F-22 Vs F-35 - Which Fighter Plane Rules The Skies
There is something truly captivating about the sight of a modern fighter plane streaking across the sky, a swift, powerful machine. For many who follow military aviation, two names often come up in conversation: the F-22 and the F-35. People often wonder about these two amazing aircraft, wondering how they stack up against each other in different situations. It is a common topic for those who enjoy thinking about what makes a great flying machine.
You see, folks often get a bit mixed up when they think about these two jets. One question that pops up a lot, for instance, is why a plane with a bigger number, like the F-35, might not always seem as capable as one with a smaller number, like the F-22, even though the F-22 has been around for a good while longer. This really makes people scratch their heads, you know, because usually, bigger numbers mean newer and better stuff. So, what gives with these two, you might ask?
Well, we are going to talk about some of the things that make these two planes quite distinct. We will look at their design goals, how they perform in the air, and even some of the ways they are thought about in the bigger picture of air forces around the world. It is, in a way, like comparing two different kinds of amazing athletes, each with their own special skills and purpose on the team.
Table of Contents
- Why Does Lockheed Martin Talk Up the F-35 So Much?
- How Do Newer Jets Compare to Older Ones Like F-22 vs F-35?
- What Happened When F-22s Met F-35s at Red Flag?
- Are There Differences in How F-22 and F-35 Use Fuel?
- F-22 and F-35 - Different Air Combat Abilities
- F-22 and F-35 - Maneuverability and Pilot Limits
- F-22 and F-35 - Numbers in the Sky
- Keeping Up with New Technology
Why Does Lockheed Martin Talk Up the F-35 So Much?
You know, it is a funny thing, but the F-22, for all its fame, is not something you can just buy off the shelf. It is, you see, a plane that is not for export, meaning other countries cannot get their hands on it. Because of this, the company that makes both the F-22 and the F-35, Lockheed Martin, does not really spend time promoting the F-22 to people outside its home country. They have, in a way, no reason to push something they are not selling.
F-22 vs F-35 - The Sales Pitch
Instead, their focus is very much on making the F-35 sound as good as it possibly can. This makes sense, really. When someone is thinking about spending, say, somewhere between three hundred and four hundred million dollars for just one of these amazing machines, they want to feel really good about that choice. So, the company puts a lot of effort into showing how capable the F-35 is, making sure those buyers feel satisfied with their very significant purchase. It is, basically, about making sure the customers are happy with what they can actually acquire.
How Do Newer Jets Compare to Older Ones Like F-22 vs F-35?
It is a question that pops up a lot, that. People often look at the F-35 and the J-35, which have bigger numbers and came out later, and wonder why they do not seem to be quite as good as the F-22, which has been flying for a much longer time. It is, in some respects, a bit counterintuitive, because usually, newer means better in the world of planes, right? So, why would these newer aircraft, in some ways, appear to fall short of their predecessors?
F-22 vs F-35 - Age and Capability
Well, to be honest, if you are just talking about how much new technology is packed into a plane, the F-35 certainly has a lot going for it. It came out nearly fifteen years after the F-22, and over that time, the technology available for making planes took some big steps forward. So, in terms of its systems and what it can do with information, the F-35 is, in a way, quite advanced. However, when you start talking about how good a plane is in a dogfight, a close-up aerial battle, the F-22 is often thought of as the stronger one. The F-22 also has some special kinds of technology that are all its own, things that you will not find on other planes. This is why countries like Japan and Israel, you know, really wanted to get their hands on the F-22 back when it was first being considered for export, even if they could not in the end.
What Happened When F-22s Met F-35s at Red Flag?
There was a very well-known training exercise, a kind of simulated battle, called Red Flag. During this event, a small group of four F-22 planes were set up to act like a very smart and quick-moving enemy. Their job was to go up against a much bigger group, more than ten F-35s, along with some Growler aircraft, which are designed to mess with enemy electronics. The idea was to see how the F-22s, pretending to be a powerful opposing force, would do against this larger, more varied group of planes.
F-22 vs F-35 - The Exercise Outcomes
The outcome of this mock battle was, apparently, quite a surprise to many. According to reports from the people who ran the exercise, the F-22s managed to take down fifteen of the F-35s and Growlers without losing even one of their own planes. This result, you know, really made people think about what it means for the F-22 to have such good awareness of what is happening around it and to be so agile in the air. It showed, in a way, that even a smaller number of these particular planes could be very, very effective in a simulated fight against a larger force, which is pretty interesting to consider.
Are There Differences in How F-22 and F-35 Use Fuel?
When you look at the amount of fuel these planes can carry inside their bodies, without needing extra tanks, the F-22 and the F-35 are actually pretty similar. Both of them can hold about 8.3 metric tons of fuel. But here is the thing that makes them different: the F-22 has two engines, while the F-35 usually has just one. Having two engines, as a matter of fact, means the F-22 uses up its fuel at a much faster rate. It is like having two mouths to feed instead of one, you know, they just drink more.
F-22 vs F-35 - Fuel Consumption and Range
However, when you think about how far they can fly without stopping, even with the F-22 having two engines, there is a bit of a twist. In theory, the F-35, even if it is flying really fast, like one and a half times the speed of sound, and using its afterburner, which burns a lot of fuel, it might not fly a shorter distance than an F-22 that is cruising along without using its afterburner. This is because the F-35 is, in a way, designed to be quite efficient, even when it is pushing itself. So, while the F-22 uses more fuel overall, the F-35 can still go a good distance, even when it is really moving quickly.
F-22 and F-35 - Different Air Combat Abilities
When you get right down to it, the F-18EF, for example, changed its role quite a bit after the Soviet Union was no longer around. That big change meant there was less of a need for planes that were just about controlling the air or stopping other planes. Even though the F-18EF became really good at fighting in the air because of new improvements, it started to focus more on hitting targets on the ground. It sort of replaced older planes like the F-18CD and the F-14, becoming a bigger, more adaptable plane that could fly from ships. The F-22, in a way, is a lot like the F-15 was, meaning it is really, really focused on being the best at fighting other planes in the sky.
So, while the F-35 is, you know, quite advanced because it came out so much later, benefiting from all those years of technological progress, the F-22 is often seen as the one that is truly stronger when it comes to actual air-to-air fighting. The F-22 also has some very special kinds of technology that are only found on it. This is why, as I was saying, countries like Japan and Israel really wanted to buy the F-22 when it was first an option, because of its unique abilities in the air.
F-22 and F-35 - Maneuverability and Pilot Limits
Let us talk a little about how these planes move in the air. The F-35, when it comes to how well it can turn and change direction, is pretty much on par with what you would expect from a typical fourth-generation fighter plane, if you are using that way of sorting planes into groups. Now, some people will tell you that the F-35 is really good at making quick turns at slower speeds, below the speed of sound, and that it can speed up and slow down very quickly. That is true to a point. But, you know, planes from the fourth generation were already really good at moving around at lower speeds and at the speed of sound, especially closer to the ground, and each of those older planes had their own special ways of doing things.
The thing to remember is that no matter how good a plane is at moving, there is a real limit to how much a human body can handle. A fighter plane's ability to turn and pull Gs is, basically, restricted by what the pilot inside can stand. So, while the F-35 might have some nice qualities in its movement, it is still, in a way, bound by the physical limits of the person flying it, which is something to consider when comparing it to other aircraft.
F-22 and F-35 - Numbers in the Sky
It is interesting to think about what happens when you have more of one kind of plane. For example, if you have a group of, say, six F-35s, it is actually possible that they might have an advantage when going up against F-22s. The F-22, you see, is more or less built to be a plane that can really dominate in big fights between powerful nations, especially at the very start of a conflict. It is designed to achieve a very high "exchange ratio," meaning it can take out many enemy planes while losing very few of its own. It is, in a way, a machine that is all about winning those early, very intense air battles with a big lead in numbers of planes shot down.
Keeping Up with New Technology
On a related note, and this is just a little extra piece of information, I do plan to write more about the newest developments in advanced infrared sensors, both here at home and in other countries. If you are someone who likes to stay up to date on that kind of information, there is a social media account you might like to check out. It is called "Infrared Core News," and they share the very latest technical updates about infrared technology every single day. It is a good way, basically, to keep an eye on what is new and what is coming next in that area of technology. And speaking of new planes, the J-20 is, you know, another one that is often brought into these conversations.
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