PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - F-35 Cancelled, then what ?
View Single Post
Old 10th Mar 2016, 13:37
  #8931 (permalink)  
Maus92
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Annapolis
Posts: 109
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
"Tests of the F-35’s ability to fire and drop the majority of its planned weapons in a combat-realistic operating environment won’t actually begin until the Block 3F configuration in 2021. Accomplishing those will require a total of 50 test events."

This short passage (and the accompanying chart in the article) is why the USN wants more Super Hornets now. The F-35 is limited to what it can bring to the party in the next 6-7 years in terms of weapons - particularly AGM/ASuW missiles - which explains why the Navy talks about the F-35C acting as an armed scout / forward sensor node. That and the fact you can almost buy two Super hornets for the cost of one F-35C.
Maus92 is offline