Aim-9X block 3 is not even designed to be superior to the AIm-120D, a comparison that you have pulled out of thin air. Its a logical extension of the Aim-9X program and provides the USN a capability to field an Aim-9x varient with MRAAM like range. It would most likely be produced in limited numbers while the block 2 gets acquired in larger numbers. The Aim-9x block 2 lacks the range of the AIm-120D is it inferior to it as a WVR weapon? Don’t understand your logic at all.

ok what i mean is : F-35 kinematic is not great compared to EF-2000 , F-22 , PAK-FA , Rafale , Su-27 ..etc , but it have really good stealth + SA so it should focus on BVR combat , better off carry more long range AAM like Meteor , AIM-120D , T-3 rather than short range AAM
aim-9x block III isnot going to have BVR performer of AIM-120 or meteor because it was designed mainly for WVR combat so still better to carry aim-120D or meteor

If you would have read the previous few posts you would have found that the T-3 program has concluded with the tests performed as were planned by DARPA and all the test data handed over to the USAF. The program was not cancelled but has completed its objectives and is over.

yeah , but wasnt T-3 and NGM both was part of Joint Dual Role Air Dominance Missile and thus was cancelled in 2013

The size of the bay is determined by the shape and size of the aircraft and the payload the services demand from it. If the services ask for a 2k bomb carriage, lockheed is not going to take your word for it and show them the middle finger and design the entire bay around the SDB. It carries 8 SDB’s along with a2a missiles. Hypothetically you are combining two F-18E/F adv bays sideways out of thin air. Why not add 3 bays? Lets do 4 or 6 for the kick of it.

i know the F-35 bay was designed to carry 2000 pounds bomb , no need to repeat it again , what iam trying to say is , it would benefit F-35 alot more if it’s weapon bay was designed the same as F-18’s weapon pod , or in the future have some upgrade to be able to do the same
and i use 2 pod in comparision because F-35 have 2 weapon bay , and each of them is about the same size as an EWP ( actually even bigger )

So? Does this mean that Raytheon could not integrate an IR seeker onto a future Aim-120 Varient because the MDA cancelled the NCADE which was for a totally different mission set then the one I am talking about?

no but it may mean that long range IR guider AAM missiles may not be a good idea , may be due to seeker range or sth like that

Your point about the various list of weapons you mentioned is rather absurd. Why would you put a 2K warhead on an Aim-9x? SDB or SPEAR since they perform a totally different role. You do not go about putting a 2k or a 1K warhead in a munition that doesn’t require it. Just because these weapons are being developed now does not mean that 2k or 1k JDAM are going out. It just shows that this was capability that required to be fulfilled as the natural development cycle for PGM’s has advanced.

what iam trying to say is that as technology advance , military focus on making their fighters carry more weapons , rather than make new weapon with bigger warhead , the fact that weapon with very big warhead are become less and less common mean they are dying out , you dont really need a big warhead to destroy a target, even in anti ship mission a small missile that hit the Radar tower or VLS will be supper effective , it kind of the same as when US decide to use 5.56 mm rifle rather than 7.62 mm , any way the only mission that i think 2K pounds bombs may be useful is anti bunker , but then most bunker these days are pretty deep , so it may be better to call in a B-2 with MOP rather than a F-35

Block 3 design has not been finalized yet from what I know and the EMD phase is slated for 2016. Its not a low cost weapon for wingtips, its a natural progression of the 9x program that brings an alternative to RF missiles in the MRAAM domain. Ideally the original 9x should have had a new motor but it was cut due to cost. The block 3 adds a new motor and takes the range towards an MRAAM. This gives a strong capability to the USN and USAF while operating in intense jamming and RF denied environments.

An IR amraam is also something that could be looked at as that was done and demonstrated a few years ago (though for a different mission set). I don’t think they’ll bother beyond the Blk 3 Aim-9x as the next big missile program would probably be the NG missile. An IR seeker also exists on the THAAD btw.

NCADE have been cancelled too

Not sure if it has been mentioned but here are two reasons why the F-18 pod could have not been designed for a 2k bomb:
1. It would have been to big to fit with acceptable clearance for deck landings.
2. It may have weighed too much and would have exceeded the pylon’s rating.

2k bomb is way overrated here

Limited compared to what? The F-22? The F-18 SH Adv? Why not add 3 F-18 Pods to it. With the pods you are suggesting the F-35’s greater SDB+Aim-120 carriage would be traded off against flexibility in terms of the type of weapons it can carry with particular mission set.

it load out is limited compared to F-22 , PAK-FA , j-20 , rafale , EF-2000 , F-18E/F , F-15 , su-27 .. and so on , F-35 carry very few weapon in it’s stealth configuration , i mean 4 AtA missiles vs 8 AtA missiles (F-22 , PAK-FA , j-20 ) or 10-12 AtA missiles ( rafale , EF-2000 , F-18E/F , F-15 , su-27 )

The F-35A and C would carry 8 x SDB plus 2 x Aim-120C with the current setup

The F-18 ADV pods max out at the SDB+MRAAM and this is where they enjoy an advantage. The F-35’s bays on the other hand provide a smaller SDB+Aim-120 carriage load compared to the F-18 ADv x 2 setup but provide the flexibility to carry a much larger range of weapons while still carrying air defense missiles.

you say the pod limited flexibility to carry a much larger range of weapons while still carrying air defense missiles, that actually not quite true , the pod can still carry 2K pounds weapon , it can carry 1 BLU-109ER ( basically 2000 pounds PGM with flip out wing ) , it can carry JSM as well , and since F-35 have 2 weapon bay , if they was designed the same way as the EWP then F-35 can carry 2000 pounds JDAM on one side and 4 Aim-120 on the other ( or you can mix with 6 SDB + 2 Aim-120 ) , sure compared to real F-35 at the moment the hypothetical F-35 will carry 1 less 2000 pounds JDAM if it want to carry self defense missiles , but the trade off is very good , now the hypothetical F-35 can carry enough number of missiles to actually self defense in air to ground mission , and it can also carry alot more air to ground weapon (trade off is carry 1 less 2000 pounds JDAM , but 2 more aim-120 and 4 more SDB )
and as i have explained before , you will only need F-35 in stealth configuration when the enemy defense is very good right , and any decent air defense that have sth like Tor-m1 , PAC-3 , tunguska ,Pantsir-S1 , RAM , ..etc can easily shot down 2 * 2000 JDAM , while 12 SDB ( or SPEAR ) can overwhelm enemy much much better due to number and their lower RCS . Also SDB actually have quite decent penetration

Says who? How does this help the F-35 in a non stealthy configuration?

increase load out obviously 6 SDB + 2 aim-120 per pylon and still have low drag + RCS (obviously not stealth ) is really good capability

And why would they upgrade it?

to improve F-35 AtA and AtG obviously , F-35 carry really limited amount of weapon

Even if it could it couldn’t carry any self defense weapons. Same with the 1000 lb JDAM. It carries only one without any missiles. The largest Air to Ground weapon this thing could carry along with an MRAAM would be the SDB and that excludes a whole lot of weapons that the USN has in its arsenal.
I guess you mean the JSM. Add 2 of these bays to the F-35 and you’d need to send in escort fighters since the hypothetical F-35 with 2 x Advanced SH pods won’t be able to defend itself.

actually it can carry JSM on one side and carry Aim-120 on the other bay , so it not only able to attack grounds , sea target but also have decent number of missiles to defense itself 1 JSM + 4 aim-120 , 2 aim-120 is really not enough to defend itself from any decent enemy fighter
and no the largest weapon the weapon pod could carry is the 500 pounds JDAM , and it can actually carry 2 of them in additional with 2 aim-120 in each pod
so if the F-35 weapon bays was designed same as this pod , it can carry 4 * 500 pounds JDAM + 4 Aim-120 compared to 2* 500 pounds JDAM + 2 aim-120 at the moment , improve both in air to air and air to ground

Why would the F-35 need this pod? It meets its mission needs without it. This pod is a desperate attempt by boeing to show a path towards upgrade for the SH family as it makes its last effort to get some international customer that would perhaps leave the door open for the USN to order some more in the future. Even the internal bay solution on the F-15SE differs from this setup. Horses for Courses.

F-35may not need this pod when it want to be very stealth , but in normal mission without the need for stealth , this pod still very useful , it improve fighter capability alot
it allow the fighter to carry 6 SDB + 2 aim-120 in each weapon station + low drag + lower RCS , no other fighter can carry that much weapon in 1 weapon station at the moment