In Lockheed's own 'Air Power' magazine, YF-22 ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter) project personnel referred to the Su-27 and MiG-29 with astonishing candour. One in particular made the following remarks: 'The Russians are hot fighter jocks and the Su-27 and MiG-29 are sportier than anything we have in the inventory ... (but) the F-22 will have better manoeuvrability than the Su-27, which is top gun at the moment.' Clearly those involved in designing the USAF's next fighter believe that the Su-27 is superior to existing US warplanes, an opinion reinforced by impressive appearances by the Su-27 at Western air shows. The remarkable airshow routines flown by pilots of both the Su-27 and the MiG-29 have demonstrated manoeuvres (such as the tailslide and the 'Cobra') which simply cannot be emulated by Western fighters. These have been dismissed by some as having no tactical relevance, since so much energy is lost, but this fundamentally misses the point.
Download from (depositfiles.com) or (filesonic.com)
