Your SAMs won’t be able to hide effectively if the ISR assets do their job, and if you’re shooting S-400s at aircraft, there is a VERY good chance they already shot at you or will shoot back. You can overwhelm/jam short range air defenses, but they definitely will give a SAM a better chance against a half-assed…

Ok, so what happens when your S-400 is destroyed? You’ve basically lost 30 fighters then. SAMs like S-400 aren’t moving much in the way they’re most probably used (HVT defense, ABM, etc.). And even if you do move them every few hours, there is still a very good chance of your site being damaged in a full-on air war.…

TALD/Growler spam + lots of HARM/JASSMs.

The US uses aircraft to secure large areas of airspace, the Patriot is much more of a point defense system than one may think. For deployable ABM stuff the US has THAAD and SM-3/6 equipped ships. Aircraft are much more survivable than SAM sites. One moves, one doesn’t.

Honestly, I have a feeling those stories are BS...but that’s just a hunch.

The Harrier’s lift system is just as useless during most of its flight profile. And for the love of anything sacred, don’t VIFF me. :)

Awesome, needs an EF-35B though.

Russian intel

Maybe its just their standard air defenses on those boats? IIRC the Ropuchas have CIWS guns too.

Illuminating meaning lasing? Yes, most aircraft equipped with some sort of targeting pod (E.G. Sniper XR) have a laser spot tracker (LST) built-in.

Very long ranges meaning well within the (Raptor’s) AMRAAM launch zone?

I’m tempted to ask your sources...but that story sounds quite legitimate, to the point I don’t doubt you at all... :(

You’d probably see Raptors well over the horizon....I have a feeling they’ll be using their nutsacks for this one...

hurrrr durrr Craptor sux.

Fucking lol

What? There are no Russian military in...nvm

That last paragraph....LOL!

Protip: Russia and China don’t have 5th gen fighters.

Hah, yeah...suppose you’re right on with that.

Who says they didn’t?