Buried in this article about using B-52s and C-17s as "bomb trucks" is a nugget that the F-22 and F-35 can only carry two antiair missiles apiece.
In a fight against earlier (and cheaper) generation fighters, in a 3 on 1 matchup, the F-35s going to have to shot and scoot. Because if it gets caught at gunfighting ranges against a competent pilot, the F-35's probably going to lose. The F-22 might not be much better.
Too Vile By Half (And Half)
1 hour ago
4 comments:
That's in a fighter-bomber role. As a pure fighter, the F-22 can carry six AMRAAMs plus two AIM-9s.
It looks like all fifth generation fighters have the "small bomb bay" issue. I was just reviewing the Sukhoi PAK-FA and the Chinese J-20. Both--like the F-22--have capacity for 4-6 AMRAAM-class missiles, plus a "heater" in each of their side bays. It seems to be the basic cost of stealth.
By the way, I loved the veiled Dale Brown reference in the article: "But the B-52 isn't the only *old dog* potentially in this show."
Time to bring back the last great air-superiority fighter: The North American F-86 Sabre.
The F-111 couldn't satisfy both the USN and USAF. What genius extended this failed "one size fits all" plan to multiple services for multiple countries?
3383, the hilarious thing is that the F-35A isn't even the same *size* as the F-35C (the Navy version). The Navy version has a longer nose and longer wings and bigger tail, because otherwise landing it on an aircraft carrier deck was impossible (the Air Force version simply has too high a landing speed to land on a carrier deck even with the tailhook wires!). And let's see, if the fuselage, wings, and tail are different, yet you're still calling it the same plane... ROFL! Shades of the F-18 Hornet versus the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, again two different planes with the same F-18 moniker!
So yeah, "one size fits all" decidedly did *not* work, they're just lying and calling it the same plane just to pretend it worked, so that one prime contractor gets both the Air Force and Navy contracts. What a grift!
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