F-35 Gets Its Clock Cleaned by 1970s Era Fighter

June 30th, 2015

Meanwhile, in Russia: Sukhoi PAK FA.

Via: Medium:

The test pilot’s report is the latest evidence of fundamental problems with the design of the F-35?—?which, at a total program cost of more than a trillion dollars, is history’s most expensive weapon.

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The F-35 was flying “clean,” with no weapons in its bomb bay or under its wings and fuselage. The F-16, by contrast, was hauling two bulky underwing drop tanks, putting the older jet at an aerodynamic disadvantage.

But the JSF’s advantage didn’t actually help in the end. The stealth fighter proved too sluggish to reliably defeat the F-16, even with the F-16 lugging extra fuel tanks. “Even with the limited F-16 target configuration, the F-35A remained at a distinct energy disadvantage for every engagement,” the pilot reported.

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And to add insult to injury, the JSF flier discovered he couldn’t even comfortably move his head inside the radar-evading jet’s cramped cockpit. “The helmet was too large for the space inside the canopy to adequately see behind the aircraft.” That allowed the F-16 to sneak up on him.

In the end, the F-35?—?the only new fighter jet that America and most of its allies are developing?—?is demonstrably inferior in a dogfight with the F-16, which the U.S. Air Force first acquired in the late 1970s.

The test pilot explained that he has also flown 1980s-vintage F-15E fighter-bombers and found the F-35 to be “substantially inferior” to the older plane when it comes to managing energy in a close battle.

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One Response to “F-35 Gets Its Clock Cleaned by 1970s Era Fighter”

  1. jakdmsy says:
    June 30, 2015 at 8:56 am

    Are you sure this isn’t the leaked script to Top Gun 2?

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