Originally Posted by
2805662
Has the RAF declared IOC? Seems unreasonable to expect any deployment before such a declaration. No doubt you’d fashion that it some anti-F-35 argument about baseless risk-taking and putting the aircrew’s lives in danger.
Oh nothing of the sort.
I can't wait,
really I can't, for the RAF to move into the 5th and 6th gen LO game, the same sort of operational performance improvements that Typhoon supplied over the F3. That GR1 supplied over Bucc and Jag..
It will provide a quantum step forwards in the RAF's capabilities, albeit at fairly modest range.
However, receiving aircraft that, by LM's own admission, are sub par, and will require massive rework programs to match the offensive capabilities of current airframe[s], let alone surpass them, is stretching the story quite a bit...
I hope the RAF's F35B IOC delivers more substantial capabilities than the USMC's role playing one...especially when the aircraft is expected to perform LO missions, which I believe, was is the raison d'etre for this whole outlandish project..
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/unready-war-americas-f-35-gets-bad-report-card-15092
"Gilmore’s report also reveal another bit of insight which the F-35 Joint Program Office does not readily admit—
the development effort is deferring capabilities in an attempt to meet its schedule: “JSF follow-on development will integrate additional capabilities in Block 4, address deferrals from Block 3F to Block 4, and correct deficiencies discovered during Block 3F development and IOT&E.”"