F-35 Joint Strike Fighter News, Videos and pics Thread
- Thread starter Jeff Head
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We're going to see a LOT more F/A-18E/Fs flying with F-35Cs. We'd best get used to it.
They will compliment one another very nicely and allow a whole lot of flexibility for US Navy combat operations.
thunderchief
Senior Member
Networking (along with stealth) is huge IF , especially against powerful adversaries like China and Russia that do develop sophisticated means to negate exactly that supposed advantage of US . There is really no excuse to produce fighter (with emphasis on fighter ! ) with inferior kinematic performance, as article freely admits .
Now Chief, lets not get cranky, that F-35 will no doubt kick some serious AXX, It is very stealthy, and all these pronouncements against stealth have NOT stopped the Chinese or the Russians from attempting to enter the L/O world have they? If they had technology that rendered stealth meaningless, they would NOT be doing that, and spending the boo koo bucks that mean real fifth gen. On the other hand if we?? the USA had any inkling that stealth was compromised, we wouldn't be spending all that "jack" either. So lets apply a little logic and reasoning before we go tossing the baby out with the bath-water.
thunderchief
Senior Member
Stealth is a buzz word . What we really need to analyze is a complex problem of
- reduction of frontal RCS in X, L and other bands, with or without external stores .
- same thing for side and rear RCS
- improvements in radar technology , form mechanically-steered radars to modern PESA and AESA radars, possibly photon based radars in future
- IR signature of aircraft and improvements in IR sensors
- new weapons and EW suites (DRFM jammers for example ) and how would they affect range of aerial combat ( long range BVR shoots or close and personal dogfights )
etc ....
Then we could come up with certain conclusion like stealth will be very useful (US view with hundreds of F-35s ) , or stealth would be only partially useful ( Russian view with relatively few PAK FA and development of 4.5 gen fighters as a bulk of the force) .
Seems like Lockheed has self funded an updated EOTS. It is designed to plug into the same envelope of the current unit and is built on the same production line. Whether the Air Force decides to switch will probably be weighted towards cost. It would be interesting if some customers opt to switch while others don't.
"Designed to replace EOTS, the F-35’s current electro-optical targeting system, Advanced EOTS incorporates a wide range of enhancements and upgrades, including short-wave infrared, high-definition television, an infrared marker and improved image detector resolution. These enhancements increase F-35 pilots’ recognition and detection ranges, enabling greater overall targeting performance."
"Designed to replace EOTS, the F-35’s current electro-optical targeting system, Advanced EOTS incorporates a wide range of enhancements and upgrades, including short-wave infrared, high-definition television, an infrared marker and improved image detector resolution. These enhancements increase F-35 pilots’ recognition and detection ranges, enabling greater overall targeting performance."
Not Really, Stealth is a descriptor of aircraft that practice the art of L/O, and it is an art form. No one else besides LockMart seems to have a lock on L/O in the fighter world, the F22 and the F-35 stand as the current gold standard of L/O, the Russians admit they don't have a real handle on those technologies, so they throw a bunch of dust in the air, and mutter a bunch of "mumbo-jumbo", like a bad magician.
the Chinese may have a very stealthy aircraft in the J-20, we just don't know? but with all the alleged data breaches, attributed to the Chinese, they obviously are very interested?? NO??
So my advice is that before you go "sniping" at the F-35, which as you and I both know is called the joint "strike" fighter, that you take off your "rose colored" glasses and share the same criticisms with the J-20, J-31, and PAK-FA, or FGFA. The F-22 production was cancelled and the F-35 the "Golden Child" and saved, because the F-35 promises to be a winner on the battlefield of tomorrow?? I agree that even here in its infancy, it is very good, the US Marines are convinced? maybe you ought to follow the people who put their money where their mouth is?
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Cameri build all F-35A/B for Italian AF/Navy and NL AF, 90 Italians ( which 15B for AF and 15 for Navy ) + 37 A NL less the first ordered about 4 for each countries then 86 Italians A/B and 33 A NL total 120 after no planned but do maintenance in Europe for F-35.
Only plant to build F-35 out of USA/Fort Worth with one other in Japan ( 38 : 42 - 4 ) can build max about 15 by year.
Finaly Italia want ordered 90 F-35A/B ( initialy planned 131 ) envisaged up to only 45 because of his interest in the program but orders spread over time, 8 yet ordered and planned 35 for 2020.
Based to Amendola 2 Gruppos on AMX which one is a OCU i think F-35A replace AMX in the OCU logic after for combat Sqns.
But the first four F-35A will be based in US temporarily for instructors training after go for Italia.
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