The Gun Counter

https://theaviationist.com/2016/03/01/h ... d-account/

As a SWO, I have no dog in the F-35 is great/sucks debate. But I found this interesting.

Nice article. Thanks for sharing.

Most of the "problems" with the F-35 relate to the damn thing being so advanced. Hell, most people have no understanding of the development of the P-51 and the fact that with the original engine before the British Merlin's, the same people that make fun of the F-35 probably would have declared the Mustang a mistake too. It's not like throughout the short history of aviation, the saying "don't fly the A model of anything" suddenly doesn't apply. It takes time to work out the kinks of flying machines, even multi-billion dollar ones.

JustinR wrote:Most of the "problems" with the F-35 relate to the damn thing being so advanced. Hell, most people have no understanding of the development of the P-51 and the fact that with the original engine before the British Merlin's, the same people that make fun of the F-35 probably would have declared the Mustang a mistake too.

Yes and no. The original Mustang met all of its design goals quite well... Consider that the initial customer for the Mustang (the RAF) had originally just wanted to buy some P-40s (which used the same Allison V-12 and had the same altitude limitations) to bolster their own domestic production of Spitfires and Hurricanes. They just needed more fighters period, and the P-40s would have been used in places like North Africa where high altitude performance wasn't as important, allowing the Merlin powered fighters to be concentrated in the European theater where it was crucial. In the Mustang, they got an aircraft that exceeded the performance they were expecting to get had they been able to buy more P-40s, and had the capacity to become a world beater when fitted with the Merlin.

Your absolutely correct NPR. I read a book on the design and development of the P-51, and it was an extremely well managed incredible development done in record time. I was just saying that the same armchair generals would be pointing to the first few crashes in the test flight program of the P-51 and going "See? Such a flawed airplane is a waste of taxpayer dollars!"

The P-51 went from clean sheet, through development, deployment, defeated the Luftwaffe, fought in Korea, and was retired from service in less time than it has taken to get a few F-35s operational...

It also got its ass kicked by the Corsair in the Football War.