The Planet’s Best Stealth Fighter Isn’t Made in America

[Sir X]

The Planet’s Best Stealth Fighter Isn’t Made in America
The U.S. military likes to think it makes the world’s most sophisticated combat aircraft. Think again.
In 2005, Lockheed Martin labeled the F-35, the stealthy new jet they were building for the Pentagon, as a “fifth-generation” fighter. Ironically, it was a term that they had borrowed from Russia to describe a different stealthy fighter, the F-22. But the term caught on. Some of Lockheed’s rivals tumbled into this rhetorical trap and tried to argue that “fourth-generation” was just as capable—whether it is true or not, making such a case is an uphill struggle.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...n-america.html

[Don1]

The Planet’s Best Stealth Fighter Isn’t Made in America
The U.S. military likes to think it makes the world’s most sophisticated combat aircraft. Think again.
In 2005, Lockheed Martin labeled the F-35, the stealthy new jet they were building for the Pentagon, as a “fifth-generation” fighter. Ironically, it was a term that they had borrowed from Russia to describe a different stealthy fighter, the F-22. But the term caught on. Some of Lockheed’s rivals tumbled into this rhetorical trap and tried to argue that “fourth-generation” was just as capable—whether it is true or not, making such a case is an uphill struggle.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...n-america.html

LOL!

The article is somewhat ridiculous.

It claims the Gripen is the first 6th Gen warplane...but doesn't say what makes it so (other than its software base which ALL 5th Gen aircraft feature) nor even delineate how it improves fundamentally from existing 5th Gen aircraft...F-22, F-35 (US) T-50 (Russia) or J-20 (China)

It can't say what defines a 6th Gen aircraft ....because it's still a concept in flux... so the definition is not established in the aerospace industry

6th Gen aircraft don't exist...most aerospace pros regard the Gripen as a capable 4++ Gen warplane..nothing else.

Definitely NOT even a "stealth fighter" as its shaping doesn't follow angular rules which dissipate X-band radar wavelengths. Stealth is based on science (Russian science) ... not uninformed yappin