“It’s impossible to have a civil discussion with FReepers about the F-35!”
No it’s not.
Well, the 35 is light years behind an F-15. That’s just a fact. The 35 is heavier on that ramp by 5000 lbs. WIng loading of 107 lbs per sq/ft vs 73 in the F-15.
And 28,000 lbs of thrust vs 47,000 in the F-15.
The 36 carries an embarrassing 180 rounds vs 940 in the F-15, yet the 35 is touted as a -CAS- platform too.
The 35 is less stealthy than an F-117. It’s ok, but not much more. And we will be flying them for 25 or 30 years. But radars are merely a function of processing power and speed which doubles every 18 months.
A stealth airframe vs increases in SAM technology? The airframe fixed in time is bound to lose in a few short years. Even Ben Rich admitted this.
When that time comes, we will wish we had way more F-15s instead of the slowest least maneuverable fighter we have deployed since the early 60s.