Delete comment from: Elements Of Power
Tim A:
Here's where I come down on this. I'm a big fan of the F-35 as a strike fighter. The original plan was to field the F-22 in large numbers for the air dominance mission and the F-35 as a multirole strike fighter to cover air-to-ground and everything else. Now we, unwisely in my opinion, severely truncated our F-22 buy, so now people are expecting the F-35 to step into the air dominance role. So as I mentioned, I'm a big fan of the F-35. But that doesn't mean that suddenly I see it as a mini F-22 capable of dogfighting in high threat scenarios.
SMSgt Mac:
If someone expects the F-35 to step into the air-dominance role on a one-for-one basis for the F-22 they are sadly mistaken. I know of NO national defense authorities (excluding possibly politicos) who could be described this way. Part of the problem is there is no shortage of people that are external to the decision-making process who ARE so sadly mistaken.
The F-35 can do the F-22’s ‘jobs’ just as it can do the A-10’s ‘jobs’. It will just do it differently, and perhaps in ways that defy direct comparison. In the eyes of ‘some’, including those ‘some’ in the legacy pilot communities that may translate into their heads as ‘not as well’, but I have no doubt history will vindicate the F-35 design and program on this point. The DoD and Industry may do a terrible job of explaining how macro-scale defense planning gets translated into strategy, requirements and then acquisition and execution to outsiders, but then again, I’ve not seen a valid reason WHY they should.
This latest brouhaha is a case in point. I have no doubt the ‘apparent’ outcry from Axe’s little disinformation cascade is fake on the part of many, and punk journalists don’t give a cr*p as long as they keep their masters happy. But I’m also certain that most non-professionals have been truly mislead by the free and sloppy application of the terms ‘maneuverability’ and ‘dogfighting’ to the flights that occurred in the first place--which does not really help, does it?
As the released information does not provide sufficient information to even judge AF-2’s overall performance, much less a baseline-weight and Mission Systems equipped F-35A with a Block 3F control laws, what kind of idiot would extrapolate what is in hand to mean plane X is 'better!' than Plane Y?
To be continued...
Jul 4, 2015, 1:11:32 AM
Posted to David Axe is More Boring Than Ever (Bless His Heart)