Jump to content

Ever wonder how nimble an F-18 is?


Axe_34

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Holy cow!!!!! Talk about revisionist history. The FA18 was wayyyyyyy over budget and way behind schedule in its own time. Short range + abysmal weapons loading = budgetary waste. Yeah there have been a few revisions to the platform but it earned its label as the plane that "couldn't go anywhere and couldn't do anything when it got there". Sure we'll pump it up as much as we can because we are stuck with it but that plane was flawed from the get go.


And just one note on all that vitriol...this is coming from someone that has worked for the Navy in one way another for 30 years.


Don't get me started on the fail that is Lockheed Martin though...but to hold the FA18 up as an ideal model of procurement vs the F22 is
:facepalm::lol::facepalm::lol::facepalm:
:facepalm:

 

Seeing as the Navy didn't even request a platform fitting this requirement till 1974 with the prototype coming in '78 and first delivery in '83, well, check your facts. By post WW11 standards, that's pretty good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 94
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

 


Some really good clips showing how tight it can bank after an attack run. Love it when it lights up the nose cannon -- smoke starts trailing.

 

 

 

{censored} yeah great vid. Perfect music. That was EXACTLY exactly what I was talking about. Some of those moves are just insane! Like a perfect combination of prop maneuverability and jet speed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Seeing as the Navy didn't even request a platform fitting this requirement till 1974 with the prototype coming in '78 and first delivery in '83, well, check your facts. By post WW11 standards, that's pretty good.

 

Cool. I'm quite certain of my facts. Tick-box milestones vs real-world application...it looks like we'll just have disagree because there is no way you are going to change my opinion by spouting PMO talking points.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Hard to believe it's a 30+ year old design. The F22 is marginally better but waaaay over budget. The Navy got it's money's worth with the F/A18

 

 

the F18 is awesome but the F22 is a quantum leap over the F18. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm a former Lockheed Martin employee sooooo you know... bias and stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

marginally better? more agility, better high altitude performance, stealth, super-cruise...i agree in certain situations the F-18 can hold its own, but overall the F-22 is the vastly superior aircraft. more expensive, yes, but when you look at the fact that the F-18 has been in service for so many years, the F-22 will also be in service for decades, and it will justify the cost IMO. honestly, all of our planes are probably the best in the world, and i like to keep it that way. there are three things our country shouldnt skimp on when it comes to spending...education, defense, and the space program. sadly...those seem to be the three things the govt wants to cut first. bastards!


and i agree on the F-4...seriously awesome looking plane. sad they thought that traditional dogfighting was over when they designed it. no guns? wtf were they thinking?

 

With the J-20 and the Pak-Fa (Sukoi T-50) scheduled to meet initial operational capacity within the next 5-10 years, an Air Superiority fighter like the F-22 is going to be more and more important. However, I also think that the 22 is going to be old hat in 5-10 years.

 

In defense of the F-18, the Super Hornet is a pretty badass plane in terms of avionics and radar and whatnot. The F-35 is better, though :o

 

And now, for something completely different:

 

AIR_B-1B_Extreme_Low_lg.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

With the J-20 and the Pak-Fa (Sukoi T-50) scheduled to meet initial operational capacity within the next 5-10 years, an Air Superiority fighter like the F-22 is going to be more and more important. However, I also think that the 22 is going to be old hat in 5-10 years.


In defense of the F-18, the Super Hornet is a pretty badass plane in terms of avionics and radar and whatnot. The F-35 is better, though
:o

And now, for something completely different:


AIR_B-1B_Extreme_Low_lg.jpg

 

Personally I think it will be all about unmanned drones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

i was at NAS oceana for the last F14 flights
:cry:

 

Lived near the flight line off Lynnhaven for years in the early 90's. I could never get enough of the Tomcat. Neighbors hated it. I'd say- why did you move near the flight line? Dumb asses.

 

Tomcat and Eagle are the sweetest fighters we ever had. Sad to see the F14 go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members


and i agree on the F-4...seriously awesome looking plane. sad they thought that traditional dogfighting was over when they designed it. no guns? wtf were they thinking?

 

 

They were thinking "Man, that AIM-7 semi-active is the way of the future! How could the enemy dodge that and close the gap?" If they'd had fully active missiles and modern radar, they might have had a point at the time, but taking away the gun for the close in work, especially with the iffy-ness of the AIM-9 at the time was, mmm, a poor judgement. Or, maybe it was decided that the F-4 couldn't turn for a damn anyway, so why would they need a gun?

 

FWIW, for those that can afford them, the latest generation SU fighters are pretty darn compelling. I know very few, save for perhaps China or a few wealthy arab countries could afford them, but even so, we don't have the numbers these days to also yield technological superiority as well, hence the importance of the F-22 and 35. I agree, the Super Hornet is cool, but the differences in upgrading last generations fighter as much as you can vs. building a new marvel from the ground up are staggering; the Army faces the same problem with helicopters. For more, check out the Air Force's C-5 fleet vs. the C-17; the latter is a freaking rocket that can do short field takeoffs and landings in spaces you would not believe for an aircraft of that size. The C-5, not a whole lot larger, could never attempt what the C-17 pulls off; that's what a few decades of engineering advancement will do for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...