#5th Gen fighter

[nocternalrandomness]

514th FTS F-22 taxis at Hill AFB, Utah

[liamhen5]

 Mastering the Skies: The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, Su-30MKI, and the Era of 5th Generation Fighters

Introduction: 

In the realm of modern warfare, achieving superiority in air combat is a strategic imperative. This quest for dominance has spurred the development of cutting-edge aircraft, including the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the Su-30MKI, and 5th generation fighters. In this comprehensive analysis, we delve into the capabilities and roles of these aircraft in shaping the landscape of superior air combat.

Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA): 

The AMCA represents India's ambitious endeavor to bolster its indigenous aerospace capabilities. Designed as a multirole stealth aircraft, the AMCA integrates advanced technologies to excel in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. With its low-observable features, advanced avionics, and superior maneuverability, the AMCA is poised to become a formidable asset in future conflicts.

Su-30MKI: 

The Workhorse of the Indian Air Force: 

Derived from the Su-27 Flanker lineage, the Su-30MKI has been the backbone of the Indian Air Force's aerial arsenal for decades. Renowned for its agility, range, and versatility, the Su-30MKI is a potent force multiplier in both offensive and defensive operations. Equipped with a formidable array of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, including long-range missiles and precision-guided munitions, the Su-30MKI excels in a wide range of mission profiles.

5th Generation Fighters: 

Redefining Air Combat: The emergence of 5th generation fighters, such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, has ushered in a new era of air combat capabilities. Stealth technology, advanced sensor suites, and network-centric warfare capabilities distinguish these aircraft, providing unparalleled situational awareness and lethality. With their ability to penetrate enemy airspace undetected and engage targets with precision, 5th generation fighters have set a new standard for aerial dominance.

Synergy and Integration: 

In the modern battlespace, synergy between different aircraft platforms is crucial for mission success. The integration of 5th generation fighters, like the F-35, with legacy aircraft, such as the Su-30MKI, enhances the overall effectiveness of aerial operations. While 5th generation fighters excel in stealth and sensor capabilities, platforms like the Su-30MKI provide additional firepower, endurance, and mission flexibility. This synergy allows for a complementary approach to air combat, leveraging the strengths of each platform to achieve superior outcomes.

Superior Air Combat: 

A Multi-Dimensional Approach: 

Achieving superiority in air combat requires a multi-dimensional approach that encompasses technological innovation, operational tactics, and strategic foresight. While 5th generation fighters offer unmatched capabilities in terms of stealth and sensor fusion, platforms like the Su-30MKI bring their own unique strengths to the table. The AMCA, with its emphasis on stealth and advanced avionics, represents the next frontier in aerial warfare, promising to further enhance India's air combat capabilities.

Future Prospects and Challenges: 

As technology continues to evolve and geopolitical dynamics shift, the future of air combat remains dynamic and uncertain. The proliferation of advanced air defense systems, the emergence of new threats, and the need for interoperability among allied forces pose significant challenges. However, with continued investment in research and development, the advancement of indigenous capabilities, and collaboration with international partners, India is well-positioned to maintain its edge in superior air combat.

Conclusion: 

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and evolving security threats, mastery of the skies is more crucial than ever. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, Su-30MKI, and 5th generation fighters represent the vanguard of air combat capabilities, each contributing its unique strengths to the pursuit of aerial dominance. Through strategic integration, innovative tactics, and unwavering commitment to excellence, India stands poised to meet the challenges of tomorrow and maintain its position as a formidable force in superior air combat.

[whatelsecanwedonow]

TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022) dir. Joseph Kosinski

[enriquemzn262]

The Russian Sukhoi Su-57 “Felon”, the world’s least numerous 5th generation fighter jet, and arguably the worst one in service, has now become the first of its kind to have a combat loss, after one aircraft was severely damaged/partially destroyed in an Ukrainian drone attack launched earlier today inside Russia, 500 kilometers (around 250 miles) from the nearest frontline.

It’s doubly confounded by the fact that as of 2024, no combat use of the Su-57 has been confirmed inside Ukrainian airspace, with Russian claims of use of the type without any visual proof.

The other 5th gen jets in service are the American F-22 Raptor, with less than 200 units built, and F-35 Lightning II, the most numerous stealth fighter jet with over 1000 units built, both with combat deployments, and the F-35 already involved in air raids with the Israeli Air Force, and the Chinese J-20, which hasn’t been deployed anywhere outside mainland China, but which is now is mass production with at least 200 units built, compared with the estimated 30 or so of the Su-57.

[osakanone]

"How realistic are mecha, really?": They aren't, but not for the reason you're thinking of or the one adjacent to it. Trust me.

Crossposted from reddit, since people seemed to like it. Like in the thread, I am very happy to answer questions about any esoteric weirdness.

Hold my beer. Again

They're not becoming a possibility. Yes. I know. This sucks. But stick around. Its not for the reasons you think. Well it is, but it also isn't. You'll see.

The robot needs the technology more than the technology needs a robot.

the technologies which the robot needs will improve and alter the doctrine of every other platform

This creates a doctrinal lock-in where the potential functional space for them to exist is unmet -- that they are so far ahead, that nothing new can emerge that isn't just other platforms becoming more generalized (eg, a post-stall recovery aircraft, or a helicopter with high impact landing-gear and a rigid rotor/jet engine design to act as a surface-fighter -- a tank which walks or manoeuvres like a robot is just flat out of the question: Tanks are made to be simple-as-fuck boxes which tank hits, and shoot and acquire asap and rumours of their deaths as a doctrinal weapon are exaggerated by recent events where obsolete weapons which aren't maintained properly who's crews aren't adequately trained were fighting very clever civilians with drones)

What you consider "realistic" (5th/6th) is just as if not more unrealistic than other gens purely because of their smaller size and very bizarre relationship with the environment -- they're just both too big, and too small to make sense, sitting in a size niche which is just very weird

If such a vehicle does exist, its going to be defined by its functions rather than a humanoid appearance

we know this because specialized platforms tend to beat specialized platforms historically until specialized platforms mature and become generalized

thus, the closest you're probably going to get is some weird variation of DARPA's Ground X Vehicle Project meeting with Gravity Industry' style mobility in limited cases, hybridized with smaller robots and wingsuits, which mix manoeuvring operation styles, with some rocker-boogie mechanism elements for terrain handling: It won't be humanoid, whatever it is.

This is assuming you can magically solve the square-cube law of volume-mass which is partially negatable with certain custom topologies exceeding graphene but actually manufacturing them would be miserable work probably not even be something you can make without microgravity

Energy flat out isn't solvable with what we know about right now. Nothing with that energy density can exist that isn't going to simultaneously make for an incredible fragile, dangerous and problematic source of power given the forces involved. Cooling is also a horrifyingly unsolvable problem on this scale, as is radiation management: You can't just dump molten tungsten in emergency cooling mode - you'll not only proceed to alert everybody who has even the vaguest IRST capacity to your position, but you'll also probably set fire to the environment and cook off your own ammunition. *

Motors aren't well suited to the tasks of such bodies (its like trying to make a slingshot out of dental floss), and we don't have an effective way to turn electricity into a form of motion which corresponds with the shock absorbing and motion control qualities which are actually desirable yet

Even if we did, the actual means of ensuring it doesn't fragment every time it moves don't exist. Every time an A10C fires its main gun, the fuel lines micro-fracture and have to be replaced after it lands. Metal, when you subject it to high physical forces ends up feeling and behaving closer to how you would think of glass. You'd need a material capable of repairing itself too, atop the quasicrystalline property which again, just isn't doable, let alone simultaneously.

So in terms of our mindset going into this?

Its... Probably not happening barring a very, VERY extreme change to how we understand physics to function, or some really kick ass (and actually entirely possible) changes in how engineering achieves outcomes (which could happen if the greatest threat to the mecha didn't exist)

Combat is moving towards information dominance. 

That's drone swarms, and role modularized long range travel, and the idea of fighter beyond-visual-range combat extending out to infared search and track systems which are networked to one another, which we're already seeing in singleton weapons and their mounting strategies even on the personal scale, which DARPA is currently investigating which everybody wants to mate with the gravity industries gear for boarding ops so the most likely avenue is to scale up from people, rather than scale down from vehicles as the development pathway -- but there's probably going to be multiple pathways with competing niches once the technology becomes cheap enough.

Costing

Ultimately its down to "how much money do I have to spend to defeat something more expensive than myself?" -- because our current structure of war is defined by cost, and by making the other guys surrender by using economic, and military violence (private, and publicly funded) instead of convincing them that we (NATO members, etc) have good opinions purely because of the natural benefits of "doing as we say" (which we see with basically any conflict in the last 70 years, which are usually feigned as ideological but pretty much always about disrupting market competition, dominating markets, or controlling a pressure position in another country to achieve those two things).

This isn't because they're particularly excellent weapons, but because they're cheap relative to the strength they offer, and how we define cheap is very different to how we defined cheap 100 years ago -- both in good, and terrible ways (such is the way of history).

Mecha are kinda the ultimate boondoggle. They are very very expensive, and just don't make sense.

They're cool as hell, yes.

But they don't make sense.

DISCLAIMER: If you're prone to depression, are dealing with a lot right now, or don't want your day ruining, you should stop reading NOW. What comes next is a psychosocial hazard and could be very bad for your mental health. LAST CHANCE . . .

The "real" reasons

If conflict some how became a meritocracy of leading by excellence rather than intimidation, and about human outcomes instead of cost outcomes, then things could change, but we don't live in that world.

Remember, violence exists to end human conflict (not to be confused with military conflict, which violence is the primary instrument of): Human conflict is when two parties oppose one another and communicate about what their goals and intentions are. Violence happens when communication stops. Communication stops, because parties cannot come to terms, or because nobody wants to be reasonable because the inherent request is unreasonable to the interests of the other party.

I'd love to say physics is the greatest threat, or maybe our concept of conflict but its not: * Its economics.

The concept of private-equity (not to be confused with venture-capital investment) is kiiiind of the dominant economic system on the face of the planet which dictates the interest of every nuclear power's actions against every non-nuclear power) is functionally dissolved, and investment models as we know them magically become better regulated OR a better economic system comes along which totally undermines private equity.

Its an economic finger-trap where most of the money that would be reinvested into people and technologies to push the world forward ends up getting swallowed up.

It also has private armies) and simulates the economy and political events in order to control them for maximum profitability. Yeah.)

We already live in Armored Core, folks.

And that economic system knows that if it gave free agents like ravens any kind of military power, it would functionally undermine itself, which is why it will never happen.

Private equity benefits from not having technology change, because its primary goal is wealth extraction. It leads to the collapse of every business you've ever seen go under, its why products undergo enshittification, which is coming for everything.

Its why the housing crisis happened, why the banking collapse happened, and its why there's an incentive to continue industrializing diseases like insulin instead of curing them.

tl;dr:

The one thing AC gets super wrong is you can either have the depressing relatable low-saturation late-stage hyper-capitalist dystopia where life is cheap on planet earth and everything terrible about South Korea times a thousand covers the whole world, and you need to have your own organs brought from you and leased back to you to lock you in to a lifetime of debt the same way everything else works...

OR

you can have the robot;

You can't have both.

e: I'd pick the robot any day

--

Apologies for any inaccuracies, I haven't edited this and I threw the original together in the space of around 40 minutes. Questions very welcome: I enjoy giving long detailed and substantiated answers.

If you enjoyed this, please consider reading my other work on the theoretical design factors of mecha, their control systems, and my fictional writing in mechposting.

[girlactionfigure]

When Hamas launched the October 7 attack, likely with backing and advise from several countries that host and back Hamas, it knew that there would be an Israeli response. It assumed if it took enough a hostages then it could somehow force talks to go on for years...while it benefited. 

It's important to understand that Hamas has been able to carry out massacres and attacks for three decades because each time it does it, it relies on the international community to quickly rush to make sure there is a ceasefire. So the process is:

1. Hamas attacks 2. Israel responds 3. Ceasefire. 4. Hamas attacks again. 

Hamas is the "tool" that was found by some in the international community in the late 1980s and early 1990s to prevent peace and it was always on hand to be picked up to attack Israel whenever there was any sign of peace. They reach for the "tool" each time, during the Oslo process, in the Second Intifada...after Disengagement etc.

It's so obvious because Disengagement was an opportunity to help Gaza thrive...but the international community and other backers of Hamas reached for their tool to have Hamas take over Gaza. No one reached for the tool of peace and moderation, which would have been easy to reach for. 

October 7 was planned as a major moment for Hamas, it would committ an unprecedented massacre, then hold hostages for years to bring in billions more for its tunnels in Gaza and then use the hostages to gain more influence in the West Bank. When Abbas passes, Hamas would swoop in...it would make itself a "tool" again to be picked up to take over Ramallah for its patrons and benefactors abroad.

It's important to understand also that Hamas believed on October 7 that there was a time limit to Israel's reaction...Israel would be allowed to "run wild" for a few weeks...and then there would be a ceasefire and deal and the war would stop so Hamas can replenish its thousands of rockets and start a new war the next year or two. 

This is the model for Hamas. Start a war, bring ruin on part of Gaza...use the rebuilding of Gaza to construct tunnels and arsenals...start a war, bring ruin, reconstruct tunnels... 

It's important to understand that Hamas did this because in past wars it didn't lose very many fighters. Usually 100 to 1,000 fighters and then it would replace them. All the destruction caused by Israeli bombs can be rebuilt and Hamas contractors make the money doing reconstruction and for each dollar that comes half of it or something like that goes to Hamas and tunnels. 

In fact each war was a "win" for Hamas because for each building hit by an IDF bomb, Hamas can then openly build a tunnel underneath as part of "reconstruction"....it doesn't even had to hide that it replaces whole ruined areas with new terror infrastructure, enhanced and embedded in new civilian homes. Fully integrated. As militaries say "5th gen"... 

And Hamas always benefits from war because when there are civilian casualties it can use this to bring the ceasefire faster and bring condemnation of Israel. Hamas has its connections abroad via its allies and partners who mobilize protests and activists. In the May 2021 conflict with Israel there was a dry run to mobilize attacks on Jewish communities abroad, for instance. 

So we have to understand how Hamas thought on October 6. It believed it would use the hostages to bring itself power in Ramallah. It believed that after a few weeks the war would end and it would thrive. 

Now, four months in, it knows that it has not been able to get Israel to do a ceasefire, but it watches the UN and it knows the votes are getting closer. It is being advised by its host country to hold out a little longer. Hold out in Rafah and then filtrate back to northern Gaza and return to power. 

Hamas also knows that quietly, behind the scenes many international organizations prefer its rule in Gaza. For instance they speak about Hamas police as "law and order" and if there aren't Hamas gunmen to guard the humanitarian aid they are displeased...they feel secure when Hamas is there. It's their partner. 

The idea that anyone but Hamas could or would control Gaza is worrisome to many international stakeholders there. Hamas has been their loyal partner for decades. Hamas police are the ones they work with. In areas without Hamas they call it "lawless"....in essence Hamas is the preferred authoritarian they want. 

Seth Frantzman

@sfrantzman

[usafphantom2]

From this angle it's amazing the F-4 flew ! Compared to 5th gen fighters it doesn't look very aerodynamic- One aspect I love about photography is it gives me a memory of a time and a place - RAF Germany 1983/4 near the East German border on a train scramble @CcibChris

@BlickyIan via X

[lolathestoryteller]

part one of my personal take on ; HARRY POTTER: NEXT GEN

Weasley-Delacour

Victoire Weasley

- super smart but not in a cocky way

- outstanding owls in charms

- surprised everybody by being the first Weasley in ages not to get sorted into Gryffindor

- proud Ravenclaw

- she’s a lover and a fighter

- you know she’s a girl’s girl

- she looks just like Fleur

- very dry humor

- head girl in seventh year (not a prefect though, she gets into a bit of trouble every now and again — wink* with Teddy)

Dominique Weasley

- Dad’s twin with Mum’s eyes

- the little troublemaker

- she’ll never lie to spare your feelings; the turth hurts, babe

- the sorting hat literally shouted GRYFFINDOR

- she’ll stand up for what she believes in, no matter her opponent

- Dad’s little girl

- wants to work with Dragons like her uncle Charlie (Fleur is praying it’s just a phase)

- loves quidditch and is a fairly talented chaser (never tries out for the team though, because she dislikes the rivalry of it)

- you bet she absolutely smashes DADA

Louis Weasley

- you know he’s Fleurs baby, come on

- literally the kindest soul

- Bills’s freckles, eyes and height with Fleur’s beauty

- loves magical creatures, and wants to work with them when he’s older

- huge fan of Newt Scamander! (obviously)

- was a hat stall between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff for so long, he broke the record for the longest stall in at least a century (according to Headmistress Mcgonagall)

- sorted into Gryffindor in the end, genetics were just too strong

- a prefect since his 5th year

- very popular with girls, but they never interested him much until the summer before his seventh year, when he fell hard for a muggle girl he met at the beach (they ended up getting married a few years later)

[warsofasoiaf]

What army do you think is the most overrated in history?

As with all questions about "overrated" and "underrated," the question is, who is doing the rating? Being "overrated" or "underrated" means evaluating someone's judgment, while being "bad" or "good" means evaluating performance. The latter is far easier to evaluate.

Take for example, the Mongols. The Mongols were an exceptionally good army, one of the best in history for a whole host of reasons including their highly exceptional C2 system. But in "The Death that Saved Europe," Cecelia Holland argues that Ogedai Khan's unlikely death was the only thing stopping the Mongols from conquering all of Europe to the Atlantic Ocean, and this just doesn't stand up to scrutiny when evaluating their performance in Hungary and Poland. The Mongols struggled with European stone-walled castles, and moving further into Western Europe would only see the castle density increase. They're still incredibly good, but that's a clear case of overrating.

Or by contrast, take the Red Army in the Winter War. By all conventional metrics, the Red Army was absolutely abysmal in performance - poor tactics, poor leadership, poor equipment. Yet Adolf Hitler thought that they were so garbage that all he would need is a swift kick in the door for the rotten foundation of the Soviet Union to collapse like old scaffolding, and it very clearly did not. Clearly, that was a case of underrating the army. By contrast, modern non-military historians frequently overrate the performance of the Red Army in the Second World War to the point of parody, omitting the exceptionally high levels of unnecessary casualties stemming from poor military performance.

But if I had to pick, I'd either pick the Iraqi Army of Saddam Hussein or the current Russian military, which has largely inherited its weakness from the Red Army.

The Iraqi Army of Saddam Hussein was considered the 5th strongest army in the world, with a formidable array of tanks, aircraft, and missile defense systems. Using primarily Soviet equipment, it was believed to be by far the most powerful regional hegemon in the region despite it's rather lackluster performance against Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. In practice, the officer corps was extremely nepotistic and poorly-trained. The T-72 was shown to be an underperforming tank compared to modern Abrams, the Soviet missile systems proved unable to detect stealth fighters or handle Wild Weasel SEAD missions, and the aircraft were poorly maintained and their pilots even worse. At Medina Ridge and 73 Easting, Saddam's ground forces were poorly organized and sent into complete disarray. Far from being a million strong legion that could enforce its will on the region, it was a hollow, rotten tree trunk about to be struck by lightning.

I've already spoken at length about Russian weakness in the current Russo-Ukrainian War, but it's extremely indicative of systemic weakness when a so-called Great Power army is incapable of performing multi-theater combined arms warfare in the 21st century. This has been a staple of warfare and an overriding design feature of military equipment for decades now. Russia's much-vaunted hypersonic missiles are being intercepted by old Patriot AD systems, turning them into yet another Wunderwaffen. Their technology is not even comparable to last-gen systems and their troops incompetent. For a military that was vaunted as the second-most powerful in the world, its diminished capacity has shown it to be far inferior than numbers would suggest. Its vaunted tank fleet are vulnerable to old anti-tank weapons down to bargain-bin fwoop tubes. Its aircraft can't be stealthy and can't secure airspace even against a vastly inferior airforce. It's sole aircraft carrier is more of a floating environmental disaster whose maintenance log reads like an SCP entry. The T-14 Armata and Su-75 Checkmate are vapor-ware projects established primarily, it seems, to embezzle money for more dachas and yachts. Worst of all, its logistics corps are so deficient that countless Russian soldiers are dying from easily treatable injuries. This was supposed to be the mightiest army in Europe and the military leader of the non-Western world, the lynchpin of the "new multipolar world order," the army that was to defend the Motherland against NATO. It's losing badly to an army that wasn't even ranked in the top 20 by military observers using a combination of legacy Soviet equipment and the stuff that NATO found in the back of the toolshed.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[lordsothofsithicus]

Lord Soth Reviews: The Stone Prophet, Pt. Two

The spellcasting system in the game was surprisingly robust, with a large number of utility, defensive, and offensive spells for the priest and wizard classes. Available spells for both classes capped at 6th level, though by the end of the game you would almost certainly be at or near 20th level. The issue Strahd's Possession had with level-draining undead and the lack of any effective means of restoring lost levels was resolved by simply not including any level-draining monsters in the game. In addition, unlike Strahd's Possession and more in line with Menzoberranzan, there were no monster spawns in Stone Prophet. Instead, dungeons included a large number of traps and a greater number of roaming monsters. During dungeon instances, these roaming monsters would travel up and down the corridors and attack your party if they happened upon you. This, combined with the large number of floor plate traps had a humorous interaction where in many dungeons the roaming monsters would repeatedly set off traps that would then proceed to kill them. This meant that as you navigated these dungeons you would get messages about a monster being slain - and you would get the experience for killing that monster, since the game's engine gives you the XP when a monster dies whether they died thanks to you or at the hands of a dungeon hazard. I'm sure the playtesters who ran through the game once upon a time said "lol" at this phenomenon and left it in. Unlike in Strahd's Possession, a cleric's Turn Undead power now caused undead to flee from the party if it didn't destroy them outright, instead of making them spin in circles. Less funny, more correct.

The game's unique mechanic is a thirst meter; this meter is drained slowly as you travel (I believe the rate is dependent on a character's Constitution score) and replenished by consumption of water skins, or by use of the cleric spell "Create Water". This makes Thirst a largely ignorable mechanic if you have a Cleric in your party and something you need to seriously keep an eye on if you don't, because if your thirst meter runs out... you die pretty quick.

The character options in the game were a slightly simplified version of the Player's Handbook standard; Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling and Gnome, with character class choices of Fighter, Mage (Wizard), Cleric, and Thief. I believe Gnomes could be Illusionists, which in 2E were a wizard with more potent illusion spells and the ability to spot illusions (in this case, illusionary walls) - however they also had some restrictions, in this case being shut out from most of the game's damaging wizard spells. They were, in essence, a more challenging choice.

You also have the option of taking multi-class characters. For you young'ns, if not playing a human in AD&D 2E you had the option of playing a character that advanced in two or more classes at once, with the caveat that XP earned was split between your classes, so overall you advanced slower. But you could for instance play an Elf who was a Fighter/Mage or a Dwarf who was a Fighter/Cleric.

You can also import characters from Strahd's Possession, thus rewarding you for completing the first game in part or in full with more powerful characters with a significantly higher level, and many of their magic items retained (not all, but most).

Otherwise, your characters begin around 5th level, give or take. Character generation in the Stone Prophet may be the most stylish of any D&D computer game ever - like Strahd's Posession, character gen takes the form of a Vistani seeress casting Tarokka cards, but is more atmospheric with the seeress making comments at the selection of each card. Menzoberranzan replaced this with Matron Malice getting a vision of her enemies from Lolth, but it was clumsy with a lot of primitive CGI, which Stone Prophet chose to use in a more sparing manner.

The game introduces you as Hellriders of Elturel (much as you were in the Stone Prophet). When the city is confronted with yet another weird reality flux, the city's lord sends you to investigate. Unfortunately you are once more caught and pulled into another realm; the sandy wastes of Har'Akir, as walls of searing heat well up, trapping you within the domain.

...Then you come face-to-face with the Vistani seeress who guided you through character generation lying in the sand, about to expire from a horrible plague. She directs you to the village of Muhar, before dying horribly. This is a very effective, very horrific way to start the game.

Since this is a review and not a walkthrough, I will wrap up this portion of things by summing up thus - the character generation? Stylish and fun. The beginning of the game, atmospheric and horrifying.

What you'll quickly realize? While you're pointed in a specific direction, you can wander off in whatever direction you want. Stone Prophet is a proto open-world game, less linear and more open than Elder Scrolls: Arena, which came out a year before it. Daggerfall would come out the same year as stone Prophet, in 1995.

Next time: Sand, sand, SAAAAAND! *musical flourish*

[liamhen5]

The Evolution of Air Combat: Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and the Su-30MKI in the Era of 5th Generation Fighters

Introduction: 

In the ever-evolving landscape of aerial warfare, the quest for air superiority remains paramount. With the emergence of 5th generation fighters, such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, the dynamics of air combat have been redefined. However, amidst this paradigm shift, legacy platforms like the Su-30MKI continue to play a significant role, while the development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) promises to further elevate India's aerial capabilities. This article delves into the intersection of these aircraft, exploring their roles in achieving and maintaining superiority in air combat.

The Rise of 5th Generation Fighters: 

The advent of 5th generation fighters marked a quantum leap in aerial warfare capabilities. Stealth technology, advanced avionics, and integrated sensor suites have endowed these aircraft with unprecedented levels of situational awareness and lethality. The F-22 Raptor, renowned for its stealthiness and supercruise capabilities, and the F-35 Lightning II, with its multirole capabilities and sensor fusion, exemplify the pinnacle of 5th generation design.

Su-30MKI: 

A Legacy of Excellence: While 5th generation fighters garner much attention, the Su-30MKI stands as a testament to the enduring relevance of 4th generation platforms. Derived from the Su-27 Flanker lineage, the Su-30MKI combines agility, range, and a potent weapons suite, making it a formidable adversary in air-to-air combat. Its ability to carry a diverse array of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions, coupled with thrust-vectoring engines, grants it a high degree of operational flexibility.

Integration and Synergy: 

In the modern battlefield, synergy between different platforms is crucial for mission success. The Su-30MKI, with its robust airframe and payload capacity, complements the stealth and sensor capabilities of 5th generation fighters. While the latter excel in penetrating hostile airspace and engaging high-value targets, the former provide aerial escort, suppression of enemy air defenses, and standoff engagement capabilities.

Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA): 

India's Leap into the Future: 

As nations seek to enhance their indigenous defense capabilities, the development of next-generation aircraft assumes paramount importance. The AMCA program represents India's foray into the realm of stealth and advanced avionics. Designed to operate in contested airspace, the AMCA aims to incorporate low-observable features, advanced sensor fusion, and network-centric warfare capabilities.

Superior Air Combat: 

The Convergence of Technology and Strategy: 

Achieving superiority in air combat requires a holistic approach that encompasses technology, tactics, and training. While stealth and sensor capabilities confer a decisive advantage, tactical innovation and operational experience remain indispensable. The integration of 5th generation fighters, legacy platforms like the Su-30MKI, and future assets such as the AMCA promises to create a synergistic force capable of dominating the skies.

Conclusion: 

The evolution of air combat continues unabated, driven by advances in technology and strategic imperatives. 5th generation fighters have set a new standard in aerial warfare, but the role of legacy platforms like the Su-30MKI cannot be understated. As India invests in the development of the AMCA, the convergence of these platforms holds the promise of achieving and maintaining superior air combat capabilities in an increasingly contested environment.

[elmothedictator]

Jaune (Mobius 1, F-22), roasts SU-57, piloted by Cardin

Mobius 1 Jaune (F-22): What the hell is that on my radar? Is that? Oh it’s an SU-57. I mistaken you for being a bomber since you’re goddamn huge for a stealth bomber!

Albireo 1 Cardin (SU-57): Fuck you too

Mobius 1 Jaune (F-22): You really think you can hide from radar, flying around in that city block of an aircraft?

Albireo 1 Cardin (SU-57): I warn you Arc, i can shoot you down faster than you shooting me down!

Mobius 1 Jaune (F-22): You really want to know what’s the 57 in the SU-57 means? It’s the area code given to it because it’s a fucking giant! You’re so goddamn big you make my F-22 looks like a Honda Civic next to a Ford F-250 on a lift kit.

Albireo 1 Cardin (SU-57): That’s it (Fires R-73) FOX 2!

Mobius 1 Jaune (F-22): *Evaded the missile* Oh it’s a 5th gen Fighter like in the Tom Juice Movie (Y’all know which one lol)? Wow, it’s really cool like that matter when an AIM-120 is rapidly approaching your exact position. *Evades another missile* Pull that one dumbass maneuver from the maneuver, you may dodge one missile with that, but you can’t dodge this 20mm going straight into your cockpit. *Evades another missile*

Albireo 1 Cardin (SU-57): Stay still goddammit! *Fires another missile*

Mobius 1 Jaune (F-22): *Evades the missile once more* Tell your airbase to stop sending more SU-57 to my position. Oh wait, there are 47 of you in the world, and they can’t risk sending more SU-57 because you’re so goddamn expensive (Fucking F-22 is $200 mil while SU-57 is only $35 mil, but the F-22 has 187 units, in real life. But this is ace combat sooo…. There are more F-22 and SU-57 than the real life), meaning you’re all alone, no allies, no friends and most of all, no bitches *Vine Thud*. It took you 10 years to get you from the first flight in 1994 to be in the Erusean Air Force in 2004.

Albireo 1 Cardin (SU-57): Hah i’m right behind him, switching to guns! *Fires the gun but all of the bullets missed* Fuck!

Mobius 1 Jaune (F-22): *Cobra maneuvered behind Cardin* The Raptor did it in 8 years and its introduction is back in 20th Century (Ace Combat lore stated this). You’re already outdated and should move on *AIM-9X Search tone sound* with your pathetic life. *AIM-9X Lock On sound* The only way for you to be a truly stealth fighter, is to not exist at all. Go back to your hangar and stay on the ground. *Fires the AIM-9X* so that way i can’t see you, and you can do what you built for, not being seen. *Splash one bandit!)

Albireo 1 Cardin (SU-57), currently on an ejection seat: I’ll get my revenge one day, asshole!

[enriquemzn262]

You're being real generous calling the f20 n su57 5th gen.

You’re right with the Su-57, that thing is nothing more than a heavily modified Su-35, so at best it’s a 4.5 gen fighter.

But the J-20 is 5th gen, it may be at the very bottom of it, but it’s still 5th gen.

[northropi]

Rambly Lore Post? Rambly Lore Post.

Ok class today we'll be talking about technological progression and shit woooooooo most of this will be written from the perspective of military aerospace because that's both a good frame of reference for how my brain works (i don't know tank generations very well, for example) and it also is a relatively time-independent frame of reference because there might be some historical events getting switched around, big technological hurdles reached earlier and stuff.

Alright, so let's start with the end of WWII with the last piston and first generation of jet fighters. These were actually fairly close in performance- jets of course were faster, but not by that much just yet. Even if the trend was obvious, engine lifetimes and fuel thirstiness kept jets down for a little while. The second generation of jets fighters would start changing this as we got supersonic entries, and by the third we start seeing relatively long-endurance aircraft with advanced avionics, and the finalization of a shift to missiles. Fourth-gen fighters mark yet further improvements to avionics, sensors, and performance- in some cases also favoring a lower wing loading over third-gen predecessors that often had some pretty dubious low-speed handling. Finally, we reach the currently latest generation fielded, 5. This is a bit of a nebulous generation as a lot of the aerodynamic stuff is essentially just 4 again- if anything, some pure aerodynamics have slipped back, and they've become reliant on sheer thrust to maintain their otherwise superlative kinematic performance. The defining points, however, seem to be Low Observability and advanced computerization that renders their sensors not just more powerful, but also easier to manage- crucial, as the two-seat cockpits older aircraft with similar systems required to distribute the workload are a compromising factor for stealth, and would eat internal space that the internal weapons bays put at a great premium.

Now, the Regular Military has since progressed down this route. Sixth-generation fighter aircraft seem to already have a definition in real life, that being that they're likely to be optimized for drone control. While capable aircraft in their own right, they're projected to be extremely large and expensive compared to their fifth-generation ilk (who already bear a cost spike (if an exaggerated one in some cases)), bomber-like, two-seaters, and likely a true downgrade in pure kinematics. These have been in service for a while in the setting, supplementing 4th and 5th generation aircraft- with 7th generation fighters being prototyped with a number of pre-production "YF-" designated airframes around. G7 aims to streamline the G6 design. It's knocked back down to one pilot in a small, extremely stealthy aircraft, bearing very little of its own equipment and highly kinematic by virtue of just how light it is. Onboard radars are basic, and room for weaponry is lacking- but with computer assistance, these aircraft can command a formation of drones to perform all those jobs. Moving the main radar off of the manned aircraft component of the fleet, for example, is immensely beneficial now that LPI frequency-shifting techniques are starting to get cracked a little bit by this point in time, and beaming an enemy is now somewhat more likely to reveal your position. Of course, it also has the sort of psychological effect that the least threatening part of the fleet being the manned plane means that the manned plane hundreds of miles away is less likely to be shot than the expendable drones actively bombing your position, which itself is likely to vastly increase survivability even in the event of total mission failures.

This is on top of things in between. There've been a lot of intermediate Generation "4.5" or "4+(+?)" aircraft implementing advanced avionics and semi-stealth into G4 planes. On the more fictional side, Freelancers and less-funded militaries have sought upgrades for older aircraft. Sometimes these are relatively reasonable life-extensions and glass cockpits being just barely crammed into G3s. Sometimes they're attempts to turn G2 fighters into light missile trucks with newer engines. Sometimes someone uploads scans of old piston and G1 airframe structures to the internet and Freelancers can have them printed in space-age alloys on the cheap, and manage to cram FLIR, a modern engine, and a rotary cannon into the poor thing. The more scuffed variations of this have been dubbed "KitCarriage" because the main thing they're good for is carrying a kit of modern avionics, countermeasures, and weapon modules- and many are, of course, unmanned. The opposite end of the spectrum is some hair-splitting in G5 aircraft. There's now a recognized "5.5" group of later aircraft that managed to run stealth cheaper than initial 5th gens, with much lower unit price and cost per flight hour. By contrast, many of those early 5th gens were adapted later on into lower-stealth modifications called "5-" (like, Five Minus), which still would bear decent stealth capabilities but save a lot of money.

Of course, the more organized Mercenary cabals had undergone their divergences from this line. Two, to be in fact. The bigger Merc groups were, during the Cold War, split a little bit. MercNet would form from the main group, but many feared that having that much close-knit power could essentially lead to them essentially just becoming a second regular military. These ones split off, but would eventually reconsolidate into a second group. Today known as GhostShip because, uh, well, something happened but they're... Ffff...ine? Now? They're sort of all nebulous personas loosely managing expendable clone armies. Not a terrible gig but boy they should NOT have pissed off that wizard or whatever the fuck that was.

But they naturally had an ideological split happen relatively early, and thus their point of divergence lies between 3rd and 4th gen fighters. GhostShip would have trouble making workload reduction effective, so multi-crewed vehicles were somewhat mandatory if you wanted the radar and stuff to be good. This in turn reflects sort of how their entire thing works out.

GhostShip has options for single-crew vehicles that sorta suck y'know? These "Bantams" are stuck in that lightweight end of 3rd gen, in the aircraft examples- armored vehicles are often light casemate TDs in their analogous class. Emphasis on that they kinda see themselves as expendable, anyone else would make these drones. Then we get to two-seater "Aquilas" that have a gunner/driver or pilot/WSO division and can afford such lavish amenities as radar, or a turret, and it goes up and up from there. Their technology base differs from either MercNet or RegMil. Their material engineering is superlative, but they're held back by low computerization and a (well, at least more blatant) desire to cut costs. A certain crowd of nerds may be glad to know that they're back to the point of viewing guns as the main armament of combat aircraft, in an age where everyone else sees them as weapons of opportunity at best. Ordnance tends to lack measures to increase capacity seen so often in other groups that have minimized munition sizes or just crammed more onto a given pylon via MERs- less so for GhostShip, who tend to plan out their objectives tightly and equip small shot counts of big brute-force weapons specialized for each step. Stealth is a thing, but they sort of converged on it rather than just getting with the program, and trying to work it into the other quirks of their designs can result in some distinctive looks to say the least.

As for MercNet, if that implies they just stuck with RegMil technologically, uh, no. As G6 was underway, MercNet split off and started investing into original models. Directed-Energy weapons were on the horizon and MercNet felt a need to address them directly, managing to create advanced, lightweight ablative armor- this differs from RegMil using drones as a catch-all solution to that, but ADB imagined attrition rates versus a laser-armed peer would be too high even if they were all UAVs (though MUM-T became a shared tactic between them). This led to the "Knighted" aircraft- well, that and the knock-on effects. Ablative armor happens to be marginal kinetic armor, which reduces the effects of blast-frag warheads, which means proximity fusing is off the menu, which means kinetic and shaped-charge penetrator missiles, which mean localized damage, which mean multiple shots to sufficiently damage a plane and also that they could perforate tank armor with some luck and persistence, which meant huge capacities of an omni-purpose short-range missile type were implemented universally to deal with their own ablative armor. Eventually neural interfaces were sought to reduce workload without requiring more manpower, which also lead to insane G-tolerance, single crews, chronic cognitive damage and psychosis, etc.

now i could go on but it'd require talking about space and i'm tired.

[starset21]

Angel |Jake Seresin|

A/N: I've put a few blurbs from this fic out there but I think it's ready to be seen by the internet. This will be a multi-part fic. This is also my first time putting any of my works on tumblr so yeahhh trying to figure out all that goes with that. Standard disclaimer, I only own my original characters, I've done some research but there will likely be navy inaccuracies, and I do not consent to the posting, translating, or publishing of my work to any 3rd party site, the only place it may be found is tumblr and Wattpad under @.itswildflower

Summary: An nearly fatal incident left naval aviator Artemis out of the skies for 6 months but then she's given new orders. To return to Top Gun.

Warnings: flashbacks to accident, mentions of blood, cursing

word count: 880

Going Home

On March 3, 1969, the US Navy established a school for its best pilots, which accounted for 1% of the total. Its purpose is to teach the art of dogfighting, and air combat and to make men and women the best fighter pilots.

They have succeeded.

Today the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School. Aviators call it TOP GUN.

The 28-year-old pilot Artemis was getting ready to leave and go pick her daughter up from daycare before heading back to her small navy-issued condo when her commanding officer stopped her. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked. "Artemis, you've been reassigned," he said. She took the papers from him, reading through them quickly. A special detachment? Recalling former top gun graduates? "I haven't been cleared to fly, sir," she tells him. "They'll re-evaluate you in California, you're going home," he told her before shaking her hand and walking off. Home meant San Diego, California. It had been 6 months since she'd flown in any sky after she had almost lost her life on a mission. It was supposed to have been a low-profile surveillance patrol composed of a few new F-35 Lightnings and two F-18s until a squadron of enemy aircraft intercepted them and it escalated quickly into a dogfight. The memory jumped to the forefront of her mind.

"Oh shit! They're 5th gen fighters! Smoke in the air!" Cheshire warned as she deployed flares to defend. "Requesting permission to return fire," Summit radioed command. "Permission granted Shadow one," the comms officer replied. "Tally! Seven o'clock! Artemis break right!" Pyro called out. "Copy!" She broke right and was able to flip around and get tone before firing her own missile at them. It made contact, making it splash 1. "Shit! Got one on our tail!" yelled Scout. "I'm coming," Artemis responded, inverting and spinning around to find them. She spotted them quickly and moved into range, getting tone. The enemy tried to evade it but it was no use, Artemis fired. "That's a splash 2!" Scout exclaimed. "They've got tone on me!" Summit called out as he continued evasive maneuvers. "Smoke in the air!" Pyro called out in warning. "Fuck, I'm out of flares!" Summit yelled. Artemis's eyes widened. "Smoke in the air, evade! Evade!" Cheshire yelled out. "Artemis defending." She deployed flares but she was too close. The controls were almost ripped out of her hand as her jet shuddered violently. Alarms blared. Artemis's eyes darted over her control panels quickly. Hydraulic failure, engine failures, fire on the left engine. She managed to level out some. "Artemis Eject!" Altitude warnings sounded. She could hardly make out the panicking voices of her squadron over the radio. "I can't get control! I'm going down! Ejecting now!" She yanked on the ejection handle but it wasn't working. "Shit! It's not-" She hit the trees, the impact slamming her head against the canopy, making her vision go dark momentarily. Her ears rang as her squadron tried to get her to answer them. Everything hurt, her right arm throbbed and when her vision cleared she could see red beginning to bloom on the left side of her flight suit pants when she shifted slightly, which wasn't good at all. She could feel the blood dripping down her face from the side of her head. She reached with her good arm for her instrument dash where the photo of her little girl was taped, a reminder of why she needed to get home. The jet creaked as it settled amongst broken trees. She noted that fire was creeping closer to the cockpit. She knew she needed to get out of the hunk of metal that remains of her jet so with a yell Artemis used the arm that wasn't throbbing to push herself up so she could get her other leg under her. She managed to hoist herself out and collapsed on the ground next to it. Black spotted her vision as she crawled as far from the burning jet as possible. She managed to switch on her emergency locating device but it was still half an hour before the rescue team found her amongst the wreckage.

She didn't remember much after that. She had been airlifted to the nearest hospital for treatment and suffered from a head laceration, a concussion, bruised ribs, an open left leg fracture, a sprain on her right wrist, and other minor cuts and bruises. Her father was able to pull some strings and fly in to be with her until she was sent back stateside, once she was stabilized enough to be moved long distances. She's been restationed in Key West, Florida ever since. Her mother and younger brother came to visit and brought her daughter to her. Her father had to return nearly immediately, her brother still had school but her mom didn't return to the west coast until she was settled and completely able to take care of the rambunctious 4-year-old on her own. While recovering she was given the opportunity to teach young pilots in the classrooms and even took a few shifts working in the towers. It allowed flexibility for her physical therapy, x-rays, and various doctor appointments to check her progress. So there she was, her belongings packed and sent ahead with her truck, on a commercial flight with her daughter from Florida to California.