How good fighter the SH is......
well, it is heavier by 1000kg or 2000 lbs than a F-15A Eagle. F414 produces about 4000 lbs of thrust in comparison with the F100 of the Eagle.
The wing area is less than the Eagle's.
The aspect ratio is bigger.
Sum all this up and you have a fighter that for sure is inferior in comparison with the Eagle, at least in terms of acceleration supersonic and subsonic.
On the other hand, SH has big big Leading Edge Root Extensions, that help it in high angles of attack. Question : of what use is the high angle of attack capability in slow speeds, when the fighter hasn't the required thrust to weight ratio to gain energy?
Just like the Flanke it can perform beautifuly when slow down, but you all know the debate of "slow vs fast" in dogfight. In the case of the Flanker the T/W enables the Sukhoi aircraft to accelerate rapidly.
The way i see it, the SH is outclassed by the Flanker.......
By the way, Dr Kopp is one of the "hottest" supporters for the F-22. This doesn't mean that the article is biased, but for sure, it tries to show all the possible drawbacks of the Super Hornet.
Here in Greece Boeing has led a nice advertising campaign, stating that SH and F-35 are of the same generation (!) stealth fighter. Well, most likely they have confused the fighter generations on purpose, but without a doubt, SH is the most well equipped double role fighter around....