News of the F-35's "loss" against an F-16 in basic fighter maneuvering testing has been widely discussed in defense/aerospace forums over the past week. I will post my own analysis of the implications and takeaways of the test next week.
The F35 is not an air to air fighter, it's designed to be a first strike stealth fighter or a multi F35 group attack.
I don't know why people are getting so over excited about the F16 out maneuvering a F35.
I would have thought a more serious question would be what if a SU35 in combination of AWACs/or what ever the Russia/China equivalent are can detect a f35 or group of F35.
I have stayed out of the F16 / F35 discussion. Be interesting to see what your write.
Good to hear from you! Yes, with the F-35 there will always be people with confirmation bias that will rage when you tell them otherwise. I've seen a lot of F-35 proponents throw up their hands and give up trying to convince critics and troll instead. This latest development with the F-16 really seems like clickbait from the "War is Boring" website. Its really a shame because David Axe used to write some really good articles back when he still wrote for Wired a few years ago.
I usually like reading articles from War is Boring, but the constant stream of F-35 bashing from Axe is getting really tiring. Does the program have problems? Absolutely. I think everyone can agree the program was pretty badly mismanaged, especially in the beginning. But I don't need 7 articles to tell me about it.
Also, this story seems very similar to the stories about the F-22 getting "eaten for lunch" stories a few years back. We don't know the parameters of the exercise or what restrictions were placed on either aircraft.
Also, I'd like to point out that Axe's beloved A-10 probably would have lost a dogfight to an F-16 as well. He could counter by saying that it's not designed for the air-to-air mission, but the F-35 isn't primarily air-to-air either!
Haha, my apologizes. I will probably post it on this Thursday or Friday at the latest. Work has been really busy lately but I will try not to disappoint! Really interesting to hear what the Russian's think of it. This is the first time I've heard anything positive about the F-35 from a Russian source, I occasionally read RT articles for fun and they often go out of their way to criticize the F-35.
Hi Matt
ReplyDeleteThe F35 is not an air to air fighter, it's designed to be a first strike stealth fighter or a multi F35 group attack.
I don't know why people are getting so over excited about the F16 out maneuvering a F35.
I would have thought a more serious question would be what if a SU35 in combination of AWACs/or what ever the Russia/China equivalent are can detect a f35 or group of F35.
I have stayed out of the F16 / F35 discussion. Be interesting to see what your write.
all the best Stone30 :-)
Hi Stone,
DeleteGood to hear from you! Yes, with the F-35 there will always be people with confirmation bias that will rage when you tell them otherwise. I've seen a lot of F-35 proponents throw up their hands and give up trying to convince critics and troll instead. This latest development with the F-16 really seems like clickbait from the "War is Boring" website. Its really a shame because David Axe used to write some really good articles back when he still wrote for Wired a few years ago.
Best,
Matt
I usually like reading articles from War is Boring, but the constant stream of F-35 bashing from Axe is getting really tiring. Does the program have problems? Absolutely. I think everyone can agree the program was pretty badly mismanaged, especially in the beginning. But I don't need 7 articles to tell me about it.
DeleteAlso, this story seems very similar to the stories about the F-22 getting "eaten for lunch" stories a few years back. We don't know the parameters of the exercise or what restrictions were placed on either aircraft.
Also, I'd like to point out that Axe's beloved A-10 probably would have lost a dogfight to an F-16 as well. He could counter by saying that it's not designed for the air-to-air mission, but the F-35 isn't primarily air-to-air either!
I need this article now. I keep checking back, but no update yet! What a tease!
ReplyDeleteHaha, my apologizes. I will probably post it on this Thursday or Friday at the latest. Work has been really busy lately but I will try not to disappoint! Really interesting to hear what the Russian's think of it. This is the first time I've heard anything positive about the F-35 from a Russian source, I occasionally read RT articles for fun and they often go out of their way to criticize the F-35.
DeleteBest,
Matt
youtube.com/watch?v=uZbqkxjAK8E
ReplyDeleteFascinating Russian perspective on the F-35.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/in-focus-lockheed-claims-f-35-kinematics-better-than-or-equal-to-typhoon-or-super-382078/
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think David or other critics are disappointed??
I remember when this article came out. The amount of rage from F-35 critics was amazing especially from European defense/aerospace enthusiasts :D
Delete