best machine the RAF never had
Thread Starter
A million years ago in a galaxy far, far away, when Phoon was still "Eurofighter 2000" and in trouble at many levels, there was a plot to gap-fill A2A with recently modded and lightly used F-16A ADFs - to be followed by co-development of the delta-wing F-16 variant with the diverterless inlet and LO nozzle. It had gas for days and carried all weapons conformally or semi-conformally. BAE Systems were not happy bunnies, the USAF wanted to be all-stealth (how''s that working out for ya?), and the upper Pentagon levels saw it as a threat to the nascent JAST, later JSF. The avionics ended up in the Block 60.
Never heard of that development of the F-16 - who was planning this?
I always thought the F-16E/XL was by far the best version - apart from sustained turn it was an order of magnitude better than the standard machine.
Think the USAF missed a big trick not making this the standard buy.
Was the delta a development of the XL?
"turning the idea around these would have been great exports:"
I seem to remember that the USA had better aircraft, years earlier than any of the ones pictured........................
I seem to remember that the USA had better aircraft, years earlier than any of the ones pictured........................
I may be wrong, I may be working on received wisdom.
Thread Starter
Maybe as a weapon system but as an airframe not in a million years.
well.... the Intruder was proven in serious combat over 30 years - can't have been all that bad
but to some extent they were tasked with different missions - the A-6 was designed to fight & support another Korean War (and did in Vietnam) - the Buc was an anti-ship strike aircraft designed from the outset to drop small A weapons - the fact that they were later re-roled to land attack was really due to financial constraints
but to some extent they were tasked with different missions - the A-6 was designed to fight & support another Korean War (and did in Vietnam) - the Buc was an anti-ship strike aircraft designed from the outset to drop small A weapons - the fact that they were later re-roled to land attack was really due to financial constraints
Asturias
So was the Tornado GR4 but you don’t often hear people saying what an amazing airframe it was.
For the record, before people get precious, I am a fan of the GR4 but we must all accept it was more a case of crews doing a great job to get the best out of the platform rather than it being a world beating airframe.
BV
For the record, before people get precious, I am a fan of the GR4 but we must all accept it was more a case of crews doing a great job to get the best out of the platform rather than it being a world beating airframe.
BV
Was this Michael Portillo?
Never heard of that development of the F-16 - who was planning this?
I always thought the F-16E/XL was by far the best version - apart from sustained turn it was an order of magnitude better than the standard machine.
Think the USAF missed a big trick not making this the standard buy.
Was the delta a development of the XL?
Never heard of that development of the F-16 - who was planning this?
I always thought the F-16E/XL was by far the best version - apart from sustained turn it was an order of magnitude better than the standard machine.
Think the USAF missed a big trick not making this the standard buy.
Was the delta a development of the XL?
Probably worse endurance than the P1.b
And they never managed to make PCB work, even when trying again in the 80's, so the P1154 is a non starter in anyone's book.
"Early in the Buccaneer programme, the US Navy had expressed mild interest in the aircraft, but quickly moved on to the development of its comparable Grumman A-6 Intruder. The West German Navy showed a greater interest, and considered replacing its Hawker Sea Hawks with the type, although it eventually decided on the Lockheed F-104G for its maritime strike requirement, following the bribing of West German government officials in the Lockheed bribery scandals."
F-111K would have been great - especially if equipped with Pave Tack - the results during Op DESERT STORM speak for themselves + able to run fighters out of fuel at low level.
Plus - if the F-111B had gone ahead for the USN, F-111B for North Sea AD instead of Tornado F3 and multi-role ASuW as well.
Plus - if the F-111B had gone ahead for the USN, F-111B for North Sea AD instead of Tornado F3 and multi-role ASuW as well.