Posted on 07/01/2015 7:00:51 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Flying an A-10 gun pass is the most fun you can have with your trousers on. . .
The fact is, it was designed to be a striker as well as a fighter, it is supposed to replace the A-10, the F-16, the Harrier and perhaps many more. It is not replacing the F-15E, a true strike fighter, though some are talking about that now.
It was sold as a multi-role fighter, not merely a striker.
The F-117 "F" kerfuffle was simply a tempest in a tea-pot by purists.
The pilot reported he had a hard time just turning his head in the cockpit because of that helmet letting the F-16 get behind him.
You would think someone would have noticed this in the design of the plane and helmet.
The F-35 is another example of Pentagon whiz kids trying to come up with one plane to do everything. The F-111 is a good example of this mindset. While it was a capable aircraft it never really lived up to expectations.
“There’s also the old adage that in modern combat, if you get yourself into a dogfight, you’re doing it wrong.”
You are mistaken. While we wish that to be true, it simply is not. We try to avoid the merge but that is never guaranteed. Consider the F-4. . .when it came on-line it had no gun, it had AIM-7 missiles, after all, no need for the merge and therefore, no need for a gun. Guess what. . .they found they needed a gun and were modified to carry a gun-pod or internal gun.
The ‘grinder’ can only do so much but sometimes to MUST close to the merge, especially when ROE requires a VID. . .or some friendlies EID has malfunctioned.
While I think the JSF is not what it was marketed or claimed to be, I find your Post to be most refreshing and accurate of them all on this thread. . .well. . .except for mine. . .
;-).
Well stated.
Need more F-22’s. . .outstanding jet for A/A and for limited strike (limited meaning it carries a small internal weapons load).
That is true, but some things never change and a gun is one that will always be needed. . that is why the F-22 has an internal gun as well as the JSF.
One would think. . .
But it’s not the top priority like it used to be, right?
“The F-35 is the replacement for the F117 stealth fighter, not the F-16”
That must be why F-16 squadrons are slated to turn in 16s for the 35 moonpig. And why we hear all about the 35 as a close support machine, and why the USMC and Navy are getting it. They were big into the F-117 world and needed a replacement./
“Ridiculous title. The F-35 was never meant to be a dog fighter.”
Ohhh, I understand now. That must be why it carries a gun with an air to air engagement targeting system.
“There’s also the old adage that in modern combat, if you get yourself into a dogfight, you’re doing it wrong.”
That must explain why Israelis are never in dog fights, and why our forces in the middle east wars all the way back to desert storm never were either. They were all doing it wrong!
We heard this before, that’s why the F-4 originally was built without a gun. The arguments were exactly the same.
In an all out war where anything can be shot, then fine. But the world is filled with scenarios that force dogfights, and we are about to field a dog that cannot outrun a sukhoi, cannot turn with it, cannot escape it. It’s only hope is to hit it before its seen.
If it fails in this, its dead if it does not have one of our mere handful of F-22s nearby to save it.
The machine is a national embarrassment.
For extra fun, lets say it has to engage Saudi F-15s or Paki or Turk or Greek or indonesian F-16s. A lot of unsavory characters fly F-16s.
“the F35 is a one trick pony. It was designed to see first shoot first. It wasn’t designed to be a turning battle gun fighter.”
It is far slower than a Sukhoi, and also cannot out turn, or our climb it. If the surprise “see first shoot first” attack fails to kill 100% of the enemy, the survivors now know you are there and are pissed.
You can’t out run them, you cant out turn them, and they can run you out of gas.
Disgraceful.
Here you go, wiseguy:
In the aftermath of the F-22’s cancellation, the Air Force was forced to alter its plans and press-gang the F-35—originally meant as a ground-attack aircraft—into service as an air-to-air fighter. It was the only way for the flying branch to keep enough dogfighters in the air.
“Operationally, we have to have it,” says Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh. “The decision to truncate the F-22 buy has left us in a position where even to provide air superiority [we need the F-35], which was not the original intent of the F-35 development.”
To be clear, the F-35 has always had some air-to-air capability. But that latent dogfighting ability was mostly meant for self-defense—not for aggressively challenging another country’s fighters in the air.
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/can-the-f-35-win-a-dogfight-95462ccd6745
Here is the newest version of the F-15
Now compare it to the very expensive F-35
This Is A Fully Armed F-15SA, The Most Advanced Production Eagle Ever
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/this-is-a-fully-armed-f-15sa-the-most-advanced-product-1715732294
FTA: When it comes to weapons, the F-15SA can carry almost anything in the inventory. In the incredible image above showing an “extreme multi-role loadout” it packs: 2x AIM-120AMRAAMs, 2x AIM-9X Sidewinders, 2x AGM-84 SLAM-ERs, 2x AGM-88 HARMs, 6x GBU-54/B Laser JDAMs, and 8x GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs.
Meanwhile: F-35 Can’t Carry Its Most Versatile Weapon Until At Least 2022
FTA: F-15SA once again, albeit this time it is in an air-to-air configuration, including no less than eight AIM-120 AMRAAMs and eight AIM-9X Sidewinders. This amounts to double the missile carrying capability of the F-15C or F-15E. Also note the Infrared Search and Track system mounted above the jet’s radome. This, combined with its state of the art radar’s low probability of intercept modes, advanced radar warning receiver and Link 16 data-link, allows the F-15SA to hunt for enemy aircraft in electromagnetic silence while still maintain high-situational awareness.
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