"The Lightning may not have the Raptors A2A capabilities but it is much better than the Rafale, Gripen, SH, or any other 4+ genaration fighter out there, including the Typhoon"

 

??? ---> The star&stripes clown (usajoe) is talking about an aircraft who doesn 't exist yet as such and he dares comparing it with various jets who have been operational for few years for some and for many years for others . Typical nonsense from a stupid fanboy ...

Hey usajoe , the F-35 doesn 't exist yet !

 

Then if it does fly in Ops in 2015-2016 (?) , what will be the other aircraft by then ? Pakfa will probably be up there with some new SUs and Migs , Typhoon will be tranche 4 , Rafale will be F5+ , Gripen NG will also be MkII , even the Chinese could have a discreet or decent LO jet , etc ...

Basicaly , the F-35 is promising to be the biggest "flop" the US air Industry ever made . When I speak to various people here in France , the same question in on every lips : "why they did not make a F-22B instead ???" 

Unsurprisingly , ONE answer is on everybody lips : "they wanted to kill the market but they had it wrong" .

 

If Europe would have followed and trusted Dassault instead to go alone , 500 Rafale F3+ would be operational right now through Europe with nearly a quarter of them onboard UK and French Carriers . I mean right now , mid 2009 .

Then , this would have cost the "so called" F-35 European partners 3 times less money .

I am not saying that the Typhoon is a bad aircraft , I am saying that Europe did not need such program . When Dassault pulled away from the European fighter program , the French Engineers were already 10 years ahead . They knew exactly what to build , they had a perfectly working prototype and the complete know-how .

The British (mostly because of them) and the Germans left and decided to go alone with some clueless partners (Italy , Spain) . The result is showing , waste of money , waste of resources , waste of time = lesser product (and way late) .

 

Then , some clowns are trying to compare a "dirty problem child prototype " (F-35) with latest Super Hornets and Rafales ?

They don 't have a clue .

 

Cheers .

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The issues we are dealing with are independent of the thermal management system," says deputy program manager Bobby Williams. "Nothing is on the critical path, but the earlier we get the data the better."

The problem involves repeated failures of the nacelle vent fans that force air through the space between engine and airframe to prevent heat from damaging the structure."

 

I said it Herald. It was a direct reference to reports that the F35 has heat management issues. You are an idiot for posting about the F35 without having knowledge of those reports and the project's responses to them. If you had bothered to check you would have found that tests were delayed in Texas last summer because of vent and electronics issues brought on by stealth shells and big engines. These frequent rants don't make you appear knowledgeable about any topic you discuss here and your fraking ignorance is only matched by your witless arrogance. That sh*t gets old Herald. You will note from the Aviation Week article that the JSF program director says that thermal management is the greatest challenge in the project. This is because it is a tight shell that can not accomodate the release of heat in the way that other non stealthy platforms can. It is not a show stopper for the development potential of the F35 but it contributes to the cost and sophistication of the F35. The F35 ultimately will be killed by politics not overheated radios.

 

Just once I would love for you to know WTF you are talking about and maybe you could read the thread instead of yelling at a participant who you don't like. If you had bothered to read the thread you would have seen my comments and then you could have asked me directly why my opinion was as stated.

 

Herald, stop being an ass.

 

Check Six

 

Rocky

 

 

 

ht**tp://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw081108p2.xml&headline=Component%20Failures%20Impact%20F-35%20Flight%20Testing

By Graham Warwick

Lockheed Martin continues to struggle to gain momentum in flight testing of the Joint Strike Fighter, with the first F-35 again grounded by component failure and while the second aircraft heads toward a hiatus in flying that will last into early next year. The issues will not affect the overall schedule, says Lockheed, but they are preventing key risks being retired early. These include additional noise tests funded by the Australians at a time when the F-35's environmental impact has become an issue for some international partners. The first F-35, aircraft AA-1, is grounded awaiting the repair of nacelle vent fans designed to keep the engine bay cool on the ground. The situation has echoes of the overheating problems that dogged the F-22, but Lockheed says it is unique to AA-1. "The issues we are dealing with are independent of the thermal management system," says deputy program manager Bobby Williams. "Nothing is on the critical path, but the earlier we get the data the better." The problem involves repeated failures of the nacelle vent fans that force air through the space between engine and airframe to prevent heat from damaging the structure. While the fan failures may be unrelated, thermal management is the "biggest challenge" in the F-35, says Daniel Kunec, JSF program office director, air system integration. "It is the most limiting feature, and there are still some challenges to be overcome,"

Gentlemen , just try to be in my shoes for a minute , will you ?

How could I stay silent when I read this kind of nonsense (from usajoe 1) :