Lockheed Martin F35 Lightning II

17 ( Reserve ) Squadron begins UK F35 Testing ~ UK MOD 09/02/2015

www.f35.com/news/detail/17-reserve-squad...gins-uk-f-35-testing

Yes, but it's not a REAL airplane.....

PETERTHEEATER;157052 wrote:

Yes, but it's not a REAL airplane.....

64,000$ question is it any good? Perhaps we should have bought it like our mobile phones-made in China!

Or developed our own, possibly the route of upgrading an existing airframe from another country.
Upgrades are the way forward, then you know it works. I guess the Nimrod shows that my idea is flawed. A multi billion pound upgrade to be scrapped before itis operational but two aircraft are complete.

Time will tell. True question is, how many will our navy actually get? And how versatile will they be compared to the sea harrier?

True question is, how many will our navy actually get?

With the inevitable cost overruns and budget cuts, both of them I would think:)

PETERTHEEATER;157105 wrote:

True question is, how many will our navy actually get?

With the inevitable cost overruns and budget cuts, both of them I would think:)

Many years ago I came across an article relating to cost projections versus numbers of actual units such as aircraft and ships. I think that the author may have been a bit cynical at the time when it was suggested that a navy could end up with one ship and the airforce with a few aircraft in single figures.

Perhaps we are nearly there.

On another point stealth does not mean invisible. There is always something there to give your presence away. With modern radar and other techniques THEY will always know where you are even if you cannot ALWAYS see them. I recall that the question of stealth came up with the Tornado.

A proposal that was made after measurement of its radar cross section to minimise this was overuled on cost.

My recollection of their purchase rational had been that they did not need to be radar opaque only radar neutral as they were only needed for homeland defense.

They did not need to be carrier based as the proposed french built aircraft carriers would only be used if they ever entered service as a temporary seat for Parliament while its being refurbished in the not to distant future.

The new generation of Red Bear anti submarine missiles could neutralize Trident and avoid us having to repeat any post conflict Dresden type discussions.

In the unlikely event that we should be defeated then the Trident submarines will be needed to evacuate the mother of all parliaments to a place of safety.

All this assumes that they will be delivered to station prior to the start of any future conflict?

It appears that the American F35C's will be operation before our F35B's.

Hope that I'm wrong !

Update Video Clips.

www.forces.tv/76210783

www.forces.tv/88125022

Unless you can make aircraft invisible to the naked eye then "stealth" isnt stealthy.

canberra;161641 wrote:

Unless you can make aircraft invisible to the naked eye then "stealth" isnt stealthy.

When was the the last time an aircraft was brought down by the naked eye?

As long as it can't be seen by the electronic eye in the detector head or radar receiver its stealthy!