(Luft) Lockheed Martin F-35 - Lightning II

[Quintus Fabius]

Die Navy versucht mit einem neuen Ansatz die F-35 anzugreifen nachdem die bisherige Strategie (Kosten, Fähigkeiten etc) nicht mehr greift.

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What’s the biggest problem with the F-35? Well, it’s not what you think! ....

The biggest failing of the F-35 is not any of its physical characteristics or even its cost. No, the biggest failing is its time to operation.

It has taken almost 20 years to get this far and we still don’t have operational aircraft. With respect to the Marine’s delusional and fanatical obsession with IOC, which is just a PR spin event, the F-35 still won’t be operational when they finally declare IOC victory. True operational status won’t be achieved for another 2-5 years, if that. So, we’re looking at an aircraft that will be 20+ years old before its first operational use. Most aircraft are at their prime and beginning to look at their downslope and replacement by that point.

Recht unsinnig weil moderne Kampfflugzeuge immer entsprechend lange brauchen bis sie voll einsatzfähig sind. Vergleiche Eurofighter etc

Fifteen years ago, the F-35 would have been well designed to meet the threats of that time. With normal upgrades and improvements, it would still be relevant today, if starting to show its age and some limitations as the Chinese threat has evolved.

However, because of the extreme development time, the F-35 will be bordering on obsolete when it enters service. Note, that when I say obsolete, I mean obsolete relative to what it was intended to be. It was intended to be the world’s foremost strike fighter – an aircraft unmatched by any other in the world. Now, in another 2-5 years when the F-35 enters service (we hope! – no guarantees with this aircraft) it will not be the world’s foremost strike fighter. It will not be unmatched in the world.

Und wer soll da der Herausforderer sein?

As we begin discussing the next generation aircraft, designers should take careful note of the F-35’s main failing and the lesson to be learned that a short development time is paramount.

One last lesson for future designers – the main, indeed only, way to ensure a quick and achievable fielding time is to scale back the degree of magical, fantasy wish list, leap-ahead technology. Designers should incorporate nothing into a design that can’t be guaranteed 100% achievable in five years time. That would also greatly decrease cost.

Development time should be pegged at five years – not a day beyond – from the first pencil on paper sketch to the delivery of a fully functional aircraft.

Es ist schlicht und einfach ein Ding der Unmöglichkeit ein solches Flugzeug in 5 Jahren fertig zu stellen. Dafür ist die notwendige Technik zu komplex. Das heißt insbesondere, dass auch die Feinde dies nicht können und Flugzeuge wie die J-31 ebenfalls entsprechend noch lange brauchen werden bis sie voll einsatzbereit sind.

Selbst eine Gripen E die primär nur bereits vorher völlig fertig gestellte Technologien zusammen gestellt verwendet hat zumindest 7 Jahre gebraucht bis sie einsatzfähig entwickelt war. Oder noch mehr (je nachdem wie man rechnet).