Apparently The F-35 Cannot Win In A Dogfight (Update)

US Air Force

Ars Technica: Report: In test dogfight, F-35 gets waxed by F-16

F-35 pilot found his aircraft "substantially inferior" in close battle.

A test pilot report obtained by defense journalist David Axe of War is Boring detailed the performance of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in a mock air battle against a two-seat F-16D in January. The F-16D—based on a design developed 40 years ago and from a production run in the mid-1990s—bested the F-35 in close-range combat maneuvers.

In the report, which Axe had obtained but did not publish in full, the F-35 pilot reported that his aircraft was in a "clean" configuration for the test, carrying nothing under its wings or in its internal weapons bays. The F-16, on the other hand, was flying with under-wing external fuel drop-tanks, which in theory would have put the aircraft at an aerodynamic disadvantage.

More News On The F-35 Not Being Able To Win In A Dogfight Against An F-16 During A War-Game Test

Test Pilot Admits the F-35 Can’t Dogfight -- War Is Boring
Trillion Dollar Cost Doesn't Help F-35 Stealth Jet In Dogfight Against F-16 Fighting Falcon Over California -- IBTimes
Test Pilot: The F-35 Can't Dogfight Worth a Damn -- Popular Mechanics
The US defence force has discovered its F-35 program is a trillion dollar blunder -- News.com.au
Pentagon’s F-35 stealth jet can’t win dogfight – report -- RT
F-35 Lightning stealth fighter comes up short In dogfight against ageing F-16 Fighting Falcon -- IBTimes
F-35 Loses Dogfight to Fighter Jet From the 1980s -- The Diplomat
America’s 5th-Generation, $1 Trillion, Cutting-Edge Fighter Is ‘About As Maneuverable As An F-16′ -- Daily Caller
F35 loses to 1970's era F16 carrying weights in a dogfight -- Next Big Future