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Old 30th May 2013, 11:07
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kbrockman
 
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G Forces

Just as a FYI, comparing the F35 with one of its contemporaries, the French Rafale.
It has a couple of soft sustained G-limits, 9.0/-3.2 for A2A, in the A2G role with a heavy load (up until 21000lbs) at MTOW it is limited to 5.5/-3.2G.
Mind you these are all soft limits, in all regimes it can be pushed to +11G's if the need arises.
BTW it also has a 30°AoA limit in A2A or 20°in heavy A2G, without loosing altitude (demonstrated AoA during flight test is +100°).
The F35 might have 50°AoA but I somehow seriously doubt it will keep its altitude anywhere past 20°AoA.

That is only the Rafale, I can only imagine what a Eurofighter might do, certainly with the max 23,000Lbs emergency war power setting.
Let alone an F22 with its enormous lift generating (clean) body and 2D vectoring massively powerful engines.

The F35 certainly seems to be in a disadvantaged position with most of these fighters, I can only guess what will happen once external weapons, pods or fuel tanks are needed, which I guess will be fairly often given the F35's limited bays (unlike the F22).

Last edited by kbrockman; 30th May 2013 at 11:11.
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