Four F-35 Lightning II aircraft prepare for takeoff at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, May 4. Hill's active duty and Reserve F-35 pilots recently began flying routine four-ship configurations, just as they would in combat. U.S. Air Force/Paul Holcomb
Kris Osborn, National Interest: You're Dead: The F-35 Is Crushing Enemy Fighter Jets in Air War Simulations
“The F-35 ‘redefines’ how you go to war with a platform."
As enemy fighters closed in on a US Air Force 4th Generation fighter aircraft, blinding the jet with electronic warfare attacks, an experienced pilot faced unseen life-threatening attackers closing in -- during an air-combat Red Flag exercise closely replicating actual warfare scenarios.
Yet, in a life-saving flash, the endangered 4th pilot was told to “turn around” by an F-35 operating in the vicinity who radioed an instant warning. The 5th-Gen, multi-role stealth fighter then used its long-range sensors and weapons to “kill” the enemy aircraft, according to an Air Force news report.
Air Force Col. Joshua Wood, 388th Operations Group Commander was part of the exercise.
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WNU Editor: We should not forget that these are all just simulations.
3 comments:
These Red Flag exercises have put hundreds of pilots in the air over the Middle East over the last few decades. They trained thousands during the Soviet Union era. They provided rationale to steal Russian jets and I am sure Chinese jets to be used in their training. The goal is to get as close to combat conditions as possible without all the drama of shooting real missiles.
So I wouldn't disparage them as "just simulations".
Anon, I once experienced a dog and pony show for a few politicians at the now disappeared Fort Ord. Pretty impressive, I must say.
Later that year we were at a shooting range SQUIRTING lubricant into our newly introduced M-16's as we fired them. Note the verb "squirt", not "wiped" down with a lightly oiled rag as we had been taught. I kept looking for Napoleon to come riding up on his horse there was so much white smoke billowing from our endeavor. We did this as factory technicians stood by taking note of how many of the things jammed.
In the real world at the time, 1967, that weapon that so impressed me at the D&P show wasn't so impressive.
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