Subject: What makes people believe that T-50/PAK-FA would not be true stealth aircraft???
What makes people believe that T-50/PAK-FA would not be true stealth aircraft???
After reading the rubbish article titled "Stealthy Robots Stalk The T-50" here and discussion of it, i have some question here for all of these "RCS expert" people.
There's widespread estimation, that T-50 was not designed to match US 5th generation ("true stealth" or VLO) aircraft in terms of reduced radar observability, but its more likely designed to match RCS of 4.5(4++) generation stealthy/LO aircraft, such as F-18E/F and F-15SE, in best case.
So basically, according to this opinion, that means Sukhoi designers and engineers developed completely new "stealth looking" airframe, but with a RCS equal or comparable to a 35-40 years old US designed airframes that were slightly improved to get some LO.
So, here the questions:
What makes T-50/PAK-FA into a low-observable only, but not true VLO fighter jet?
What makes F-15SE or the latest F-18 be equal/better(or at least comparable) in comparison to PAK-FA in terms of reduced RCS?
What is your estimated figures of a RCS of final(ready for serial production) PAK-FA? Sure, it's hard to estimate radar cross-section of future aicraft, but simply try to estimate its frontal RCS.
If Russian military and industry had tried to match just a LO, why they didn't choose T-10 modernization with a "Slient Flanker" solution that could have been similar to F-15 Slient Eagle in concept, also much cheaper and easier way to get low-observable(but not stealth) aircraft?
Please exclude the argument "T-50 could not be true stealth because it's not US made aircraft". Thanks.