But as was asked in another thread, was a capability gap created?
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But as was asked in another thread, was a capability gap created?
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- #122
GregP
Major
There is nothing the F-117 could do that the F-35 cannot do. What they have to do is resist the temptation to hang bombs outside of the internal bomb bay and thus remove the stealth characteristics. If they don't do that, the F-35 has computing power WAY beyond the F-117 as well as a smarter weapons suite from which to choose.
I have never questioned it's capability as a precision attack platform. It can DO that as well as function in many ways the F-117 couldn't even begin to emulate. I question it's survivability in close-in air combat against modern opponents using the Mark I eyeball as a primary sighting device during daylight hours. Since I clearly recall this as a stated goal once the ordnance was expended, I am skeptical of what other capabilities touted back then are missing now.
However, it is very likely that many capabilities which were unforseen at the time when it was designed have come to light as the computer software was developed. In other words, I find it likely that there are capabilities now which weren't dreamed of when the F-35 airframe was designed which came to light as they discovered they could do something new with the computing power.
The extended capabilities may, in fact, outweigh the airframe goals that were not met. Since these capabilities are unlikely to be openly shared with the press and the world, we may never know except as the combat use of the aircraft unfolds.
If it goes into service and has a many-year combat record with few or no losses, we will all realize that they didn't tell us everything the bird would do. It is VERY tough to demonstrate precision aiming at man-sized targets at an airshow since weapons are typically not ever used at airshows and they'd be idiots to advertise it by showing the HUD view on the CNN nightly news.
Combat success tell a story all its own that the aviation press cannot even when they try.
This doesn't turn me into an instant F-35 fan. Only success will do that and I wish it all the success in the world since it is part of out Air Force. However some of the issues I am unhappy with HAVE to have been addressed since 2011 or they would have show up as in-flight failures in testing, which brings them into the light of day again. Since I haven't heard about some issues I was expectung to hear about, they must have fixed a few elecrical anomalies taht were outstanding. You can't hide the type of failures I was worried about and I haven't heard of them happening. That, at least, says good things have been going on.
I have never questioned it's capability as a precision attack platform. It can DO that as well as function in many ways the F-117 couldn't even begin to emulate. I question it's survivability in close-in air combat against modern opponents using the Mark I eyeball as a primary sighting device during daylight hours. Since I clearly recall this as a stated goal once the ordnance was expended, I am skeptical of what other capabilities touted back then are missing now.
However, it is very likely that many capabilities which were unforseen at the time when it was designed have come to light as the computer software was developed. In other words, I find it likely that there are capabilities now which weren't dreamed of when the F-35 airframe was designed which came to light as they discovered they could do something new with the computing power.
The extended capabilities may, in fact, outweigh the airframe goals that were not met. Since these capabilities are unlikely to be openly shared with the press and the world, we may never know except as the combat use of the aircraft unfolds.
If it goes into service and has a many-year combat record with few or no losses, we will all realize that they didn't tell us everything the bird would do. It is VERY tough to demonstrate precision aiming at man-sized targets at an airshow since weapons are typically not ever used at airshows and they'd be idiots to advertise it by showing the HUD view on the CNN nightly news.
Combat success tell a story all its own that the aviation press cannot even when they try.
This doesn't turn me into an instant F-35 fan. Only success will do that and I wish it all the success in the world since it is part of out Air Force. However some of the issues I am unhappy with HAVE to have been addressed since 2011 or they would have show up as in-flight failures in testing, which brings them into the light of day again. Since I haven't heard about some issues I was expectung to hear about, they must have fixed a few elecrical anomalies taht were outstanding. You can't hide the type of failures I was worried about and I haven't heard of them happening. That, at least, says good things have been going on.
