a better jet then
the F-4 could ever be.

In terms of sensors, and room for future technologies, the F-22 is a
HUGE leap over anything before it. The basic airframe design may be
from the late 80's but everything else in it is quite new. Also, the
design makes it far easier to replace or add modules to provide it
with new technologies.

I'm thinking of not only the needs of the USAF, but services that
depend on the USAF, such as the U.S Army and U.S. Marine Corps.
The U.S. Navy seems to have given up on advanced high-end fighters.
There is no true direct replacement for the F-14 Tomcat. * *The Naval
ATF / F-22N was canceled over 15 years ago. *I don't believe the Super
Hornet nor the F-35 are going to be able to provide air dominance.

I'm not sure what you are looking for in air dominance. With the
improvements in AAMs, controlling the air comes down to these factors
in order:

1. Find enemy first
2. Shoot first
3. Be able to evade counter shot (if necessary)

#1 is achieved by having good sensors on-board your fighter, but more
importantly by having outstanding sensor fusion that takes-in data
from all sorts of off-board sensors and displays it to the pilot in a
meaningful way. This is what makes the F-22 the best, and the
technology it uses for this is modular, easy to upgrade, and
integrate, and all new. Nothing from the 1980's here.
Also invloved in #1 are stealth, and good ECM
#2 is all about the weapon, and the sensors used to guide it.
#3 is about short bursts of agility, and speed. We are unlikely to see
jets going through sustained maneuvers to gain a good firing position
(dogfights), since reliable shots can now be taken at long ranges and
from almost any aspect.

Many have said in the past that the days of the dogfight were over,
and they were proven wrong. Well, it was only a matter of time until
the technology matured.

So, to that end, the Superhornet, and F-35 will do just fine, and the
F-22 could very well be our last manned fighter. Could use a bunch
more of them though.