Will the Joint Strike Fighter Be as Successful as the F-16?

Posted on: Mar. 30th, 2006 || Source: cdi.org | E-mail Article | Print Article

Remember America's P-39 "Aircobra" or the all-purpose Messerschmitt 210 Hornisse (Me-210 Hornet) of World War II? Or perhaps the U.S. Air Force's expensive all-weather F-89 Scorpion of 1950? Everyone should.
They carry important lessons. Each was an advanced technology combat aircraft, and the Bell P-39 was even low cost, relatively speaking. But each was a dismal failure. The P-39 was almost helpless against the Japanese Zero; the Me-210 - produced in considerable numbers – was such a disaster that German pilots refused to fly it, and it was fobbed off onto Germany’s “allies.” The F-89 didn’t even make it into the air combat of the Korean war. That a combat aircraft is “high tech” or even that it is expensive is no guaranty it will be a success in combat.

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