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Footage Released Of F-35 Firing Hidden Wing Cannons
Video has surfaced of the F-35 firing its hidden 25mm wing cannons.
The Joint Striker Fighter will not be able to fire its gun in action until 2019, three to four years after it first becomes operational in the US Air Force.
According to the Daily Beast website, the F-35 does not have the software it needs to operate the GAU-22/A 25mm internal cannon.
This would be a particular problem when the aircraft is being used to support ground troops as a gun is more precise than dropping a small bomb — with the latter more likely to cause friendly-fire.
"There will be no gun until 3F. There is no software to support it now or for the next four-ish years," said a US Air Force official involved with the F-35 program.
"Block 3F is slated for release in 2019, but who knows how much that will slip?" the source said.
This new development comes after a hotly-debated report surfaced alleging the F35 was defeated by the very aircraft it is meant to replace.
A test pilot report obtained by military blog "War is Boring" detailed the performance of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in a mock air battle against a two-seat F-16D in January.
The F35-B jets were meant to enter service in 2012, but Sir Nick Harvey, who served as the Minister of State for Armed Forces between 2010 and 2012, said that there was "not a cat in hell's chance" that the jet would be in British service by 2018.
"I don't recall…having heard anyone suggesting that these things could be used in combat before 2020."
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