In a BVR fight you don't need maneuverability, just AWACS and long range missiles.
And the US generally establishes air superiority before their planes even enter the airspace, by attacking first and missile bombing enemy airfields and AA.
The ability to pull high-G maneuvers can be pretty useful to avoid those missiles, though. Dogfighting was already kinda dead when Top Gun came out (and that was a major plot point), but maneuverable planes kept coming.
To add on to other answers, one of the major design parameters that went into the F-35 was not being a delicate, impossible-to-maintain prima donna like the F-22. There's stories about people accidentally just kind of scraping off the high tech anti-radar coating, and the stuff inside kept it on the ground a really long time between flights too. Meanwhile, the F-35 has almost every part independently accessible, and normal-ish coating durability.
The F22 is such a pretty plane. On one hand i don't want to see these planes used in war, but on the other hand it is such a waste to keep them grounded.
20 Comments
ExistingConsumingSpace@midwest.social · 31 pts · 173d
The F-22 successfully defeated an unpowered balloon. Money well spent.
ZoteTheMighty@lemmy.zip · 13 pts · 173d
I wonder what the reason is. It must be either so good it's beyond words, or so bad it's unusable.
PugJesus@piefed.social · 27 pts · 173d
"F-35 is cheaper per-flight hour"
marcos@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 173d
They are expensive, and almost irreplaceable.
Neither of what are good qualities for weapons.
mech@feddit.org · 13 pts · 173d
Air superiority fighters are outdated tech.
In a BVR fight you don't need maneuverability, just AWACS and long range missiles.
And the US generally establishes air superiority before their planes even enter the airspace, by attacking first and missile bombing enemy airfields and AA.
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org · 4 pts · 172d
The ability to pull high-G maneuvers can be pretty useful to avoid those missiles, though. Dogfighting was already kinda dead when Top Gun came out (and that was a major plot point), but maneuverable planes kept coming.
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org · 8 pts · 172d
To add on to other answers, one of the major design parameters that went into the F-35 was not being a delicate, impossible-to-maintain prima donna like the F-22. There's stories about people accidentally just kind of scraping off the high tech anti-radar coating, and the stuff inside kept it on the ground a really long time between flights too. Meanwhile, the F-35 has almost every part independently accessible, and normal-ish coating durability.
Shirasho@lemmings.world · 13 pts · 173d
The F22 is such a pretty plane. On one hand i don't want to see these planes used in war, but on the other hand it is such a waste to keep them grounded.
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 173d
it's existence is a waste
Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 173d
Wait, a Shahed took out an Apache?
iatenine@piefed.social · 25 pts · 173d
I took out Apache with a stray closing bracket. Crashed every site on the server, my boss was pissed
marcos@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 173d
That's why you always reload, and never restart it.
iatenine@piefed.social · 4 pts · 172d
I mean
apachectl -tfirst would be my preference but also a good habit to form in case you forgetGraniteM@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 173d
If it ain't broke...
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org · 4 pts · 172d
The airframe design really did reach a plateau there, didn't it?
Buelldozer@lemmy.today · 10 pts · 173d
Poor Kid no one wants to intercept him. 😟
Hideakikarate@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 173d
I gotta admit, I stopped watching him a while ago. Still doing more of the same?
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 173d
Franklin will keep him calm.
Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 173d
a YAK-130? Aren't those trainers?
Successful_Try543@feddit.org · 7 pts · 173d
Both, according to Wikipedia, they can serve either as jet-trainers or as light combat aircrafts.