F-35 Joint Strike Fighter News, Videos and pics Thread

Brumby

Major
Can be interesting to know if these F-15E are equiped with the new AESA,



So logicaly F-35A opposite to F-15E with AN/APG-82 which is a very good radar, 1500 modules i have same range as APG-81, in this case confirm the performance of F-35A.

A clash of titan between F-22 vs F-35 would not simply be APG-77 vs APG-81 but the different sensor fusion and integrated EW suite between the two platforms.
The F-22's highly classified ALR-94 supported by 30 apertures operating in all bands is described as the most technically complex piece of equipment on an aircraft. It has the ability to detect passively emissions over 400 km away.
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Against this the F-35 has the AN/ASQ-239 Barracuda EW system which is a development from the ALR-94 but only supported by 10 apertures.

This is besides the F-35 having a second generation sensor fusion system powered by 8.5 million lines of code vs the F-22 with 2 million lines. In addition the F-35 has the EOTS and DAS.
 

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FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
I know unusual ! F-35 with AN/ASQ-239 have an also good system for performance, range ?
New maybe difficult for know.

but Rafale with less sophisticated, expensive Spectra can can also be surprising.

The small Jas-39 also can do good job vs enough good fighter.

Also F-35 get a IRST not the F-22 a capacity in more, the best detect to 80 km identify to 50 km deepends IR signature, conditions also, an average i say.

But we need a thread for do comparisons about military cpacities A2A combat, A2G, range, radars etc...
We have one for comparisons, good ?
 

FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
I have now 13 serials numbers for this 34th FS..., total 101 F-35A delivered

F-35 Depot Finishes Milestone Modification

The Ogden Air Logistics Complex on June 30 delivered the 12th modified F-35A to Hill AFB, Utah, reaching the magic number needed for initial operational capability. The logistics center finished a depot-level modification to the F-35A’s fuel system, alleviating an overpressure condition during elevated G-maneuvers, Capt. Jeremy Geidel, deputy commander of the 570th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, said in
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The delivery to the 388th Fighter Wing and its associate unit the Reserve 419th Fighter Wing gives the two wings 12 F-35As, the minimum required to reach IOC. The Air Force expects to declare
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between August and December. Hill is slated to eventually have three operational F-35 squadrons, with 78 total aircraft by the end of 2019. (See also:
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.)

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Brumby

Major
F-35 pilot explains how he dominated dogfights against multiple A-4 aggressors. Every time.
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In March 2016,
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written by Major Morten “Dolby” Hanche, a Royal Norwegian Air Force experienced pilot with more than 2,200 hours in the F-16, a U.S. Navy Test Pilot School graduate and the first to fly the F-35.

In that post “Dolby” provided a first-hand account of what dogfighting in the
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looked like to a pilot who had a significant experience with the F-16.

Here below, reposted under permission, you can read the latest story
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(The Combat Aircraft Blog), the official blog of the Norwegian F-35 Program Office within the Norwegian Ministry of Defence.

Although it’s written by someone with a bias for the plane (he flies the F-35 as the Assistant Weapons Officer with the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona), once again it’s worth a read as it provides some interesting details about the way the Lightning II performs during mock air combat against several adversaries.

Someone may argue the A-4 Skyhawks are quite obsolete aircraft and not even comparable with modern 4th generation enemies. True, but these are the same aggressors that train many modern combat planes (don’t forget the F-22s practice their air-to-air skills
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) and take part in Red Flag exercises.

To summarize what has been written about the F-35 dogfighting capabilities in the past:

  1. we
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    some theories about the alleged capabilities of all the F-35 variants to match or considerably exceed the maneuvering performance of some of the most famous fourth-generation fighter, and explained that there is probably no way a
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  2. at the same time we also
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    dogfight mentioned in the unclassified report obtained by
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    according to which the JSF was outclassed by a two-seat F-16D Block 40 (one of the aircraft the U.S. Air Force intends to replace with the Lightning II) in mock aerial combat involved one of the very first test aircraft that lacked some cool and useful features.
  3. more recently, we reported that the
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    during recent joint drills, and that it was not the first time the F-35 proved itself able to fly unscathed through a fighter-defended area because not a single Lightning II
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    , the first major exercise during which the F-35 flew as main CAS (Close Air Support) provider in 2015.
Needless to say, each of the above news stories caused much debate, with many analysts suggesting the exercises where the F-35 performed fairly well were
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arranged in such a way the JSF could not be downed, and others claiming more or less the opposite.

Whatever you think, here’s the new story by “Dolby.”

Air Combat in the F-35 – an update
In this post I’m giving a brief overview of my impressions after having flown several sorties over the past few weeks against A-4 Skyhawks. This post is intended as a supplement to my previous posts on
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and
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.

First thing first – is it relevant to train air combat against an old A-4? Can we draw any relevant lessons from this at all? After all, this is an aircraft that served during the Vietnam war!

I believe this kind of training is relevant for several reasons:

  • The F-35’s sensors and “fusion” provides me as a pilot with good situational awareness. For an F-35 to simulate an opponent against another F-35, it has to restrict the effects of fusion and the various sensors. Even then it is difficult to “dumb down” the aircraft enough. It requires discipline to not be tempted to using information that an opponent in reality would not have access to.
  • The A-4s we faced in these exercises had sensor performance along the lines of our own upgraded F-16s. They also carried jammers intended to disturb our radar.
  • The pilots we faced were very experienced. We are talking 2000 hours plus in aircraft like the F-16, F-15E, F-15C and the F-22, with detailed knowledge of “fifth generation” tactics and weapons. When also cooperating closely with intercept controllers on the ground (GCI) they could adapt the training and offer us a reactive and challenging opponent. Note the word “reactive.”
  • The A-4 is a small aircraft with a corresponding signature. Many potential opponents in the air are bigger and easier to find than the tiny A-4.
So what did I experience in my encounters with the A-4? I got to try out several different sets. (Everything from one-on-one “Basic Fighter Maneuvers” to one F-35 against two A-4s, two F-35s against two A-4s, two F-35s against four A-4s and three F-35s against four A-4s). I am left with some main impressions.

  • The individual sensors of the F-35, one for one, are good. I flew one sortie alone against two A-4s, and limited myself to using only the radar during these sets (no support from ground controllers, no Link-16, no data sharing from other formation members, no support from passive radar warning systems or IFF – Identification Friend or Foe). Nonetheless my radar detected the targets in time for me to optimize my intercept, deliver weapons at range, and if necessary, arrive undetected to the visual arena.
  • “Fusion” means both automatic control of the various sensors, and the combination of all different sensor data into one unified tactical picture. I believe “fusion” to be one of the most important aspects of the F-35. “Fusion” allows me to focus on the tactics, rather than detailed management of my sensors. In my encounters with the A-4s, “fusion” worked better than I have seen it before. It was reassuring to see how well it worked. The good «situational picture» that I saw provides us with several advantages; we can make smarter tactical decisions, and it takes less time before we can gain full “tactical value” from fresh pilots. (I had to smile a little when two of us in the F-35s effortlessly kept tabs on four opponents. That is no trivial thing in the F-16.)
  • The most important lesson for me personally was to see just how hard it was for the A-4s to find us, even with GCI support. We deliberately made high-risk tactical decisions to see just how far we could stretch our luck, and still remain undetected. At least for my part, this reinforced my confidence in the effectiveness of our tactics. I hope all my colleagues in the F-35 get to have the same experience as I have.
(BFM – F-35 against A-4, might not be fair. Still, the A-4 started as the offensive part every time. At the end of each set, I was pointing at the A-4. Every time.)
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Expect Claims from "Experts" that the A4 was not up to hunting lightnings.
However for a Gen 3 Attacker/fighter the updated Skyhawk should give a pretty good analog on how Lightning would handle older Russian and western fighters like the Mirage, Phantom, and Mig 21. This also should prove just how off the mark so called experts like Pierre Sprey are, as he claimed in an interview that even a third gen fighter could take the Lightning.
 

Brumby

Major
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I think this picture best sums up the situation for 3rd gen or 4th gen aircraft against the F-35. If you cannot find it you cannot shoot at it - and then you have little use of maneuverability. The F-15E found that out recently.
 
Expect Claims from "Experts" that the A4 was not up to hunting lightnings.
However for a Gen 3 Attacker/fighter the updated Skyhawk should give a pretty good analog on how Lightning would handle older Russian and western fighters like the Mirage, Phantom, and Mig 21. This also should prove just how off the mark so called experts like Pierre Sprey are, as he claimed in an interview that even a third gen fighter could take the Lightning.
McDonnell Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk

For Sale in US Arizona

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damn! Price: Inquire ... the 2016 procurement cost of an F-35A is $123m
 
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