In the third installment of FJFC, I've decided to mix things up a bit. Whereas the first two match-ups pitted similar aircraft against each other ( Typhoon vs. Rafale , JSF vs. Super Hornet ), these two aircraft occupy different ends of the fighter spectrum. The F-15 has been around since the 70s, since then, it has earned an undefeated streak of victories. It has also been continuously improved, culminating into the F-15SE Silent Eagle that Boeing is now pitching to prospective buyers. The JAS-39 Gripen, on the other hand, started service in the 90s, with the intention of being Sweden's sole multirole fighter. It has since morphed into the "Gripen NG", an updated version intended for worldwide sale. A brutish giant with a menacing reputation is pitted against a undersized upstart... David and Goliath anyone? Remember, in Fighter Jet Fight Club; every system works as advertised and costs don't matter. Given the... Uh... Con...
I wonder if there would be so much coverage or knowledge of the good and bad days when the F-15
ReplyDeleteExactly Paul, LM put the cart before the horse.
ReplyDeleteThere was quite a lot of coverage when the Gripen's first prototype crashed in 1989. Luckily, the pilot had a narrow escape.
Remember the second launch of Ariane 1, it was a failure too.
Testing that's why you make prototypes because you know accidents happen.
I believe that LM soon will make the following anouncement :
ReplyDelete"The needed fix that followed the F-35 mishap on Eglin will actually make the aircraft considerably lighter as the systems that were intended to supress / extinguish clearly did not work and thus can be removed. Another good news is that the F-35 now can be advertised and sold internationally as "Battle Proven" as it without any doubts been under fire...",
Nice Job!
ReplyDeleteI guess it is not like an airline, where you get to pick your engine. This engine appears not to work, I will take the rolls Royce or the GE?
I believe the engine is a Pratt & Whitney
ReplyDeleteThat's the big difference between the JSF program and earlier ones like the F-15, etc... When an issue is found in the prototype stage, you simply incorporate the fix into the finalized design.
ReplyDeleteThanks to concurrency, an entire fleet of over 100 aircraft will likely need to be recalled and refurbished to accommodate this fix. This process needs to be repeated for every new issue. Every bulkhead crack, every oil leak, every software bug... They all need to be fixed retroactively. Remember, these are considered production aircraft, not prototypes.