Maybe I have different sources...

The problem I have with our present day fighter strategy is that I hear great stories about the F 22 and the soon to be delivered F 35 but it is totally in a vacuum. I think we should start thinking are these aircraft are capable of defeating the supposed enemy. My Russian friends are fully stoked about the S 37 and I can see the path of their argument.

The newest aircraft, primarily the S 37 and its soon to added brothers and sisters follow a different strategy. The Russians ( and for the most part, the Chinese) believe that stealth is a good thing but in moderation. They think that the F 22 pays a penalty for its being completely tied physically to the stealth concept. Instead the Russians put there faith in the old concept of speed and maneuverability. Yes, it is partially stealthy but it depends more on electronic methods to spoof tracking radar. The Rand corporation did a study between the F 22 and it's primary competitors and while the F 22 was a good aircraft (far better than the F 15 or the F 16 systems) it is only treading water when put up against the newest aircraft. The report was first published and then squashed by the Military.

The problem is that it has we can't have just a good aircraft for the Russians usually build so many of a type that we need a far superior aircraft. We have always had the doctrine that one of our fighters was as good as up to five of the enemy. So we can achieve air superiority with fewer airframes then that the 2nd world countries.

However there is a catch to this senario. Did the Russians really build or will build as many of the S 37 as they claim. Or have they built a few prototypes (thats all we have seen at airshows and such) or a single squadron. Just enough to scare the West because we can look at the ones they show us and think that they have built 300+ or more. Maybe bad enough to build a large number of F 22 to combat a threat that is merely a paper tiger. The S 37 and newer prototypes are superior to our fighters (they too have vectored thrust engines and such) And the Russians plan to be very aggresive with their assets to take air superiority away from us.

Is the F 22 a good plane, yes. Is it capability to be a first class fighter that will be the mainstream for 20+ years I don't know.