3 ms·
Modern air combat is one giant theorycraft - if the US was 100% certain in what you wrote - the supremacy of beyond visual range (BVR) combat and stealth - they
by torginus 3y ago
Modern air combat is one giant theorycraft - if the US was 100% certain in what you wrote - the supremacy of beyond visual range (BVR) combat and stealth - they'd have skipped making the F35 and went straight for the B-21 bomber, never mind procuring non-stealth F15EX and keeping the F18s in service.
And another fact is that BVR and stealth are somewhat incompatible - you need powerful sensors to shoot far, and said sensors are immensely detectable.
- sigmoid10 3y agoThe F35, the B21 and the F15EX have vastly different mission profiles. But with stealth and a wide range of combat roles being a focus for this new fighter concept, it would make most sense to look at the lessons learned from the F35. If they were building a long range bomber, they should look at the B21 and if they wanted an air dominance platform, they should look at the F22 or maybe NGAD. The 15EX only really exists to bridge the gap created by a lack of F22s. And BVR and stealth are not fundamentally incompatible. That's where sensor fusion with AWACS and wingmen comes into play. This is precisely the area that makes the F35 so powerful compared to older gen aircraft.