| I'm afraid the Su 37 would destroy the Rafale. It is the first in a new generation of "hyperaerobatic" fighters. I've seen them both in action. The Su 37 can actually STOP in midair(Cobra Maneuver). It can do a backflip on a dime(Summersalt Maneuver). And there are other very neat things the Super Flanker can do. All the Ruskies need are pilots with some brass
The Cobra Maneuver looks nice in an airshow, but its usefulness is doubtful in an actual aerial combat. The last thing you want to do in combat is bleed off all of your airspeed, it leaves you totally vulnerable to the enemy since it will take a little time, even for an Su-37, to regain its speed.
The things the Rafale has going for it is low observability (certainly lower than the massive Flanker, with those huge air intakes and large unmasked turbofans behind them) plus supercruise ability. Russian avionics are also lagging behind those of the Western countries. |