They're both 4th generation airframes that have been upgraded over the years into 4.5 gen, which means there's a lot of different variants, or blocks, floating around.
So without knowing anything more, these are likely comparable airframes, but it really depends on when they were each produced.
All F-16 aircraft supplied by Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Belgium will be the F-16AM (single-seat) / F-16BM (twin-seat) Block 15 Mid-Life Update (MLU) variants. These variants are analogous to the F-16C/D Block 30/50/52.
Actually....the frames are mostly aluminum and titanium... I'll see myself out... gotta watch more drone videos. No, I'm not getting one. I just want to know what way to awkwardly curl and twist for a dignified last 5 seconds of fame for when AI takes over the sky.
If this is one from a few weeks ago (presuming so based on "first"), this was a fight between the Su-35 versus three F-16s and a Patriot radar. The version I heard is that the Su-35 targeted one of the F-16s and got taken out by another.
Very rarely in modern air-to-air combat is anything a comparable match. The F-16 is more maneuverable than the Su-35, but the Su-35 is generally more advanced. The numbers and the Patriot likely gave Ukraine the advantage, but then so did the ongoing collapse of Russia's air defense network.
It was basically an ambush by the Ukrainians. One F16 was the bait. And two additional F16s were flying low to the ground and came up to fire once the Su-35 took the bait. And one of the two managed to hit it. With additional help from the patriot radar.
From what I understand the SU is bigger, has more range, and can top out a little faster than the f-16. It also has thrust vectoring so it can maneuver pretty well in a dogfight.
The f-16 is cheaper to run and more reliable, and since it's smaller and lighter it's hard to spot and can still maneuver with the best of them.
Tbh, all aerial combat should be done in open cockpit biplanes with the pilots shooting revolvers at one another. It's supposed to be all elegant and shit like jousting in the sky, so let's get some treaties done and live as the lord intended.
I grew up outside NYC in the 80’s and every summer my parents took me & my brother upstate to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome where they still fly vintage aircraft from the WWI era. Looking at that website it looks like they still put on their “WWI Dog Fight Spectacular” show, which is something that still makes me smile.
18 Comments
AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space · 22 pts · 17d
How evenly matched are the two aircraft?
limonfiesta@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 17d
They're both 4th generation airframes that have been upgraded over the years into 4.5 gen, which means there's a lot of different variants, or blocks, floating around.
So without knowing anything more, these are likely comparable airframes, but it really depends on when they were each produced.
real_squids@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 17d
straight from wikipedia
altphoto@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 16d
Actually....the frames are mostly aluminum and titanium... I'll see myself out... gotta watch more drone videos. No, I'm not getting one. I just want to know what way to awkwardly curl and twist for a dignified last 5 seconds of fame for when AI takes over the sky.
TheTechnician27@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 17d
If this is one from a few weeks ago (presuming so based on "first"), this was a fight between the Su-35 versus three F-16s and a Patriot radar. The version I heard is that the Su-35 targeted one of the F-16s and got taken out by another.
Very rarely in modern air-to-air combat is anything a comparable match. The F-16 is more maneuverable than the Su-35, but the Su-35 is generally more advanced. The numbers and the Patriot likely gave Ukraine the advantage, but then so did the ongoing collapse of Russia's air defense network.
rammer@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 17d
It was basically an ambush by the Ukrainians. One F16 was the bait. And two additional F16s were flying low to the ground and came up to fire once the Su-35 took the bait. And one of the two managed to hit it. With additional help from the patriot radar.
Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca · 14 pts · 17d
From what I understand the SU is bigger, has more range, and can top out a little faster than the f-16. It also has thrust vectoring so it can maneuver pretty well in a dogfight.
The f-16 is cheaper to run and more reliable, and since it's smaller and lighter it's hard to spot and can still maneuver with the best of them.
fist_of_fartitude@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 17d
Fighters don't dogfight anymore, they lob a2a missiles at each other from beyond visual range.
kopasz7@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 17d
And yet wing tipping and aerial gunners in prop planes are back.
https://youtu.be/GrzzYTXgnMQ
fist_of_fartitude@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 17d
Tbh, all aerial combat should be done in open cockpit biplanes with the pilots shooting revolvers at one another. It's supposed to be all elegant and shit like jousting in the sky, so let's get some treaties done and live as the lord intended.
IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 16d
I grew up outside NYC in the 80’s and every summer my parents took me & my brother upstate to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome where they still fly vintage aircraft from the WWI era. Looking at that website it looks like they still put on their “WWI Dog Fight Spectacular” show, which is something that still makes me smile.
Wildmimic@anarchist.nexus · 1 pts · 17d
Damn, now i gotta fire up Aces over Europe again.
Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 17d
Oh for sure that's mainly obsolete, I'm just stating the main differences that I've read about them.
Dultas@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 17d
F-16s did have a cannon. Don't know if that was removed in later blocks.
Dultas@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 17d
zabadoh@ani.social · 6 pts · 17d
As @TheTechnician27@lemmy.world said, if it's the same incident, then it was the Su-35 being lured into a trap.
There really wasn't a dogfight.
RFU released a video about this on July 13th, with a transcript if you don't feel like watching
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 17d
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-35
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16_Fighting_Falcon
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 17d
YES!
Hoimo@ani.social · 3 pts · 16d
This title read as if Dan Caine was flying the Su-35