This is where I think we might have a problem, and might be looking at another F-4 Phantom style inadequacy.Ī recent report stated that the F-35 could be out maneuvered easily by an F-16 in test and training engagements.

That being said, put that all aside and let’s focus for a second on the F-35’s maneuverability and cockpit visibility. The F-35 is not the first fighter to see is share of growing pains. Even the F-18 Hornet had its share of problems, and in the 1980s a decade after production, all F-18s were grounded for a “ design problem” with its twin vertical tails.

Don’t forget as well that even the mighty F-16 had controllability issues related to its then new fly-by-wire technology, and that it failed its initial Operations Test so much as that the aircraft couldn’t be fixed before full-scale production was set to begin. Not to mention all the issues it had with stealth coatings and such. Some might have forgotten about the F-22’s problems with the on-board oxygen system, and the subsequent altitude and performance reductions that were enacted. built aircraft that hasn’t had multiple failings, changes, or problems during Developmental and Operational Test. Yes, I know that you have read about all its shortcomings and trials and tribulations. The F-35 is poised to be the hottest and most capable aircraft ever produced. Reports say that the F-35 is not as agile of a fighter in a BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuvers) engagement…but will that matter? Will stealth and advanced technologies overshadow the need for nimble fighters? Or did we already learn this lesson in Vietnam? Are we staring down the same road with the F-35 and “the age of stealth?” Dogfights resulting in a gunfight would be a thing of the past. At the time it entered service in the early 1960s, the Pentagon believed that the “age of the missile” had arrived. What he says might surprise you.Įveryone knows that the F-4 Phantom was originally designed without a gun. Former F-16 pilot Nate “Buster” Jaros asks if the stealth and advanced technologies of the F-35 overshadow the need for nimble fighters.

F 35 dogfighting capability