Brad,

 

just downloaded Don´s latest scen, Diego Garcia, which will bring me a lot of fun and nerve-racking battles

 

Included is the F-35 Lightning. I was surprised that both loadouts Intercept and Patrol only allocate four long range missiles to this aicraft. Thought it carried short range IR guided ones, too. Six to eight all in all.

 

Is that bird really so poorly armed and thus not really well suited for dogfight?

 

Regards,

Ralf

Brad,

just downloaded Don´s latest scen, Diego Garcia, which will bring me a lot of fun and nerve-racking battles Included is the F-35 Lightning. I was surprised that both loadouts Intercept and Patrol only allocate four long range missiles to this aicraft. Thought it carried short range IR guided ones, too. Six to eight all in all. Is that bird really so poorly armed and thus not really well suited for dogfight? Regards,

Ralf

 

Yep, if you want to carry weapons internally and thus preserve the low observable status of the aircraft, you are limited in the number of air to air missiles carried. One of the many criticisms of the JSF.

Brad,

just downloaded Don´s latest scen, Diego Garcia, which will bring me a lot of fun and nerve-racking battles Included is the F-35 Lightning. I was surprised that both loadouts Intercept and Patrol only allocate four long range missiles to this aicraft. Thought it carried short range IR guided ones, too. Six to eight all in all. Is that bird really so poorly armed and thus not really well suited for dogfight? Regards,

Ralf

 

Yep, if you want to carry weapons internally and thus preserve the low observable status of the aircraft, you are limited in the number of air to air missiles carried. One of the many criticisms of the JSF.

 

 

Interesting. But the F-22 Raptor is a stealth bird, too and can carry more missilies - can´t it? If so, then there´s really reason to criticize the JSF.

Interesting. But the F-22 Raptor is a stealth bird, too and can carry more missilies - can´t it? If so, then there´s really reason to criticize the JSF.

 

Yes, and with superior stealth. In fact, superior in just about every way.

I noticed a couple things about the F-35 in the DBs that raised flags. Both the Navy and USMC claim a top speed of about mach 1.6, but in the Classic DB it's only slightly over mach 1.1.

 

Also noticed payloads drastically reduced in recent DB, severely limiting anti-radar and anti-ship missions.

 

If this has been addressed elsewhere already my apologies, but I looked and couldn't find it.

F-35 should be limited a lot before Block 3F, to be implemented in 2017.

HCDB2 is even generous with the initial variants Block 2B (Not to be used operationally) and 2015-2016 Block 3i.

In short, from my own notes of many sources:

Notes:

- In August 2016 F-35A and F-35B Block 2B/3i are only armed with AIM-120C, GBU-31/32 JDAM, and E/GBU-12. Gun capability and AIM-9X will be added in 2017 (or gun in F-35B in 2019?), B61-12 nuke in F-35A in 2018, AIM-120D in 2019, and SDB near 2017-2022.

- Also, I think the capability to carry 6xAIM-120 in the internal bays (and not only four, as now) will be added only from 2019 with the incorporation of AIM-120D (This is only an informed guess, based in the Norway's F-35A forecasted evolution, AIM-120D and the capability to carry 6xAIM-120 will be add only in 2019).

I noticed a couple things about the F-35 in the DBs that raised flags. Both the Navy and USMC claim a top speed of about mach 1.6, but in the Classic DB it's only slightly over mach 1.1. Also noticed payloads drastically reduced in recent DB, severely limiting anti-radar and anti-ship missions. If this has been addressed elsewhere already my apologies, but I looked and couldn't find it.

 

Yes, the F-35 is not quite the bird it was hoped to be back in 2010-11. At least not in the sense of weapons integration. The top overall speed(s) is something that may get adjusted in due course.

 

The F-35 is a difficult bird to model, because, for example, IOC has been declared but most experts agree it was truly only a paper capability rather than a real 'go to war' capability. At the same time, we know from history that weapons and systems can be pushed into service extremely quickly if real life circumstances require it.

 

Thus the DB attempts to strike a useful balance between realism and a platform that will still be useful and fun from a gaming point of view.

Thanks for the responses! I was only asking because this new DB covers through 2025, so even though its capabilities are currently limited it seemed losing payloads that are supposedly in the cards and available in previous DBs seemed strange. It also seems the UK's F-35B version's payloads weren't cut back.

 

During my 30 years in the Navy (22 of them spent with the Marines) I saw many new items brought into use before they were ready, some were probably not really better than the tried and true equipment they were supposed to replace, and I suspect the F-35C falls into that category. IMHO it would have been better to keep improving the F-18.

 

My jarhead air wing buddies still serving do say that the F-35B is much needed and so far they like what they're seeing.

 

Again thanks for the responses.

Thanks for the responses! I was only asking because this new DB covers through 2025, so even though its capabilities are currently limited it seemed losing payloads that are supposedly in the cards and available in previous DBs seemed strange. It also seems the UK's F-35B version's payloads weren't cut back.

A lot of the payloads that were originally surmised for the US F-35 are unlikely to happen. The UK F-35 had a much smaller weapon footprint from the start.