Here’s my prediction. The F-35 is going to have a very short useful life. It is slower than the F-16, not as maneuverable, has a shorter range and carries less armament. It relies on the “magic” of stealth. But stealth is a short-lived capability. As computing speed and networking proliferates more and more radars will be integrated and interconnected with smarter defenses. These fighters will lose the one advantage that they now, for some time into the future, have.
Other planes, like the F-4 and F-15 have lived on way past their best-by dates because they had speed, firepower and were easily upgradable with improved avionics. They were, in a word, good platforms.
But all the F-35 has is good marketing.
The future is moving towards drone only air forces and they’ll come in sizes so small that air superiority will be neigh on impossible to achieve. We are wasting our resources.
It is also built by Lockheed-Martin, a company that consistently under achieves, and then gouges the client.
If I were president, you would be my first choice for Secretary of Defense. I’d try to get it called the War Department though.
Yep. They should have bought F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets.
Or Westernized SU-37s.
The F35 is a “system”...a significant difference from the F16
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/23/79/ab/2379ab96a3931410673b4bc284aeb771.jpg
So let’s compare...
F16
F16 MGTW - 42,300 lbs
Max Level Speed (at altitude)- 1,350 mph (2,175 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m), Mach 2.05
Max Level Speed (at sea level) - 915 mph
Internal Fuel - 7,200 lbs.
Combat radius - 340 mi (295 nmi, 550 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with four 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs
Hardpoints: 2× wing-tip Air-to-air missile launch rails, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage pylon (2 of 3 for sensors) stations with a capacity of up to 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) of stores.
F35
F35 MGTW - 70,000 lbs. (Variant dependent but sticking with CTOL for comparison’s sake)
Max Speed - 1.6M
Internal Fuel - 18,100 lbs.
Combat radius - 584 nm (1,080 km) on internal fuel
Hardpoints: 6 × external pylons on wings with a capacity of 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) and two internal bays with two pylons each for a total weapons payload of 18,000 lb (8,100 kg)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WpCHy_plw_o/TbZ-gRkNNEI/AAAAAAAAAJM/tDJR7Zj6TuE/s1600/jsfweaponloadnew_168.gif
Mission 1 ) Stealth CAS/SEAD: Internal Aim-120’s for self defense x 2, 2 x 2000 Lb or other weapons (SDB’s, JDAM’s, JSOWS etc)
Mission 2) Semi Stealth: Internal 2x Aim-120’s for self defense , 2x 2000lb bombs or other weapons + 2x Aim-9x’s externally
Mission 3) Air superiority: Stealthy: 4 x Aim-120’s Internally or 2xAim120’s + 2xAim-9x block iiis (Future) or 3 x Aim-120D’s + 1x Aim-9x blk III
Mission 4) Air superiority: Semi stealth 4 x Aim-120 D’s internally + 2x AIm-9x’s externally
Just for giggles, a full Air Superiority loadout here:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6hc1rMbueys/Uey7DGeHOoI/AAAAAAAACck/drIgNspKl2Y/s640/F-35-Current-A2A-Plan.jpg
So in order to carry the full 17k of stores, the F16 gives up combat radius whereas the F35 doesn’t. In addition, to have any anti anything capability (EW), the F16 must give up one or more stations to a pod(s). To increase range, it must give up 3 stations, one of which is a pod station. Thus, the jet is now down to 6 weapons stations.
Oh, and the almost 2 - 1 advantage in Combat radius the F35 has over the F16.
The F35 gives nothing up to the F16 except speed and that is conditional based on external configuration(s).
The aircraft doesn’t “rely on the magic of stealth” either...it relies on a combination of sensors and stealth.
It is clearly understood in the aviation community what the limitations of stealth are, not so much for folks outside the community apparently.
