Concept art for Lockheed's 6th gen fighter jet leaked from calendar

[max power 21]

I don't mean to beat this home or anything, so please don't take it like I'm trying to be king of the internets over this issue.

You say that serves as a way to compare apples to apples, but it's not strict... which seems like that's a bit of a contradiction to me. I mean, are we comparing something that's vaguely an apple to something else that may or may not be an apple, or what?

Edited January 15, 2012 by Max Power

[JakeWed 10]

I think the best way of saying it is:

1st Gen = WWII Era

2nd Gen = Just after WWII, into things like the Sabre and MiG-15's

3rd Gen = Early Cold war, 60's/70's, things like F4's

4th Gen = First Real Modern Ones, Latter Cold war Planes and into the early 2000's

4.5 Gen = Mainly seam like stuff as the Su-47, Showing a Early stage of the 5th Gen's

5th Gen = todays Aircraft, F-35's and the such

well, thats the way I see it

[Prydain 1]

This concept picture has a wiff of BAE Replica about it.

Either way, after the F22 was found out to be a massive scam America would have to have a very forgiving or masochistic populous to fund yet another advanced jet.

Bring on the 14 year old flamewar!

[max power 21]

Let's keep this thread on topic, please.

[Star Four One 10]

I think maybe you're not reading Sakura Chan correctly ;)

Of course every new aircraft that is developed to replace an old one is bound to be superior. What you're missing here is the arbitrary division of generations. Why 5 instead of 6, or instead of 4? There weren't any generational divisions before the Raptor came out, so obviously people started dividing aircraft into generations to sell Raptors... period. No one was selling the F-15 Eagle as a 4th generation fighter. And, these fighter generations are applied to Russian aircraft as aswell, who have a totally different system for categorizing fighter generations... then they had to go back and retcon the fighter generations and create a mezzanine generation 4.5 because the categories they chose previously were obviously not selling enough Silent Eagles and shit.

Arbitrary category is arbitrary.

Hi Max,

I see what he is saying, and I see what you are saying. Cool.

Generation classification has been around since WW2. If you think it wasn't used during the 70's-80's with the LWF flyoff or the new air superiority fighter program (Eagle), you are greatly mistaken.

Sure the Russkies may not view generation's within the same timeline, but both airforces have always classified their design ideologies.

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread124336/pg1

---------- Post added at 10:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 AM ----------

This concept picture has a wiff of BAE Replica about it.

Either way, after the F22 was found out to be a massive scam America would have to have a very forgiving or masochistic populous to fund yet another advanced jet.

Bring on the 14 year old flamewar!

Massive scam? Please... :j:

[max power 21]

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0182.shtml

The first use of 'fighter generations' this author could find was in the mid 1990s, when the Russians were establishing a need to compete with the JSF program. And this was the first instance of the Russian definition of Fighter Generations, not American. According to the Russians, America developed no 3rd generation fighters at all. If you can find any use prior to this it would be a big help.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Max Power

[Star Four One 10]

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0182.shtml

The first use of 'fighter generations' this author could find was in the mid 1990s, when the Russians were establishing a need to compete with the JSF program. And this was the first instance of the Russian definition of Fighter Generations, not American. According to the Russians, America developed no 3rd generation fighters at all. If you can find any use prior to this it would be a big help.

If I can get my scanner working I'd post some screencaps. Check out a book called Viper's in the storm by Kieth Rosenkranz. There are uses of 3rd, 4th, and referencing 117's as 5th generation a/c. Keep in mind this is a Viper pilot that flew throughout Desert Storm using this terminology and was a EL and FL on numerous occassions; denoting he was no punk being sent oversea's.

Of course I cant argue that the term "5th Generation" is being milked for every drop. Hell, half the people on these boards use it without even knowing what it signifies. ;)