Quote:
Originally Posted by casstony
I've been told by someone in the know that our planes would destroy enemy planes without getting anywhere near them, courtesy of american technology and american cooperation, thus avoiding a dogfight.
I'm under the impression we just do whatever the yanks say since we're dependent on them for our defence.
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That's why the F35's stealth capabilities come in handy. It can sneak in under the noses of the enemy and let off their missiles before the others even know they're there. But if they were detected (and stealth isn't foolproof), they would be in trouble if they had to duel it out. Whilst they're a little bit more maneuverable than an F16 (and that's pretty toey, mind you), they're not as nimble as the SU-37 and the like. However, their electronics package also has the advantage as well...they have superb off boresight firing capabilities and can fire their weapons in any direction. All it needs is for the missiles etc, to be capable enough to perform so themselves. One interesting thing was they are thinking of fitting high powered lasers in the conventional versions of the F35, where the lift fan would normally go. The engine generates a surplus power supply of 20MW over and above the plane's needs. They've tested 150KW lasers for attacking ground and air targets and as far as I know the tests were very successful. Now, something like that would put a whole new spin on a dogfight, when the SU-37 went to shoot the F35 down, only to be cut in half by the laser from the F35
Not only that, but the new AESA radars can be used as weapons. They're designed to be aimed at the other planes and fry their electronics or the pilots inside the planes. Plus, they don't need to actively ping targets to find and identify them...they can do so completely passively.