BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

"YOUR MISSILES ARE SHOWING!" Internal storage. By carrying its weapons inside, the F-35 Lightning II presents a slippery shape when armed instead of carrying a bunch of dangly bits about.  Just like a speed skater's skin-tight suit .  Hanging all of these bombs, missiles and whatnot are surely going to slow down any fighter aircraft to crop-duster like speeds...  Right? Internal weapon bays aren't the only way to reduce a weapon's drag, however. Cue the tuba... And the French horn... Just look at the above fighters.  The EA-18G Growler up top is carrying 3 jamming pods, 2 big external fuel tanks, 2 AMRAAMs and two AGM-88 HARM missiles.  The Rafale below is festooned with 3 external tanks, 6 GBU-22 laser guided bombs, and 4 (2 IR, 2 RF) Mica missiles.  It is perfectly reasonable to assume that these aircraft would exhibit diminished performance compared to a "clean configuration".  All that extra weight and drag would take its toll, af...

Better than $20 worth of separate tools? One of the driving forces behind the JSF program has been the effort to save money by amalgamating several different fighter replacement projects into a single effort.  The idea makes sense, in theory.  Why develop two, three, or four separate aircraft when you can develop a single platform capable of all requirements?  Not only is there a promise of saving development costs, but a common platform also promises to be cheaper in the long run as well, with economies of scale providing cheaper construction and sustainment costs. This is the theory.  Reality has proven to be much different. A new study performed by the RAND think tank questions the logic behind "Joint Fighter Programs".    Its conclusion:  Joint fighter programs end up being far more expensive in the long run.  Many don't work at all. USN F-111B. The TFX program's dead end. Let's look at the TFX program responsible for the dev...

Right for South Korea, despite the cost? Much has been made about South Korea's confusing F-X III fighter acquisition project.  After considering the F-35, F-15SE, and Typhoon, all three options have been deemed unsuitable based on price or capability.  The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) has made their desire for the F-35 quite clear, despite the fact that is was the first fighter eliminated due to its uncertain cost. Now, the contest has been restarted , and the JSF looks to be the leading contender, again. I've been plenty hard on the F-35 in the past, and I certainly don't agree with the way the F-X III competition is being done, but you know what?  I actually think the F-35 will be a pretty good fit for the ROKAF. Why? North Korea South Korea's rowdy northern neighbor has a comparatively large military force , but their equipment is old, outdated, and sometimes fake .  The F-35's stealth design will likely have little trouble slipping thro...

South Korean F-4 Phantom II, due for replacement. Previously, I mentioned South Korea's "F-X" fighter competition as "one to watch"since it pitted the F-35 against the Eurofighter and Silent Eagle...  Well, you might as well watch paint dry, because nothing is happening. Seoul has suspended the program  because none of the bids have come under the $7.2 billion (US) budget.  Well, duh. Canada has allotted $9 billion for 65 aircraft , not counting long term costs.  South Korea wants 60, so the budgets are way off for a similar amount of aircraft.  Did Seoul believe that the manufacturers would keep undercutting each other until jets were being sold at a loss?  That doesn't happen. So what happens next?  Will South Korea up the budget?  Will it reduce the amount of aircraft needed?  Or will it simply wait until one of the manufacturers comes in with an acceptable offer?  Eurofighter has recently made claims about lowering the Typ...