Current wargames on YouTube based on DCS show the F-35 reaching kill ratios in excess of 5:1 against 4th gen fighters in bvr. Modern f-16s and f-15s are only slightly cheaper than the f-35.
It does not even get basic stuff like plane handling realistic.
Face it stealth is a huge advantage in BVR when you are well outside the WEZ of fox 2’s.
And yes the F-35 gets killed in dogfights, however it slays pretty much everything in BVR.
Also reports from war games report the same kinds of kill ratios, basically until the F-35 runs out of missiles it will kill every 4th gen
I am pretty sure the US military does their own wargames to get data for things like this, and I highly doubt they are using DCS as a data source...
No one said they did. But they do use simulators for training and mission planning:
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/f-35-lightning...
And what advanced systems are present in the F-35 which can't be retrofitted into the F16s and F15s.
Those are both 45+ year old airframes as well. You're going to have to upgrade to something new eventually...
And what advanced systems are present in the
F-35 which can't be retrofitted into the F16s and F15s.
1. Stealth
2. Sensor fusion with other aircraft
3. Carrier landing/launch
4. An airframe that isn't on the verge of forced retirement due to accumulated flight hours and metal fatigue, like many/most of the F16s and F15s
The F16 and F15 are arguably more capable in movie-style dogfights. They can pull 9Gs while the F35 can do 7G IIRC with superior thrust to weight. In a guns-only dogfight maybe you want one of those.
But that misses the point. Modern air combat is not about movie style dogfights. It's about hitting your enemy with a missile from beyond visual range before he even knows that you or the missile exist.
Perhaps even more crucially, it's about surviving enemy ground defenses. Anti-aircraft defenses including man-portable missiles are cheap and getting more deadly by the day. No stealth? You're dead. You're not just dead; you were an easy kill. "Stealth" is not a binary property of course; "stealth" aircraft can be detected with enough luck and effort. But stealth is table stakes for not being easy pickings.
You can see this in Ukraine. Neither side has stealth, neither side has established clear air superiority.
However, it is a bonkers airborne munitions truck that can carry a loooot of missiles and bombs.
A common bit of speculation is that eventually what you could see is the F-15EX used in conjunction with stealthier fighters like the F-35 (and/or drones?) in mixed formations. The F-35s only carry 4 missiles in the internal bays. The F-35s can scout and relay targeting information to the F-15EX, which can then deliver the hurt from a safe distance.
In a bvr battle of missile trucks, it may be beneficial to have separate platforms optimized for sensing and attack. Maneuverability may not be required if the aircraft can remain high and fast.
Most of this is possible today and the rest is close.
The cost is obviously insane, and that's part of the appeal for the US. For the moment they own the skies in a comprehensive way that nobody else can even remotely afford to challenge. Look at the US's dominance in Desert Storm, and consider that the gap has probably widened since then.
I'm neither endorsing this nor criticizing it by the way. The US does this while a lot of its citizens don't even have healthcare, for example. The ethical issues are infinite!
Well that's kind of cheating, it's not like you can retrofit carrier landing onto an F-35A either.
100% right, f-35 can launch amrams with data link from AWACS, red team gets the radar lock warning about 5 seconds before they are dead.
But to answer your question - stealth airframe. And it’s an enormous benefit - you can’t shoot what you can’t detect. And if that thing has long range weapon systems, good luck.