What is up with the F-35? Part II

[Albany Rifles]

USAF F-35A reaches IOC.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/02/politi...ady/index.html

[surfgun]

Non lame stream media article.

https://news.usni.org/2016/08/02/air...ares-ioc-f-35a

[citanon]

[surfgun]

F-35C to go back to sea 3rd of August, aboard GW.

http://www.seapowermagazine.org/stor...0802-f35c.html

[citanon]

Operational assessment of F35A

http://www.realcleardefense.com/arti..._109673-5.html

Comparison for energy and maneuverability between 4th gen US aircraft and F35A

A Direct Comparison. Thirty-one experienced pilots currently flying the F-35A were asked to rate the energy and maneuvering characteristics of their previous fourth-generation fighters in a combat configuration throughout the dogfighting maneuver envelope in a combat configuration[23] after jettisoning their external stores. They were then asked to rate the performance of the F-35A using the same scale, with fuel and internal munition loads associated with a combat loadout[24] under their current G and CLAW restrictions.[25] The F-35A compared well to the four other fighters (F-15C, F-15E, F-16C, and A-10) in most every regime. (For the total results and responses from the pilots of each respective fighter, see Chart 1.)

Each pilot was then asked to select which fighter he would rather fly in combat if he were to face a clone flying the other jet in six different air-to-air situations. (See Chart 2.) If the pilot selected an F-15C in a short-range setup, for example, he felt he could outperform a pilot of equal abilities in the F-35A. Pilots selected the F-35A 100 percent of the time in beyond-visual-range situations and over 80 percent of dogfighting situations where energy and maneuverability are critical to success.

The F-35A was not designed to be an air superiority fighter, but the pilots interviewed conveyed the picture of a jet that will more than hold its own in that environment—even with its current G and maneuver restrictions. In the words of an F-16C Weapons School Graduate and instructor pilot now flying the F-35A, “Even pre-IOC,[26] this jet has exceeded pilot expectations for dissimilar combat. (It is) G-limited now, but even with that, the pedal turns[27] are incredible and deliver a constant 28 degrees/second. When they open up the CLAW, and remove the (7) G-restrictions, this jet will be eye watering.”[28]

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Sensors

The details of the F-35 threat-detection system or RWR are classified, but interviews of pilots who have flown both the F-16CJ and the F-35 state that a single F-35 has the ability to locate, identify, and triangulate emitter locations faster and with greater precision than can a flight of three F-16CJs that surround the emitter.[10] The associated systems work against air-to-air threats just as well and are all internal to the F-35, forgoing the need for external pods or stores that would slow down the jet or give it a larger radar cross section (RCS).[11] This system alone helps to make all three versions of the F-35 standouts in the air-to-ground mission sets of the multirole fighter community.

Infra-red Search and Track systems were developed for fourth-generation platforms. IRST systems search and even scan the forward hemisphere of equipped fighters for the infrared emissions of threat aircraft. Some systems incorporate a magnified optical sight system to help pilots visually identify target aircraft at significant distances. The Eurofighter Typhoon’s PIRATE IRST reportedly can detect unshielded, subsonic fighters approaching at high aspect (head on) at 30 nautical miles.[12] These systems possess equipment and algorithms that can provide the range to detected threats but are significantly hampered by weather and atmospheric conditions.

The F-35 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) is an IRST system with six ports that stare simultaneously in all directions. The DAS system is projected within and slaved to the Helmet Mounted Display (HMD), allowing pilots to perform near-spherical visual scans even when looking “through” the F-35 with 20/40 clarity, day or night. The DAS is enhanced by the Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) that provides precision air-to-air scan and track, as well as a solid air-to-surface targeting capability. EOTS retains the aircraft’s stealth and is linked to the jet’s integrated central computer through a high-speed fiber-optic interface.

The two IR systems will automatically detect and display threats on cockpit LCDs and in the pilot’s HMD. The IR spectrums associated with particular aircraft and missile systems are stored within the jet’s algorithms, allowing the jet, in conjunction with other passive and active sensors,[13] to positively identify aircraft and/or inbound missiles from all directions, without limit to the number of targets simultaneously tracked.

Passive coherent location systems and systems with similar capabilities encompass a class of radar systems that detect and track objects by processing reflections from non-cooperative and perhaps unintended emission sources in the environment, such as commercial broadcast and communications signals.[14] With the right equipment and a powerful processor, equipped platforms can determine the location, heading, and speed of aircraft.[15] It is believed that high-end, fourth-generation fighters incorporated some form of PCLS in their systems,[16] and it would be a bad bet to wager against any fifth-generation fighter having this capability.

While each of these active and passive systems can significantly increase a fighter’s advantage, there are drawbacks. Each system may well offer independent methods for finding and identifying target aircraft, but trying to incorporate several separate onboard system displays in a pilot’s cross-check[17] and correlating that information can be a nightmare. Then there are the off-board feeds from aircraft within the formation and systems like Joint Surveillance, Targeting and Reconnaissance System (Joint-STARS); RC-135 Rivet Joint; and the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS). This is where sensor fusion becomes critical.

Sensor Fusion. Coupling the products of off-board feeds with a fighter’s active radar, RWR, IRST, PCLS, and/or other passive detection systems into a single, correlated display can be a godsend for a pilot’s situational awareness. It reduces cockpit cross-checks and delivers the kind of confidence that few fourth-generation platforms incorporate. While many four-plus-generation fighters incorporate sensor fusion, the magic within the F-35’s fusion is the middle-ware that sits between the sensors and the displays. Once any sensor detects a threat, it will move to learn everything it can on the contact by cross-referencing every other onboard, off-board, and overhead sensor to identify (ID) it.

Coupling or fusing the ID signatures from each of the complementary systems into a reliable declaration of friend or foe will significantly reduce pilot workloads. It will also allow the United States and its allies to relax their rules of engagement, freeing pilots to engage enemies earlier and with greater effect. Bringing even some of that fusion into an HMD will give the associated pilot an advantage that will be hard to overmatch.

Those who are not read into its classified faculties can only speculate as to the specific components of and feeds within the F-35’s system of systems, but the experiences of the pilots who were interviewed for this paper are telling. All but three of the 31 pilots interviewed noted “ghosts” (multiple display images for the same threat) and other glitches in sensor fusion, but all 31 expressed high confidence in the software and engineering modifications and improvements that they had witnessed to date. Each pilot also expressed confidence in the individual F-35 system components and the belief that sensor fusion was months away from delivering a remarkable system.

Cost and Capability

At full-rate production, every F-35A that leaves the Lockheed-Martin facility in Fort Worth is projected to cost $80 million–$85 million.[32] When one considers the technology and cost of this system, it compares favorably with other recently fielded fighters.

The F35A Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter conceived in the 1990s. It began concurrent development in the mid-2000s and was declared IOC on August 2, 2016. The jet incorporates full stealth; an AESA radar; internal 360 degree IRST (DAS); an internal IR targeting system (EOTS); and other passive detection systems that are coupled through sensor fusion. In a combat configuration, all munitions, fuel, and targeting sensor and designation capabilities are carried internally, giving it a 9G capability throughout its operational envelope. Estimated full-rate production cost: $80 million–$85 million.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a four-plus-generation multirole fighter conceived and designed in the early 1980s and introduced into operational service in 2003. The jet itself has a reduced RCS, an AESA radar, internal forward looking IRST, and other passive detection systems that are coupled through sensor fusion. In a combat configuration, the targeting pod, external tanks, and weapons are all carried externally, affecting range, RCS, maximum G, sustained G, and maneuverability. Full-rate production cost: $119 million.[33]

The F-15K Strike Eagle is a four-plus-generation multirole fighter conceived, designed, and initially fielded in the 1980s. This version of the jet is built for (and largely by) South Korea, offers no stealth or reduced RCS, and has an AESA radar and an IRST passive detection system. In a combat configuration, the targeting pod, fuel tanks, and weapons are all carried externally, affecting range, RCS, maximum G, sustained G, and maneuverability. Full-rate production cost: $108 million.[34]

The Rafale B is a four-plus-generation multirole fighter conceived in the 1970s, designed in the 1980s, and initially fielded in the mid-2000s. The jet itself has a reduced RCS and infrared signature. It has been retrofitted with an AESA radar and possesses an internal IRST and other passive detection systems that are coupled through data/sensor fusion. In a combat configuration, the targeting pod, external tanks, and weapons are all carried externally, affecting range, RCS, maximum G, sustained G, and maneuverability. Full-rate production cost: $98 million.[35]

The F-18E Super Hornet Block II is a four-plus-generation multirole fighter based on a design initially conceived in the mid-1990s. The refined aspects of the Block II were designed and fielded in the mid-to-late 2000s and include an AESA radar but no stealth or reduced RCS. In a combat configuration, the targeting pod, external tanks, and weapons are all carried externally, affecting range, RCS, maximum G, sustained G, and maneuverability. Full-rate production cost: $78 million.

The JAS-29C Gripen is a fourth-generation multirole fighter conceived in 1979, designed in the 1980s, and initially fielded in the late 1990s. The jet has a pulse-Doppler radar and offers no stealth or reduced RCS. In a combat configuration, the targeting pod, external tanks, and weapons are all carried externally, affecting range, RCS, maximum G, sustained G, and maneuverability. Full-rate production cost: $69 million.[36]

While the prices of these six fighters can be debated, none of the fourth-generation or four-plus-generation jets can compete with the air-to-ground capabilities of the F-35. In its air-to-ground roles, the F-35A can find, fix, target, and drop on ground threats or targets more quickly and more accurately than any other fighter in the world and without the need for external stores—all in a denied-access (high-threat) environment.

Nor would other fighters fare well if pitted against the F-35A in aerial combat. In an air-to-air BVR situation, the F-35 can locate and target every other combat-configured jet before their pilots become aware of the F-35’s presence. Even if one of the other fighters survived a BVR engagement, the external (un-jettisonable) pods, racks, and rails of each opponent would give a completely clean, combat-configured F-35A a distinct advantage.

The F-35A and the other fighters may be comparably priced, but the F-35A is a full generation ahead of any other multirole fighter nearing production.

[jlvfr]

What about this while mess in Turkey?

Turkey may seek non-NATO options for defense industry cooperation: foreign minister

What next for the F-35 after Turkey's threats to turn its back on NATO?

This, plus Erdogan's cozying up with Putin, doesn't bode well for the program. Not just in terms of building the planes (with the cost variations that lower numbers mean) but also in terms of protecting the technologies...

[SteveDaPirate]

This, plus Erdogan's cozying up with Putin, doesn't bode well for the program. Not just in terms of building the planes (with the cost variations that lower numbers mean) but also in terms of protecting the technologies...

Turkey's first F-35 delivery is scheduled for 2017, but I personally don't expect any actual deliveries to take place until Erdogan decides which way to jump. Losing 100 out of 3000+ orders smarts a bit, but isn't a threat to the program if Turkey were to jump ship.

I understand the US hasn't been willing to bend on source code access for the F-35 to foreign customers, (to the chagrin of the Israelis and others) but does or should that extend to an ability to "brick" F-35s remotely in the event of deteriorating relations with a former ally?

[TopHatter]

Losing 100 out of 3000+ orders smarts a bit

I have a funny feeling that as the program matures, as the restrictions are taken off the aircraft, as advanced testing shows exactly what this beast is capable of...those 100 machines will get snapped up like hotcakes.

[SteveDaPirate]

I have a funny feeling that as the program matures, as the restrictions are taken off the aircraft, as advanced testing shows exactly what this beast is capable of...those 100 machines will get snapped up like hotcakes.

There are probably some existing F-35 customers that would be pleased to hear they'll be able to take delivery sooner as well. Funnily enough, 100 aircraft is the number Singapore has been toying with, although they aren't in a rush to order since they'd be at the back of a long line anyway.

[chanjyj]

There are probably some existing F-35 customers that would be pleased to hear they'll be able to take delivery sooner as well. Funnily enough, 100 aircraft is the number Singapore has been toying with, although they aren't in a rush to order since they'd be at the back of a long line anyway.

1. I can state for certain that Singapore is not toying with 100. Not at this point in time.
2. "In no rush" - correct on that aspect, but it is a tad complicated. Being at the back of a long line has nothing to do with it.

[Skywatcher]

Turkey's first F-35 delivery is scheduled for 2017, but I personally don't expect any actual deliveries to take place until Erdogan decides which way to jump. Losing 100 out of 3000+ orders smarts a bit, but isn't a threat to the program if Turkey were to jump ship.

I understand the US hasn't been willing to bend on source code access for the F-35 to foreign customers, (to the chagrin of the Israelis and others) but does or should that extend to an ability to "brick" F-35s remotely in the event of deteriorating relations with a former ally?

The deliveries are still on for late 2017, according to Beltway gossip.

[citanon]

I don't think the problem is Turkey not buying the f35s. The problem is Erdogan buying then jumping ship to join the axis of authoritarianism.

[YellowFever]

Was thinking the same thing.

Don't want another Iran/Tomcat fiasco.

[citanon]

Was thinking the same thing.

Don't want another Iran/Tomcat fiasco.

Especially since the gear on the F35 is apparently even groovier than the public was first told.

Two examples that were recently hinted at:

• Not only does the radar on the F35 do electronic attack, it can actually inject code into enemy systems to do cyber attack.
• Not only is the passive EWR on the F35 able to geolocate emitters, it might be able to find enemy aircraft by radio waves bounced off of them from ambient sources.

Having the Russians get a lookie loo at this plane's capabilities as a buy in for Erdogan would be an absolute disaster.

[jlvfr]

Was thinking the same thing.

Don't want another Iran/Tomcat fiasco.

Precisely what I was thinking. I'm betting even an "inspection tour" of an F-35 (like the Mig-25 that landed in Japan) would be something a lot of people would love...