Posted on 07/19/2006 7:10:06 AM PDT by white trash redneck
The F-35 (recently named the Lightning II) is due to enter service soon. While the F-22 is widely seen as the ultimate air-to-air machine, the F-35 is described as a multi-role aircraft. How does the F-35 compare in the air-to-air mission against likely competitors like the French Rafale, the Swedish Gripen, and the multi-national Eurofighter?
The Rafale, Gripen, and Eurofighter are all in service or expected to enter service in 2006. All of them boast some of the best electronics suites ever to appear in combat aircraft. All have top speeds approaching 2,000 kilometers an hour. All three aircraft carry excellent beyond-visual-range missiles (like the Mica, AMRAAM, and Meteor). All are highly maneuverable. But will they be better than the F-35 in a fight?
The answer, surprisingly, is probably not. The F-35 has one big advantage over these three fighters from Europe. Its radar signature is very small – as is the case with the F-117 and F-22. Given that its speed is comparable to the European jets, and its AESA radar is at least as good as the European systems, this "invisibility" is a decisive advantage. The best weapons in the world are useless if they cannot see their targets.
The F-35 will be able to see the Rafale, Gripen, and Eurofighter long before it can be seen itself. The first rule of air combat may be "speed is life", but the second rule is "lose the sight, lose the fight". In the 21st century, sight includes radar. It is very likely that the only warning the F-35 may give of its presence will be when its radar has locked on to one of the European fighters. By that point, the F-35 is already close to launching its AMRAAMs.
This is probably the major reason for the United States Air Force's future dominance of the air. Even its second-best fighter will probably be able to best the front-line designs of other western nations in a "paper" fight based on specifications and capabilities. When the level of training American pilots get is added to the mix, the F-35's advantage becomes staggering. One other factor to consider is that the United States Air Force plans to have 1,763 F-35s on inventory (the Marine Corps and Navy variants would add another 780 F-35s to the mix). If the Rafale is built to a planned force level of 292, and the Saudi order for the Eurofighter goes through, the combined Gripen, Rafale, and Eurofighter production runs will total 1,262, meaning there will be two F-35s for every one of the advanced European fighters. – Harold C. Hutchison (haroldc.hutchison@gmail.com)
why does he think we will be facing French aircraft, did they sell them to the terrorists?
Well, the Russian designs appear to have been designed to have a manueverability advantage in a gun fight, and they do have that. The problem is that nobody gets into an aerial gun fight any more, and the capability is pretty much useless.
USAF says that it was named after the US Lightning *and* the English Lightning.
Also included in the naming was the P-38 Lightning of WW 2 fame.
The F-22 was called a Raptor because most Birds of Prey are Raptors.Birds such as the Falcon,Osprey,eagle,Etc.etc.
Those are all Raptors.The decision had nothing to do with Jurassic Park.
Well - my granddad shot down two with a Fw 190 D-9. Anyway you Americans won the war...
Thank God this BS is history.
Greetings from Lake Constance / Germany
P.S. The most famous pilot of a P-38 was a Frenchman: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
F-15 Streak Eagle?
Richard "Dick" Ira Bong was for sure a outstanding pilot. But - his 45 kills aren't that impressive to Europeans where we had pilots that shot down 300 and more enemy planes. I am aware that the American pilots did not had the chance to reach such omnipotent numbers due to the fact that they usually just had short times in combat compared to their German opponents. Their de facto performance was usually very good.
Anyway he didn't leave the world such great books about like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry did. You should read them before you start to stammer about "some french author". Great stuff!
Nice speculation. We will see if the F-35 is what they say it is or not.
SU-35/37 is no slouch either.
A little testy today at Vectorian?
Interesting comparison! Thanks.
(fyi, the date was actually Jul 14, not Jun 14).
I still believe that England should turn it's back on Continental Europe and formally join policalicaly with America.
Dad would smile.
Excellent photo of one of the "greatest generation".
LOL...
That's YOUR side of the Atlantic!
Over here, I am sure it was named after that beautiful Fork Tailed Devil!
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