Does the F-35C have a gun?
The F-35B, a short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant, can fight from airstrips on land and amphibious assault ships at sea. Like the carrier-based F-35C, it is equipped with an externally-mounted gun pod. The Air Force F-35As have an internal gun.
Is the F-35 ready for combat?
The F-35 is Combat Ready and Combat Proven.
Can the F-35 Dogfight?
Astonishingly, the F-35 cannot dogfight, the crux of any fighter jet. According to test pilots, the F-35 is “substantially inferior” to the 40-year-old F-15 fighter jet in mock air battles. The F-35 could not turn or climb fast enough to hit an enemy plane or dodge enemy gunfire.
Does Navy fly F-35?
By 2025, the Navy will have solved its strike fighter shortfall in part by changing how it will field the F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter. Instead of two squadrons per air wing with 10 tails, the Navy will now field a single squadron with 14 tails, Rear Adm.
Where was the first F-35B gun pod fired?
The F-35B and C’s belly-mounted gun pod has finally been fired in the air. BF-1, the first F-35B built, was used for the test which occurred near Naval Air Station Patuxent River on February 21st. You can read all about the F-35’s GAU-22 25mm gun pod and watch it being fired during ground tests in this past post.
What kind of gun does the F-35B have?
The specifics of how this particular mishap occurred are unclear. The F-35B, as well as the F-35C, can only carry the 25mm GAU-22/A Gatling-type automatic cannon in an underbelly pod, known as the GPU-9/A, while the F-35A has this weapon installed internally. The first live-fire tests of the gun pod took place in 2016.
Is the accuracy of the F-35 cannon acceptable?
“Based on F-35A gun testing to date, DOT&E considers the accuracy of the gun, as installed in the F-35A, to be unacceptable,” said the audit. “F-35A gun accuracy during SDD [the System Development and Demonstration phase of the program] failed to meet the contract specification.
Where is the Marine Corps F-35B based?
The Marine Corps did not identify the unit to which the F-35B was assigned, but said it was among those based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, which is collocated with Yuma International Airport. This base is home to elements of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, including multiple squadrons equipped with F-35Bs, as well as other aircraft.
