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I still have no idea what to expect from the F35. I'm not someone that knows a lot about fighter aircraft. The F22 was quickly hailed as the pinnacle of what it

I still have no idea what to expect from the F35. I'm not someone that knows a lot about fighter aircraft. The F22 was quickly hailed as the pinnacle of what it was designed to do, essentially unmatched today. Then they just stopped making them. Reviews of the F35 are vague. Israel is buying them but it's essentially getting them for free. So why not? Anyone have a true read on if the F35 is actually a dominant platform?

ata_aman 3y ago
Short answer is different roles. F22 is specifically an air superiority platform, which is why only the Air Force has it. F35 is a multi role platform and a lot of its value comes from its ability to communicate with the infra surround its roles.
- mrguyorama 3y ago
  The F35 is also meant to be very flexible, so that we can slap new toys into it as the world turns. It's supposed to run it's own little "fleet" of networked drones and MALDs and similar so that it can grab all the intel of everything about the enemy and send that info back to a bunch of A-10s and/or B52s carrying long range munitions to actually fire.
ianburrell 3y ago
The F-22 and F-35 are different. The F-22 is an air superiority fighter, it is stealthy F-15. The F-35 is a smaller multi-role fighter, it is sort of stealthy F-16 or F-18. The F-35 is significantly cheaper; the F-22 was cancelled because of the expense. Lots of countries are buying the F-35. It hits a sweet spot of multi-role fighter with a big bonus of stealth. Also, there is VTOL F-35 variant that the US Marines and other countries with smaller carriers are buying. The F-22 is still better in many ways. The F-35 is what is available now. The Air Force and Navy are working in two separate programs for replacing F-22 and F/A-18E/F respectively. The result should be much better than F-35, but also more expensive.
callalex 3y ago
It has been hugely successful at what it was designed to do: remove untold dollars from the American taxpayer and put them in the pockets of political donors.
nradov 3y ago
That's not even the right question to ask. The F-35 is the only survivable, 5th generation tactical aircraft available for purchase today. So whether it's "dominant" or not is kind of moot since there are effectively no other options. Sure, there are a few 4th generation airframes still in production and they are useful for certain limited missions like homeland defense and counterinsurgency. But those are dying platforms with little capacity to take upgrades and poor survivability against peer threats so it doesn't make sense for countries like the UK to buy more.

ata_aman 3y ago

Short answer is different roles. F22 is specifically an air superiority platform, which is why only the Air Force has it. F35 is a multi role platform and a lot of its value comes from its ability to communicate with the infra surround its roles.

mrguyorama 3y ago
The F35 is also meant to be very flexible, so that we can slap new toys into it as the world turns. It's supposed to run it's own little "fleet" of networked drones and MALDs and similar so that it can grab all the intel of everything about the enemy and send that info back to a bunch of A-10s and/or B52s carrying long range munitions to actually fire.

ianburrell 3y ago

The F-22 and F-35 are different. The F-22 is an air superiority fighter, it is stealthy F-15. The F-35 is a smaller multi-role fighter, it is sort of stealthy F-16 or F-18. The F-35 is significantly cheaper; the F-22 was cancelled because of the expense. Lots of countries are buying the F-35. It hits a sweet spot of multi-role fighter with a big bonus of stealth. Also, there is VTOL F-35 variant that the US Marines and other countries with smaller carriers are buying. The F-22 is still better in many ways. The F-35 is what is available now. The Air Force and Navy are working in two separate programs for replacing F-22 and F/A-18E/F respectively. The result should be much better than F-35, but also more expensive.

callalex 3y ago

It has been hugely successful at what it was designed to do: remove untold dollars from the American taxpayer and put them in the pockets of political donors.

nradov 3y ago

That's not even the right question to ask. The F-35 is the only survivable, 5th generation tactical aircraft available for purchase today. So whether it's "dominant" or not is kind of moot since there are effectively no other options. Sure, there are a few 4th generation airframes still in production and they are useful for certain limited missions like homeland defense and counterinsurgency. But those are dying platforms with little capacity to take upgrades and poor survivability against peer threats so it doesn't make sense for countries like the UK to buy more.