The F-35 Lightning II Is a Dud – IOTW Report

The F-35 Lightning II Is a Dud

A test pilot who flew the F-35 in a dogfight against the F-16D reports that the new fighter plane is a real dog. The Lighting II has a “distinct energy disadvantage for every engagement.”

F-35-fighter with helmet

Also the hi-tech helmet was so big and ill-designed for the cockpit that the F-35 pilot couldn’t keep visual contact with the opponent during the dogfight.   The pilot reported that he couldn’t “see behind the aircraft.”

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OK, I’m no expert on combat flying, but if your opponent is behind you, seeing him is probably not going to be a concern for very long.

Perhaps we need to rethink the name of this aircraft. Lightning II seems painfully ironic now.

 

26 Comments on The F-35 Lightning II Is a Dud

  1. To all the people who “planned”, “managed”, and “budgeted” the F35 project for years…

    Congratulations Ladies and Gentlemen!… You’re everything we come to expect from years of government experience and training.

  2. Ki’d much rather fly an F8, F4, F16 or F/A18 any day than this dog. Yeah it can take off vertical, so what. How many $bazillions on this boondoggle? Of course it was not intended to be an air to air fighter. Gotta keep those military contractors in beer money ya know. 😉

  3. In 1974, I was stationed at RAF Alconbury in England and was lucky enough to see the F-16 put on an incredible display of flying at an airshow there. That was even before the USAF was flying them. I got to meet the McDonald Douglas test pilot. Man, that guy could fly and that plane was awesome.

  4. Take a plot of land, a half mile by a mile. Put all those who want the F-35 to replace the A-10 smack dab in the middle. Surround the whole thing with ISIS troops. The F-35 will defend the east half, the A-10 will defend the west half. Let the fun begin. When the shootin stops, see which jet saved the most lives. There’s your winner.

  5. Is this a case of Obama being a better air frame designer than his air frame technicians, like he is a better speach writer than his speach writers?

    meaning he picked the wrong horse again

  6. They even handicapped the F-16D by leaving the external fuel tanks on and it still waxed the F-35.

    I visualize China chuckling to itself over all the designs for the F-16 they have probably stolen over the years and how they are making knock offs of them to dispatch our F-35s without breaking a sweat.

  7. That really doesn’t tell the whole story. It training or testing, you go in very limited (one hand tied behind your back)to find the edges of the envelope. Also, close quarter dog-fights are a thing of the past. The F-35 (final version) will have equipment to pick off the bogey before he even knew there was an F-35 in the air. But, I still think the F-22 should be continued with the same avionics package that the F-35 will have.

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