PaladinSolo Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 Both burn their stealth coating off during supersonic flight and can become uncontrollable during steep maneuvers, the A variant continues to be the only one worth a damn. https://www.thedailybeast.com/america-is-stuck-with-a-dollar400-billion-stealth-fighter-that-cant-fight One problem cropped up during test flights in 2011, Defense News reported, citing the trove of military documents. In the 2011 tests, at least one F-35B and F-35C both flew at speeds of Mach 1.3 and Mach 1.4. A post-flight inspection in November 2011 revealed the F-35B sustained “bubbling [and] blistering” of its stealth coating. Further supersonic tests in December 2011 revealed structural damage on an F-35C resulting from the extreme heat coming from the plane’s single Pratt & Whitney engine, one of the most powerful fighter engines ever made. To avoid similar damage, the military has limited F-35B and F-35C pilots to flying at supersonic speed for less than a minute at a time. But that could make it impossible for aviators to keep up with, or avoid, Russian and Chinese fighters flying faster than the speed of sound without any restrictions. “It is infeasible for the Navy or Marine Corps to operate the F-35 against a near-peer threat under such restrictions,” Defense News paraphrased the documents as saying. The test reports Defense News obtained also reveal a second, previously little-known category 1 deficiency in the F-35B and F-35C aircraft. If during a steep climb the fighters exceed a 20-degree “angle of attack”—the angle created by the wing and the oncoming air—they could become unstable and potentially uncontrollable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 No good, very bad, the airplanes have to stay invisible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 The F-35 PMO is located two floors below where I work. I have to bite my tongue to not laugh hysterically at their personnel whenever I encounter them in the elevator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 8 minutes ago, SFLUFAN said: The F-35 PMO is located two floors below where I work. I have to bite my tongue to not laugh hysterically at their personnel whenever I encounter them in the elevator. I'm assuming their floor must be a 24/7 party because they're clearly not doing their stated jobs. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwheel86 Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 Man I feel bad for the Brits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massdriver Posted June 14, 2019 Share Posted June 14, 2019 Wow. What a cluster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CayceG Posted June 14, 2019 Share Posted June 14, 2019 My favorite part of these articles is where it lists all the corrective actions being taken to address these deficiencies. Because if you're reading the right articles, they have these parts. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/the-pentagon-is-battling-the-clock-to-fix-serious-unreported-f-35-problems/ https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/12/a-fix-is-coming-for-a-problem-that-left-two-f-35-pilots-in-excruciating-pain/ I'm confident these will be addressed in a satisfactory way. Also, before the F-35, there was the C-17. It was plagued with issues and derided in the press. And now it's fine and the backbone of our transport air arm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 Can’t link to the banned bird app, but… F-35 Crashes on Runway in North Texas, Forcing Pilot to Eject WWW.MILITARY.COM An F-35B Lightning II crashed during a vertical landing at an air base in North Texas, forcing the pilot to eject from the aircraft on the runway. Yikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unogueen Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 Anything new on the destroyer without ammo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneticBlueprint Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Kal-El814 said: Can’t link to the banned bird app, but… F-35 Crashes on Runway in North Texas, Forcing Pilot to Eject WWW.MILITARY.COM An F-35B Lightning II crashed during a vertical landing at an air base in North Texas, forcing the pilot to eject from the aircraft on the runway. Yikes. Honestly impressed that you can pretty safely eject from an altitude of 0. I'm curious if the crash was pilot error or not, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CayceG Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 11 minutes ago, unogueen said: Anything new on the destroyer without ammo? They're replacing the guns with long range hypersonic missiles. Thing is going to be a fucking beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unogueen Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 26 minutes ago, CayceG said: They're replacing the guns with long range hypersonic missiles. Thing is going to be a fucking beast. Short on promises it seems. A $4.4 billion US destroyer was touted as one of the most advanced ships in the world. Take a look at the USS Zumwalt, which has since been called a 'failed ship concept.' WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM Experts consider the ship a failure, lacking many important features like anti-ship missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes. I understand protecting your interests, but maybe be more picky how the money is spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaladinSolo Posted December 16, 2022 Author Share Posted December 16, 2022 7 minutes ago, unogueen said: Short on promises it seems. A $4.4 billion US destroyer was touted as one of the most advanced ships in the world. Take a look at the USS Zumwalt, which has since been called a 'failed ship concept.' WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM Experts consider the ship a failure, lacking many important features like anti-ship missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes. Yes, the concept of the original design is a failure, but they're being repurposed to have more typical payloads and utility, IE more AA, Anti Ship, and cruise missiles, including hyper-sonic launchers. This also goes for the LCS class, it appears the US military is done messing around with crazy new concepts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinIon Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 27 minutes ago, PaladinSolo said: Yes, the concept of the original design is a failure, but they're being repurposed to have more typical payloads and utility, IE more AA, Anti Ship, and cruise missiles, including hyper-sonic launchers. This also goes for the LCS class, it appears the US military is done messing around with crazy new concepts. I sure hope so. I'm no military expert, but if I'm choosing to spend billions of dollars on equipment meant to win wars, I'd probably go with "proven thing, but modern" over "amazing thing, if it works." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 1 hour ago, CayceG said: They're replacing the guns with long range hypersonic missiles. Thing is going to be a fucking beast. Well...uhhhhh...we'll certainly give it the ol' Navy try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwheel86 Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 1 hour ago, GeneticBlueprint said: Honestly impressed that you can pretty safely eject from an altitude of 0. I'm curious if the crash was pilot error or not, though. Friendly reminder the F-35 ejects THROUGH the canopy instead of popping off the canopy first (because the brits insisted). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneticBlueprint Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 41 minutes ago, Jwheel86 said: Friendly reminder the F-35 ejects THROUGH the canopy instead of popping off the canopy first (because the brits insisted). We're through the looking glass, people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePi Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 2 hours ago, Jwheel86 said: Friendly reminder the F-35 ejects THROUGH the canopy instead of popping off the canopy first (because the brits insisted). We all watched Top Gun and know what happens when you try to pop the canopy first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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