get their a@@ kicked in dogfights all the time though, it seems.
“get their a@@ kicked in dogfights all the time though, it seems.”
Might be true.
But it’s irrelevant: the maneuvering portion of the average air-to-air engagement is only a couple percentage points. The winner is the one who gets the drop on the other guy.
Been the case since 1937 or so. Airspeeds and weapon capabilities exceeded human vision and reaction time about then; pilots became helpless without a communications net and centralized control. Even fighter pilots, who have always been convinced they were superior to everyone else.
Thanks for proving my point about the wanna be “experts” here on FR...you’re exaggerating by using the plural “dogfights” and regurgitating half-assed information you’ve read here or on some blog and then you try to walk it back a bit with the teaser “it seems”...
Just to edify you a little bit, since I’m in a bit of good mood...
If you’re really interested in the “other side” of the story, go here and read official statement. And yes, there are always two sides to every story.
https://www.f35.com/news/detail/joint-program-office-response-to-war-is-boring-blog
If you still don’t get it, there’s not much else I can do for you.
The F35 is designated as a fighter, but is a STRIKE aircraft first and foremost...if you can understand that, then maybe, just maybe you’ll understand the very distinct differences in design and capability between it and true “fighters”.
Or do you still think the F117 was a “fighter”?