Salute!
Maybe the RAF folks could visit the F-35 forums over at F-16.net, and see some of the discussion re: required operational capability requirements, test results, opinions and such.
The test profiles for the Stubbie were about as benign as with most planes since the P-36. Wind up turns, climb steps, acceleration profiles, etc. And they still do things like one gee st and level at max power to get the time to accelerate from "x" to "y". If this jet can go from 0.8 to 1.2 in 8 seconds while st and level, then it beats about every jet since the early F-104's in the 50's, and the F-101B' a few years later. I only flew three jets that were true supersonic designs, and even the Viper could not go thru the mach from 0.8M in a few seconds unless going down hill. The VooDoo back in its day was actually better than the Viper, and we could bunt over to a half a gee or so at 20K on a max burner climb and go thru the mach while still climbing thru 25K , then climb at 1.3M or so to over 50K. The Zipper folks have as good or better war stories, as do the RAF Lightning folks.
ORAC's observation about fuel is the biggie. Ask any Eagle, Viper, Hornet, Tiffie, Rafale, 'nado pilot how many seconds they flew supersonic in an engagement once past the merge. Getting to the fight or intercept is a different aspect of the scenario.
@ Once, my "supersonic to the intercept" thot was pre-Slammer. The Slammer gave us the capability to shoot way out there with little or no giant white plume like the Sparrow. We didn't need the speed. The intercept geometry might still make a supercruise capablility a player, but most engagements since the early days of VietNam were not the stereotypical stern conversions that ORAC is very familiar with. Read some of the Combat Tree stuff and the 1972 engagements using Teaball and such.
The modern A2A scenarios favor gaining and maintaining energy for the areodynamics, super situational awareness ( like the Stubbie has) and missiles that can be launched and hit from parameters we could not dream of back in the day.
So the supersonic stuff is passe except for the RAM that might need to be re-applied to keep the RCS down to the level of a house wren.
Gusm opines...
Last edited by gums; 26th Apr 2020 at 18:56.
Reason: typo's mainly