Rubbish….the F 35 has LITTLE in actual integrated weapons…and I am tired of hearing about promises and speculation of what “Will” happen or “Will ” Have…until it is and does…
The reason that there are not more pre-defined weapons on the schedule is that with Block 4 and forward, they are mostly using UAI to do the integration. UAI is working NOW, in EVERY F-15E in the air. It is not “vaproware”, a dream, or “might/will have”
it’s BS…..same as the Gun pod…it isn;t capable right now…..it may be, IN 2019!…but right now…NOPE….
Sorry, but the only BS that relates to the whole “gun not till 2019” story is the 2019 & “glitch” part. The gun begins integration flights THIS YEAR. It will be fully qualified, along with all SDD weapons, with Block 3F in 2017… NOT 2019.
as for “world wide” weapons…who cares…that will only effect nations Like Israel that can build their own systems better and cheaper than the US can….
Everyone cares. Especially when you can employ weapons without having to wait the 3-5 years for the next Block upgrade. Btw, UAI will allow ALL international weapons producers to market their wares for the F-35 (and future UAI users). Turkey has already announced that the SOM missile will be UAI.
and isn;t it all pointless when the US still wouldn’t let the USER access to the codes to do their own integration work….I love your statement ” POST BLOCK 4….no need to upgrade the Blocks, no expensive and timely delays”…what you just said is the exact and total opposite of what LM has delivered…the F 35 is nothing but expensive and timely delays and nothing but promises of “capabilities and upgrades after this “block or that Block”……
Programming a weapon for UAI has NOTHING to do with the “software codes” of the F-35 or any other fighter that it will be used for, that is not only the intention UAI but is codified in the funding of UAI.
Bottom line, the Raf can do it NOW, do it cheaper, faster and combat PROVEN, and still be able to be upgraded with new AESA and IRST….it has an outstanding EW suite NOW…and only going to get better….
Using the logic of “Plane A can do that NOW” would mean NEVER developing a new, more advanced plane ever again.
Your saying that the F35 will drive down munitions costs because it could use a variety?…..and THAT is exactly where the Rafale is NOW….can use French, Euro ( Meteor) and with very little work any US Munitions as well….why?…because the French designed it to a NATO Standard…..it has interoperability with US planes, British planes, Canadian Planes and any other planes…..using compatible Datalinks, like the LINK16……so where is the draw back?…where is the negative?…….
Rafale is NOT there “NOW”. Can the Rafale use the SOM, JSM, Aim-9X, etc? No, what would it take? Answer, 3-5 years and $30 million each to develop, test, and integrate. UAI take 3-5 Months and $5mil. France can even benefit from UAI by selling weapons like AASM, MICA, etc to UAI customers and they would not have to go through LM to do it.
On the completion angle, UAI allows anyone to sell any UAI customer a weapon without having to go back to the plane’s Mfg to get it integrated.
Dassault has offered FULL, including computer source codes, for the Rafale, Guaranteed , in contract, with penalties, 9 BILLION in contracts and reinvestment in CANADA. Full assembly in Canada as well as production of parts etc for international use….FAR better than LM’s…”well you can BID for a contract” and cross your fingers….Canada already makes Rafale parts at Thales Canada…..and lots more opportunities too……
That does not lower the cost or amount of the integration time, it just introduces a layer of complexity when it comes to follow-on upgrades wherever you have custom versions of the Blocks floating around.
The F 35 certainly doesn;t beat the Rafale in stores load…….as I understand, the F35 can heft 18,000 lbs…internally AND using hardpoints…..the Rafale has 14 hardpoints and can deal with 9 metric tons of stores, that is 19, 841 lbs….not to bad……in the “long run” the F35 makes alot of promises and has not delivered on to many of them…..sorta the reverse for the Rafale eh?…..
In order for the Rafale to carry a full load of weapons, it sacrifices it’s EFTs. The F-35 sacrifices NONE of it’s fuel (18k internal) to carry it’s 18k of weapons.
For example, if the Rafale wanted to carry the largest number of 1 ton bombs, it can carry 5 but would lose all of it’s EFTs and would be left with 4,700 kg of internal fuel. The F-35 can carry 6 and not lose a single once of its 8,278 kg of fuel.
While it may have suffered schedule and budget slides, on the technology and capability side of coin, the F-35 has delivered on a majority of its promises.
Time to stop sucking the US tit and being treated like garbage from them…we don;t even get treated as a valued Ally anymore….
Have you even looked at the contracts that Canadian companies ALREADY have for the F-35? They are doing quite well for a Partner that has not committed to actual jets yet.
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