Very cool video of the F-35B.
No hook. No catapult.
SIAP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki86x1WKPmE

Sounds pretty damned impressive. They need to speed up the B model test program, if that's the case.

Results you can see are worth a million words and promises. We all know big budget cuts are already on the books. F-35 has got to be a large target for the budget bean counters.

So all the excitement of takeoff and landing on an aircraft carrier is gone now?

quote:

---

No hook. No catapult.

---

(yawn)

Pretty cool. But if I am to believe any of the related videos, it would seem that the F-35 is no match for some fighter produced by Sukhoi. At least in visual combat. Now in theory I think the JSF and F-22 are supposed to be able to knock out enemy planes before it even shows up on enemy radar, but anyone have any thoughts on that?

One of said videos:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27qdB1D0s9M&feature=related

If it's on youtube then it's got to be true, right?

The F-35 should be able to defend itself and avoid the top tier Russian fighters but it's not designed to take them on to achieve air superiority. It's a ground attack aircraft first and foremost. The F-22s have the air superiority mission. By the way, a fellow FTAC '90 Marine is the commander of VX-20 at Pax River where the F-35 has undergone a lot of its DT&E.

quote:

---

If it's on youtube then it's got to be true, right?

---

Well if you saw the video, you'd have seen that they quoted a study by the RAND corporation. Whether the study actually exists or not, I don't know, but the RAND Corporation does. Just thought I'd get some opinions from current or former pilots that know more about this than myself.

quote:

---

...it's not designed to take them on to achieve air superiority. It's a ground attack aircraft first and foremost. The F-22s have the air superiority mission.

---

Exactly. Been that way since it's inception. Not hard to understand really.

I wouldn't worry about it.