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Old 6th Mar 2012, 17:51
  #482 (permalink)  
LowObservable
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
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WO - There are elements to the study (and to the famous RAND paper of 2008) that merit serious thought.

The most important single factor in play is the kinematics and load-out of the F-35/AMRAAM versus the Su-35S/R-77. The Sukhoi is a higher-performance aircraft and enters the fight higher and faster (more energy). The F-35 is firing AMRAAM uphill against an alerted (via MAWS) and evasive threat: the result is that it is not possible to fire AMRAAM with a high Pk without ending up inside the Su-35's detection range.

At this point, the risk is that the F-35s use most of their four missiles without destroying or damaging all of the Su-35s, or running them out of AAMs, fuel or energy. Since the Su is faster than the JSF, and the JSF's signatures increase in the beam or rear-on aspect, this is not a good situation.

I'm not saying this is necessarily accurate - being based on open-source information - but would add that if the AMRAAM was noted for its high Pk-at-range against an Su-type target, there would be no Meteor.
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