It's All In A Name

[Maverick]

As to Maverick's comment about 'limited capabilities', in what way?

The aircraft will actually carry a fair amount of ordnance in normal usage...buttoned-up stealth mode with just internal weapons is only intended for the opening sorties of a conflict, the intent is that most of the time the aircraft will fly with internal and external stores. The aircraft is not a 'one-trick pony' along the lines of the F-117.

Limited capabilites by way of the aircraft's role.  It is a 'strike fighter' I believe.  That said, it hasn't got the interdiction capabilities of the aircraft it is intended to replace here.  And if we're going for external weaponry that will negate any 'stealth' advantages and once again degrade the aircraft's performance.

Mav

[jcf]

Limited capabilites by way of the aircraft's role.  It is a 'strike fighter' I believe.  That said, it hasn't got the interdiction capabilities of the aircraft it is intended to replace here.  And if we're going for external weaponry that will negate any 'stealth' advantages and once again degrade the aircraft's performance.

Mav

Well, thats your government's decision and has nothing to do with the actual capabilities of the aircraft in the role for which it was designed. Yes, its a purpose designed strike aircraft, a bomb-truck...so flippin' what? Lockheed has never claimed it is a long-range interdiction aircraft...and of course that begs the question of who you think you need to interdict.

And as I stated 'Stealth' is only useful in the opening moves of a conflict, once the balloon is well and truly up it becomes of little utility, thus the incorporation of external stores capability into the JSF design, for the phases of combat where getting more tonnage on target outweighs concerns of being undetected.

I'm no fan of the JSF project and I am very skeptical of its supposed 'affordability', but like the F-22 I'm sure it will be  capable of performing to its design requirements.

[Maverick]

Well, thats your government's decision and has nothing to do with the actual capabilities of the aircraft in the role for which it was designed. Yes, its a purpose designed strike aircraft, a bomb-truck...so flippin' what? Lockheed has never claimed it is a long-range interdiction aircraft...and of course that begs the question of who you think you need to interdict.

Well someone obviously pitched it at the RAAF as just more than a bomb-truck otherwise they would have been even more dumb for getting involved with the whole deal in the first place.  As to interdiction, there's a little place above us called Timor, there's a much larger place next to them called Indonesia, as I have said in previous posts, the Indos aren't our buddies and have no considerations for anything we do, say or feel.  If they did, the Bali bombers would already be dead, Chapelle wouldn't be inside in the first place, and that grinning little fecker Amrosi would have been publicly flogged then sent to Australia for some 'talk'.

I personally would like to think that we have the capability to take war to our neighbours, not wait for them to show up off the NT coast and say, "Oh bugger, we'd better do something about it"

[Archibald]

Sorry but... the system in the F-35 is not a lift jet. Its a lift FAN!

I mean, in the Yaks, the lift system below the cockpit was a full turbojet, burning fuel with air.

In the F-35, its just a fan (no combustion, no hot gases in my humble knowledge).

So the system of the Yak-41 is not similar to the JSF one...

The fan of the F-35 is driven by its F-135 turbofan via a -robust- gearbox (hope its the correct word!).

But I prefer, too the Harrier / F-32 lift system...