The only way to cut the cost while maintaining capability is to cut labor costs. Since all aspects of the F-35 are being competitively bid, the component costs are being kept down.

can and F-35 track, lock and engage another F-35 ?

That depends on range & atmospheric conditions.

Outside of IRST range (and weather permitting) and when fling with all internal weapons, anything will have a very difficult time with detecting the F-35, including other F-35s.

Oddly enough, other F-35s will likely find another F-35 before even an F-22 could due to more & better sensors (yes I know the F-22’s radar is bigger), more planes in the air to share info, in depth knowledge of their own systems & protocols, more ways to ID an aircraft, etc.

Once inside IRST range, it’s anyone’s guess as it all depends on weather, target aspect, speed, etc.

And how is the gun test any more vital than any other weapon test?

Point being, you test what you need to test when you need to test it.

The gun has been involved in YEARS of ground tests. They call it “risk reduction” testing for a reason. Having it shoot from the air is not going to magically cause the explosion that damaged the F-104 during testing.

Very surprised to hear that in-flight firing trials of the cannon have only just started – 9 years after flight testing had begun.

The gun has always been part of the Block3F segment of the program. Why would you test it earlier than the rest of the Block3F tests as that would delay the earlier Blocks?

If BVR performance is comparable & any good, then one or both will die. That’s the point of the F-22 & F-35, ie “First Shoot, ……”.

AWACS contributes to the “Information is Life” side of equation.

I actually dont know anything about F-16 history and about Sprey. Thats why I am here.

Fair enough.

Here is the true “Father” of the F-16, Harry Hillaker.
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/article.html?item_id=37

Sprey was just a low-level analyst at the Pentagon and was a member of the “Fighter Mafia” which was a group of Pentagon staffers who were pushing the idea that fighters should be light weight (small, single engine, etc), simple (no radar or other complex electronics, no BVR, etc), and cheap (so you could buy lots of them).

While the Fighter Mafia was able to get the F-16 to be selected as the “simple & cheap” counter to the F-15, they failed in keeping it that way as “simple & cheap” did not meet the needs of the users. Radar, complex electronics, BVR, etc were quickly added back into the F-16.

Here is a good history of the time.

https://etd.auburn.edu/bitstream/handle/10415/595/MICHEL_III_55.pdf