Former USAF agressor pilot speaks

[maus92]

How To Win In A Dogfight: Stories From A Pilot Who Flew F-16s And MiGs
Tyler Rogoway 2/3/2015 12:10pm

"Lt. Col. Fred "Spanky" Clifton is one of the most experienced aggressor pilots ever, having flown the F-15, F-5, F-16 and the notorious MiG-29. He's been in dogfights with pretty much every fighter out there and is a graduate of the prestigious Fighter Weapons School. Now he's here to share his expertise with you...."

Long article, but towards the end:

Question: Will the F-35's sensor fusion and low observability (stealth) allow it to overcome its lackluster maneuverability and kinetic performance against future enemies?

Clifton: I can't answer this one. I can ask, "Why did they make it such a pig?"

Question: If you had to fly any fighter into an air combat arena today, including an operational F-35A as an option, what would it be?

Clifton: "The F-22. It's a better jet than the F-35. It can carry at least as much, further and faster. If it was up to me I'd cancel the F-35 and start building more Raptors. A common counter to that is the cost to restart the F-22 assembly line. How much does one pig cost? Another is that the F-35 program is too far along. Yep, let's just keep paying for a poorly-managed, overly expensive fighter that has three versions that make any one version less than it could be. Can you say F-111? That the F-35's avionics are better than the F-22's; how about a Raptor upgrade? I'd also build more advanced versions of the F-15 and F-16.

OK, I've spent enough time on my soapbox."

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/how-to ... 1682723379

[count_to_10]

So, Clifton doesn't even know that the F-35 has longer range than the F-22?

[luke_sandoz]

So, Clifton doesn't even know that the F-35 has longer range than the F-22?

Might explain why he is a "former"

[bring_it_on]

@MAUS, He has amended his views on the fighter. This has been posted on this forum before, and he was kind enough to come up and post on the matter on f-16.net. He is a forum member here. He is known as "fulcrum flyer" and his post on the matter can be seen here:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=25623&start=540

[basher54321]

Also posted 4 days ago here

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=26885&p=285292#p285292

[Scorpion1alpha]

Topic already exists, as mentioned above.