Originally Posted by
Jackonicko
Totally different aircraft with different roles. Does anyone think that F-35 is "just as good" as F-22 as an air defender? Or that the F-22 is in the same ballpark as F-35 for air-to-ground?
Simplistic and misleading b*llocks.
Can I respectfully remind you that the F-22 was designed as a specialist air superiority fighter. It was given a limited air to ground capability to allow the Brass to present the case that they are making full use of their expensive assets.
Therefore, no, the F-35 cannot perform as well as the F-22 at 60,000' because it can't even get there, much less punch off an AMRAAM at said height at M2 and perform tactical manoeuvres (thanks to vectored thrust) that other fast jets simply cannot do.
In an era of finite budgets and multi-role fighters, the aircraft that can do the most with the least are "better" and more desirable than those that can't, which is exactly why Project CENTURION was applied to the Typhoon. The F-35 was designed to be very good at a lot of things, not to excel at one thing. Therefore it is absolutely better than the F-22 as an all-round platform.
My personal favourite FJs of all time, are the F-15C and Tornado F.3 - two specialist air defence aircraft, designed for very different areas of air defence. From a personal level I don't like multi-role, but it's not about personal preference, as much as it is the needs of a country verses the money they have to spend.