As many of you know the JSF has never been tax payer money well spent IMO however it's no wonder pilots like it.. The clean uncluttered interior as well as the arm rest would seem a real positive.. Does that make it a great fighting machine ? Only time will tell.
Every AF pilot I've asked (We have the first fully combat capable squadrons here) says he loves it. Our guys have flown real combat missions in them, so they ought to know a bit about it.
One of the guys that used to work for me has a son that was an F35 test pilot and is cure an instructor for the plane. Some of the things that can be done with it both with regular flight, but specifically within combat, are borderline nuts. I’m sure there are a lot of things he can’t let out, but just what he can talk about is something I’d never have thought of.
My BIL is a high ranking AF retiree, flew A-10's in both gulf wars and Bosnia, and is now a RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) instructor in the private sector for the US govt.
I have had a (brief) chance to enjoy some of the military's finest combat simulations... But my favorite is playing the part of the "wizzo" (WSO - Weapon Systems Officer). Blew some chit UP!! Best video game EVER.
All this praise for an aircraft the internet says sucks.
I'm not praising it. Not by a long shot.
There's an inconvenient truth or two at hand. Anyone ever looked at the Fault Tree Analysis for this toy? It's a simple thing actually that asks what happens if this or that fails. For example, on the old F4 if there was a complete failure of the hydraulic system what are the implications and what action does the pilot take?
Every plane that has ever flown has had "issues" and always will. The vaunted P-51 was doomed with a single small hit to its radiator, just as one example.
Every plane that has ever flown has had "issues" and always will. The vaunted P-51 was doomed with a single small hit to its radiator, just as one example.
Well, at least you could still land a P-51 with a hole in the radiator. Now we've got an expensive computer-controlled lawn dart...
I've NEVER met a flyer who flies airframe X and says he hates it, so there is that. The F-35's issues are SO numerous i can (and have) commented on them. plenty of article out there from credible sources, not just internet commandos (like me). As one comment put it, the technology is that plane is so advanced to deal with threats beyond visual range (BVR), you can put it in a 747 and achieve the same results, but eventually, you get 'leakers" and it's off to the good old fashioned "merge', aka "furball' and it that scenario, it is woefully lacking (it's a single seater and a PIG compared to a 22 ). In the close air support role (CAS), it is a marvel with stand off weaponry, but if you have to get down and dirty. that's a whole lot of money when some zipperhead gets lucky with an AK or a ZSU-23. Flying of "the boat", well let me tell you, your ass feels a LOT BETTER having two engines where for the last forty years, flying in a Navy jet with one engine was called an "in flight emergency." And I'm not even going to touch the logistics nightmare it is...
If the JSF strength is merely standoff mode [and I truly believe it is] then the powers that be have created a very pricy ruptured duck of sorts considering the Strike Eagle is and always will be a great standoff airframe and better yet with upgrades coming for the F-15X variants...Yes no stealth but I firmly believe it will soon be history easily defeated by new technology..
That would have been the way to go in my opinion, Woody. As to the 22, no doubt the most incredible machine ever created, but WAY to expensive. Pilots and F-16s are cheap and war is hell..
Jorge I have a good friend [ retired USAF ] that works for our local Raytheon defense division..He tells me their contribution to the X variant will be a nightmare for any any adversary.
I've NEVER met a flyer who flies airframe X and says he hates it, so there is that.
Never met anyone who flew the F7U "Gutless Cutless" did you? There have been some turkeys before without a doubt.
We've never been in this place where we have been so dependent on such a small variety of platforms so the stakes are high and they have to work and that means maintenance and parts. Take a look at the airshow pictures here (which are spectacular, gotta love Kodachrome) 1960s airshow. Ironically the first picture IS a Cutless. Notice how may different aircraft were in the service then. What do we have now as strike or fighter aircraft?
That's it among all the services. As well, we're stuck with what we have and will be until everyone here is dead and gone. In the 50-70 improvement was constant. Aircraft lost in training or operations were often replaced by whatever was next.
We have seen a bit of talk concerning actual A/A capable unmanned combat aircraft. Possibly even carrier based trials if I remember correctly.
It appears the F 35 could just as easily be flown from an air conditioned office in Pasadena Ca, as from the cockpit.
I am sure the F 35 will evolve into a valuable part of our Air Defense. Our legacy AC like the A 10, Hornet, Falcon, and Eagle will also have an important role for the foreseeable future.
There have been some turkeys before without a doubt.