As per USAF, Supercruise is attaining & sustaining Mach 1.5 or more speed on Mil power without involving the burners. No operational plane till date(not even current Su-57 or J-20) matches F-22's supercruising ability. So Rafale, Typhoon, Gripen, Su-35S etc. are not true supercruisers within this parameter(as given by USAF).
The link which
@randomradio posted, proved how much supersonic persistence Su-30 has got, but even it's no F-22 Raptor in that regard.
yes. And this is precisely my point! Thank you.
The USAF has an extremely strict definition of Super Cruise.
the kind of "mach 1.2+" that is described as "super cruise" by imitators is not new. If so the USAF could claim all the teen fighters did that already in the 1970s. most all mach capable fighters can do this kind of "Super cruise" but it is not what the USAF was trying to create with the Advanced Tacitical Fighter Program that lead to the F-22. the ATF program wanted a kind of practical and serious sustainable Supercruise and not the kind of "if conditions are right!" gimmick.
its not to take away from Flankers or others, but we are talking about 2 different definitions that have been deliberately mixed up by marketing the world over
Rafale, Flanker, F-35, F-16, F-15, F-18, EF-2000, Gripen: We can all "supercruise" like the F-22!!
USAF: NOPE!!
as far as the USAF is concerned theyre all poor imitiations, even though people here see no distinction. it will be interesting when people have to explain that the USAF says that the F-35 is not air superiority by its definitions and critieria, but they will stop referencing the USAF when the USAF that their baby is also not air superiority because it can't actually super cruise either...
remember that super cruise in an F-22 is more fuel efficient than having to use the afterburner; however it is not the most optimal fuel consumption method which is still to be subsonic for optimal range. one of the compromises for the F-22 was the reduction of the fuel requirement from the original ATF. with this in mind the F-22 suffering when it comes to range. This is why,
and Rajput I am not trying to change your mind but one of the reasons why the F-35 in terms of endurance has some advantages in the air to air role. F-22 is a sprinter, F-35 is a marathon runner. the race is approached differently, but they are still racers. its not as clear cut as many want to make it, and if they go with the USAF definition only the F-22 counts anyway so I assume the hybrid area would be more embraced