F-18 E/F vs. F-35?
Jason — Wed, 01/30/2008 - 23:54
Aviation Week and Defense News, are buzzing this week about a suggestion made by Boeing to buy F-18 E/F Super Hornets instead of Lockheed F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, and fly the Hornets while waiting for something better than the JSF.
It could be argued that this is just Boeing trying to steal business from their biggest rival in the lucrative fighter market: Lockheed. Although the Super Hornet lacks some of the stealth and proposed systems of the F-35, it has several strong points:
- The F-18 E/F is a proven aircraft already in production/service
- Australia already decided to do this, and several other countries are considering Super Hornet purchases in the near future
- For all it's strengths, the F-35 will only slightly outperform the F-16 it's intended to replace and it probably can't fill the role of the A-10
- The Super Hornet can perform about the same as the F-35 with some system upgrades
- By at least one estimate, an F-35 costs at least twice as much as an F-18 E/F
Along with these facts is a very important one: production of the F-35 has already been delayed several years and things aren't getting much better. Boeing seems to be asking, "Why wait another 8+ years for initial operating capability when you can have the F-18 (A realistic and effective solution) now? In the meantime you can be working on the next generation of fighter aircraft."
If the F-22 is current generation what could be next? Well, the Air Force fielded the MQ-9 Reaper with little fanfare, but I think it suggests the direction that tactical fighter and attack aircraft are going. The rumors only involve the Navy buying more F-18's, but the Air Force could certainly consider them as well.
So, what do you think? Should the military wait years for a more expensive aircraft, or buy F-18's now? What would the F-35 bring to a fight 10 years from now that would make it so much better than the F-18? (And if there is anything, is it enough to justify waiting 10 years for an effective replacement?)
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VTOL is the name of the game for the jsf
Unidentified Target — Fri, 10/30/2009 - 01:45I have to believe that to have a tool is to use a tool and an f18 falls short of the jsf in this area now as far as cost goes who knows but the difference between tools is quality. the f18 is a fine air craft and does its job well I have to think of the future and VTOL is a big consideration in my thinking
f-35 vs f-18
Unidentified Target — Mon, 10/20/2008 - 13:32They need the f-35 for the first wave of attacks to knock out radars, SAMS. and russian AA guns but not everything the f-35 can and will do is told to the public. Also they are being mounted in the future with lasers to take out ground targets, so the f-35 wont probally be what it can be for 10 years or so.
Capability
Unidentified Target — Wed, 10/08/2008 - 15:55They both have the same advanced radar, and if you look it up, the Super Hornet has radar reduction features similiar to the Typhoon and Rafale. The Hornet also has a longer range and greater payload. It also has a slightly higher top speed than the Lightning. I believe that when it becomes available, the F-35 should be used for intrusion and taking out of air defenses. (Note: the F-35C does have folding wings) and then use the longer range and harder hitting Hornet to destroy aircraft(which could also be done by Air Force Raptors) and destroy targets.
The Super Hornet may not have stealth, but does have counter measures. It has radar reduction, jamming, and a tow-pod that hangs out the back of the plane. This pod makes the Hornet look much bigger. SAM's aim at the center of the signature, which is mid-air and makes the missile miss. This is also incorporated in the Typhoon. I'm not saying it is better than stealth, but it gets the job done. That isn't saying it is fool proof, but it does decrease the probability of the plane. One advantage of the Hornet is that ti isn't made of RAM, so it has a stronger structure. This increases survivability( I've even heard that it could possibly survive a SAM hit)
I've been researching these, but if I'm wrong please tell me.
F-18 vs F-35
Unidentified Target — Sun, 04/27/2008 - 17:32Does the F-35 have the folding wings for carrier missions like the f-18 so more can be stowed below deck? I wish they did'nt retire the A-6E as I still think its capable of its job.
F-18 vs F-35
Jason — Mon, 05/12/2008 - 10:37*Edit* After a little extra digging, I've found a few references saying that the wings do fold. European-Defense.co.uk and GlobalSecurity.org both make mention of it, though I couldn't find a direct reference to it on a Lockheed Martin or USAF site.
If you like the A-6, be sure to read Angels of Attack by Peter Hunt. It's a first-hand account from an A-6 crew in Desert Storm.
F-18 E/F vs. F-35?
Unidentified Target — Tue, 04/15/2008 - 18:16It all depends on the features of F-35. I know that F-22 is very much secretive and you can't know too much of its "features", but how about F-35? They say it is not as stealthy, what does this exactly mean? Is it impervious to the current air to air missiles? Who would be the most likely winner of a confrontation between an F-18 and F-35? Is an updated F-18 really capable of bringing down an F-35? I have the answer to none of these questions if you do have the answers to some of them, tell me and I can have an opinion as to which one I would choose if I were the head of a country.
Is that the issue though?
Jason — Mon, 05/12/2008 - 10:31I don't fly them, so I have no idea what their specific air-to-air capabilities are. We all love the romantic notion of fighter pilots dueling to the death, but if you look at the major conflicts in the last 10-15 years, you'll see that air-to-air hasn't played a huge part after the first few days.
As far as I can tell, the F-35 isn't intended to be an all-out air superiority fighter...that's the F-22s job. F-35 is intended to replace the F-16 and have a major air-to-ground roll. My point is: what advantages will an F-35 have as a multi-roll fighter 8-10 years from now that an upgraded, factory-new F-18 wouldn't give right now? Are those few advantages worth waiting that long for?
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