F35 Vs F16 - More than five years ago, reports emerged citing the results of an Edwards Air Force Base test where the F-16 was pitted against the F-35 to test the much-vaunted 5th generation fighter's ability in dogfighting. .
Citing some findings from actual testing, multiple news reports said the results showed the F-16 actually "outperformed" the F-35 in the dogfight. The reports have sparked much discussion, debate and uproar about the F-35. However, as may be the case, important aspects of the context of the debate were often missed in the documentation about the situation and the actual aircraft in use in 2015.
F35 Vs F16
Some have asked the question.. "Can the F-35 really fight dogs?" "Does it have to be able to fight a dog?" The answers to these questions are really quite obvious. Yes it can fight a dog but no it usually doesn't have to given the range, accuracy and reliability of its sensors and on-board computer processing.
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However, what about the actual quality of the question? How can it fight the F-35 dog? Can the F-16 really be overpowered? An Air Force pilot who was there at the time says the answer is clear. No.
“I was at Edwards Air Force Base when the test pilots were there and they were writing that first report. Since then this is the story and I would like to say a few things about it…..
First of all, it should be noted that the aircraft (F-35) was in its infancy and we were still trying to learn how to fly the aircraft. All CLAW (Aircraft Control Law) had not yet been delivered so people had not developed strategies, tactics and procedures etc. So to say that the F-35 cannot do Basic Flight Maneuver (BFM, Dogfight) I think is a very bad statement.
Honestly, you know I think seeing the F-35 and F-16 in a BFM engagement could be eye-opening, depending on how it's handled. Certainly the F-35 has some advantages that the F-16 does not have, particularly in its integration of helmets and its advanced weapons, which are very beneficial for a platform like the F-22 or F-35".
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- Chris “Worm” Spinelli, F-35 test pilot, Lockheed Martin, told me in an interesting interview with F-35 pilots.
While the F-35 is capable of dogfighting, which is a known fact, there is also much to be said for the additional fact that, due to the sensor suite and computer technology, it is unlikely that the F-35 will actually be "required" to dogfight. It is very likely that the F-35 will kill the enemy without detection.
"In my opinion, the sensor suite that we have with sensor fusion and MADL (F-35s Multifunction Advanced Datalink) should avoid all possible engagements before we get into visual range, let alone a dogfight. Whatever you are. The smart situation, for the most part, More will be resolved, which will benefit us,”
I remember writing about this incident and reading a specific Air Force test report in a 2015 question. Meanwhile, I received an interesting and very important response on the matter from the Pentagon's F-35 Joint Program Office. In 2015, the JPO accepted the report and assessment but wanted to make some important facts about the available conditions as it is very difficult with the results. In a statement to me in 2015, the JPO says that reports of the F-35-F-16 merger left out several important facts.
F 16 Fighting Falcon Modern Fighter Aircraft Stock Photo
"The press release about the F-35 and F-16 doesn't tell the whole story. The F-35 involved was an AF-2, which is an F-35 designed to test flight science or aeronautical qualities. The aircraft . . . isn't equipped with a number of things. which produces today's F-35s 5th generation fighters,” the F-35 JPO office said in a 2015 written statement.
Specifically, the JPO statement explained that the AF-2 test aircraft did not have mission system software designed to operate the aircraft's next-generation sensors. The F-35 office also said the AF-2 test aircraft was not equipped with the F-35's special stealth coating, which was designed to make the aircraft invisible to enemy radar. The JPO statement also said that the AF-2 "does not have the weapons or software that would allow the F-35 pilot to turn to the target, aim the weapon with the helmet, and fire at the enemy without having to steer the aircraft toward the target."
In the end, the F-35 office said simulated combat conditions showed four F-35s were victorious against a fleet of F-16s.
F-16 4-ship low level and brakes with flares / F-35 4-ship fully loaded with GBU-12s (internal and external) on tanker, low level and weapons separation
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"The F-35 won every one of those engagements thanks to its sensors, weapons and stealth technology," the statement said.
The important thing about these 2015 statements from the JPO is that they were 6 years ago, and the F-35 has continued to evolve significantly since then, a factor that reinforces their point at the time.
Years after these initial questions came up, and the JPO answered, F-35 pilots like Wilson who flew fourth and fifth generation F-35s for years showed in great detail how the F-35 compared to the F-16 F/A. doing. 18 when it comes to aerial warfare.
“I come from the F/A-18 community. The aircraft has excellent maneuverability. So one of the things we will always try to achieve is to force the fighter jets to move in a way that helps. ….Comparatively, the F-16 is a 'weight fighter'. It weighs a lot. Imagine you're racing around a racetrack, except, you want to get around the track fast so you can get behind other racers and shoot them. The F-16 has an amazing thrust weight capacity. ….what the F-35 brings to the pilot is actually a combination of the two. It has incredible aerodynamic strength but sacrifices weight. The thrust to weight ratio I get from the F-35 is very good. So now I have several options when I find myself in a dogfight situation depending on what threat I'm facing. I can choose which fight suits me best in that fight.” …
F 35 Lightning Ii
-- Tony "Brick" Wilson, former F/A-18 pilot and current Chief of Fighter Flight Operations (F-35 Test Pilot), Lockheed Martin
-- Chris Osborne is president and defense editor of the National Interest at Warrior Maven --
Osborne previously worked at the Pentagon as a senior specialist with the Assistant Secretary of War-Ed., Office of Transportation.
And technology. Osborne also served as an anchor and military expert on a national TV network. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also holds a Masters in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
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