BEST FIGHTER FOR CANADA

This week, we will revisit two "runner ups" from previous FJFC installments and and pit them up against each other.  In the end, some of you may feel slightly vindicated.  Others will simply be more angry with me...  Sorry about that. From an aesthetic point of view, the Dassault Rafale and the Boeing Super Hornet are two very different looking fighters.  The Rafale uses a close-coupled canard-delta wing layout with a single vertical stabilizer while the Super Hornet (a.k.a. "Rhino") uses a more familiar trapezoidal wing with traditional elevators and two canted stabilizers. Despite looking quite different, the two aircraft have a lot in common.  Both are twin-engine, carrier capable jets with similar payloads and operating ranges.  Despite years of faithful service from both aircraft, foreign buyers are scarce.  Dassault has managed win India's MMRCA competition, but has yet to finalize.  Boeing has managed to sell a small number of Supe...

New missiles for everybody! Not to be outdone by the Eurofighter Typhoon's upcoming addition of both the Storm Shadow and Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles, Boeing is now in the process of testing the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) on the F-18E/F Super Hornet. Based on the Norwegian Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile , the JSM is a stealthy multi-role munition that can be fired at either ground or water based targets.  By using passive guidance methods (GPS, IR) it can avoid detection and interception by missile defense systems.  The JSM has a range of over 290km and carries a 125kg warhead. Joint Strike Missile (JSM) The true secret to the JSM's success will be the fact that it is the only anti-ship missile small enough to fit into the F-35's weapons bay.  In fact, the JSM might be the only  anti-ship missile cleared for use on the F-35, period.  The older, larger GM-84 Harpoon  is currently not on the F-35's list of weapons. Tight squeeze: ...

Boeing has been on a bit of a bad luck run lately.  After winning South Korea's F-XIII competition by default, its F-15SE Silent Eagle was unceremoniously booted out of the running for not being stealthy enough. It gets worse. After word got out that the USN might be ordering a 36 more Super Hornets, the Pentagon quickly kiboshed the rumor.   Now it looks like Boeing will have to shut down production of F-18E/F if it doesn't find orders soon. Things don't look promising.  The Super Hornet is being pushed as a likely alternative to the F-35 for Canada's next fighter, but that decision looks like it going to be put off until 2015, at the earliest.  That may be too late to keep the Rhino assembly line open.  It currently only has enough orders to stay open until 2016. What else is there? Australia is a small victory, but they are only ordering few dozen Super Hornets to tide them over until the F-35 is ready. There's Brazil, but they seem to b...

For when you've made a bad decision... With the continued threat of US military budget cuts, upper brass at the Pentagon is finally starting to come around to the simple truth...  Current fighter fleets are soldiering on well past their prime, and are requiring life extension programs and upgrades to remain effective.  The JSF is still years away from operational status, with all signs pointing to further delays , and there is a very real possibility of outright cancelation . Reality is setting in...  They might need to find an alternative to the F-35. Their simply isn't time or resources to build an all new design.  The F/A-XX is still years away from any flying prototype, and securing funding for such an undertaking may prove to be a challenge in and of itself.  Any "plan B" will have to be an existing design, or, at the very least, heavily derived from one. USN Super, and Super Duper Hornets. Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. This one is ea...

For those who haven't seen what the fighters look like from the inside, here you go: Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II There's no doubt about it, the F-35's cockpit is the future.  A wide, full color, touchscreen is the dominant feature.  With touchscreen capability and countless features, the F-35's display will no doubt be just the thing for a generation of pilots used to iPads and smartphones. There is no heads-up-display (HUD).  Vital information is instead relayed directly onto the pilot's visor using the helmet mounted display, simulated in green in this picture.  Using the F-35's sensors, the helmet mounted display can even allow the pilot to "look through" the aircraft.   Future concepts for the Saab Gripen and Boeing Super Hornet show a very F-35-like cockpit layout. Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon sticks with a much more conventional layout.  Three large multifunction displays (MFDs) along the traditiona...