That would be great, but looks like it would be REALLY crowded with the doors closed...personally, as nice as it would be to see it happen, doesn't seem likely, what with the Raptor having an internal capacity of 8 (6 & 2) AAM's and the Typhoon can carry a boat-load of 'em.

Actually, it is not all that tight. That is the same approximate clearance as you get in the Raptor's bays. BTW, the tail of the door AMRAAM is not at the end of the bomb bay. The bomb bay is greater than 4.13 meters long. The AMRAAM is only 3.66 meters long and the nose of the door AMRAAM is ahead of that of the bomb payload's. If you scale the the box to the end of the bay it'll be apparent that there is plenty of clearance.

Why exactly are you wasting your time trying to convince people that Lockheed Martin or some other F-35 subcontractor will be able to engineer the weapons bays to hold one additional AAM? First off, it's not simply a matter of being able to physically fit X number of missiles in each bay. There are structural, aerodynamic and vibrational issues to be considered. I'm sure there are numerous others, but those are just a few I thought up on the spot. Another thing... unless you have the latest CAD files for the JSF's weapons bays, the weapons you're proposing it carry, and the associated pylons/ejectors/etc., you can't actually tell whether things will fit. I'm quite sure the JSF's CAD files (not to mention associated weapons and pylons/ejectors) are classified secret or even top secret, so forget about trying to work things out based on public domain 3-view drawings or, worse yet, photographs.

It would probably take a medium-sized team of skilled engineers a few months to 1) come up with a viable physical design using CATIA, 2) run detailed structural analysis using Pro-E, SolidWorks, or whatever finite element analysis package is best suited for the job, and 3) perform thorough CFD analysis to predict whether the missiles would properly separate from the aircraft throughout the predicted flight envelope. That's just for starters. Those are just a few of the major engineering tasks to be performed before a preliminary design review! LOL! We're not even talking about fabrication here... just computer aided design, structural analysis, and CFD analysis in preparation for a meeting with program managers.

Okay... I'm getting carried away here. But I feel as though you're not taking aerospace engineering very seriously with these drawings of yours. Lockheed Martin is not some fly-by-night startup company manufacturing kit planes. This is serious business. Until there is official word from LM (or some other official source) on plans to expand the JSF's internal AAM capacity, you can rest assured that it may or may not be a possibility. Unless you have access to a team of skilled engineers and the necessary (classified) data, you won't have anything close to a solid argument for 3 AAMs per bay. And assuming you did have access to these things, I doubt you'd be posting the results of your team's analysis for all to see on here.

Anyway, I appreciate your faith in Lockheed Martin. It's a great, talented company that has acheived seemingly impossible feats. I'd rather go on faith that LM will turn the JSF into a serious air superiority fighter based on their impressive track record than speculate. Make no mistake... these superimposed line drawings are nothing but raw, unadulterated speculation.

Corsair,

While I don't suggest you bore yourself looking over all the posts I've made in the F-35 forum, if you were to do a search you'd find I'm pro-JSF. In other words, I think it's an excellent stealth attack aircraft and, without a doubt, a lethal fighter when loaded with both external and internal A-A missiles. When people have stated here, without any solid reasoning or evidence, that the F-35 won't be maneuverable or "lightning quick", I've asked them to back up their statements. I just don't think it's necessary to be a cheerleader for any aircraft. The F-35 can stand on its own merits. Nothing is to be gained from touting how great you think the JSF will be. A level-headed discussion of what we know about the JSF along with reasonable, intelligent predictions regarding its capabilities (most of which are still unknown or classified) will serve this forum's membership quite well. Speaking authoritatively about an aircraft one knows relatively little about will not. That's just my opinion though.

Well, when you get down to the nuts and bolts the general public really knows very little about the Raptors "true" capabilities. Yet, many on this very forum state rumor and secondhand information as fact? Also, it is odd that you criticize me for being a cheerleader. Yet, the name you selected for this forum is "Raptor One" Of course you have no loyalty to the F-22 Raptor nor could any of your opinions be considered bias? Personally, I have no problem with anyone being a "cheerleader"! What you think a Viper Pilot isn't a cheerleader for the F-16! Further, if you removed Opinions, Speculation and Hypothetical from this forum there would be very little to talk about! One final point............even "if" you do know more than I do on a given subject. I clearly have the right to express my opinion freely and just like the old saying goes "there is always a bigger fish in the pond" So, even as much as you may think your an "Authority" on a subject. I can guarantee you that many others on this very forum know more than you!

"Raptor One" is a callsign I've had for a very long time on internet flight sim forums. It's a callsign I made up for myself about 8 years ago when I started playing flight sims. I honestly feel a bit silly these days now that the F-22 is operational and people are typing Raptor left and right. But I figured I'd run into people from other forums here. It's just easier not to change my callsign at this point.

Anyway, I'm no expert in anything at this point in my life. Whatever knowledge I have, I try to share. I appreciate gaining knowledge from people on this forum in return. I'm just not sure what all this posturing is for with respect to the F-35. Put me in Michigan's Big House tomorrow (I think it's a home game) and I'll be yelling GO BLUE all afternoon long. And I'm sure I'd be cheerleading for the F-35 at an airshow. But what's the point of it here?

Sincerely,

Raptor One