The maximum range of short-range missiles is probably irrelevant if you’ve got AMRAAMs with you. Range of the missile was never a problem in most short-range engagements, certainly true in this particular case against the Syrian air force.

I don’t think the “superior” claim was in any way connected to that particular scenario. It’s simply that the AIM-132 is superior to the AIM-9X because of the above mentioned features.. and regd. the rest.. well, if no one needs more range on the ASRAAM bcs of the AMRAAM, then IMHO, no one needs AMRAAM if you got the Meteor.. same weird logic..

Personally I find this discussion quite interesting. Although, it is counter to the title of the thread itself and may require its own thread.

X2 – many unique and interesting points

I wonder how the interior compares to other transports around the world?

C-17A Globemaster III

C-5A Galaxy

Il-76TD Candid

Both look like UFOs.. I am glad the T-50 does not resemble the Raptor too much but goes its own way.. makes both birds much more unique and interesting..

You said test pilot opinions should not be trusted, the analogy is that your opinion on your car shouldn’t be taken as some reputable source which now should be quoted by TopGear, AM&S. In which others replies that, an average car owner doesn’t have the level of expertise about their car in the same way a test pilot and Top Gun instructor have about their aircraft. It end with you claim that you are not an average car owner but at the same time refuses to back up that statement by any mean.

And what exactly would you want to see from me? :confused: Posting my credentials online?

Great, so now you think you are one of the top few dozen drivers in the world, and yet you spend your time here trolling a aircraft messageboard….
We are all honored to have you here among us.

Glad you feel honored.. 🙂 but I am not a test driver.. not in the sense you’d understand it.. there is so much more you do and test around cars than just top performance.. the good thing is that unlike in aerospace, in automotive you can easily get to privately own/drive/test the very same thing you’re developing..

Greeting from sunny Norway, BTW 🙂

So you count yourself and your expertise in this domain at par with relative to someone –

– Who is a former top-gun instructor
– Has close to 3000 flight hours in F/A-18, F-15, F-16, F-22A, and F-35 among other aircraft
– Has been multiple combat theater deployments (once as a FAC in Iraq)
– Was selected to be part of an elite cohort of qualified fighter pilots that put the F-22A to its paces during its Operational Testing. In fact, Chip commanded operational tests for the F-22A at Nellis and led the integration efforts between it and fourth generation aircraft as well as AEGIS
– Was part of a small team that was put in charge of initial F-35 ConOps development for the AF and MC
– Commanded an F-35B squadron

Yes, roughly..there is no 1-vs-1 analogy, of course, but I’d say I am in the same ballpark of experience level in my line of work.

At the risk of sounding contentious but in the absence of your qualification it will be hard to believe this claim at face value.

The thing is that I am not seeking for your appreciation, approval or anything like this. Your beliefs have zero impact on how I see myself. In case you somehow hoped I would now devote any effort trying to provide you evidence or certificates about my qualification, then I have to disappoint you. Nothing personal, of course, take it as it is.. Or spend your life believing what you want, just like hopsy still thinks I am Norwegian..

Burke comes from a position of a subject-matter expert in that he has extensively flown the first two operational 5th generation aircraft and for a fairly substantial period of time was the only combat pilot in the world to have flown both the F-22 and F-35. You may choose to believe someone that does not come from that position, or you may not share his point of view but there is no denying the fact that he comes from a position of immense experience as far as fighter aircraft are concerned and specifically as far as the F-35 is concerned.

This is the same old and tired story we already have had with Beesley.. He, too, was the only combat pilot in the world to have flown both the YF-22 and YF-23 or something like that (too lazy to look it up).. in the end, basically all his famed quotes about the F-35 turned out to be.. let me put it mildly.. at least half-truths or claims with huge room for one’s own interpretation. Of course, he spent much effort preventing outright lies or measurable values which could somehow be disproven.. I have little doubts Burke is pretty much the same breed and most likely somehow financially connected to the manufacturer.. I don’t think LockMart would let anyone close to the jet’s secrets without having that person firmly in hand.. those folks are no idiots in PR and they know how to securely get their billions..

It’s very hard to remain oriented in the vast net of US military acquisition programs but thus far I still consider the DOT&E as reputable..
Berke, Hanche or others are nothing but few drivers presenting their private opinion. They like the jet, good for them.. I am currently riding a new Coupe by Audi and there are many things there to like but that doesn’t make my private stance on the car as some reputable source which now should be quoted by TopGear, AM&S or Speed mags..