$200 million silver medallist

bruno

bruno

15-Year Member
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Feb 2, 2008
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Pretty good return on the investment here. So to recap- the plane doesn't perform ACM as well as the F16 and won't perform the CAS mission as well as the A10. One wonders if there are any other missions that it doesn't perform as well as the existing platforms? It does excel at one role though- it will break the bank better than any weapon system in history.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/blog-f-16-beat-f-35-lightning-ii-in-air-combat-test-1.355799
 
I guess it boils down to if you believe this part or not.

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, director of the F-35 Integration Office of the Air Force, said the report was misleading. He said the F-35 involved in the test was a variation designed for flight sciences testing and was not equipped with newer features, including sensors that allow the aircraft to see its enemy “long before it knows the F-35 is in the area” and special stealth clothing “that make them virtually invisible to radar.”
 
The F-35 may be a poor turn fighter. If so, it's pilots had better avoid a turning fight against nimbler foes. It's strengths hopefully are more numerous and useful than its weaknesses.

Knowledge of relative advantages and disadvantages is key. The F-86 had a superior heating and ventilation system, so our pilots could make MiG-15s disengage or risk fogging their canopy by diving to hotter and more humid low altitudes. MiG-15s fought better at high altitude, so F-86 pilots tried to force the fight lower.
 
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