GTP Alternative Cool Wall: 2009-present Sukhoi Pak-Fa T50

[SagarisGTB]

Ahem, Blinder, Fulcrum and Flanker?

My take:
The Blinder and Foxbat were a lot of hot air in their day and nowhere near as good as their immediate successors, which came rather quickly. They weren't very good and didn't last, I don't think that's very cool.

The Fulcrum and Flanker families are very good aircraft (particularly the Flankers), but they simply get washed in with the rest of gen 4 jet fighters, namely the US teen series and (to a lesser extent) the eurocanards. They all start to become so generic and they lack the superlatives of the really cool planes. The high-flying Foxhound is the fastest thing to ever launch air-to-air missiles; the Kamovs are the only attack helis to have coaxial rotors; Bear has super-loud supersonic props; Berkut has swept wings; Blackjack is an elegant massive antiflash mach 2 bomber!

 

[MatskiMonk]

I've got a thing for some of the earlier supersonic bombers (Tu-22/B-58), perhaps because they are slightly overlooked compared to the likes of the Heavy bombers (Tu-95/B-52), or the later supersonic bombers such as the Tu-160 or the B-1... and then there's the XB-70 or T-4 which are almost mythical! For me the Blinder is not only a pretty unique shape, thanks to its unusual engine placement, and the heavily swept wings with undercarriage pods.... but also just a pretty good looking aircraft. It might not be as generally well known as the Bear, but for me it's an iconic shape of the cold war. It was one of the aircraft that caught my imagination when I was little and my Dad gave me his aviation books from the 50's & 60's. It was also in service into the mid 90's, so I think it lasted reasonably well, even if it was ideal for it's intended purpose.

To a certain degree I find much of the Soviet hardware 'cooler' than the respective opposite numbers from the US, simply because it does have a certain sinister aura about it... Thanks to the media, over familiarity with the fighters as you mention makes them seem a bit cliched. For me, that's what sets apart the Fulcrum and the Flanker from the Tomcat, Eagle, Falcon or Hornet - that and the fact the Fulcrum is simply a better looking aircraft than the rest of them. Also, I'll always remember being at Fairford in 1993 when the two MiG's collided (I was 14 at the time, and it was my first proper Airshow).

Each to their own though. I wouldn't really quibble any of the other aircraft mentioned either.

 

[Exorcet]

They weren't very good and didn't last, I don't think that's very cool.

This image is forever burned into my mind

The Foxbat wasn't that bad an aircraft either. It was replaced so quickly mostly because an example was delivered to the US by a Soviet defector. Also, it's replacement was another Foxbat. Yes, they changed the name and a few other things, but the basic concept was very similar. The MiG-25 is also to this day no slouch and despite its age it manage to get the only kill on a US fighter in Iraq despite the presence of the MiG-29, and another one basically outran all the missiles shot at it.