In terms of size, F-15C is the most closest to it; or, if we're looking for a comparison from the current TurAF inventory, F-4E 2020's.
Basically it's a stealthy F-15EX which is more than enough for Turkey's needs.
It's design elements remind me of not only the American 5th gens but also the Su-57. The stabilizers are like that of the F-35, the overall fuselage shape is just like that of an F-22 with a slight LERX, and the weapon bays are like that of the Su-57 or the YF-23.
Hmm, so this implies that the length is about 19m? It's good to keep everyone else guessing, I suppose.
I also saw some similarities to the Su-57. A disappointing one is the clear visibility of the nozzles from the side. Not great for IR.
A few other observations and questions:
- large distance between the two nozzles—reminiscent of the Tomcat. Maybe with some clever software we can do a bit of split throttle trickery for enhanced maneuverability.
- prominent S-duct (nice)
- can't tell if IRST is round (less stealthy, like in the promo renders) or faceted (like the EOTS, more stealthy)
- can't tell if nozzles are LO. Are we really going to use the same non-LO C/D nozzles that are on F-16s for GTU-0? GE was able to retrofit axisymmetric LO nozzles to the F110 back in the late 90s with the F-16 LO Axi Nozzle program. Fingers crossed we see something like this:
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W.r.t. to calling the TF-X a stealthy F-15EX is selling it a bit short, in my opinion. I think you're right in terms of flight dynamics: similar thrust engines (Block 1), approx. same size, probably similar weight if we take into account TF-X' extensive use of composites. However, its tech will almost certainly exceed the F-15EX: built-in EOTS
and IRST, DAS, larger GaN AESA, HMD only (no HUD, a la F-35)... At least, I hope it will.
