What is the greatest Air Superiority Fighter?

The Think Tanker

Active member
Greetings, now, this is a competition of the greatest air superiority fighters of the 4.5 generation of aircraft, this means no F-22's, F-35's, T-50's or J20's, aircraft that do fit in this area include:
F/A-18E/F Block. I-III
F-16C(E) Block. 52-60
MiG-35 (modified MiG-29)
Su-30/35's
EF2000 Eurofighter Typhoon
Rafale F.1 (and their other variants)
F-15E(And SE variants)

Pretty much any you can think of, when choosing your plane, please describe why, its advantages and any possible disadvantages

Example:

Answer: F/A-18E/F Block. III
Why? Great BVR ability, thanks to APG-79 AESA, in addition it has a excellent payload capacity. And finally it has great dogfighting characteristics thanks to its high maneuverability a sub-sonic speeds and its high AoA.
Disadvantages: High fuel consumption.
 
Greetings, now, this is a competition of the greatest air superiority fighters of the 4.5 generation of aircraft, this means no F-22's, F-35's, T-50's or J20's, aircraft that do fit in this area include:
F/A-18E/F Block. I-III
F-16C(E) Block. 52-60
MiG-35 (modified MiG-29)
Su-30/35's
EF2000 Eurofighter Typhoon
Rafale F.1 (and their other variants)
F-15E(And SE variants)

Pretty much any you can think of, when choosing your plane, please describe why, its advantages and any possible disadvantages

Example:

Answer: F/A-18E/F Block. III
Why? Great BVR ability, thanks to APG-79 AESA, in addition it has a excellent payload capacity. And finally it has great dogfighting characteristics thanks to its high maneuverability a sub-sonic speeds and its high AoA.
Disadvantages: High fuel consumption.

You also forgot to mention that the F/A-18E/F is a flying brick that even a blind man could see on radar.

Of the choices you have given us I will go with the EF2000 Eurofighter Typhoon as it is smaller, lighter and faster with an impressive choice of weapons packages.
Its draw back might be lack of range however operating over the European continent that shouldn't be an issue.
 
You can´t take two aircraft and say which one is the best.
You can, however, take two pilots and say who the best driver is. That’s what it´s all about - the man and not the machine.
 
I know you said no F-22 raptor , but it is the best fighter fastest, well armed and best electronics.
I'll take the time tested F-15 C, D, E and F-16 fighters. These fighters have proven themselves time again. They have always come out on top. I don't believe Russian fighters will be able to match the electronics, guidance systems and signal processing that goes into the US planes.
 
You also forgot to mention that the F/A-18E/F is a flying brick that even a blind man could see on radar.

Of the choices you have given us I will go with the EF2000 Eurofighter Typhoon as it is smaller, lighter and faster with an impressive choice of weapons packages.
Its draw back might be lack of range however operating over the European continent that shouldn't be an issue.
Except for the fact that the F/A-18E/F have some stealth features, giving it a similar signature to the Eurofighter and Rafale. Personally, I prefer the Rafale over the EF2000 simply because the EF2000 is a terrible multi-role (basically just strapping bombs onto it and calling it multi-role)
But besides that, the EF2000 is a excellent dogfighter and ASF.

@Kesse81
True, it does depend on the pilot, but in this case, we are considering all these pilots equal. And we are attempting to find out the best hardware.
 
I know you said no F-22 raptor , but it is the best fighter fastest, well armed and best electronics.
I'll take the time tested F-15 C, D, E and F-16 fighters. These fighters have proven themselves time again. They have always come out on top. I don't believe Russian fighters will be able to match the electronics, guidance systems and signal processing that goes into the US planes.
Not the F-15D, as that was only a trainer. However, I do agree with you, the F-15's are still some of the best ASF's out there, thanks to upgrades and new electronics.
 
Except for the fact that the F/A-18E/F have some stealth features, giving it a similar signature to the Eurofighter and Rafale. Personally, I prefer the Rafale over the EF2000 simply because the EF2000 is a terrible multi-role (basically just strapping bombs onto it and calling it multi-role)
But besides that, the EF2000 is a excellent dogfighter and ASF.

@Kesse81
True, it does depend on the pilot, but in this case, we are considering all these pilots equal. And we are attempting to find out the best hardware.

But you only asked for the best air superiority fighter therefore its multi-role capacity should not come into it.
 
But you only asked for the best air superiority fighter therefore its multi-role capacity should not come into it.
True, but it is still a factor (and its why the French made the Rafale in the first place.)
Still love the EF2000 though, coupled with some ASRAAM's and AMRAAM's makes it a great choice.
 
Surely this needs to be broken down to decades, as what was a great fighter in WW 1/ 2 and did a fantastic job is over shadowed by the jet age, and even that needs to be broken down.
 
Surely this needs to be broken down to decades, as what was a great fighter in WW 1/ 2 and did a fantastic job is over shadowed by the jet age, and even that needs to be broken down.

Why?

He asked a specific question and provided the generation of aircraft he wanted the answer for...

Greetings, now, this is a competition of the greatest air superiority fighters of the 4.5 generation of aircraft

Su-35 is my choice.

I have to admit I used to follow the development of Russian aircraft quite intently but have in recent years simply lost interest I am not sure how the current batch of Russian fighters stack up against its western counterpart, I am told their AAMs have come a long way recently but I have no idea whether their avionics have improved to a point where they are competitive with the west or not.
 
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Why?

He asked a specific question and provided the generation of aircraft he wanted the answer for...





I have to admit I used to follow the development of Russian aircraft quite intently but have in recent years simply lost interest I am not sure how the current batch of Russian fighters stack up against its western counterpart, I am told their AAMs have come a long way recently but I have no idea whether their avionics have improved to a point where they are competitive with the west or not.
They have some interesting developments in the MRAMM and SRAAM field (Short and Medium range air to air missile, for those who don't know)
And their development of the R-73 and R-77 missiles gives them a good counter to western AMRAAMs and Meteors, however, the R-77 is still barely fielded, its like the F-35 of missiles.
Also, the T-50, while showing promise, has been delayed several times, much like the F-35 as well.
 
They have some interesting developments in the MRAMM and SRAAM field (Short and Medium range air to air missile, for those who don't know)
And their development of the R-73 and R-77 missiles gives them a good counter to western AMRAAMs and Meteors, however, the R-77 is still barely fielded, its like the F-35 of missiles.
Also, the T-50, while showing promise, has been delayed several times, much like the F-35 as well.

So in your opinion how close is the best Russian fighter to being able to foot it with the best NATO fighter assuming pilots of equal ability?
 
One not on the list: Swedish Saab JAS39 Gripen

Pros: Smaller and lighter and than Rafale and Typhoon II, faster than F/A-18 and F-16. Can operate on any type of runway.

Cons: Expensive (although operations cost is cheap), lesser payload due to smaller size.
Slightly Inferior Performance compared to EF2000 and Rafale.

My Favorite is the Rafale.

Pros: Its superior to everything on that list except the SU-35. Possibly the best NATO fighter aside from the F-22. Aircraft Carrier Capable.

Cons: Much more expensive that other 4.5 Gen aircraft, although not as expensive as the EF2000, F-35, F-22A.
 
So in your opinion how close is the best Russian fighter to being able to foot it with the best NATO fighter assuming pilots of equal ability?
That is a very tough one, the Russians develop a lot of great fighters at a very low cost, however, I do believe the Su-35 takes the cake, being a incredible WVR fighter, also, its payload is astronomical, similar to that of a F-15E
 
One not on the list: Swedish Saab JAS39 Gripen

Pros: Smaller and lighter and than Rafale and Typhoon II, faster than F/A-18 and F-16. Can operate on any type of runway.

Cons: Expensive (although operations cost is cheap), lesser payload due to smaller size.
Slightly Inferior Performance compared to EF2000 and Rafale.

My Favorite is the Rafale.

Pros: Its superior to everything on that list except the SU-35. Possibly the best NATO fighter aside from the F-22. Aircraft Carrier Capable.

Cons: Much more expensive that other 4.5 Gen aircraft, although not as expensive as the EF2000, F-35, F-22A.
Yeah, I do count the JAS 39 as a 4.5, just slipped my mind (not omniscient :-3) also, the JAS 39 is relatively cheap for a 4.5 gen, costing about half that of a Block. III Super-Hornet.
However, I do not believe in strictly saying any aircraft on the list is superior to another. The Rafale, while an excellent aircraft has the disadvantage of a relatively poor AESA array (especially when compared to its American and Russian counterparts) and its sub-sonic maneuverability is nothing worth of much admiration (although, in super-sonic, that's a different story)
Just keep that in mind :-3
 
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