Posted on 07/10/2015 10:26:26 AM PDT by C19fan
The Pentagon’s new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is dead meat in a close battle against even a dated two-seat F-16D fighter jet, according to a scathing test pilot report War Is Boring obtained.
Don’t sweat it, JSF-maker Lockheed Martin responded. “The F-35’s technology is designed to engage, shoot and kill its enemy from long distances,” Lockheed’s F-35 team wrote in a press release on July 1.
(Excerpt) Read more at medium.com ...
By the way, I wonder if part of the Iran nuke deal involves any of our now surplus F-14 parts?
My EXACT thought.
“against even a dated two-seat F-16D fighter jet”
The F16 is a damn good aircraft.
All F-14’s have been scrapped to avoid just that. None at Davis-Monthan, etc. However, I would guess there are still some in museums. There aren’t any near me. I thought there was one on the deck of the carrier in New York.
All of Iran’s F-14’s are A models I believe. That means they have the TF-30’s as used in the F-111. Not the upgraded engines.
The U.S. generally never keeps parts for a scrapped airplane. The parts are scrapped, too, and often, the tooling. Witness Robert McNamara and the SR-71; some incredibly-difficult-to-create machinery. All scrapped long, long ago.
I’m sure it’s a good airplane, but not for the roles it was intended to fill. If you make it so that it will do everything, it will do nothing well.
Can you say “F-111?”
Re-learning lessons from the past. . .
They have flown. . .and haven’t had spare parts and upgrades, electronic, engine or otherwise, they are flying pigs right now.
There’s an old saying: A camel is a horse designed by committee.
I fear the F-35 may fall into that category.
Are you talking about Ali Obama and his forty thieves?
It won’t need stealth for CAS missions, it will just have supplemental slat armor bolted around the airframe, just like the Stryker.
I am around pilots flying the F-35 every week and I have yet to hear one bad word.
“They were wrong then, too.”
They are right, now. Sorry. I flew in F-4s, with AIM-7Es and AIM-9Ps. Those are NOT the missiles of today!
Can you say “F-111?”
Re-learning lessons from the past. . .
as Iran I believe has F14’s. Don’t want to pick a fight with those.
Considering they are in pristine condition (or should be)
as they haven’t flown in 30 years.
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The Iranians actually used tomcats to good effect against Iraqi fighters during the 1980-88 war. Somehow enough of them were kept flying. Not sure if many or any kills were made with Phoenix though. A number of those super long-range missiles were fired against Iraqi aircraft in the no-fly zone; all missed their targets.
see... Whiz Kids, F-4 for further clarification
Truth is, no matter the jet EVERY pilot loves what they are flying.
Only when it specialized and gave up trying to be the jet for every mission for everyone, then it did well. . .”FB” mission, excellent, “EF” mission, excellent.
Which resulted in the F-14 being built.
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