The new F-35B is STOVL (Short Take Off and Landing) capable, I cant see that ever being used, and it will not take very long before its discontinued. With large numbers of bases around the world, STOVL and VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) will not be useful in the future. I dont think that this technology has any real use in the AF. When you need an air base with a landing strip long enough for C-130's and larger air craft to re-supply them with munitions and other stuff used in the complex maintenence of these air craft.
2007-06-15 11:50:21 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
I didnt say anything about the Navy. The question was about the Air Force.
2007-06-15 12:41:16 · update #1
Damn that was really n00bish of me, the F-35B is the Navy/Marines plane.
PLEASE FORGIVE ME TOM!!!
2007-06-15 12:48:47 · update #2
Sorry, but you seen to have little or no knowledge of modern warfare OR modern weapons.
With todays modern weapons, if I know wher eyou aer I can kill you.
The idea of VTOL and SVTOL is that you can stage your aircraft from anywhere. they can land re-arm refuel and then take off again from a rough location not normally seen as able to support aircraft.
Cratered runways? Who cares.
burning base? who cares.
with VTOL and SVTOL all i need is a clear and open area (failry small for VTOL) along with some trucks.
Use your imagination and understand that we will not always be fighting backward suicial frieks. someday we might fight a modern military again. If so, you need maximum flexibility if you are to achive maximum survivability and effectiveness.
We are no longer in the 1940's or 1950's....
2007-06-15 11:59:17 · answer #1 · answered by Jeff Engr 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
HA HA HA Doc like your joke any old kid can flight a plane off two miles of Concrete but it takes a pilot to do it in 75 feet. right. Ex Navy with the Fling wing boys.
The Marines use the AV-8B Harrier which is what the F-35B is to replace. The Harrier is also use by the British, Italian,Spanish and Thai Navies and the British RAF. The Harrier is the Aircraft that the Brits used in the Falklands War.
The aircraft is used to launch off smaller ships such as landing ships and the like it can also operate from a small pad fields ashore after a landing or from a short roads . Navy is also thinking of going the a VSTOL, as this type of AC is called, to supplement it's large Carriers. I think that they will be needed more in the future as it fits in with a more all round military as the traditional roles of fighting conflicts change.
Read Gen Rupert Smith's book "Utility of Force", Col Thomas Hammes book "The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century" ,General Wesley Clark's "Waging Modern War" and Small Wars Manual on how experts think that the US Military must and will change in the next few years.
2007-06-15 19:11:23 · answer #2 · answered by redgriffin728 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Air Force will be recieving a version of the F-35 that is for standard runways. The VTOL will be going to the Marines and the STOVL will be headed to the Navy.
2007-06-15 21:40:57 · answer #3 · answered by David R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's for being able to set up make shift bases closer to the action.
Let's say we go to war with Argentina for instance. We don't have a lot of air bases down there. So let's say we invade and take a 20 miles or so from the beachhead. We can bring those in and set up an airbase on almost any place with a short runway or even straight road.
VTOLs can also be used on ships that aren't carriers.
2007-06-15 18:57:27 · answer #4 · answered by Uncle Pennybags 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
There are special bombs where one bomb can destroy a whole runway. It also takes days to put a runway in the middle of nowhere. It took months to build those air bases in Saudia Arabia and would have just took minutes for Iraq to destroy them or at least take them offline for several hours. There is also the possibility of China taking out the runways in Japan and South Korea with the thousands of long rang rockets and missles they have. Also that's the navy/marine version of the aircraft, not the airforce's.
2007-06-15 19:12:05 · answer #5 · answered by gregory_dittman 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The answer is quite simple - operation from unimproved airfields.
Why build when you can operate from an exisiting?
The other piece is the V-22 Osprey version for the Air Force search and rescue, special missions and CARGO aircraft - not to mention helicopters.
2007-06-16 23:34:14 · answer #6 · answered by Jman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the idea is they can land almost anywhere sans a real airstrip or base as you put it...all it takes for resupply is three trucks...avionics,fuel and munitions...a Harrier jump jet can be turned around for another strike with a half a football field,three trucks and 20 minutes.....and there is no place for the enemy to attack and destroy....the field is empty and thre trucks dispersed...you need to think outside the box a little before you jump on here and ask stuff
2007-06-15 19:24:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
*with a strong touch of sarcasm* It'll never work. The civilian flyboys in uniform need at least two miles of flat pavement to take off and land. Giving them such capablities (at great cost) would be a serious waste of tax payers money.
2007-06-15 18:59:55 · answer #8 · answered by Doc 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋