F-35 Lightning II (aka JSF)

[MilitaryAircraft101]

I'd personally like to see droppable weapons pylons, so that after external stores are dropped, they can also lose their pylons and return to their full L-O signature when they turn to come home...

[GTX]

This is the best publicly available for the gunpod of the B/C:




Regards,

Greg

[GTX]

6 amraams are great, but what happens when there's 7 bad guys or some are defeated?

You can't use ECM on a gun and if you need to hit something on the ground, you have the option.

Regards,

Mav

Well you can use ECM...on the targeting system.

Anyway, there may be no need to limit oneself to 6 AMRAAMS:

[rickshaw]

Is the gunpod on the centreline, Greg?

[GTX]

6 amraams are great, but what happens when there's 7 bad guys or some are defeated?
<...>

You turn around and fly home thinking about two things:
1. Discretion is the better part of valour.
2. Woohoo, ace in a day*, baby!

The seventh one won't pursue you, because he was either shot down by your wingman or because he turned around upon seeing six fireballs where his wingies used to be.

No, seriously, of course you could argue that there could always be one or more enemies than you have missiles. But how realistic is it? When was the last time a flight (not just a single aircraft) was all out of missiles? Maybe in the Arab-Israeli wars, when Mirages only had two Sidewinders/Shafrirs each. And when was the last time there were enough targets for a whole flight?





*The ace-in-a-day-bit is only good against proper planes. Drones only count as half kills. Clubbing baby seals and all that.

Spot on!

[GTX]

Is the gunpod on the centreline, Greg?

Yep!

[GTX]

Guns have considerable utility and rounds are cheaper than rockets or missiles (but only just nowadays.  Large calibre rounds cost quite a lot if the latest reports I've read are to be believed).  I can see them being replaced with smart rockets though, once their price per unit comes down and their accuracy comes up.

I know where you are coming from and whilst it has some validity, the problem with this is where does one draw line line between intelligent, guided rockets and AAMs?

[GTX]

I'd personally like to see droppable weapons pylons, so that after external stores are dropped, they can also lose their pylons and return to their full L-O signature when they turn to come home...

Gets awfully expensive if you go that way.

[jcf]

I'd personally like to see droppable weapons pylons, so that after external stores are dropped, they can also lose their pylons and return to their full L-O signature when they turn to come home...

Gets awfully expensive if you go that way.

Damn, spiked the consumables budget by a power of ten... at least. 

[rickshaw]

Guns have considerable utility and rounds are cheaper than rockets or missiles (but only just nowadays.  Large calibre rounds cost quite a lot if the latest reports I've read are to be believed).  I can see them being replaced with smart rockets though, once their price per unit comes down and their accuracy comes up.

I know where you are coming from and whilst it has some validity, the problem with this is where does one draw line line between intelligent, guided rockets and AAMs?

Good question.  Perhaps its more a definitional thing than anything else?   I'd suggest that it would be one way to sell them to the bean counters.  "Look, its just a 2.75in rocket with a guidance head on it!  Honestly!" 

[MilitaryAircraft101]

I'd personally like to see droppable weapons pylons, so that after external stores are dropped, they can also lose their pylons and return to their full L-O signature when they turn to come home...

Gets awfully expensive if you go that way.

Damn, spiked the consumables budget by a power of ten... at least. 

Not as expensive as losing a $110M Aircraft though! The amount of aircraft you could save with a little setup like that, only in wartime of course (or with blue banded training ones  ) Yeah, expensive, but pilots and aircraft are worth more, even with 2500 of 'em   Quite an F-35 "Optimist" myself, can't see why it gets such a bad whacking! Yeah, not an ideal dogfighter, but against all the Su's up to about the -30MK or the Mig-29+ It can hold its own, with substantially more acceleration, it can turn on the burners and high tail it outta there quick smart, anyway, modern pilots don't pursue non-immediate threats, so you can take yourself out of the "immediate" danger zone as soon as you go the otehr way!

[GTX]

Yeah, not an ideal dogfighter

Based upon???

[rickshaw]

Yeah, not an ideal dogfighter

Based upon???

I'd say with all that thrust it would be quite a spritely little beast, actually.   I wonder if the rear pipe can thrust vector in flight or does it only bend in landing/taking off?  If it can, then it would be quite a winner.

[PR19_Kit]

I'd say with all that thrust it would be quite a spritely little beast, actually.   I wonder if the rear pipe can thrust vector in flight or does it only bend in landing/taking off?  If it can, then it would be quite a winner.

Even better if it could vector upwards as well as downwards. Sideways wouldn't be a real option as they'd cook the tail!

[MilitaryAircraft101]

Yeah, not an ideal dogfighter

Based upon???

Ideal dogfighter? No. It is quite agile, especially at low speed, where it's high thrust really helps, but against modern 3D TV aircraft, it is outmatched.