Posted on 12/31/2014 5:11:05 AM PST by C19fan
The Pentagons newest stealth jet, the nearly $400 billion Joint Strike Fighter, wont be able to fire its gun during operational missions until 2019, three to four years after it becomes operational.
Even though the Joint Strike Fighter, or F-35, is supposed to join frontline U.S. Marine Corps fighter squadrons next year and Air Force units in 2016, the jets software does not yet have the ability to shoot the onboard 25mm cannon. But even when the jet will be able to shoot its gun, the F-35 barely carries enough ammunition to make the weapon useful.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
ROE not permitting a return of fire.
ROE not permitting DESTROYING the Enemy.
Jets without Guns.
The code monkeys in India and China can't get the job done on time?
Get the guys who programmed the Manned Lunar Missions back on teh job.
Lordy. We are so screwed.
Does anyone have any insight on which language is more difficult to learn - Russian or Mandarin?
Mandarin, hands down.
Agreed.
In the early 2000s B-52s carry a huge number of unguided gravity bombs but a strike fighter using JDAMS was more effective with only few bombs.
It's not how much ordnance an aircraft carries, it's about how much of it actually hits the target.
The questions to ask is just how accurate are the F-35s guns going to be and why does the F-35 require such sophisticated fire control software.
The gun would seem to be there to support ground troops (missiles for dogfights). The A-10 likely performs the ground support mission in better fashion.
Russian proficiency can be picked up after 40-60 hours of instruction. Learning the alphabet and basic vocabulary isn’t hard.
They’re dead, Jim.
Can’t out-run. Can’t out-turn. Can’t out-climb.
And now, it can’t even hide.
It’s only purpose is to funnel billions of dollars to defense contractors who will kick millions back to congressmen for “contributions” / bribes.
I suspect drones will make the A-10 obsolete. But there is and never was and never will be a superior ground support aircraft. And all these people who wet their pants worrying about “swarming” Iranian patrol boats should consider the scenario of one A-10 vs. the entire Iranian Navy.
I’ve heard that because the F-35 has small wings it has to keep flying at a higher velocity to stay in the air. That makes it hard to support ground troops. It also burns up fuel so it can’t stay around long.
The A-10 can loiter for hours over an area and take its time... with a very big gun to shoot.
I’m sure the details of their flight envelopes are very different, but apparently the Brass want the F-35 to do all missions.
I suspect that the Air Force will want drones to make the A-10 obsolete, but the A-10 will remain superior for certain jobs nonetheless.
“the Brass want the F-35 to do all missions”
I’ll bet the Marines on the ground would rather some slow-movers were taking their time in the sky above them.
Remember the early F4 did not have any gun. Those in charge thought it was only going to need missiles....
Put an ad on CL for an app.
The gun would seem to be there to support ground troops (missiles for dogfights). The A-10 likely performs the ground support mission in better fashion.
History has shown that a gun is a vital component of air to air combat and that guns get used more often than the Pentagon planners assume.
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