What is the name of america's top air force fighter plane that can rival the russian MiG-31??

Question

is it the american F-18??
not sure...wat is their most modern and best fighter plane name?

what do u guys think is the top russian, chinese and israeli fighter planes?? anyone know

Answer 1

AFAIK there's no direct equivalent for MiG-31 in the USAF arsenal.

But then, I don't see why there should be. There's no need for one.
MiG-31, IIRC, is a descendant to MiG-25, i.e. fast fighter/interceptor (originally developed to counter American B-70 Valkyrie supersonic bombers... which have never became reality). A big, heavy and very fast platform for air-to-air missiles.

But then, there are several problems.
First, you can't go very fast without afterburning your jet engine (most fighters can't reach supersonic speeds without it! F-22 is one of the few that are said to be capable of that). This means massive fuel consumption, emptying your tanks in mere minutes.
Second, missiles easily reach multi-Mach speeds, a feat no fighter is capable of. I.e. missiles are always faster (although in some cases it is possible to outrun them).
Third, the slower you go, the tighter you can turn. That allows you to dodge missiles (if you're really good), and get the opponent off your tail in maneuver combat.

Such a plane is a very specialised platform which would work well against large, non-maneuverable targets, like bombers and transport planes. However, against other planes it's effectiveness would be limited, especially at close ranges.
The trick, however, is that on modern battlefield, you stick to the ground if you only can. Otherwise you present a well-visible target for enemy radars, and by that - to enemy fighters and anti-aircraft missiles. Flying high (to save on fuel) is practical only in relatively safe airspace. When you're keeping low, you can count on ground interference and obstacles to keep you from being detected for that crucial moment longer.

If you ask me, I'd say most American planes are better all-arounds than MiG-31 will ever be. Personally, as for good Russian planes, I'll go for Su-27's derivatives, like Su-30, -33 and so on.

Answer 2

F-14, F-15, F-16,F-22 can all smoke the Mig-31, but don't think the-31 is a weakling. It's an extremely capable platform that has rough field capability which it's counterparts don't enjoy. Of the F series fighters, the F-22 Raptor is the top dog & the meanest dog on the block.

Answer 3

The F-22 Raptor is the most advanced but the F-18, F-16 and F-15 can all defeat a MiG-31 as well.

Answer 4

It depends. The U.S. has long range accurate missles. To give you an idea, a B-52 could down a Mig-31 from 30 miles away if it could launch patriot missles. The Mig wouldn't even see the B-52 and most likely, wouldn't even see the missle (because it doesn't have that sort of electronics).

Airforce-technology.com took the M-31 off, probably because I heard the Russians won't be making it (too expensive for them. Remember some bases can't even afford the electric bills).

Answer 5

F/A-22 Raptor is currently the mass produced top of the line for the time being. Give it a few years and im sure something better will be out

Answer 6

F-15 strike eagle or F-22 Raptor No other country comes close to our air superiority,or training. Israel gets it's fighters from us. Russian,chinese,etc......Don't even compare!!!

Answer 7

Propably the Su-47.

Answer 8

i think the old Cessna 150 could outfly the russkie's bucket of bolts Mig anyday.

Answer 9

F-22 ... only U.S. Air Frame with thrust vectoring.

Answer 10

F 22/ or its classified.