The F-35s In Japan Are Still Losing Dogfights To F-15s (Sometimes)

F-35 Lightning II flies over as part of the Heritage Flight, also comprising of the P-51 Mustang, A-10 Thunderbolt, and F-22 Raptor, during Luke Days at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., March 18, 2018. US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tyler J. Bolken

Alex Lockie, Business Insider: F-35s in Japan are still losing dogfights to F-15s sometimes — here's why

* F-35s dogfighting against Cold War-era F-15 fighter jets still sometimes lose, according to a new report.
* The F-35 has been plagued by reports that it can't dogfight for years, but experts say that's not really the purpose of the new jet.
* Instead, F-35s stealth features mean they'll do most of their fighting unseen, and that something has gone wrong if they forfeit their stealth advantage by fighting up close.
* But as F-35 software, tactics, and pilots develop, the jet may soon start to beat older planes designed specifically to kill anything that flies.

The most expensive weapons system in history, the US's F-35 Lightning II, is still sometimes losing to the 1970s F-15 in dogfights during training scenarios in Japan.

US Air Force F-15 pilot Capt. Brock McGehee, when asked by Defense News if the F-35s at Kadena Air Force base in Japan still sometimes lost to the Cold War-era fighters, said "I mean, sometimes."

The F-35 has long been plagued by reports of that it can't dogfight as well as older, much cheaper jets, despite being in development for nearly two decades and claiming to revolutionize air combat.

Read more ....

Update: How is the F-35 improving its dogfighting skills in Japan? (Valerie Insinna, Defense News)

WNU Editor: One day the F-35 will be confronting an Su-35 or equivalent .... we will only know them on how good this fighter jet is .... or not.