Nonetheless, even such notable Air Superiority Fighters like the F-14 and F-15 rarely exceeded Mach 1.2 in Combat. Especially, when carrying external stores. The F-35 could easily beat either one in an Air to Air Configuration.
F-35 has a monster 40,000 lb thrust engine, but it carries too much fuel and is too heavy to fly past Mach 1.6. F-15 can sprint at Mach 2.5 for short periods of time, which could mean the difference between life and death in dogfights. Israeli fighter pilots say over 90% of their fights are dogfights with gun. This is because long range air to air missiles, no matter how good, rarely hits. During Kosovo, a single Serbian MiG-29 dodged 6 AMRAAMs in succession.
There is a lot of doubt that the Typhoon would be a better choice for Canada. As it works most closely with the US and the vastly majority of it’s Allies will operate the F-35 not the Typhoon. Plus, the latter can’t match the former in Situational Awareness or Stealth.
The more complex are the systems, the more prone to system malfunction. F-35’s stealth is not proven. Who knows if in real combat it would make much difference. Boeing claims there is no essential difference in radar signature between F-35 and Super Hornet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdMLIchXwkY
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