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| 13 Oct 2012 04:13 AM
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There are many reasons, such as the use of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most advanced strike aircraft ever made. The JSF is a multi-role fighter with a stealthy design that's hard for enemy radar to detect.
The JSF can carry a variety of weapons that are optimized for air combat, including AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and AGM-154 JSOW glide bombs and stand-off guided rockets. It's capable of carrying up to 25,000 pounds of ordnance.
The JSF's stealthy shape was designed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman engineers to give it low observability, which makes it much harder for enemy radars to pick out as a target. This makes the F-35 a formidable dogfighter when combined with its supercruising speed and powerful sensors.
The JSF can be outfitted with four hardpoints to carry AIM-9 Sidewinder or the MBDA ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missiles that are effective against close-in threats.
The JSF also features a digital electronic warfare suite that allows it to jam or spoof enemy radars and other types of electronic sensors. This allows the F-35 to fly undetected deep into enemy airspace without being targeted by anti-aircraft artillery or surface-to-air missile batteries.
Other stealthy platforms like the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bomber employ a similar system that makes their airframe nearly invisible to enemy radar. The JSF employs a more powerful EW system that is built into all variants of the F-35.
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| 13 Oct 2012 04:14 AM
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Also, the fact that they don't have to worry about friendly fire, due to the advanced fire control systems on the aircrafts.
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| 13 Oct 2012 04:16 AM
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I've heard it called a "flying tank" before, but I thought "airplane" sounded better.
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