F-35 Flunks Test

RealClearDefense reports on the new F-35, the joint strike fighter upon which all three flying services are pinning their hopes for the future. Head to head aerial competition has shown it to be an awkward brute in a dogfight, likely to lose to the F-16 or F-15, or their Russian or Chinese equivalents. This is very bad news, and should be causing panic at the decision-making levels.

At rarefied high levels in the military, as elsewhere, admitting one was wrong can equal career death. You have to hope there aren't too many top brass whose career trajectory depends upon them having been correct to rely on the F-35.

In a future war, there won't be time to do as we did in WW II: (1) discover the hard way we have lame planes, (2) design better fighters, (3) build them, and (4) win the air war. We will win, or lose, with what we have going in. The test pilot report upon which this story is based should be required reading wherever pilots gather.

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A personal note: The F-35 is designed to do several things, depending on the version: air superiority, ground attack, vertical take-off, and carrier catapult launch and tailhook landings. The DrsC have learned the hard way, things designed to do a variety of things rarely do any of them well. This is false economy, for a warplane that does nothing well gets pilots killed and wins no battles.