US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee criticized the latest version of the low-profile deck fighter-bomber F-35C, in the interests of the United States Navy. The main drawback, According to committee members, is too small radius of action of aircraft, is clearly insufficient to destroy enemy targets, According to Task&Purporse.
According to the committee, aircraft, the development of which invested billions of dollars, It is outdated. As long as it was carried out to develop, and that 20 years, development of missile leaped forward.
According to expert opinion, F-35s are not able to effectively carry out military operations without refueling. In connection with the new data on anti-ship missiles, available in China and Russia, the carrier should be, least, on distance 1000 nautical miles from the target (1852 km), and the radius of the carrier-based version of the F-35 action is 670 nautical miles (1240 kilometers).
In this way, According to experts, require refueling tankers, which do not have to be unobtrusive and perfectly visible on radar, that definitively eliminates the main advantages of F-35C
Currently, the US Navy are considering two options aircraft carrier group with the F-35 carrier-based version. The first is proposed yet to use refueling “nevidimok” in the air, even though it poses a threat to aircraft detection, and in the second – positioning the carriers closer to the goal, but in this embodiment is exposed to the threat of sinking an aircraft carrier is already.
Also considered the option of creating a tanker aircraft technology “stealth”, but it is in long-term prospect.
