Nobody knows if the real PAK-FA will look anything similar to any of these three models, but we will probably discover it sooner than later: The Sukhoi PAK-FA will replace the MiG-29 Fulcrum and the Su-27 Flanker in the Russian Air Force, with a first flight initially projected for this year.

What we know for sure is that new Sukhoi fighter will directly compete against the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II. I, for one, hope that they never have to engage in combat. [Duler via The Dew Line]

It's not the first time it has happened, however: An EA-18G—a modified F/A-18 F Super Hornet Block II—"got lucky" and killed another F-22 with an AIM-120 AMRAAM in a simulated combat exercise over at Nellis AFB. This is something that Stephen confirmed himself.

However, this time instead of a high-tech EA-18G, the killer plane was this:

A humble T-38 training jet, piloted by a trainer on a combat training exercise over an unidentified air space. And it killed this:

An F-22 Raptor, the most advanced air fighter in the planet.

Stephen says that this doesn't mean much, except that—if it was really a T-38, the pilot was "either absurdly lucky or insanely skilled." Here's hoping all those Chinese and Russians flying next-generation fighters don't get either lucky or skilled anytime soon. [Flight Global]

Each F-22 costs $143 million, and at stake is a $9 billion proposal to build 60 more Raptors over the next three years. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is fine with axing the program (as was the Bush administration, who has of course deferred the decision), favoring instead the development of unmanned UAVs that are more adept at the reconnaissance and surgical strikes used in fighting terrorists, not the air-to-air dogfights that would have been expected when facing up to a Soviet superpower with its own modern air force. The L.A. Times cites one such unmanned project as "a small blimp equipped with an automated high-powered sniper rifle that could provide a form of inexpensive but effective air support for platoons in Afghanistan."

The decision is a dicey one, because while saving money in the Pentagon's budget, a decision to axe the F-22 would mean a loss of jobs and defense contracts for U.S. workers. Unsurprisingly, the F-22's most vocal supporters are in Congress; the jet uses parts from 1,000 suppliers spread across 44 states. That's a lot of pork, and if we know there's one way to make someone sad, it's take away their pork. The NYTimes quotes Democratic congressman Norman Dicks saying “I think we’re going to keep the F-22 going, that’s my gut instinct." Someone tell this dude that "following your gut" is so over! [NYTimes, LA Times]

The report comes after investigators finished looking into an accident that happened last November. Part of the airframe of a F-22A fell off into the engine intake, causing a whopping $1.2 million of damage.

And, while we understand that machines so amazingly complex will always have flaws that need to be ironed out, let's hope they used SuperGlue with the F-35 Lightning II. Or gum. [The Dew Line]

To achieve the new milestone, the Air Force flew an F-22 at 50,000 feet and released a 1000-pound JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition—it's a bomb) at a speed of 1142 mph. That precision-guided smart bomb then destroyed a tiny target 27.5 miles away. This is significant because the higher and faster one of these jets can fly while delivering bombs, the less chance it has of being shot down by enemy fire. That must be a good thing, because after all, what we really want to do is protect our own brave Air Force pilots while killing as many precisely-targeted human beings as possible on the ground. – Charlie White

The F22 Raptor makes its fastest and highest JDAM delivery yet [Newlaunches]

The canopy "became stuck in the down and locked position and could not be opened manually after the pilot cycled the mechanism several times, following a pre-flight warning that the canopy was unlocked."

What did they do? Why, of course, they broke out a chain saw and sawed open the cockpit, causing $180,000 worth of damage. Oops.

F-22 Raptor swallows pilot [The Register]