What do you think? French Rafale and the Su 37. Who will shoot the other down from the sky?

http://www.airforce-technology.com/p...u37/index.html
http://www.airforce-technology.com/p...ale/index.html

Well at long range it depends on the missiles which i dont know much about, but in a dogfight i can see the Su-37 winning as it is so manoverable despite it being larger than the rafale! In the hands of well trained pilots i would probably expect the Su-37 to win!

I dont know whats better so I voted for the underdog. RAFALE!!!

SU 37

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

I would be more interested in comparing the F-16 against the JAS39 Gripen as they are both single engined fighters, and the gripen seems a very versatile fighter

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.

Su 37.
I would even say the Su 27 and Su 30.

Much will depend on the quality of the pilots that are flying these planes

Originally Posted by J.Hawk

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.

Not necessarily. Harrier pilots have always been taught the VIFF maneuver, and to my knowledge, quite a few of the British Harrier pilots successfully used it during the Falklands War against the Argentinian pilots.

You're probably right for BVR fights -- but in a "get in the phone booth" dogfight, the Cobra would be a good maneuver to use instead of your classic break -- it generates an immediate overshoot, and then you can flip the nose back down and fire.

All else being equal (i.e., pilot skill, etc.) -- BVR? Rafale probably has the better avionics, would probably take the Super Flanker down, provided it's got a good AAM to back up the avionics. Dogfight? Probably the Super Flanker.