There is a faction in the US military aviation community called “reformers” who advocate for simple, rugged aircraft designs. They decry electronics, stealth, radar, EW, missiles, and sometimes even fuel as bloat that detracts from the core elements to the fighter: speed, maneuverability, and big guns. It worked in WWII, so if it ain’t broke…
Back in the 70s and 80s, these reformers predicted gloom and doom for the overly complex F-15, the same way they do today about the F-35 and F-22. It turned out however, that the F-15 is the most successful fighter of all time, having shot down over a hundred jets without being bested once.
There is a faction in the US military aviation community called “reformers” who advocate for simple, rugged aircraft designs. They decry electronics, stealth, radar, EW, missiles, and sometimes even fuel as bloat that detracts from the core elements to the fighter: speed, maneuverability, and big guns. It worked in WWII, so if it ain’t broke…
Back in the 70s and 80s, these reformers predicted gloom and doom for the overly complex F-15, the same way they do today about the F-35 and F-22. It turned out however, that the F-15 is the most successful fighter of all time, having shot down over a hundred jets without being bested once.