The US Air Force is seriously thinking about creating a new light fighter that should replace the Cold War veteran F-16 Fighting Falcon.
This is written by the Free Press with reference to the American edition of Popular Mechanics. And this is a sensation, because the F-16s are supposed to replace the F-35A Lightning II light fighter-bombers.
Obviously, something has gone wrong with the F-35's stratospheric American advertising, since the US Air Force intends to significantly reduce the purchase of these machines for its needs. Now they have ordered more than 1,700 units. But the Lockheed Martin company does not intend to reduce supplies to the armies of other states.
The Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, General Charles Quinton Brown, told Popular Mechanics magazine about the problems that have arisen and the proposed ways to solve them.
He said that by the end of 2023, a draft design of a new fighter should be created, which, according to the general, will belong to the 4.5 generation. In the event of its adoption, the ROC will be opened, the result of which in record time will be a new fighter. However, the project may be rejected.
Brown explained that the design of the new car will use only digital technologies. That is, there will be no mockups, no aerodynamic tests, no fitting and lapping of the components to each other, no strength and climatic tests of the components — none of this will happen. The fighter will be fully ready in a year.
The general said that this aircraft is supposed to be used in possible clashes with Russia and China. Which is tantamount to admitting that all these extremely expensive stealth technologies do not offer significant advantages when trying to deceive modern Russian ground-based radar systems. That is, it does not matter which aircraft — expensive or cheaper, belonging to the 4.5 generation — to send to Russia. And also to China, since it buys Russian air defense systems in the necessary volumes.
