John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN CHECKPOINT ASIA
“Russia’s 110-Ton Tu-160 Bomber Outran Japan’s F-35s
“The F-35 has a maximum speed of just 1.4 Mach and can't use it's afterburners for more than a minute or it starts to melt”
https://www.checkpointasia.net/russias-110-ton-tu-160-bomber-outran-japans-f-35s/
Very interesting anecdote.
I think the many unpleasant aspects of the F-35 almost come to symbolize America's sad declining state.
All outer gloss, disguising what's really inside, which is, not much.
Aggressively pushed onto others, every poor ally America having been pressured to buy it to help subsidize its frightening cost.
Unable really to do some of its basic job.
In fact, its basic job never really carefully defined. Is it a fighter-bomber or a fighter-interceptor or still something else?
Of course, when you try being everything, you frequently end up being nothing.
Non-competitive, both in cost and performance.
Extremely costly. Suitable only for a power that can literally print money to pay the bills.
The parallels are striking.
