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The F-35 has hit another snag — this time because it is just too good
Business Insider ^ | August 1st, 2016 | Alex Lockie

Posted on 08/01/2016 5:27:12 PM PDT by Mariner

The F-35 has hit yet another snag. During a recent exercise at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, US Air Force F-35A pilots set out to practice evading surface-to-air missiles, but they could not, because the SAM radars on the ground could not even find the ultra-stealthy planes.

"If they never saw us, they couldn't target us," said Lt. Col. George Watkins, commander of the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, told the Air Force Times.

To participate in the exercise as planned, the F-35As had to turn on their transponders, essentially announcing their presence so the SAM sites could see and engage them.

"We basically told them where we were at and said, 'Hey, try to shoot at us,'" said Watkins.

Had Watkins and crew not turned on their transponders, "most likely we would not have suffered a single loss from any SAM threats while we were training at Mountain Home."

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
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To: buwaya

The A-10 can fly underneath the radar if it has to.


41 posted on 08/01/2016 8:15:41 PM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: Mariner

...and we have to let our enemies know this.

Truly, Bismarck was right: “God protects fools, drunks and the United States.”


42 posted on 08/01/2016 8:59:06 PM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: rdcbn
I have real money and I'll take that bet. How much do you want to lose?

$300 on the A-10s and F-22s.
Being former 11B theA10 is a sure bet, and the F-222 has a big advantage over the F-35 in Air-superiority.

43 posted on 08/01/2016 10:04:14 PM PDT by Edward.Fish
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To: piytar
Good post.

The F35 is a fine aircraft. However in Iraq my son's best friend was an A-10 or Apache. As an infantry man they knew if it all went to Sh-t, those boys could bring in close and accurate support from the air.

The only problem with the A-10 is it does not have United States Army painted on it!

The F35 can not do what an A-10 can nor can an A-10 do what an F35 can. They both have different missions and different capabilities. We need both.

44 posted on 08/01/2016 10:28:20 PM PDT by cpdiii (DECKHAND ROUGHNECK MUDMAN GEOLOGIST PILOT PHARMACIST LIBERTARIAN , CONSTITUTION IS WORTH DYING FOR!)
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To: fso301

I see them fly every week and I have never seen a weapons bay open.


45 posted on 08/01/2016 10:31:03 PM PDT by KC Burke (Consider all of my posts as first drafts. (Apologies to L. Niven))
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To: Mariner
One would have to have and keep visual engagement with one of these to take it down,

I don't think there has ever been a conflict where our fighter pilots have been given total freedom to acquire and shoot BVR. If you know of one, please correct me, but show your source.

If the USAF is limited to shooting within visual range, an awful lot of the F-35's advantage just goes away.

46 posted on 08/02/2016 5:43:46 AM PDT by Eric Pode of Croydon
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To: Mariner

It’s an attack bird and I think it’ll be fine in it’s defined role.


47 posted on 08/02/2016 7:56:51 AM PDT by Iron head mike (Dirty deeds done dirt cheap)
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To: USNBandit
You are suggesting a competition where the F-35 has to perform the other aircraft’s primary mission.

Yes; after all the F-35 is being labeled as a "do everything [better]" airframe.

So how about a competition between the F-22, A-10, and the F-35, where the mission is deep strike against a heavily defended target that requires 2,000 pound class weapons for destruction?

The F-22 and A-10 don't make any pretenses to being for that sort of mission, they're for air-superiority and close-air-support, respectively.

48 posted on 08/02/2016 11:24:11 AM PDT by Edward.Fish
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To: Edward.Fish

So the F-35 has to do its mission and every other platform’s mission for you to be satisfied? Did you spend the last 30 years bashing on the F-16, as well?


49 posted on 08/02/2016 12:13:42 PM PDT by USNBandit (Sarcasm engaged at all times)
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To: USNBandit
So the F-35 has to do its mission and every other platform’s mission for you to be satisfied?

That's what we're being sold, so yes.
I wouldn't be quite as hard on it if they were honest, but everything about it seems wrongheaded -- from the claims that it can do CAS well enough to replace the A-10, that it can do just as good at air-superiority as the F-22, to the shenanigans about its readiness for combat (it was just last month that they actually fired the gun; from a stand and not airborne though), the language for the SW was also a bad choice (C++ is not very good for ensuring low-defect code).

Did you spend the last 30 years bashing on the F-16, as well?

While versatile, the F-16 wasn't ever billed as it can do everything, and better than anything like the F-35 is.

50 posted on 08/02/2016 12:56:01 PM PDT by Edward.Fish
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To: Mariner

I call BS!


51 posted on 08/02/2016 12:56:45 PM PDT by DungeonMaster (Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.)
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To: Edward.Fish

Lol. Maybe you missed the whole fighter mafia era.


52 posted on 08/02/2016 1:00:02 PM PDT by USNBandit (Sarcasm engaged at all times)
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To: Mariner

“One would have to have and keep visual engagement with one of these to take it down, and then you’d have to use cannon. “

Exactly what happened in Vietnam.

Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it...arrogance is not a virtue.


53 posted on 08/02/2016 1:15:34 PM PDT by CodeToad (Islam should be banned and treated as a criminal enterprise!)
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To: USNBandit
Maybe you missed the whole fighter mafia era.

That's probably true... I'm not qualified to be President by reason of age.

54 posted on 08/02/2016 1:19:25 PM PDT by Edward.Fish
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