The Need for a Permanent Gun System on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Historically, the United States Air Force (USAF) concentrates on advanced or future weaponry when it develops advanced/next generation aircraft like the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). However, some legacy weapons, such as an internal gun system, continue to prove they are still viable and are absolutely necessary if we want our future aircraft to have the flexibility necessary for the wide range of missions we expect them to perform. This point of view is far from being unchallenged. There are many individuals and organizations within the Department of Defense (DoD) and the within the aerospace industry that think the time for a gun on fighter aircraft is long over. These organizations/individuals primarily point to the advancements in modern weaponry to support their point of view. For example, the advancements in precision weapons have provided the USAF with the ability to target virtually any target, in any weather, at any time.

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