BELAIR2000
1 HN recommender · recommended in 5 months, 2014–2015
10:40 · 975K views · Jun 11, 2013
An extended Fifth Estate interview with Pierre Sprey, designer of the A-10 and a key figure behind the F-16, arguing the F-35 is an over-engineered, expensive failure.
Posted in F-35 threads as an insider's critique from a legendary aircraft designer.
7 comments from Hacker News
I don't know how accurate it is, but I remember this entertaining video of A-10 designer Pierre Sprey talking about how the new F-35 is garbage: this video Themes of bloat and unwarranted complexity are perhaps universal.
We need the same kind of innovation in the jet fighter sector as we're seeing by SpaceX in orbital launches. The F-35 is a disaster because it was designed by committee and has ended up being good for nothing. The body is wide because it had to accommodate the vertical takeoff jet and nozzle and the wings had to be short. This makes it horrible for dog-fights, a fuel consumption pig, unable to loiter over an area, unable to provide close air support. The fact that it's stealth is debatable too. There have been instances where low frequency radar has been repurposed to detect stealth aircraft like the F117 shot down over Serbia. Basically nothing can hide from L-band radar (1 to 2 Ghz). this video Pierre Sprey is the designer of the F16 and the A10.
While the technology in this helmet may turn out to be pretty great, I still can't view the project as a whole (The F-35) as more than a failure. It's taken them a lot of time and money to develop a mediocre aircraft, here's Pierre Sprey's opinion on it (Designer of the F-16) "The F-35 was born of an exceptionally dumb piece of airforce PR spin" this video
IMO another example of how the F-35 is an over specified, over engineered and expensive turkey. And here is a comment by someone who knows a lot more than I do. this video
Whenever the F-35 is mentioned, I am reminded of this interview with the designer of the F-16 about the concepts behind the design of the F-35: this video