How much payload can an F-35 carry?
The F-35C can carry more than 5,000 lbs of internal weapons, or more than 18,000 lbs of combined internal and external weapons. This allows the Navy to operate in stealth when necessary, or increase lethality with additional weapons externally when the air space is permissive.
Is F-35 strong?
The Pratt & Whitney F135 is the most powerful fighter engine in the world. At Mach 1.6, the F-35 is a long range, supersonic fighter, even with a full compliment of internal weapons and fuel.
Does the F-35 still have problems?
The number of major F-35 flaws is shrinking, but the Pentagon is keeping details of the problems under wraps. WASHINGTON — As the F-35 program inches its way through operational testing, the number of critical technical deficiencies is slowly dwindling, dropping from 11 critical deficiencies in January to seven in July …
How many bombs can an F-35 carry?
An air-to-air missile load of eight AIM-120s and two AIM-9s is possible using internal and external weapons stations; a configuration of six 2,000 lb (910 kg) bombs, two AIM-120s and two AIM-9s can also be arranged.
How many air-to-air missiles can an F-35 carry?
One of the F-35’s main issues is its comparatively modest armament capacity while in stealth mode. In its current form, the conventional-takeoff F-35A can only carry four AIM-120 air-to-air missiles in its internal bays whereas China’s advanced fighter aircraft like the J-20 has the capacity of 6 missiles.
Do small wings give the F-35 a bad lift?
The critics say that small wings give the F-35 bad lift because the wing area is crucial for an aircraft to achieve a good lift. But what they seem to underestimate is that actually, the body of the fighter increases the lift a lot, which was tested with the Martin Marietta (now a part of Lockheed Martin) X-24A.
Why does the F-35 have such a low speed?
The F-35 is not mainly built for high speeds, it is built as an attack aircraft (as well), like the A-10 Thunderbolt II and therefore needs low speeds to be able to shoot at the enemy on the ground for longer times before passing it.
Does the F-35 Suck at air combat?
The F-35 certainly does not suck at air combat, providing it keeps within its own realm. As this testing demonstrated, the challenge for any future ‘Red Air’ pilot will be detecting the F-35 and then getting close enough to nullify its LO features in the merge.
How effective is the F-35 against F-16?
A close reading of the report also suggests that while the test focused on the F-35 pilot using high AoA and nose-pointing (like an F/A-18) to engage the F-16, it might be more effective fighting at a higher speed/lower AoA – like the F-16 itself.