F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Myths

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Rapilotn1
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F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Myths

Post by Rapilotn1 » Mon Sep 18, 2017 12:39 am

1. The F-35 cannot turn, cannot run, cannot fight. The F-35 has problems, but it's not that bad. Modern air to air combat is mostly all about situational awareness and dodging missiles. Anyone who was played Falcon 4 knows that dogfight do not happen often and that they can be avoided. Dogfights can be avoided by good situational awareness in launching missiles at the enemy before they get too close.

An aircraft only needs to turn a rate in which it can avoid missiles and and not at a super high rate which is necessary for dogfights. Most dogfights end up being about launching a standoff air to air medium-range missile and then turning away from the missile. Speed is what really matters and not turn rate. A little jinking such as a barrel roll once you have turned away from the missile is all that is necessary. A climb and a turn to put it on your three or nine o'clock may also be necessary. But neither of these maneuvers require a superfast turn right- only that speed be maintained.

So it is simply wrong to say that the F-35 cannot survive in air to air combat. It cannot only turn fast enough, it can also run fast enough. The F-35 has very limited super cruise of up to an hour. This may not sound like much but anyone who has played Falcon 4 knows that this would be very useful when trying to run from the enemy that pursues you.

2. Dogfighting does not matter because all modern air to air combat is done beyond visual range. Anyone who has played Falcon knows that many planes slip past the radar and must be locked by the radar dogfight mode. In this case you would often get within heat seeker missile range. A really violent barrel roll or other maneuver would be necessary to avoid a short range head on heat seeker launch.

Furthermore, stealth could make detecting and tracking targets more difficult. Yes radar could detect stealth aircraft but the stealth would make detecting them and probably keeping a lock on them more difficult. Jamming might further add to the problem of tracking aircraft. This would make dogfights in the future more common and not less common.

3. The F-35 is not as bad as critics claim, so not enough F-35 planes were built. The F-35 is not a bad plane, but it should only be built in the hundreds and not thousands. Although the F-35 is not bad in air to air combat, only the best aircraft should be built in large numbers. To make the same aircraft for all three services with only minor modifications for each service was a dumb idea. Harrier aircraft like the F-35 have a large fuselage and a small wing. To simply make it have a larger wing for the airforce to make it a figher won't work. They needed a different plane-one that is the best the United States could make for the airforce from the ground up-one that would have great maneuverability and not just better than poor maneuverability.

Air combat is going to be a fiercely competitive business. Russia and China will not be easy to compete against in the future. Which means the United States will have to make it best aircraft for the air force-one that has the best maneuverability. This cannot be done by simply modifying a plane with mediocre maneuverability.

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