This plane with it "vector thrust" , what just something I never thought I would see. It did moves, that I didn't think possible, even with a VSTOL craft. It look like it can almost flip on itself and change directions. I'm not talking a roll or or twist. It can fly slow and quiet (for a jet engine) and then zoom stright up. Stop stright up and go into a flat slow spin, like the plane lost control and then you see him fly off to the left or right after so many slow turns. YOU wouldn't belive what this craft is capable of doing.
Then the do a flyby with a F-16C and P51... The P51 sounded so sweat. It look like a little toy when you see it flying at nearly top speed with both jets.
I feel sorry for anyone who ends up fighting the USAF F-22. The only way to beat it whould be a swam attack with UAV or very cheap fighter with poorly trained pilots. Even a F-15 wouldn't last againt this fighter.
I don't know who would come out on top in a F-22 vs. a Su-37 "Flanker-F". In a missle fight, I think the F-22 with it's advance weapons systems would have the edge. But in a knife fight, who knows. They both have a "vector thrust" system and the Russian are ahead or have being using them longer. It could all come down to training and software.
The JAF, is smilar in many ways, in both of it's version (VSTOL and non-VSTOL). I've not seen a side by side compare of the two. I'm guessing the F-22 is larger and might require a higher take off speed and landing speeds.
A naval craft has to have a stronger airfame due to the demands of sea duty.
Years ago MicroProse made a game based on the F-22 (or similar craft) and you would be suprised at how right they were with the game. I've seen the shows about the F-22 and MDF/controls shown of the sims in the US look like the game sims. Hell they have kids come into the contracter test site and ask them to fly a dumbed version. You know what the kids can fly it and they make suggestions on make the cockpit arangements. The system designer, did comment on the fact that these kids are now the same age as the pilots of the future F-22 operational squardons. They know that the pilot is sitting in a "work station" that happens to be in a jet fighter. I'm not sure if they are using the new helmet target system yet. That will make a big improvement in a engaement.
All I can say, if you get a chance to see it fly, do so. It may be sometime before it comes to Toronto again. After all this is the first time USAF has shown it outside of CONUS.
