๐พ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ ๐-35 ๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ฅ ๐๐ช๐ฃ?
Maybe we are asking the wrong question: F-35 may not โneedโ to dogfight as it will see and destroy enemy aircraft before dogfighting becomes a necessity.
Theย F-35ย is well known for its advanced computing, sensor fusion, long-range targeting accuracy, threat data library, and drone-like surveillance capacity.
But can itย dogfight?
The F-35 Controversy That Wonโt End
This seemingly loaded question has many layers and variables to consider, as the question has been raised numerous times over the years.
As a multi-role fighter capable of a wide range of missions, some have questioned the ability of the jet to prevail in air-to-air combat against an advanced adversary.
Specifically, a report as far back asย 2015 in War is Boringย cited details from a report on a testย dogfighting exerciseย in which anย F-16ย repeatedly out-performed and defeated an F-35 in multiple air-to-air combat engagements.
The War is Boring report, which claimed to cite findings and assessments from a test pilot involved in the exercises, generated a storm of controversial discussion about the future of the F-35 and its capabilities.
But, in the end, it was all for nothing as a key fact was missing.
Not the Real F-35
There are tactical and technical things of great relevance to consider.
However, it first seems essential to explain the circumstance and provide specific context and details left out of the 2015 War is Boring report.
At the time, I remember connecting with the Pentagonโs F-35 Joint Program Office, which explained that the model F-35 involved in the exercise was aย flight sciences testing model, which was not โnot equipped with the weapons or software that allow the F-35 pilot to turn, aim a weapon with the helmet, and fire at an enemy without having to point the airplane at its target.โ That is, as you can imagine, a vast difference from a fully combat-ready F-35.
The F-35 variant used in the exercise was called the AF-2 and, according to theย Pentagonโs Fโ35 JPO,ย it was a model only intended to test โflying qualities,โ not weapons or air-combat capability.
Therefore, comparing an F-16 against this โflight sciencesโย AF-2ย variant makes no sense and does not in any way reflect what would happen in an encounter between an F-16 and a fully-functioning production-quality F-35. Somehow this context was not included in the original 2015 article.
A Bogus Comparision
Given this context, it may not even make sense to raise the question of whether an F-16 can outperform anย F-35 in a dogfight.
There are many other critical variables to consider. For instance, war games have for many years shown that the advanced sensing, targeting technology, and computer-enabled data processing are such that the aircraftโs long-range, high-resolution sensors enable the F-35 to see and destroy enemy targets and paradigm-changing ranges.
This means standoff distances where the attacking F-35 is not seen or discovered. This contingency was exactly what happened in anย Air Force Red Flagย wargame experiment in which a single F-35 showed the ability to track and destroy an entire group of 4th-generation fighters from ranges where it was not itself seen or detected.
What this suggests, therefore, is that perhaps anย F-35 may not โneedโ to dogfightย as it will see and destroy enemy aircraft before dogfighting becomes a necessity. Available specs on both the F-16 and F-35 reveal that an F-16 does appear to be faster with a listed speed of Mach 2.05, as compared to the F-35โs max speed of Mach 1.6. At the same time, thrust-to-weight ratios, which reflect acceleration and aerial maneuverability, are somewhat comparable.
The F-35 is listed as having a 1.07 thrust/weight ratio, as compared to a slightly higher 1.24 for the F-16. What is not reflected in available specs to a large degree, however, is the massive difference in mission systems, weapons capacity, targeting, and computing, which likely separates the two aircraft.
With a larger weapons envelope and far superior targeting technology and weapons guidance systems, an F-35 would seem well-positioned to destroy an F-16.