Brumby
Major
I believe the central pivot from which tactics and CONOPs will emerge will be from the F-35's situational awareness and sensor fusion capabilities just like I would venture to say that spectrum domination will be for the 6th gen. The US did not set out to build a stealthy F-16 in the 5th gen. If that was the plan, this project would have been delivered long time ago without the delay and cost blowout. The vision I believe is to have a platform that would be transformational if its capabilities come to fruition and tactics are matched accordingly. The concept of transformational and as a force multiplier can sound like some cliché but I can give you some examples of what I think it might mean. Take the case of CAS which we traditionally view as some form of close in bombing run. The idea is to push the situational awareness in the F-35 downstream to the troops on the ground. In the modern age, information is king. The supported troops with full situational awareness are able to formulate appropriate battle tactics to meet the threats, make important targeting decisions; and deploy resources optimally. This is a force multiplier.
Imagine a Spec Op mission behind enemy lines. A group of F-35's is there operating covertly within the threat theatre in pushing situational awareness down to the Spec Op team in real time. Tactics can then be optimised and re-configured based on real time information if necessary. Say on mission completion, their position is compromised and their escape route has to be reconfigured, the F-35 can provide continuous situational update of the environment. Imagine they may made need CAS in their pick up but there are SAM threats in the surrounding area, the F-35 may be the only available asset on the scene with the all round capability to suppress the ground threats.
There are countless ways in which new tactics can be developed and the only limit is one's imagination and the degree of appreciation of the capabilities in the F-35.
