#su-47

#Sukhoi SU-47 Berkut

I assume we're talking about the Russian fighter jet designed by Sukhoi in the 90s and then discontinued in the 2000s, right?

This guy, right?

I'm by no means a plane expert, nor am I necessarily a fighter jet history buff. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm talking about. I only really have opinions about Canada's fighter jets, or rather their complete lack of them because of the Canadian Government's decisions made in the 1950s (I mourn the loss of the Avro Arrow... sigh). And even those opinions aren't about the actual jet itself, but more about the repercussions it's had on Canada's military decisions and their rocky relationship with companies like Boeing and such and the poor position it's put Canada in recently (relying on the US to buy jets from etc. etc.) But you've made me curious, anon... what are my opinions on the SU-47?

As a disclaimer, I don't have any real understanding of how fighter jets work and stuff like that, so a lot of the technical aspect of planes and such just fly over my head. I struggle with numbers and acronyms in general, so one can imagine the absolute hell that is learning and keeping track of planes and fighter jets. So I can't give you my opinion about the technological aspects and advancements the SU-47 seemed to have.

But, I skimmed the Wikipedia page and I watched a YouTube video about it. I didn't understand much to be honest (sorry). But, I will say that the forward facing wings is a really interesting and futuristic looking. Along with it's other advantages such as decreased drag and improved maneuverability because of the front facing wing. It's really interesting how a switch in wing direction can create a more aerodynamic jet (at least, I'm pretty sure what the video said...) And from my understanding, the SU-47 is a pillar for which fighter jets since then have been built upon and that's really cool. It would have been interesting to see what the SU-47 could have really done if the necessary technology was available at the time to make it work, but alas, it is now shelved for the rest of history. And I think that's what makes the jet cool to me. Like all the what if questions: what if they had the right engines? What if the Russian government found enough funding to keep the project going? What would have changed? I don't know, I think that's what I found the most interesting about the SU-47.