F-35C first flight

[11bee]

Apparently not! Unbelievable that it won't carry an internal gun!!! The stories of F-4 drivers missing many opportunities to gun down Migs in Vietnam come to mind...

Do you really think that the next war will be a repeat of Vietnam? Since then, short range "dogfighting" missiles and BVR technology has come a long, long way. How many aircraft downed in the last two decades were shot down with a gun vrs missiles? In an airframe where every pound is critical, losing the hundreds of pounds associated with a cannon and it's ammo makes sense. To me, a cannon is on the "nice to have" list not the "absolutely critical" list.

Regards,

John

Edited July 4, 2010 by 11bee

[GreyGhost]

Do you really think that the next war will be a repeat of Vietnam? Since then short range "dogfighting" missiles and BVR technology has come a long, long way. How many aircraft downed in the last two decades were shot down with a gun vrs missiles? In an airframe where every pound is critical, losing the hundreds of pounds associated witha cannon and it's ammo makes sense. To me, a cannon is on the "nice to have" list not the "absolutely critical" list.

Regards,

John

Guns sure are getting used in the CAS role all the time of late though ... How many times have AAMs ?

Gregg

[garthk]

Guns sure are getting used in the CAS role all the time of late though ... How many times have AAMs ?

Gregg

While that's true, the internal/external gun argument really boils down to a question of need for stealth to be mission effective.

Is stealth really needed for CAS missions? My guess would be probably not. If that's true, better to leave the gun off for the strike/interdiction missions to free up space and weight for more mission-appropriate weapons. This is the reason why USMC AV-8Bs sometimes carry the gun and sometimes don't.

I think the same thing applies to the air-to-air mission as well. The USAF envisions the F-35A as backstopping the F-22 more in the air superiority/supremacy mission. I don't think the USN does, because they seem to see the F-35 more as a bomb-truck than a fighter. That's probably the weakest argument for leaving the gun off, but if they're betting that the F-35C will focus in the first few days of a conflict on stealth-required strike missions (with SuperBugs providing the top-cover), then switch to CAS or non-stealth required counter-air - where the gun can be bolted on, then they're making a logical choice the "error" of which will only become apparent in hindsight.