@Hallow
Agreee, the F-35 concept is being a long range cruise missile in itself…
The F35 is not a LRCM. You could have said that of the 117, but then it’s because we can’t know today all the role it did fulfill.
The 35 is a concept that encompass many priorities, including – I know that it hurts your pride – A2A combat. [Not really] Surprisingly, it’s a success. So, where do we know LRCM playing in the A2A arena, CAS, recon atc… ? It doesn’t exists yet, and teh ones that would be fielded soon are called…. UCAS. In other words, unmanned fighter bomber.
So, semantically, you should have written that the F35 is a manned UCAS… (Why do I still bother replying to you ?! :sleeping: )
@mrmalaya
Airbus is concerned that an interim F35 buy will ruin it’s chances of fulfilling the requirement, but then what is to stop an aircraft being designed to fulfil both requirements ( a bit of A2G with weapons that do all the work anyway, and A2A with directed energy taking the edge off super-manoeuvrability requirement).
If Airbus can’t match the F35 capabilities, there are no points in producing large quantities of something that can compete only against the J20, cost a tremendous sum of money and be available at a time when China will field it’s next generation fighter. We are competing against a nation that have an higher output in Fighter design. Basic rules dictates that your design should be better, offer superior capabilities and field higher technologies. If that was the end-line of AIrbus offer, a new round of R&D should be viewed as an investment for the future.
Hypersonic stealth is new and does not involved all the background in LO research. I have written this years ago, but this can still be perhaps the line to play today. A super M2k/Typhoon able to project airpower on regional theater scale would fits its own line and find a market (without even mentioning all the gain on the civil market). A fact is that FACAS, fallout on Tactical fighter design would take time to be implemented to really produce something efficient. I am on the opinion that the FrancoGerman (+ Spain) partnership should not go frontal with that project but adopts a staggered approach to it. A mid+ generation fighter with some inaccessible performances for the earlier design would perfectly fit the market.
my own 2 miserable cents, obviously.
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