Aircraft requirements can be set against an opponent's claimed performance with an additional margin for uncertainty. If the claims prove accurate, that margin still offers protection; if they are inflated, the resulting aircraft gains a larger advantage. Soviet wartime population losses and their effect on technical expertise are proposed as part of the industrial background. Political rewards for reporting success could also encourage exaggerated claims while discouraging honest accounts of shortcomings. In this interpretation, American investment repeatedly answered a stronger threat than the Soviet aircraft actually presented, leaving the F-15 itself as a benchmark for the F-22.
Notable Point · 3:53:52-3:55:41
Soviet aircraft claims and American design targets
Designing against an opponent's advertised capabilities can produce a large advantage when those claims exaggerate the equipment's real performance.