18 Mar 21
@kmax87 saidRegardless of cost? If cost of producing said tool was infinite, any tool will eventually be proven useful.
No. The situational awareness and ability to be part of an integrated response to hostile forces that make 4th generation fighters blind by comparison.
If a tool is useful it will find adherents and champions regardless of cost. If you factor in the kill ratio of the F-35 since Red Flag in 2017 at 20:1, I know what platform I would want to be flying.
A real-life death star, for example, would be useful.
18 Mar 21
@wildgrass saidIf you compare one platform with a kill ratio of 20:1 to another, and if the first platform costs 100 million dollars, then that would suggest your opposition would cost 5 million bucks per piece. What does an F16 cost for argument's sake? Roughly 30 million bucks. So at a 20:1 kill ratio an F-35 could cost up to 600 million bucks per piece and still be a value proposition. No?
Regardless of cost? If cost of producing said tool was infinite, any tool will eventually be proven useful.
A real-life death star, for example, would be useful.
19 Mar 21
@wildgrass said
Right. Hacking didn't exist when the built the F-16 either, and yet it is the F-35 that is vulnerable to cyber attack. Again, one would expect them to figure it out but money doesn't appear to be solving the problems.
https://defensesystems.com/articles/2016/10/18/cyber.aspx
Air Force: An F-16 could be vulnerable to cyber attack
19 Mar 21
@wildgrass saidApparently you've never seen the movie Wargames.
Right. Hacking didn't exist when the built the F-16 either, and yet it is the F-35 that is vulnerable to cyber attack. Again, one would expect them to figure it out but money doesn't appear to be solving the problems.
19 Mar 21
1 edit
@wildgrass saidWell the engines do need to be restarted in flight occasionally.
Has the F-16 ever been hacked or vulnerable to an in-flight reboot?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flameout
http://www.cnn.com/US/9606/29/spectacular.landing/
Air Force officials marveled Friday at the prowess of an Air National Guard F-16 pilot who managed to land his single-engine fighter jet safely after losing all power at 13,000 feet over North Carolina.
Whether or not the radar needs rebooting in flight like the F35 did six years ago I don't know. But if you're in a dogfight (the scenario earlier described) I know I'd rather have my engines than my radar. Radar doesn't help in a dogfight when you're using IR missiles and guns.
19 Mar 21
@wildgrass saidF35 is cheaper than the other stealth aircraft we already have in service.
Regardless of cost? If cost of producing said tool was infinite, any tool will eventually be proven useful.
A real-life death star, for example, would be useful.
19 Mar 21
@kmax87 saidKeep your eye on the South China Sea.
As much as you are correct, I sincerely hope we never get to find out.