---
title: "In test dogfight, F-35, gets destroyed by F-16, the plane it is supposed to be replacing."
description: "A test pilot report obtained by defense journalist David Axe of 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."
date: "2015-07-01"
modified: "2015-08-13"
authors:
  - name: "Mike Anderson"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/manderson"
url: "https://futurism.com/in-test-dogfight-f-35-gets-destroyed-by-f-16-the-plane-it-is-supposed-to-be-replacing"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
tags:
  - "transport"
---

# In test dogfight, F-35, gets destroyed by F-16, the plane it is supposed to be replacing.

![Default Futurism featured image](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Futurism-Filler-Image.jpg>)

- In the report, which Axe had obtained but did not publish in full, the F-35 pilot reported that his aircraft was in a "clean" configuration for the test, carrying nothing under its wings or in its internal weapons bays. The F-16, on the other hand, was flying with under-wing external fuel drop-tanks, which in theory would have put the aircraft at an aerodynamic disadvantage.
- Apparently, it didn't. "Even with the limited F-16 target configuration, the F-35A remained at a distinct energy disadvantage for every engagement," the F-35 pilot reported. That means the F-35 constantly found itself flying slower and more sluggishly, unable to effectively maneuver to get the F-16 in its sights.
- In an interview with the CBC's The Fifth Estate in November of 2014, F-16 co-designer Pierre Sprey berated the F-35 "inherently a terrible plane, because it's built based on a dumb idea"—a multirole, multi-service aircraft.