The U.S. Air Force Just Admitted The F-35 Stealth Fighter Has Failed - Forbes

[SQ8]

@SQ8 the F-35 is possibly the closest thing to a 'special operations forces fighter' ever made. You could have an LHD out there carrying F-35Bs, AH-1Zs, and UH-1Ys alongside a SEALS unit. This force could launch Abbotabad-style missions all over the world from the seas. They won't take out an enemy military force, but for very specific effects, this as good a unit as you could deploy from sea without sending an entire fleet.

In other words ... the F-35 is an amazing niche fighter, but it isn't a generalized fleet-builder like the F-16 or F-15. The closest singular design to that goal would be the Rafale and Typhoon.

If the USAF takes that route, it would, ironically, settle on a design that's (from solely a raw features standpoint) similar to the Super Hornet, i.e., medium-weight, twin-engine, adept at both air-to-air and air-to-surface, etc.

The threat dynamics just changed - the F-35 was based on a plan out of the late 80’s to have a common aircraft (as if the F-111 did so well) and was to be hampered by it throughout its life.

The advanced ADGE that the F-35 was designed to fight has not proliferated to the degree expected and long range cruise systems have made the need to penetrate these ADGEs moot. PAF experience on the 27th is plenty proof of it.

However, even in those cases -the combined threats of Russia and China can be tackled by a force mix of 180 raptors and 500-600 F-35s.
They are that potent in terms of providing the initial blows that when backup by 4.5gen can lay waste to any potential “peer” adversary.

 

[GumNaam]

Ive lived in the UK as well - so this is a poor excuse to give me.
The basic measures of even having backup generators at the generator sites capable of handling extreme weather was missed - on top of it, texas’s “go it all” approach meant it was out of the national grid which at the least could have compensated to an extent.

Why don’t you get off the blanket conclusions and the high horse you’re on and we’ll talk more.
As far as capabilities go - the F-35 kills F-18’s and F-16s with ALL their capabilities in every red flag. Walks right through the highest concentration of simulated red ADGE , and finishes it’s mission.

4 F-35s get done what would need 4 F-18’s on strike, 4 on cover and 2 Ea-18s to support.
That’s basic math.

interesting how you fail to mention that those exercises mimicked a 3rd world country like syria or iraq or libya where the f16s and f18s played the role of 3rd generation migs. I'd like to see the f35 be put into a situation where it it is pitted against another enemy force that has multiple awacs cover in a heavily jammed ew environment with the f16s and f18s flying under the cover of multiple patriot batteries...the f35 will either stay a safe distance away or will have its goose cooked and fast even if it is only carrying internal weapons for the sake of stealth. don't forget, they literally gave up on concealing the heat signature of the f35 so it has no choice but to stay far away from the range of anything that can pick up and track ir signatures. but of course, the usaf and usn would NEVER bring up such a scenario, cuz they wanna keep feeding that braindead good ol' boy high school drop out that "usa is the best" mantra so that they won't try to scrutinize where the tax money is going.

lemme know whe the f35 is pitted in the above said setting. until then, keep sleeping in the la-la land.

 

[Path-Finder]

somebody slap this article across that indian bhatard abhijit iyer-mitra's face who was having rectal orgasms just talking about the wonderfulness of the f35!

I will express it in lenny faces. here it goes.

デ╦-( ͡ಥʖ̯ಥ╯╲___XXXX ┐( ͡◉ ͜ʖ ͡◉)┌ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)? ᕙ(░ಥ╭͜ʖ╮ಥ░)━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ ( ͡ ͡° ͡° ʖ ͡° ͡°)

but abijit was right about 45% indians being malnourished! give him credit for dat.

 

[CrazyZ]

You didn't read the information I furnished earlier - did you? It was a once in 75 year drop in temperature.
The measure taken to address the 2011 freeze proved ineffective in 2021.

The F-35 generates employment here at home, it generates exports and it keeps US skills and knowhow sharp and well ahead of anyone else.

According to who? ERCOT?? There in cover your a** mode, can't really believe them . If those plants were truly winterized, this would not have happened.

F-35 is a great plane, but the program went on for too long and situation on the ground has now changed. Adjustments will have to be made.

 

[ziaulislam]

problem with f35 its too short legged in stealth configuration

the plan to build so many f35 was always going to be tricky

one thing doesnt fit all

USA would have been better just building large numbers of f22s to bring down the cost and smaller numbers of f35s along with continued f16s and f15s

 

[LeGenD]

interesting how you fail to mention that those exercises mimicked a 3rd world country like syria or iraq or libya where the f16s and f18s played the role of 3rd generation migs. I'd like to see the f35 be put into a situation where it it is pitted against another enemy force that has multiple awacs cover in a heavily jammed ew environment with the f16s and f18s flying under the cover of multiple patriot batteries...the f35 will either stay a safe distance away or will have its goose cooked and fast even if it is only carrying internal weapons for the sake of stealth. don't forget, they literally gave up on concealing the heat signature of the f35 so it has no choice but to stay far away from the range of anything that can pick up and track ir signatures. but of course, the usaf and usn would NEVER bring up such a scenario, cuz they wanna keep feeding that braindead good ol' boy high school drop out that "usa is the best" mantra so that they won't try to scrutinize where the tax money is going.

lemme know whe the f35 is pitted in the above said setting. until then, keep sleeping in the la-la land.

FYI

Red Flag 2019: First Great Power Air War Test In Years - Breaking Defense

How are Air Force pilots training for a war with Russia or China?

breakingdefense.com

Italian pilots raved about their first 'Red Flag' exercise with the US-made F-35

Red Flag 19-2 was the first Red Flag to have a multinational squadron: the 62nd Fighter Squadron with instructor pilots from the US, Italy and Norway.

www.businessinsider.com

This Is What Nellis Air Force Base's Ongoing Red Flag Exercise Looks Like From Space

Red Flag is nearly half a century old and it is still the world's top air combat training event, the latest iteration of which is very exclusive.

www.thedrive.com

They are simulating threat levels of China and Russia in RED FLAG events in the present.

Simulating Syria is not a bad option either because it represents an extensive A2/AD environment of the Middle East with an exotic mix of sophisticated and legacy A2/AD assets in the present. Good enough to represent A2/AD environments of many of the better-equipped countries out there.

Do you just jump to conclusions out of the blue? These make you look disconnected from established realities.

 

[TsAr]

It's not a failure as much as it is simply too costly, especially for any country that is not the US, cannot operate this Ferrari of the jet world without destroying it's budget

well the main purpose of F-35 was to make a low cost fighter compared to F-22 that would replace F-16 and would be a work horse, unfortunately things have not be that great.

 

[GumNaam]

FYI

Red Flag 2019: First Great Power Air War Test In Years - Breaking Defense

How are Air Force pilots training for a war with Russia or China?

breakingdefense.com

Italian pilots raved about their first 'Red Flag' exercise with the US-made F-35

Red Flag 19-2 was the first Red Flag to have a multinational squadron: the 62nd Fighter Squadron with instructor pilots from the US, Italy and Norway.

www.businessinsider.com

This Is What Nellis Air Force Base's Ongoing Red Flag Exercise Looks Like From Space

Red Flag is nearly half a century old and it is still the world's top air combat training event, the latest iteration of which is very exclusive.

www.thedrive.com

They are simulating threat levels of China and Russia in RED FLAG events in the present.

Simulating Syria is not a bad option either because it represents an extensive A2/AD environment of the Middle East with an exotic mix of sophisticated and legacy A2/AD assets in the present. Good enough to represent A2/AD environments of many of the better-equipped countries out there.

Do you just jump to conclusions out of the blue? These make you look disconnected from established realities.

oh look, it still needed 4th gen fighters to carry out the bulk of the fighting...

once again, my question is simple...what does the f35 bring to the table that is new that could not have been incorporated on existing aircrafts like f15s, f22s, f16s and f18s? what? sensors? jamming or recon sensors? what kind of sensors does the f35 have that could not have been installed on existing awacs or other recon aircrafts for. I mean the damn thing is already flying under the cover of f22s and f16s so what the hell?

my point is that it does not deliver anything new that would require a dedicated "flying platform"...the f35 is touted to be all about "sensors", its all about this "paradigm shift" in air to air and air to ground combat...well those sensors could've been installed on existing aircrafts or achieved with existing network of satellites, hell man those sensors could've been installed on unmanned drones for goodness sakes! it does not need to carry a $150 million price when it could be done for a fraction of the cost and remain a heck of a lot less in maintenance cost...would probably provide much more safety in having those sensors proliferated on smaller, cheaper drones in much bigger numbers since the enemy can't take 'em all down.

 

[Raider 21]

all the experts are wrong but you fan boys are right, okay dudes, whatever you say...

He's a tool himself. I would rather listen to what operational pilots and test pilots would say.

Chip Berke is a Marine, having flown F-18 & F-16 (meant for PAF) operationally AND he has flown both the F-22 and F-35s. Listen to this podcast, it is interesting.

 

[SQ8]

interesting how you fail to mention that those exercises mimicked a 3rd world country like syria or iraq or libya where the f16s and f18s played the role of 3rd generation migs. I'd like to see the f35 be put into a situation where it it is pitted against another enemy force that has multiple awacs cover in a heavily jammed ew environment with the f16s and f18s flying under the cover of multiple patriot batteries...the f35 will either stay a safe distance away or will have its goose cooked and fast even if it is only carrying internal weapons for the sake of stealth. don't forget, they literally gave up on concealing the heat signature of the f35 so it has no choice but to stay far away from the range of anything that can pick up and track ir signatures. but of course, the usaf and usn would NEVER bring up such a scenario, cuz they wanna keep feeding that braindead good ol' boy high school drop out that "usa is the best" mantra so that they won't try to scrutinize where the tax money is going.

lemme know whe the f35 is pitted in the above said setting. until then, keep sleeping in the la-la land.

Clearly you aren’t well read on this subject and seem to be seeing it only from a misinformed layman’s view - lets agree to disagree.

 

[GumNaam]

Clearly you aren’t well read on this subject and seem to be seeing it only from a misinformed layman’s view - lets agree to disagree.

that's a big negative, I have ZERO tolerance for know-nothing experts who buy into the corporate horse manure that is fed to them by the military establishment that is in kahuts with the military industrial complex and try to brush aside perfectly valid questions by labelling them as views of a layman...you do not get away this easy. I look forward to read your answer to my question:

once again, my question is simple...what does the f35 bring to the table that is new that could not have been incorporated on existing aircrafts like f15s, f22s, f16s and f18s? what? sensors? jamming or recon sensors? what kind of sensors does the f35 have that could not have been installed on existing awacs or other recon aircrafts for. I mean the damn thing is already flying under the cover of f22s and f16s so what the hell?

my point is that it does not deliver anything new that would require a dedicated "flying platform"...the f35 is touted to be all about "sensors", its all about this "paradigm shift" in air to air and air to ground combat...well those sensors could've been installed on existing aircrafts or achieved with existing network of satellites, hell man those sensors could've been installed on unmanned drones for goodness sakes! it does not need to carry a $150 million price when it could be done for a fraction of the cost and remain a heck of a lot less in maintenance cost...would probably provide much more safety in having those sensors proliferated on smaller, cheaper drones in much bigger numbers since the enemy can't take 'em all down.

everything mentioned above can al be achieved by utilizing existing aircrafts, satellites and drones for fraction of the cost of a single f35. if this is not ripping the life out of the american tax payer then what is?

 

[KAL-EL]

Well since the F 35 is ‘junk’ Other countries should immediately attack the United States

 

[GumNaam]

Well since the F 35 is ‘junk’ Other countries should immediately attack the United States

that is the single greatest mistake america has been making...read me carefully and then repeat after me:
NO
ONE
WANTS
TO
ATTACK
US!

then tell yourself repeatedly:
NO
ONE
HATES
US.

then say:
THE
WORLD
HAS
BETTER
THINGS
TO
DO!

GOSH man...enough of this "everyone wants to attack us" mindset!!!

 

[LeGenD]

View attachment 720072

oh look, it still needed 4th gen fighters to carry out the bulk of the fighting...

once again, my question is simple...what does the f35 bring to the table that is new that could not have been incorporated on existing aircrafts like f15s, f22s, f16s and f18s? what? sensors? jamming or recon sensors? what kind of sensors does the f35 have that could not have been installed on existing awacs or other recon aircrafts for. I mean the damn thing is already flying under the cover of f22s and f16s so what the hell?

my point is that it does not deliver anything new that would require a dedicated "flying platform"...the f35 is touted to be all about "sensors", its all about this "paradigm shift" in air to air and air to ground combat...well those sensors could've been installed on existing aircrafts or achieved with existing network of satellites, hell man those sensors could've been installed on unmanned drones for goodness sakes! it does not need to carry a $150 million price when it could be done for a fraction of the cost and remain a heck of a lot less in maintenance cost...would probably provide much more safety in having those sensors proliferated on smaller, cheaper drones in much bigger numbers since the enemy can't take 'em all down.

I have discussed these themes at length before, and it is possible that these themes escaped your attention (not your fault or mine). There is too much to type in short order.

I will give you some pointers however.

1. VLO characteristics and resulting operational flexibility over contested spaces
2. Vastly superior 360 degree situational awareness
3. Much higher level of automation to enable the pilot process and manage so much information and fight effectively

Following videos will be helpful in developing a baseline understanding of this theme. Take your time and watch each video.

There are things that you can only experience while sitting inside the aircraft and be in the position to tell differences versus others - this would require exposure to multiple aircraft as a pilot. Not many are privy to these kind of experiences, and those who are, will not tell much due to obvious reasons.

 

[GumNaam]

I have discussed these themes at length before, and it is possible that these themes escaped your attention (not your fault or mine). There is too much to type in short order.

I will give you some pointers however.

1. VLO characteristics and resulting operational flexibility over contested spaces
2. Vastly superior 360 degree situational awareness
3. Much higher level of automation to enable the pilot process and manage so much information and fight effectively

Following videos will be helpful in developing a baseline understanding of this theme. Take your time and watch each video.

There are things that you can only experience while sitting inside the aircraft and be in the position to tell differences versus others - this would require exposure to multiple aircraft as a pilot. Not many are privy to these kind of experiences, and those who are, will not tell much due to obvious reasons.

thanks dude...I dunno, sounds very subjective in my informed but humble opinion, emphasis on humble.