RE: This Thing Is a Flying Pig
May 8, 2015 at 2:36 am
(This post was last modified: May 8, 2015 at 2:40 am by Thumpalumpacus.)
(May 7, 2015 at 4:56 pm)SteelCurtain Wrote: It was a project too ambitious to be successful.
To try and pander to the needs of all three flying forces. You needed STOVL for the Marines, a normal platform for USAF, and a larger wing surface and reinforced landing gear for the Navy. The avionics was ahead of its time 10 years ago, and now is too buggy and got cut down to a point where it would be current 10 years ago.
An excellent analysis, especially regarding the differing requirements. The fact that the airplane is being asked to operate under three entirely different doctrines, and operational guidelines, means that it will be inherently more inefficient in each role; it must carry dead weight for the other roles (the USAF version will have heavier landing gear to sell the plane to the Navy as well, although the AF has no need for that build).
In aerodynamics, every pound counts. This plane is underpowered and has too much wing-loading.
Quote:What a disaster. But you have to build a new platform to enhance your capabilities to retain air superiority. I think this is a lesson of too many cooks combined with too big for your britches.
We're better off patching the software on the F-22 and forgoing STOVL capability. And if the Marines want better CAS, let them dig up the best plane for that work, the AD-1.
