Russia's first Stealth Fighter makes maiden flight.

[jnevis]

If Botox Nancy gets her wish, this "spending freeze" would, of course, extend to the Defense Dept....wouldn't want any of those cutting edge development ideas for our military and our country to move forward. 

Unfortunately they have already started that.  So many programs are being cut, shelved, or canceled that it will take years to improve even existing platforms.  New platforms are being slashed to nothing.  I worked ona program that was designed to improve everybody's ability to track things like the T-50 but the political BS from the Services killed it, Congress and DoD just made it official by canceling it completely.  F-35 and F-22 are being cut back because historically we spend based on the last war instead of the possible next one.  Everybody is convinced we will only fight Counter-Insurgency or guerilla wars not head to head stand up fights from now one.  No need for a air superiority fighter if we're using UAVs to do the work right?  I doubt the Chinese or North Koreans would agree.

[CJS3]

Glad we scrubbed the Raptor

It looks like the Northrop F23, that lost the stealth competition to the F22.

[tombogan03884]

They probably stole the plans, you ever see their "Space shuttle" ?

[Big Frank]

They probably stole the plans, you ever see their "Space shuttle" ?

Hmmm, I wonder where they got that idea? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_(spacecraft)

[tombogan03884]

 It wasn't "influenced by" the American design, It WAS the American design, KGB either stole or bought the plans.

[Sponsor]

[Neon Knight Anubis]

I read an article about this a few days ago, I'm not too surprised that someone else is developing a next gen fighter but Russia can't even keep up with the fleet it already has and it will be years before this plane is in production. It's still a prototype without even a proper weapons platform.

I have my doubts on mass production, although.....the problem is who they will inevitably sell these planes to.

[tombogan03884]

Iran, Syria, and they MIGHT sell them to India, but the Indians are still pretty p!ssed about the hosing the got on the T -80 tanks they bought, Russian high tech sucks in hot climates .