Originally Posted by
MSOCS
Not that I would expect you to divulge a personal conversation but I hope that your candid discussion was enlightening in all respects.
There is no denying the F-35 Program has its issues and challenges. There are priorities and challenges for all the respective US Services and foreign partners alike as they try to modernise their fleets. That said, I do also hope that the Col gave you some positive news from the F-35 world, Maus because as I've said for my entire time on this forum, there is a lot of excellent work and achievements that go unsung all too often.
Hope you enjoy Oshkosh!
I can give you the gist of the convo:
About the F-16 1 v. 1: The F-16 is an excellent dogfighter, while the F-35 has a greater un-refuelled range than the F-16, emphasizing the point that there are design trade-offs. He did not make excuses like the AF-2 was a development jet.
The A-10 vs. F-35 in CAS role: The A-10 is a more capable CAS platform - in a low-threat environment. If there was money, he thinks the USAF should keep it.
The status of the program in general: If you listen to Lockheed Martin, everything smells like roses. If you listen to the critics, it's a disaster. The truth is somewhere in between.
Visibility behind the jet: is not as good as in the Strike Eagle or F-22. He has personally only flown the front seat of the F-16 once, so he let his wingman that has experience in the F-16 answer that. The canopy design was affected by signature concerns.
The HMDS. His wingman likes the new HMDS. It's well balanced and is more comfortable than the F-16 helmet - particularly when equipped with NVGs / cueing system. The pilot can turn his head, and see the vertical stabs, and the O2 mask stays in place. Yes, he and others have dropped the helmet. He hasn't broken it yet, but other have: repaired not ruined. A new, more protective helmet bag was specifically designed for it. The wingman also prefers the more upright seating position in the F-35.
I stated that the aircraft seemed to be more of a F-117 replacement that can defend itself (rather than a fighter,) the Col refined my point, saying that the aircraft capabilities were more like a combination of the F-117 and a block 50/52 F-16.
Overall, the aircraft is a step up in terms of range, ground mode radar capabilities and situational awareness over the F-16 (and of course stealth.) Any performance tradeoffs can be mitigated by using the aircraft as it was designed: engaging enemies from a distance, and by fighting as a team.