How exactly do serrated panel edges help you if you got this from behind?
The only thing that will be seeing that view is another fighter at the same altitude. That being said, it would be the recipient of multiple AMRAAMs prior to the F-35 turning around.
btw, that pic is AA-1 which lacks the serrated edges around the engine. Here is a shot of CF-01. Notice the extensive serrations around the engine.
If you need to drag a dozen of ECM and jammers to clean the way for the 35, then you could pretty much stay with upgraded F-16.
Wrong, see PackageQ
Heavy ECM (which the F-35 will eventually have natively) and decoys will only be needed for the most serious of enemy engagements for the F-35. ECM & Decoys would be needed for 4th gen assets just to get them even to the F-35 in ability. How do you propose to get 4th gen assets to the level of the F-35 that enjoys VLO RCS and ECM & Decoys?
These both are max. 70-80nm range weapons (when launched from high altitudes at high speeds). Their practical range might be only marginally more than the already quoted 50 miles. A very poor example if you want to counter JASSM or TAURUS.
The F-35 can easily get within range and survive to use a JSOW/SDB. Although not IOC, more internal weapons are on the way that will increase range such as JSOW-ER, Spear3, JDAM-ER. Besides, even an F-35 with JASSM or JSOW external would still be more survivable than any 4th gen asset with the same load.
No they do not. In fact, most SDD and all production F-35 have been produced without a pitot tube.
Here is the lineup of AF-1,2,3,4,6 & 7 where 3, 6 & 7 do not have it.
http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.NAVAIRNewsStory&id=5091
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbSinROAtHI&feature=player_embedded
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The F-35 Lightning II accomplished a significant test milestone Aug. 8 when the aircraft successfully released a weapon in flight.
BF-3, a short take-off and vertical landing F-35 variant, released an inert 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) separation weapon over water in an Atlantic test range while traveling at 400 knots at an altitude of 4,200 feet.
“While this weapons separation test is just one event in a series of hundreds of flights and thousands of test points that we are executing this year, it does represent a significant entry into a new phase of testing for the F-35 program,” said Navy Capt. Erik Etz, director of test for F-35 naval variants. “Today’s release of a JDAM was the result of extraordinary effort by our team of maintainers, engineers, pilots and others who consistently work long hours to deliver F-35 warfighting capability to the U.S. services and our international partners.”
The release was the first time for any version of the F-35 to conduct an airborne weapon separation, as well as the first from an internal weapons bay for a fighter aircraft designated for the U.S. Marine Corps, the United Kingdom and Italy.
The milestone marks the start of validating the F-35’s capability to employ precision weapons and allow pilots to engage the enemy on the ground and in the air.“[Using an internal weapons bay] speaks to how much capability the JSF is going to bring to the troops,” said Dan Levin, Lockheed Martin test pilot for the mission. “Stealth, fifth-generation avionics and precision weapons … coupled with the flexible mission capability of the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B is going to be huge for our warfighters.”
An aerial weapons separation test checks for proper release of the weapon from its carriage system and trajectory away from the aircraft. It is the culmination of a significant number of prerequisite tests, including ground fit checks, ground pit drops and aerial captive carriage and environment flights to ensure the system is working properly before expanding the test envelope in the air.
Aircraft and land-based test monitoring systems collected data from the successful separation, which is in review at the F-35 integrated test force at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
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