The F-35 is one of the most reliable aircraft in the U.S. fighter fleet with 93% of parts performing better than predicted. The average amount of flight hours between failure rate – the time that parts remain on the aircraft before failure – is more than twice that of a 4th Generation aircraft.
Nonetheless, based on its performance in wargames and high-tech sensing and weaponry, the F-35 may simply be unparalleled. While an F-35 may not have the speed or thrust-to-weight ratio of an F-22, it has attributes as a multirole fighter, which would likely prove extremely difficult to replicate.
The F-35 aircraft additionally has been mired in other major problems. Dan Grazier wrote for RS in March that a non-public 2021 Pentagon's Director, Operational Test & Evaluation testing report “showed that engineers are still trying to correct 845 design flaws.
The F-22 is faster than the F-35, but both aircraft are considered to be very fast. Range: The F-22 Raptor has a combat radius of approximately 600 nautical miles, while the F-35 Lightning II has a combat radius of approximately 590.
The U.S. plans to buy 2,456 F-35s through 2044, which will represent the bulk of the crewed tactical aviation of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps for several decades; the aircraft is planned to be a cornerstone of NATO and U.S.-allied air power and to operate until 2070.
The F-22 Raptor is the most powerful air superiority fighter in the world, while the F-35 is probably the most advanced multi-role fighter right now. That means that the Raptor is more effective in air-to-air combats (faster and could operate at higher altitude).
The F/A-XX is expected to be the manned fighter component and centerpiece of the Navy's Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) family of systems. Although identically named and sharing some technology developments, this program is distinct from the U.S. Air Force's NGAD sixth-generation fighter program.
"If you're looking to really dogfight, the F-22 wins in 5 seconds flat," he said. "But if it's about sensors and tracking, then the F-35 is going to look pretty good, especially if there are a lot of F-22s and you need to coordinate with other sensors." Lockheed shares rose 2.6% to 235.86 on the stock market today.
The F-35 performs better in contested airspace, especially when launching strikes and evading enemy forces. Nevertheless, the F-15C only supports air-to-air combat and thus primarily defends U.S. installations as well as foreign military bases.
The F-18s don't have much of a chance in air-2-air combat against F-35s as is true with all 4th generation fighters. That's why the US invested big bucks in 5th generation fighters. Some say that the F-18 is better in VFR fights.
The F-35 has been troubled by "problems with its stealth coating, sustained supersonic flight, helmet-mounted display, excessive vibration from its cannon, and even vulnerability to being hit by lightning," Business Insider reports.
The F-35 is a high-maintenance plane that has been plagued with shortages of parts, software, and even jet engines. After flying a mission, an F-35 needs up to three days for maintenance and repair before it can fly again—hardly battle-ready and mission-capable.
Astonishingly, the F-35 cannot dogfight, the crux of any fighter jet. According to test pilots, the F-35 is “substantially inferior” to the 40-year-old F-15 fighter jet in mock air battles. The F-35 could not turn or climb fast enough to hit an enemy plane or dodge enemy gunfire.
With a max speed of 1.6 Mach, the combat range is 669 nautical missiles and it has a service ceiling of 55,000ft. The J-20 is both faster and has a longer range than the F-35, while later models of the J-20 have supercruise – an ability to fly at high speed without afterburners.
After all, rust only affects ferrous metals like iron or steel and the F-35's largely composite airframe wouldn't rust, although its RAM — which has already been through a couple of iterations — may very well show similar signs after significant exposure to the harsh saltwater environment.
In May, a US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that overtaxing F135 engines has already cost the DoD $38 billion in additional expenses. The USAF has led the effort to address the F-35 power and cooling issue, exploring both an F135 core upgrade and an entirely new engine.
19/20 January 1991: F-15E-46-MC, 88‑1692, c/n 1101/E076, of the 336th FS, 4th TFW, USAF, was shot down by an Iraqi SA-2E missile during Operation Desert Storm. Both crew members ejected and were POWs.
With that said, if the two aircraft were ever to match up in a real-world dogfight, the results would be interesting to discover… The F-35 might beat an F-16 because of its vastly superior stealth capabilities. The F-16, however, has proven its speed and maneuverability for several decades.
Finally, the F-35 office said simulated combat scenarios have shown that four F-35s have won encounters when pitted against a four-ship of F-16s. "The F-35s won each of those encounters because of its sensors, weapons, and stealth technology," the statement said.
In air-to-air combat, the F-22 has a spotless record — just not against fighter aircraft. In two separate incidents in February 2023, Raptors shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina as well as an “unidentified object” over Alaska.
The Air Force proposed retiring the training F-22s in its fiscal year 2024 budget request because they no longer accurately represent the frontline Block 35, which is the combat-coded and -configured version of the fighter.
The SU-57 is generally considered to have better speed and maneuverability than the F-35, while the F-35 emphasizes stealth and versatility.
A 2022 ramp strike aboard the carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) that injured six sailors and resulted in the loss of an F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter was due to a mistake by the fighter pilot during landing, an investigation into the Jan. 24, 2022 incident determined.
Designed from the ground up to prioritize low-observability, the F-35 may be the stealthiest fighter in operation today. It uses a single F135 engine that produces 40,000 pounds of thrust with the afterburner engaged, capable of pushing the sleek but husky fighter to speeds as high as Mach 1.6.
Air Force officials have said the F-16 still has a place in its fleet for now, even as it reduces the number of types of fighter jets and attack aircraft it keeps. "The newer block [F-16s] that have been upgraded are going to fly for some time," said Lt.