Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations we just made history

Pond Boss family we just made history. The F-35 just became the first supersonic jet to make a short take off and vertical landing. It was something to see. You should be proud to be an amercian.

Pics ?

I thought they scrapped the f-35 after only a few were delivered? Guess i'm misinformed. Wish i could have seen it. I remember my first time seeing a B-2 flying overhead when i was at NTC in the mojave desert in the mid 90's. Wow, to say its enormous was an understatement. Anyway, bet you had fun!

Quick link

Very cool.

The F-35 Lightening II is alive and well... It will be replacing many of today's military jets in the Air Force, Navy and Marines. Over the next 30+ years it will replace the F/A-18, the F-16, the A-10 and the A-8. There are three versions being developed. The one mentioned in the article will be replacing the A-8 or the Harrier Jump Jet, the vertical take off jet used by the marines and its close cousin that was used by the British very successfully during the Falkland War in 1982. The most produced version will be replacing the F-16 in the Air Force. The last version will be replacing the F/A-18 for the Navy and will be able to launch and land on an aircraft carrier. Many of our friends will also be flying the F-35 to include our friends to the north in Canada. They were one of the first counties to fork out the cash to fund the development of this aircraft.

A schematic of the F-35B:


Pretty cool breakdown for the F-35:


Every day is a good day to be proud to be an American, but today is that much more reason!

It's the F-22 Raptor, the air superiority fighter that is to be the replacement for the F-15 that got cut short. Only about half of the original number ordered will be produced. Some amazing technology put into both of these jets!

Wow, I didn't realize there were that many ammo options on a jet.

"It's the F-22 Raptor, the air superiority fighter that is to be the replacement for the F-15 that got cut short. Only about half of the original number ordered will be produced." Thanks CJBS2003, I knew i remembered hearing something about an order being stopped.

Sadly this could be one of the last manned fighter aircraft in the US arsenel, they are really pushing for remote piloted combat aircraft over the next 20 years.
http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/air/attack/x-45_ucav.html

Sorry what I just saw is not releasable to the public yet. But it will be by 6.00 watch the news this evening.

Curious, AP, why "sadly"? I would think that would be an advantage to have unmanned aircraft. No potential for loss of life.

http://www.jsf.mil/
Our government got a lot of hasle from the EU for choosing JSF in stead off eurofighter as the new backbone to the Royal Norwegian Air Force

It's a great military leap but I've been a pilot since I was 18, but that doesn't take away from the skill required to pilot unmanned aircraft, I fly RC planes now cause of the cost to fly real aircraft, but it isn't easy to fly a high performance rc plane.
I don't have the skill, my aircraft are slow and most of the time very forgiving.

Here's the video on the F-35b.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-cM3wPpCPw

andedammen, I can only imagine how much heat your country has taken going with the JSF instead of the Eurofighter. Both are very capable aircraft. Any idea why the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark decided to go with the JSF over the Eurofigther? Only Italy and the Brits being the only other European nations to chose it, but they chose it mostly for the STOVL variant which the Eurofighter doesn't have.

$$$$$$$$$$$$ they got a nice chunk of the pie producing them. Thats why

I think the long therm relationship on educating pilots and topgun training on f-16 between those 3 countries and the US had a major impact on the final desiscion.

Yeah, I recall they got a lot of contracts out of the deal.

We are delivering the same weapon system surface to sea missiles on both fighters.
And have spent bilions on co-developing the eurofighter so the $$$$ is pretty much the same