Question Re: F-35 main gun/25mm aiming system

[Dragon029]

It'd almost certainly be through the helmet although the cockpit displays seem to be capable of displaying all the same information as the cockpit (video from DAS, etc) so I imagine it'd be available on both and be up to the pilot as to which he uses.

 

[RadicalDisconnect]

It's not so much caliber itself as system weight.


The Su gun is very light and the idea is to fire in short bursts - the Russians apparently consider the integration of predictive sighting displays and flight control to be good enough to make long bursts unnecessary - so the total system is light.


As for the effectiveness of the F-35 gun in air-to-air combat... Surely not even the F-35's greatest fans would necessarily think that a guns fight is a good option for the aircraft.

Apparently the Su-27 uses laser instead of radar for its gun aiming system, which apparently makes it more accurate. How does the dispersion of the GSh-301 compare to the M61? It would seem like the Russians don't use the "cone of lethality" philosophy of the M61.

 

[kcran567]

Sukhoi uses a laser to aim its cannon? Is the same system on a Mig-29? Where is the "laser aiming" device located is it part of that upper mounted IR search and track ball?


Also,

It's not so much caliber itself as system weight.


The Su gun is very light and the idea is to fire in short bursts - the Russians apparently consider the integration of predictive sighting displays and flight control to be good enough to make long bursts unnecessary - so the total system is light.


As for the effectiveness of the F-35 gun in air-to-air combat... Surely not even the F-35's greatest fans would necessarily think that a guns fight is a good option for the aircraft.

I'm very disappointed to hear this about the F-35, especially given that Lockheed keeps touting the F-35s good qualities, and that it is more capable in air to air than its critics suspect. I would hope that it has the latest in software/aiming/ranging that is superior than anything else out there given the F-35s price and is such a new aircraft. If the F-35 has good nose pointing ability it should be utilized with an automatic firing system like the ones tested in other aircraft like the Eurofighter. Why not some degree of automation in the F-35 avionics and flight controls to use for close range targets (air to air and air to ground) that would be better than what a pilot would be able to do. How is the F-35 going to be an improvement over older aircraft without using some of these updated systems to improve gun accuracy while using less ammunition?