Is The F-35 A Good Fighter?

The F-35 lightning is a fifth generation multi role stealth fighter. It has come under considerable criticism for is high development costs and Inferior dogfighting capabilities. The Bloomberg post states "skeptics both outside and within the military say it’s turning out to be a two-decades-in-the-making, trillion-dollar mistake.". However according to first hand pilot accounts the F-35 is a dream to fly compared to planes like the F-16 and  other legacy aircraft. With it's Electro-Optical Targeting System Pilots can target enemy aircraft by turning their heads. When coupled with the Distributed Aperture System Pilots can actually see through the aircraft. The DAS utilizes 6 cameras placed around the fuselage to give the pilot a uninterrupted view of the airspace around them. The F-35 also has a unique advantage compared to older planes, it has stealth. The usefulness of stealth is debated right now but it cant be denied that as of now the F-35 has a definite advantage of being able to see enemy's that can't see it. Here is a picture to demonstrate.
The Su-35 is the Russian's top air superiority dogfighter. It was designed purely to dogfight and in that role it is top of the line. However the Su-35 cant even see the F-35 until it is 36 miles away. The F-35 will be aware of the Su-35's presence long before it knows its being tracked. this allows the F-35 to choose the rules of engagement and to kill the Su-35 before it knows it is even in the same atmosphere as the F-35. All in all the road has been long with many setbacks and delays, with the cost of development going almost 2x over the proposed budget, but it It has ended up with a plane that satisfy's its pilots quite fine. Its kill ratio in Red Flag exercises Is 20:1. The only Plane that rivals it is the F-22 which use the same principals as the F-35. Avoid close range engagements and target enemies beyond visual range. Dogfighting is an aging concept that has become antiquated since the introduction of stealth technology. The F-35 is inferior to the Su-35 in terms of speed and turn radius. If used correctly however, this should never be a problem. The F-35 will spot, target and kill the Su-35  From 40 miles away.  In conclusion The only problems with the F-35 platform as of yet have been in it's development and dogfighting capabilities. In the end the cost will have produced a top tier air superiority multi-role aircraft that will ensure American air superiority wherever It is deployed.   

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 11, 2018 at 1:05 PM

    I can tell that planes are something that you are passionate about! Also, Hi! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 12, 2018 at 10:47 AM

    Dude i had never heard of this plane before until now, sounds awesome

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 13, 2018 at 9:02 AM

    this plan is no good its bad it could be taken down with a nerf gun

    ReplyDelete

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