F-35 Joint Strike Fighter News, Videos and pics Thread
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
and there is that "alien bird" wing, proof that the Spitfire had some "alien bird" in her as well? the F-22 wing is "organic" in that it embraces the air, like some kind of malevolent "RAPTOR"! The Raptor is still as slik as a bar of soap, that "organic" appearance, remains on one key to L/O.
as pretty as it is, and I hate to say it, but PAK-FA has a more edgy look, like a blade, but it won't be nearly as L/O as the old alien bird?? no it won't!
thunderchief
Senior Member
Hi part of equation is getting old and thin . We now have Raptors more then 10 years old . With limited numbers and significant downtime due to maintenance, they won't be able to cover every F-35 sortie as originally envisioned . I'm afraid without restart of production or significant speed up of 6th gen fighters (both of which looks improbable at this time) , F-35 would have to fly alone into the teeth of increasingly dangerous defenses .
Chief Thundercloud, Chief, Chief, my goodness you can be con-trary bruda, love ya a million, and in truth?? I LOVE all that negativity?? It continues to give me an opportunity to educate and inform. So YES, if we were talking about the former Soviet Union, and other similar govts, you would be "spot on", but we are talking about the USA here bruda??? (I'm smiling ear to ear), we are all hot-rodders, builders, savers, I can get this thing running and make it "better than new", that's our culture???
NOW, LockMart, do you have any idea how many "antique" C-130s continue to fly and perform their missions??? or P-3 Orions, how many sets of wing boxes, wings etc, would you imagine LockMart has contracted and shipped in the last 60 years. The F-22 is being "SLEP"ed even as we speak sir, and the Raptor is "learning" lots of new tricks, yes USAF has beat on those poor sweet babies, but LockMart knows how to "love on" their babies, they will keep those chick airworthy and "HOT".
The right "MAN" in the White House will change the Raptor's fortunes! (can you imagine an uprated F-22?) but, with all the goof-balls voting and dead democrats from rahmville???? who knows, whats gonna happen to our "beloved" land of liberty?? but even barring that, LockMart will be producing F-35s by the gross, and not just for US, but for our close friends and allies, to under-estimate that would be a gross error. Even a few Raptors with those F-35s will be a "NIGHTMARE", for any OP-FOR?? really folks on the other team don't always "drink the kool-aide", they know what they would be facing if their govt made the mistake of "calling Mr. O's bluff"?
As to maintainability, the recent Raptor European deployment featured 100% reliability, I'd say our aircraft maintenance is still the best of any Air Force??? and yes, I am aware that India's Su-MKI deployment was also 100%, that is also amazing but Kool.
chin up ole buddy, and why does the guy that seems to care as much about kinematic energy fighters as the AFB, use that poor old Thunder Sled as his avatar??? the Thunderbirds flew that chick for a few shows and then "parked it, and went back to their HUNS???
Equation
Lieutenant General
I don't think so.
The US was willing to commit F-22 aircraft to Syria...and for ground pounding for heaven's sake.
Depending on the situation, say six years from now, if F-35s were tasked to go in and do some 5th gen ground pounding in any kind of contested air space where any possibility existed for counter air from 4th or 4.5 gen aircraft...they would be accompanied by F-22s.
Count on it.
Now, if that counter air did not exist (which would mean they did not need it)...or if we were talking about a world-wide engagement of major proportions, there may well be situations where F-22s were tasked with enough other "duties," to not make them available for every F-35 strike like this.
In that latter case, with the F-35 number growing, they would either have F-35s outfitted for the A2A role fly cover...or other US or allied aircraft would do so.
But in the most likely scenarios the F-35 would either:
1) Not need it because there were no counter air threats...which is the absolute most likely scenario.
or,
2) F-22s would be tasked to support them in the event of the small number of cases where there was a credible A2A threat.
F-22 have a better radar ( APG-81 is very good ) carry 8 AAM and mainly better for close combat but carry only 1000 lb bombs not enough powerful vs big target or undergroud*, the 8 SDB x 4 the number of targets but work only vs small targets and then in a hight intensity conflicts so small except vs SAM and radars/Sead missions which is in fact the 2nd mission for the F-22.
For F-35 as i have say many times and very recently.. damn nobody listens to me ! except B can attack big targets with her 2000 lb bombs and are armed in Stealth configurations with 4 AAM and later 6, number better but mainly necessary cause with ECM, evasive maneuvers etc... in general about 50 % of AAM reach their target.
For close combat sure less agile but its electronic compensates by preventing the pilot faster.
B only 1000 lb due V/STOL constraints but USMC since WWII use mainly her combat aircrafts for close air support and don' t attack big targets in general then is not a real problem.
He is a big qualitative improvement for USMC, Stealth, mach 1.6 the more fast V/STOL fighter build, AV-8B have a combat radius of 550 km F-35B 870, payload 8T vs 4.5t and USMC get same number in more.
Eventually
USN can help with 900 F-18 and 150 EA-18G...
* idealy vs targets very buried 4000 lb bombs are necessary only Bombers and F-15E are armed with.
For F-35 as i have say many times and very recently.. damn nobody listens to me ! except B can attack big targets with her 2000 lb bombs and are armed in Stealth configurations with 4 AAM and later 6, number better but mainly necessary cause with ECM, evasive maneuvers etc... in general about 50 % of AAM reach their target.
For close combat sure less agile but its electronic compensates by preventing the pilot faster.
B only 1000 lb due V/STOL constraints but USMC since WWII use mainly her combat aircrafts for close air support and don' t attack big targets in general then is not a real problem.
He is a big qualitative improvement for USMC, Stealth, mach 1.6 the more fast V/STOL fighter build, AV-8B have a combat radius of 550 km F-35B 870, payload 8T vs 4.5t and USMC get same number in more.
Eventually
USN can help with 900 F-18 and 150 EA-18G...* idealy vs targets very buried 4000 lb bombs are necessary only Bombers and F-15E are armed with.
I add for F-22 number obviously 180 are far from being enough for escort F-35, 1763 but in fact mainly the 1000 used by active.
So that the number is more effective without being perfect it should have about 300, USAF wanted 335 and last request about 250 for have presumably 4 big Wings with as F-15 Wings 72 fighters each or 48 for a order of 250 don't include ANG independent Sqn.
So that the number is more effective without being perfect it should have about 300, USAF wanted 335 and last request about 250 for have presumably 4 big Wings with as F-15 Wings 72 fighters each or 48 for a order of 250 don't include ANG independent Sqn.
