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F-35 Might Be Outperformed By Fourth-Generation Fighters

Posted by samzenpus on from the that's-not-good dept.

savuporo writes: Defensetech.org posted a story relaying a report from National Security Network titled "Thunder without Lightning: The High Costs and Limited Benefits of the F-35 Program". According to the story, F-35 is outperformed or showing only slight advantages in simulations and limited real-life tests by decades old 4th-generation fighters like F-16 and F18, but also MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker, that are of course made by Russia and latter also produced in China. The story also refers back to earlier report last month of F-35 performing poorly in dogfights. "In one simulation subcontracted by the RAND Corporation, the F-35 incurred a loss exchange ratio of 2.4–1 against Chinese Su-35s. That is, more than two F-35s were lost for each Su-35 shot down."

4 of 732 comments (clear)

  1. And all they wanted was a faster horse by CxDoo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Why is dogfight a parameter in assessing 5th generation plane?
    It's like saying my car sucks because I can't use a crank to start the engine like the old cars could.

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    "Blah blah blah." - [citation needed]
    1. Re:And all they wanted was a faster horse by tsotha · · Score: 5, Informative

      That may be, but this is specifically a fighter plane. A plane designed to dogfight. That is the metric upon which it is being judged here.

      Not really, no. That would be the F-22. The F-35 is a multirole fighter - if history is any guide its primarily use will be for bombing.

  2. Re:I dern't believe it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually they do. It was called the F-22. It was killed in favor of the (supposedly cheaper and as effective) F-35.

    Of course the problem with both jets is that they're way too expensive compared to earlier jets the US already has. Plus the F-22 only works in clear, cloudless skies (rain ablates the stealth paint) and only if you never cross the International Date Line.

    So while there was a 5th generation jet that could take on 4th generation jets, it was killed due to be an overpriced boondoggle. Its replacement is a new overpriced boondoggle that doesn't even manage to fill the role it was supposed to.

    My personal favorite F-35 issue is that the F-35B model can't fly in areas where it might be struck by lightning, because that could cause the fuel tanks to explode.

  3. Re:Can the enemy actually shoot down the F35? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Um, you realize that the USAF intentionally equips its stealth aircraft with devices that will make them visible to radar when they perform in airshows and participate in international war games, right? This is not only done for safety reasons, but also to make sure that foreign nations can't get a look at the true radar signature of the aircraft.

    That's not to say that American stealth aircraft can't be tracked by radar, because they can. But normally they're not tracked well enough for a weapons release quality lock, or they don't detect them until they're close enough to be killed first.