How Accurate is the F-35Bs gun pod?

originally posted by: Spader

originally posted by: Bluntone22

originally posted by: neveroddoreven99
a reply to: anzha

So it can hit a target from 20 feet? Hahahaha. Push that back significantly further and those rounds are spraying all over the place!

Would you like to go stand about 300 yards down range?

Considering ballistics? I'd rather be 300 yards down range than 20 feet.

As F4guy said, the pods are most likely to be unstable and gravity will take care of the rest.
If memory serves, the Phantom was designed to be a fighter that shot down bad Guy's with guided missles.
The drivers (and RIO's for that matter) of the F-4 wanted and needed a gun.

If the avionics that the 35's are equipped with do their job, guns shouldn't even be an issue.

Actually. the original 1953 design of what eventually turned into the F-4, the McDonnell Model 98, was to be a twin-engine, cannon-armed, all-weather single-seat fighter. When the the Navy changed the requirements it morphed into an all-weather two-seat, missile armed interceptor, without cannons. The primary armament would be four Sparrow III radar-guided missiles mounted in semi-submerged slots beneath the fuselage. It was the first interceptor that didn't rely on ground control for intercept guidance and fire control. It had a Westinghouse intercept 24" radar, the AN/APQ 50.
My experience with the sparrow missille was that if fired from even a moderate g turn, it was worthless. Of course, you didn't want to get into a turning fight with a Mig in any event. The Mig, which was much lighter and agile, would eat your lunch in a turning fight. The key was to go into burner and get into a vertical fight, or simply use afterburner to run from a Mig 17 or 19.
Since our squadron was a SAR and CAS squadron, missiles were worthless. we needed guns. Guns with big HE or AP shells. Actually, using the Phantom in that role was really, really, stupid, but that's all the air force had after the F-100s and 106s were retired and our Skyraiders were given to the RTAF and the south Vietnamese AF.

Ive read same thing about early Sparrows in SEA.Something like an 85% failure rate in combat.

originally posted by: Blackfinger
Ive read same thing about early Sparrows in SEA.Something like an 85% failure rate in combat.

Fortunately, the AIM-120 is much improved from the AIM-7.

Operationally, the missile, which was designed for beyond visual range combat, has a Pk of 59% (17 missiles for 10 kills).[12] The targets included six MiG-29s, a MiG-25, a MiG-23, a Galeb and a US Army Blackhawk that was targeted by mistake.[13]