The mouse still roars

[PeeJay]

I have just read that in response to pro-Russian unrest in Donetsk we are sending four Eurofighters to the region - to face Russia's 26 fighter squadrons! The mouse still roars.



The-mouse-that-roared.jpg

[Deano]

The Russian's must be laughing. Geez.

[tippexx]

The Russian's must be laughing. Geez.

But not as much as they will be when we have to mobilise the Chelsea Pensioners!

[ValeTudoGuy]

It's 6, and 10 US F15's and 48 Polish F16's.... The Typhoon offers a tactical advantage with superior engagement range capabilities to anything in the Russian Air Force. But yes it is only a token until NATO forces feel they may or may not need to send more.

[PeeJay]

Versus 1672 Russian fighters if they could get them all off the ground.

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[ValeTudoGuy]

By far most of it is made up of Sukhoi Su-24, Sukhoi Su-27, Mikoyan MiG-29 and Mikoyan MiG-31 all of which are 1970's technology, yet still decent craft with the SU-27 probably being the most remarkable.


The 34, Sukhoi SU-35's the Russians took delivery of recently are much more worrying.. Though they are technologically still behind the Typhoon/Dassault Rafale and F18's and are untested to some degree.


In comparison though the F15 and F16 counterparts are also based on 1970's technology but the F15 is arguably the single most devastating and battle proven air superiority craft flying in the world today... It was effectively designed to neutralise MiG's and has proven again and again that it's shockingly capable. F16's talk for themselves too with their exemplary service in so many nations airforces.


The Russians probably don't ever want to face F22's and F35's... They are simply in another class.

Edit: The F15 while being one of the most engaged planes in modern areal warfare has never lost a single aerial engagement... And this includes engagements with a number of the Russian craft mentioned above this means that not a single F15 has ever been shot down by another aircraft.... The F15 is not in the same ballpark as Typoon and F18 class craft... I hope that gives some perspective.

[PeeJay]

Did you ever read General Sir John Hackett's book 'The Third World War'? He made the point that when you've fired off your last LAW and expended your last tank taking out all their latest battle tanks what do you do when a T34 rumbles over the hill. That's the Russian military mindset, they've probably got MIG15s stockpiled.

[Edamski]

The F22's are that great they'll only sell them to themselves. It's in there constitution haha! (Saying that seen one and unless he was holding back it's a match for a typoon)

I know they're only war games but the Typhoon wins them all capably. Don't underestimate it, it's like nothing else in the sky. Out manoeuvres, out powers and has a bigger stick than anything unclassified out there

Oh and us British have a good reputation in air battles don't you know

[PeeJay]

I know, I was there (when they were filming the Battle of Britain movie)

[ValeTudoGuy]

Did you ever read General Sir John Hackett's book 'The Third World War'? He made the point that when you've fired off your last LAW and expended your last tank taking out all their latest battle tanks what do you do when a T34 rumbles over the hill. That's the Russian military mindset, they've probably got MIG15s stockpiled.

The US has 2200 F16's, 1200 F15's, 500 F18's, 200 F22's and 100 F35's
European capabilities are roughly 400 Typhoons, 250 Saab Gripen's and 130 Dassault Rafale's.

Anything above an F15, will not even have to engage 95% or the Russian airforce due to the Beyond Visual Range capabilities.

and Edamski is right about the Typhoon, it's Supersonic turning capabilities are close to unmatched.... They blow up 4 of your planes before you even see them they then turn and fall back faster than you can chase them and repeat while staying out of your engagement range.... A very very capable aircraft.

[ValeTudoGuy]

The F22's are that great they'll only sell them to themselves. It's in there constitution haha! (Saying that seen one and unless he was holding back it's a match for a typoon)

I know they're only war games but the Typhoon wins them all capably. Don't underestimate it, it's like nothing else in the sky. Out manoeuvres, out powers and has a bigger stick than anything unclassified out there

Oh and us British have a good reputation in air battles don't you know

The sting in the tail of the F22 is it's communication abilities with the AH-64 Apache and the M1 Abrahms... They all acquire targets for each other, so when you engage one... You have to assume you are engaging all three. Oh and the F22 is stealth.....

[SmokeyDave]

Versus 1672 Russian fighters if they could get them all off the ground.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]16306[/ATTACH]

Looks like a Mig 25 Foxbat, an iconic aircraft being designed for pure speed, reports from pilots said that after reaching Mach 3.5 all the bolts on the plane would shake loose

[ValeTudoGuy]

Looks like a Mig 25 Foxbat, an iconic aircraft being designed for pure speed, reports from pilots said that after reaching Mach 3.5 all the bolts on the plane would shake loose

Official top speed of 2.8, I heard that the Americans once clocked a Tupolev TU-121 traveling at 3.2 and wrongly credited it to the MiG 25.

Apparently the 25 could theoretically break Mach 3 but the engines would become unstable to the point of devastating failure.

[ValeTudoGuy]

Interestingly regarding fast aeroplanes, the sr-71 Blackbird has to be built with such wide engineering tolerances that it openly leaks fuel on the ground... You see when it's traveling at over Mach 3 the whole body heats and expands..... Scary stuff.

[tippexx]

But isn't plane warfare governed by two simple rules.

1. Catch them by surprise on the ground.

2. Catch them returning to their fields when they are short on fuel.

Time either of those right and poorer equipment can take out the best.