4 ms·
>an expensive airframe The F-35 is no longer an expensive aircraft; the unit cost is quite low now.
by dharmab 3y ago
>an expensive airframe
The F-35 is no longer an expensive aircraft; the unit cost is quite low now.
- exabrial 3y agoI'm firmly in the camp that the F35 is actually a great multirole jet; however, it's not suited well for CAS due to its payload capacity, stall speed, loiter time, and hourly operating cost. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe your main threats during CAS are AAA and ManPADS, something that stealth does not protect you against, so it just serves to increase costs for operating in that role. It does appear to have the sensor suite for CAS, so it's possible it may be better served in a CAS protection role and target acquisition role. wdyt?