Yep...but some folks really love the F-35. My buddy's son is in the Israeli Air Force and they absolutely love the F-35 (they usually use either F-16s or F-15s). This story is, from what I've been told, not only true but it understates the true capabilities of the aircraft. What I was told is that not only did the F-35s surveil Iranian air defenses, the planes flew over Tehran in the shape of a Star of David...
Yep...but some folks really love the F-35. My buddy's son is in the Israeli Air Force and they absolutely love the F-35 (they usually use either F-16s or F-15s). This story is, from what I've been told, not only true but it understates the true capabilities of the aircraft. What I was told is that not only did the F-35s surveil Iranian air defenses, the planes flew over Tehran in the shape of a Star of David...
The Israeli Air Force has a longstanding reputation of improving whatever we sell them in a variety of ways. I wonder what tweaks they have made to the F-35.
Yep...but some folks really love the F-35. My buddy's son is in the Israeli Air Force and they absolutely love the F-35 (they usually use either F-16s or F-15s). This story is, from what I've been told, not only true but it understates the true capabilities of the aircraft. What I was told is that not only did the F-35s surveil Iranian air defenses, the planes flew over Tehran in the shape of a Star of David...
The F-35 mission is a bit more complicated and required a VTOL replacement for the AV8B Harrier. Obviously more moving parts, in flight environments the F-22 will never encounter. Looks like things are coming together. I came up through Marine Corps Aviation with a aviation element onboard an LHA consiting of Hueys, Cobras, 46s and 53s. We added the AV8B Harrier in early 1980s. Now we see the Tilt-Rotors and F-35s deployed together. Awesome capability IMO.
Hill AFB here is the home of the first fully operational F-35 squadrons. They have deployed numerous times to war zones, and have seen a good deal of combat already. The guys in flight suits that I corner while shopping in the commissary are happy to tell me it is a very good airplane - finally. There is no argument that it took way too long, was far too ambitious, and many times too expensive to develop. But the end product is damn good.
If the F-22 ever gets to the "furball" dogfighting stage of air-to-air combat, it has failed utterly in its mission. It is designed to detect, track, and kill from long to very long range, before the enemy even knows it is there. Fighter pilots dearly love to engage with guns, in close, and under high Gs - but that is a tactic about as outmoded as horse cavalry.