Atlantic Trident 2017 exercise

An international exercise will be held from April 12 through April 28, 2017, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. The USAF will be joined by the Royal Air Force of the UK and the French Armée de l'Air.
The goal is to train together and to share tactics, techniques and procedures.

It will no doubt be an interesting event. US pilots will fly the F-22 Raptor and F-35 JSF. The British are bringing Typhoons and the French are flying their Rafale's. US F-15's and T-38 Talon jets will be the agressors in the exercise. The F-15's are clearly representing dangerous foes like the Flankers. The Talons simulate smaller threats, but are harder to spot.   source

I am looking forward to after action reports!

Personally, I think that these joint exercises are extrememy valuable. This is a great opportunity to learn how to operate 5th generation and 4+ generation fighters together in the most efficient way. 

For the US, it is also an opportunity to measure the results of the F-35 against the best of the US (F-22, F-15) and Europe (Rafale, Typhoon). In return, the French and British pilots get the unique experience of flying and fighting together with stealthy jets. They might learn about the strengths and weaknesses of stealty jets. This could prove immensly useful seeing that several countries are developing their own stealthy fighters. 

Silent killers

The Russian T-50 PAK FA is of course the main concern here in Europe. The Russian PAK FA is an interesting design. The shape, the internal weapons bay and the composite material reduce its radar cross section. All of this leads to the first Russian stealthy jet. Although I have read several comments that the side and rear RCS of the PAK FA is larger compared to US designs. The sensor fusion might also be less advanced than on the F-35.

But the advantage of the PAK FA is that it is still a Flanker at heart. It builds on the same speed, endurance and maneuverability that the Sukhoi's are famous for. The PAK FA has room for six weapons internally compared to just four on the F-35. 

The Russians will still need some time to finish the development of the PAK FA. Once ready, it will seriously boost the capabilities of the Russian Air Force. Nonethess, I expect that Russia will continue to lean heavily on the existing Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35. The PAK FA won't replace them. It will just be a useful addition. The current Sukhoi designs also feature as the main adversaries in the Belgian ACCAP missions. 

I am less sure about the MiG-35. It was first touted to be a advanced jet with 3D thrust vectoring AESA radar etc. As time progresses it seems that the Russian MoD isn't really interested. The Sukhoi's are the preferred choice for them. As a consequence MiG corporation is currently betting on international sales The MiG-35 is offered on the international market. But it now seems to be downgraded to normal engine nozzles and a mechanical radar. 

The MiG-35 is in a tough spot. On the one hand the Swedish Gripen and the latest F-16 variants offer advanced western designs at a fairly affordable price. On the other hand, the Sukhoi Su-30's offer a Russian alternative. The extra range of the Sukhoi is without a doubt a compelling argument. Most Sukhoi customers have to cover extended airspaces without the benefit of air-to-air refueling. The twin engine Sukhoi Su-30 with its huge volume of internal fuel  is perfect for the job.

I am rather pessimistic about the future of the MiG-35. Although according to The National Interest, Serbia will buy 6 MiG-29's and will receive 8 more from Belarus. I expect them to be second hand jets . Nonetheless with a few upgrades, the MiG-29 can still be a good fighter. Upgrades of existing MiG-29's might be more common than orders for new MiG-35's.