A top U.S. Navy officer, whose service is spending billions of dollars buying the stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, now says “stealth may be overrated,” writes David Larter of the U.S. publication, Navy Times.
More of David Larter’s article:
During a speech last week to a Washington audience, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert described what he’s looking for in the next generation of strike aircraft — and it doesn’t look like the controversial F-35. “What does that next strike fighter look like?” Greenert asked the packed forum. “I’m not sure it’s manned, don’t know that it is. You can only go so fast, and you know that stealth may be overrated. … Let’s face it, if something moves fast through the air, disrupts molecules and puts out heat — I don’t care how cool the engine can be, it’s going to be detectable. You get my point.”
Greenert was speaking about the next generation of fighter aircraft, but his comments could just as easily be applied to Lockheed Martin’s F-35C, the carrier-based version of the joint strike fighter. Aviation analysts who watch the F-35 program closely say Greenert’s comments reflect ambivalence among naval aviators about the F-35 as a strike fighter, especially compared to the tried-and-true F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets.
Full article here:
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/tech/2015/02/09/greenert-questions-stealth-future/22949703/
