F-15 vs. F-16 vs. F-22

[zzzippper]

No aircraft is ever done being updated. We're still doing Operational Testing (OT) on F-16s. We still update the avionics in F-15s. We're still testing new designs for C-130s. It never really ends.

If it did, I'd be out of a job.

This is true. It is known that, on average, a tactical AC will gain one pound of weight per day during its lifetime. At one time the F/A-18C and D could not have a pound added without having a pound taken off. That led to the F/A-18E and F.

Like the F-22 the F/A-18 was sold to Congress with a bit of happy bookkeeping. It was priced as the airframe only; no engines, no gun, no radar, no avionics, no weapons pylons, etc. In each pylon there should be an encoder/decoder that gives orders about weapons launch. They are about the size of a book, cost (at the time) about $100K, and were not purchased. For years it was one of my jobs to hunt these down and track shipments of them to squadrons.

 

[Quick10]

Sorry Ron, but I do find it humorous. The "pilot" in that video is probably a teenager. That is a clip from a video game. It's been around for a while now. Even the site you posted tells why is s fake.

In fact, the STOVL version of the F35 hasn't been built yet, let alone flown. Certainly not flown off a carrier. Once it is built, it will require at least a little forward motion to take off. It won't be able to do a straight vertical take off.

Oh yeah, the reason I'm the only one here who thinks that is probably because I'm the only one here who works around the actual F35. Still, a fun video.

Pretty sure that they have built and are testing the STOVL version at Edwards. I mean I've seen them from the NASA ramp and our F-15 has chased them...

 

[Rastoff]

Pretty sure that they have built and are testing the STOVL version at Edwards. I mean I've seen them from the NASA ramp and our F-15 has chased them...

OK, I'll defer to you. I've seen plenty of F-35s, but I don't work over there specifically so, they may have them. Still in DT and none have been delivered to the Navy though.

We built a Multi-Axis-Thrust stand just for that version of the F-35, but we're never gonna use it.

 

[RonJ]

Rastoff, my apologies sir. I missed the status FALSE label.

 

[Harrydale]

ZZZIPPPER I was at McDonnell from April of 1989 till January of 1991. I only worked in Building 2 a short time. Most of the time I was in 45 or 66/67. I remember me and another guy had to fix something on a fixture on the F-18 line and the fusalodge was there without a canopy, the seat was in it or at least the seat frame and the eject handle was there also. I wanted so bad to pull the handle! In my mind I knew it wasn't live but I still didn't have the guts (or I did have the common sense not to pull it.

 

[Quick10]

When I went through egress training they had a Aces II training seat that we practiced on in a mock cockpit. The ejection handles just rotate some, they don't pull out. It was kind of disappointing.