MM,
what is my flying experience? How come I post such good posts? Well, just let me say one thing, Chuck, I knew Chuck well. He can be my no. 2 any time.
>>I'm not wrapping myself up in figures. My own view is that the F-35 will in some areas (eg avionics and obviously LO) be far superior to the Typhoon. However, I don't think it'll be quite the same panacea as some think and it seems clear to me that navalising Typhoon is a non-starter.
In most areas actually. It has the stealth signature of a metal golf ball while keeping its bombs warm and toasty inside its trembling body.
>>Firstly, it'll be such a small production run as to prove very expensive. Secondly, the structural and FCS mods would be costly, risky and erode key areas of Typhoon's current excellent performance. History suggests that navalising a land based aircraft rarely works.
Not really, just that it would be massively expensive and no one else would buy it.
>>Clearly, the F-35 is still immature and still faces some problems, political and technical. However, F-35B or C offers the best solution for UK maritime air power. If it fails, I suspect that a lease of FA-18E/F would occur until a UCAV capability could be obtained.
The F-35 won't fail. It's already met or surpassed every performance targets out there without the yet but coming benefit of removing 2 thousand pounds of weight in a slimming programme, and will benefit from a lot of the advances in F-22, which has turned out to be the big boy of aviation.
>>I would also agree regarding the importance of LO being overstated. However, as more nations potentially purchase capable double digit SAM systems, the need to operate in very high threat areas during a conventional conflict will probably see it's importance increase.
The Syrians had Tor-M1 and S-300 batteries and the Israeli using a good flight profile and good EW silenced them completely before bombing a few bunkers flat in the far side of Syria.
Why won't people see that Russian SAM systems are more hype than reality, although dangerous? I still remember that day in 1991...