NEWS | F-35 VS F-15 Fight Simulation Results Just Got Declassified

Most People Would Think Otherwise.

Over budget and past deadline, the F-35 program has been a heated topic of discussion for years now. Taking flight for the first time on December 15th, 2006, this fifth-generation fighter is yet to prove itself. With dozens of hurdles including software bugs and helmets that can snap pilot’s necks on ejection, it’s no wonder the general consensus is that the program should have been scrapped years ago. This new report however, might give us taxpayers some hope.

Let’s lead off with one fact that every naysayer always comes back to when someone defends the F-35. A few years back an F-35 was pitted against an F-16 in a dogfight. The latter being over 40 years old, everyone’s jaw dropped when results showed that it killed the F-35 every time.

There are many things to consider however and we’ll just list them here and leave it up for you to discuss. First off, the F-35 was (and still is) in a development stage, so during that time, it was lacking radar capabilities that it now has. Secondly, an F-16 and F/A-18 pilot wrote a whole article about the bias in that simulation here. His main point is this; how do you compare a dogfight between a pilot with 1,400 hundred hours in a particular plane with a newbie pilot who just stepped into an F-35 and logged in 250? Think about that.

Although F-35s are still waiting for a new software update, they are operational and both their radars and new tactics have greatly improved. In June 2016, a small squadron of F-35s were put up against eight F-15Es in eight fights. The F-35s shot them down EVERY TIME without taking a single loss. They completed their objectives and the F-15s never knew what hit them. Lastly, let’s not forget what the F-35 is. It’s a fifth-generation fighter that’s designed to be undetected. Dogfighting doesn’t even apply since its purpose is to shoot down the enemy long before making visual contact.

Maybe it’s start thinking this thing isn’t such a bad idea after all. Feel free to discuss this in the comments section.