Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat
Agreed. Obviously no one knows how well the F-35 will perform in combat. What the article does show are the reasons that led to the development of the F-35.
Air warfare has always been a cat and mouse game between the offence and the defence. After the 1982 Lebanon war and the 1991 Gulf War, it looked like the pendulum had shifted decisively to the offence, but new tactics were developped during the Iraq no-fly zone operation in 1991-2003 and Kosovo 1999 which showed the defence still had the upper hand.
Kosovo 99 showed that pretty much all non-stealth airplanes were obsolescent. They were restricted in where and when they could fly and what targets they could strike. The Serbians were competent, but they were using SA-3s and SA-6s which were not even the best equipment available in 99. Now even organizations like Hezbollah have access to SA-17s.
In Kosovo, only stealth airplanes like the F-117 and B-2 had relative freedom of movement and they were used for all the high risk strike missions. The Serbs tried very hard to shoot down a F-117 and they only succeeded through a combination of NATO mistakes and good luck. The F-117s were flying predictable, regular routes in and out of Serbia. The Serbs positioned a SAM battery along that route and through other intelligence had a rough idea when the plane would come through. Even then, the Serb commander later admitted that they only detected the aircraft on radar when it opened its bomb bay doors.
The F-117s were also the first generation of stealth airplane. The B-2 bomber which came out 10 years later is supposed to be stealthier than the F-117. The F-35 which is the third generation of stealth airplane is supposed to be even stealthier than the B-2. The USAF certainly believes this since they want the F-35 to be able to take over the B-2s role once the B-2 can no longer penetrate enemy air defences:
http://www.airforce-magazine.com/Mag.../0710nato.aspx |
I do find it interesting that the author choose Kosovo he ignored two CAP/SEAD campaigns that lasted for over a decade and where generally fairly successful Operations Southern and Northern Watch.
The bit about the F-35 replacing the B-2 sounds somewhat like a strong F-35 supporters hopes more than anything realistic.Be wary of any thing published by the Air Force Association they are a very opinionated bunch and have no official connection to the USAF though some AFA members are active or former members of the USAF.