gambit
PROFESSIONAL
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2009
- Messages
- 28,569
- Reaction score
- 148
- Country
- Location
Then certainly you have no problems showing me a credible source that has a committee somewhere laying down the specs. This is just like the word 'stealth' where over 98% of the public uses that word but the few of us uses 'low radar observable'.That's according to your own self-referential opinion but ironically well over 98% of everybody else in the know are quite certain what 5th gen is.
You should understand that when the experts write for the lay public, they will use popular terms in their explanations to give the people a reasonable frame of reference of the many complex issues they have to deal with. How often do you see an expert call the helicopter an 'aircraft' when technically it is? Or how many use the more casual 'helo' for that matter?
I have never called the F-22 and the F-35 '5th-gen'. I have always conditioned my usage of that label as 'supposedly' or 'convenient'. Whenever I use the words 'stealth' or 'stealthy' I always put them in quotes to denote their dubious technical contexts. The reason why thrust vectoring and the supercruise abilities are not included is because they are considered 'nice to have' items, in other words, the aircraft itself can accomplish it mission without them, whereas the current progress in the EM battlespace places higher priority on low radar observability and sensor integration to deliver ordnance accurately on targets. I take it you never heard of the F-117, hardly a '5th-gen' yet able to accomplish much despite being subsonic and have no radar?I see that you omitted supercruise which would disqualify the F-35 according to your definition of a 5th gen fighter. Can you explain why the F-35 is not 5th gen or is supercruise not on the list because it sounds nice to say the F-35 is a 5th gen fighter?
I am so glad for your generosity. Now all you have to do is show me the technical data.On appearance alone? Are you kidding me? HAHAH... I will let that one slide and attribute it to a clumsy trolling attempt. Please refer to the 50 thousand messages posted in January 2011 worldwide after the J-20 unveiling. If you prefer professional sources, refer to the dozens of studies from APPEARANCE and VISUAL analysis by various international aviation experts. If you want to argue against all the experts, feel free to send some disparaging remarks their way and I'm sure some will take up your challenge. I wish you good luck, you will need it.