F35 Carrier testing

[likeitfast55]

The A-7 was the last single engine jet the Navy had in operation. I have read a couple places that since the "engine does not fail" on the 35 it's an ok risk. Horse shit everything breaks and that is an expensive mistake. Only nice thing right now is they can't figure out the tailhook so it might get delayed.


**edit That is the Marines version under testing on a gator freightor.

The Marines(branch of the Navy) used----

AV-8B is used by the United States Marine Corps (USMC), the Spanish Navy, and the Italian Navy. A variant of the AV-8B, the British Aerospace Harrier II, was developed for the British military, while another, the TAV-8B, is a dedicated two-seat trainer.

I feel 100% sure the AV-8B is single engine.

Created in 1775, the Marine Corps has been a component of the United States Department of the Navy since 1834

[Couver]

The Marines(branch of the Navy) used----

I feel 100% sure the AV-8B is single engine.

You are dead on with that. But the mission is different.

How many squadrons do the Marines embark on Navy aircraft carriers and what are their sortie rates? There are a few but they use F/A18's. An aircraft carrier is a different animal then a LHD. Those ships (and jets) are built to operate close to shore. Blue water ops are a little different.

[propellerhead]

The reliability of the engines and the FADEC are far better than what we had with analog systems. There are onboard diagnostics that run in the background and data is always collected and downloaded for offline analysis. The faults and failures are pretty much known before they happen. Far more complex than the codes shown to us by the OBD systems on our cars.

[Gargamel]

The F-35 is a game-changing aircraft as far as avionics and advanced capabilities are concerned.

It is also an excellent all-around fighter for the 21st century.

It will do a lot of missions well using a stealthy airframe while having the best SA (situational awareness) ever given to a pilot.
(Hell, it doesn't even need a HUD due to the helmet mounted display)

However, it is limited in some areas (like the single engine) and is not "the top of the hill" as far as a short range "knife-fighting" aircraft. (Test pilots have likened it to the F-18C, which has an excellent instantaneous turn rate at low speed which gives it a really good nose pointing ability, but will still be outclassed by something like a Typhoon)

But overall, an excellent piece of machinery.

[Scott Mc]

Does it not have vertical takeoff ability?

[Gargamel]

Does it not have vertical takeoff ability?

From my understanding it can do it with a limited amount of fuel and no stores.

In actual use the F-35B is a STOVL (Short Take Off / Vertical Landing) aircraft.

[Couver]

From my understanding it can do it with a limited amount of fuel and no stores.

In actual use the F-35B is a STOVL (Short Take Off / Vertical Landing) aircraft.

Garg there are 3 versions right now. Air Force, Marine and Navy.

Airforce normal badass jet. Marine STOVAL from short decks. Navy version will cat/trap. All with an eye to max combat loads.

[Frank]

About damn time. The most expensive plane is US history. I worked at Lockheed in 1998 when they were presenting it and if I understood correctly, they had been working on it 10 years prior to that. Still I hear some of the radar is non functioning due to some software glitch?

[Gargamel]

Garg there are 3 versions right now. Air Force, Marine and Navy.

Airforce normal badass jet. Marine STOVALL from short decks. Navy version will cat/trap. All with an eye to max combat loads.

Yep, I think the A is Air Farce, B is Jar Head, and C is for us Squids.... :-)

and the A is the only one with an internal gun... Who the hell thought THAT was a good idea?
(I think the others use the center external hard point if they want the gun)

And you're right, the only one with STOVL capability is the B, which I think is going to the UK too... although I've been wrong before.

[Gargamel]

About damn time. The most expensive plane is US history. I worked at Lockheed in 1998 when they were presenting it and if I understood correctly, they had been working on it 10 years prior to that. Still I hear some of the radar is non functioning due to some software glitch?

Dunno about the status of the AN/APG-81, but I have heard about the HMD (Helmet Mounted Display) possibly being laggy in some situations.

[jdgregory84]

How many dog fights are we getting into these days? Aren't planes mainly used for recon/long range missile fire? It's also a "stealth" plane too right? So dogfights become even less likely. I could be, and probably am wrong, but I thought dog fighting was a thing of the past?

[YALE]

How many dog fights are we getting into these days? Aren't planes mainly used for recon/long range missile fire? It's also a "stealth" plane too right? So dogfights become even less likely. I could be, and probably am wrong, but I thought dog fighting was a thing of the past?

The Defense Dept. thought the same thing in Vietnam, and got their pants pulled down. The F35 still has a 25mm cannon, just in case.

[CJ]

You are watching the most expensive thing is human history.

[Gargamel]

Gun pod for the B and C...



Wing root location in the A:

[likeitfast55]

How many dog fights are we getting into these days? Aren't planes mainly used for recon/long range missile fire? It's also a "stealth" plane too right? So dogfights become even less likely. I could be, and probably am wrong, but I thought dog fighting was a thing of the past?

The F-4 Phantom was developed with the same mentality, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. No internal machine guns were designed into the jet.


How wrong they were. With a top speed of over Mach 2.2, the thinking was that it was not needed. Later models incorporated a M61 Vulcan rotary cannon.