F-35: Realities vs Hypes(Low Observable Principles vs Anti-Stealth tech)

F-35: the Hype, the Skepticism and the Reality

According to L.M. officials, the 5thgen. F-22 Raptor brings a considerable increase in capability and survivability over legacy fighters, combining situational awareness, fire power, speed, maneuverability and sufficient l.o. levels from every aspect ([34]). Actually, this point of view is shared also by many specialists. The U.S. have decided not to export the F-22.
On the other hand, the F-35, the derivative of JSF, began as an export
program, funded by the U.S. and several partner nations. The F-35 is expected to equip mainly the U.S. (U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy) and 11 other partner nations. More than 3000 planes are expected to be acquired over the years (2443 by the U.S., the rest by the other partner nations)([4]). Therefore, it is considered as one
of the most important aircraft programs today. L.M. officials have claimed that the F-35 is a multirole, air-superiority stealth fighter, several times more capable than the aircraft types which
is expected to replace, while it has been implied that it is comparable to the F-22([34]).

However, various issues which have been reported during the years of the F-35 development have proven such claims overwhelming. Since Nov. 11, DoD has officially acknowledged 13 issues which should be solved([35]). Among these issues, there are possible structural problems concerning the life of the airframe, taking into account that the fatigue testing program had reached only 20% at that time. However, the main problems are the significant delays, with respect to the original schedule, and the cost, which has nearly doubled([36]). The integration of the various subsystems is also retarded. Millions of lines of C++ code have yet to be written([37]).
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Furthermore, the flight testing program has still a long way ahead, which means thatnew issues may appear.

http://www.scienpress.com/Upload/JCM/Vol 4_1_9.pdf

There is conflicting news about F-35. I strongly believe that it is will never be equal to F-22 in any respect however the issues will be resolved sooner or later otherwise USAF will not accept it. As far the question is that will it be superior to previous gen aircraft, oh yeah.. But those are also getting upgrades so it's just a matter of time. However the stealth technology is a misnomer and layman's understanding of stealth = invisibility is totally flawed. All it means is that the object can not be detected at a particular distance with current technology/radars however development on radar front is not stagnant either so future radars with different bands and techniques will be able to detect the stealth aircrafts and many of them are already under development.

True, but for now it has the upperhand in radar range which is top secret...well, till some hackers get their hands on it,,
F-15E with AESA and IRST couldn't find the F-35.. This AESA must have at least 300 to 400km range, and a report says that the F-35's radar has multiple times this range..What does that mean? 1000, 2000 km range? Maybe it is carrying a miniaturised OTH radar, just maybe!

F-35 is still about 2 or 3 three years awat from being a finished product on the software front.

It's the most complex plane ever developed for computer code.

I don't buy into this anti stealth hype, it's true old radars are better at detecting stealth like the old P-15 Flat Face, but these systems are also huge and easy to detect,jam, and destroy.

if it emits radiation it's dead.

C130 said:

F-35 is still about 2 or 3 three years awat from being a finished product on the software front.

It's the most complex plane ever developed for computer code.

I don't buy into this anti stealth hype, it's true old radars are better at detecting stealth like the old P-15 Flat Face, but these systems are also huge and easy to detect,jam, and destroy.

if it emits radiation it's dead.

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Agreed, F35 suffers from propaganda against it's program, which is only partly justified.
F15 and F16 suffered from technical problems too, which were fixed over time.
We can only conclude that in a plane, as advanced as the F35, it will suffer from few "birth" problems.
F35 will change the battlefield as we know it.

DavidSling said:

Agreed, F35 suffers from propaganda against it's program, which is only partly justified.
F15 and F16 suffered from technical problems too, which were fixed over time.
We can only conclude that in a plane, as advanced as the F35, it will suffer from few "birth" problems.
F35 will change the battlefield as we know it.

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it can only get better.

-finish the software
-future improved F-135 engine (7% to 10% thust increase, 5% to 7% less fueld burn)
-advance air to air missiles like Lockheeds CUDA http://aviationweek.com/awin/lockheed-reveals-new-air-launched-missile-concepts

this pretty much fixes most of the F-35 flaws.

C130 said:

it can only get better.

-finish the software
-future improved F-135 engine (7% to 10% thust increase, 5% to 7% less fueld burn)
-advance air to air missiles like Lockheeds CUDA http://aviationweek.com/awin/lockheed-reveals-new-air-launched-missile-concepts

this pretty much fixes most of the F-35 flaws.

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Rafael too, is adjusting and improving it's Python missiles for the arrival of the F35 to Israel and allied countries

DavidSling said:

Agreed, F35 suffers from propaganda against it's program, which is only partly justified.
F15 and F16 suffered from technical problems too, which were fixed over time.
We can only conclude that in a plane, as advanced as the F35, it will suffer from few "birth" problems.
F35 will change the battlefield as we know it.

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I agree completely. I am old enough to remember the rampant criticism of not only the F-15 & 16, but of the A-10, AWACS, etc. etc. Complex weapons systems always have teething problems and they have gotten more and more complex with each passing year. They take much longer to develop than 50 years ago but they have also proven to have much, much, longer operational lives. The F-15 & 16 for example, will continue to be in front line operational squadrons for many years to come.

Desertfalcon said:

I agree completely. I am old enough to remember the rampant criticism of not only the F-15 & 16, but of the A-10, AWACS, etc. etc. Complex weapons systems always have teething problems and they have gotten more and more complex with each passing year. They take much longer to develop than 50 years ago but they have also proven to have much, much, longer operational lives. The F-15 & 16 for example, will continue to be in front line operational squadrons for many years to come.

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Fact is U.S is still more advanced in military technology than any other nation on earth, and yet people claim that this plane will suck.
This plane will announce new capabilities to air warfare besides the "stealth", which hasn't been still today.

DavidSling said:

Fact is U.S is still more advanced in military technology than any other nation on earth, and yet people claim that this plane will suck.
This plane will announce new capabilities to air warfare besides the "stealth", which hasn't been still today.

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No-one denies that the US is the most advanced country in military technology.

The problem with the F-35 is that it's stealth is not as good as the F-22, and it has lower manoeuvrability and cannot super-cruise.

These are air-frame limitations and cannot be changed much.

UKBengali said:

The problem with the F-35 is that it's stealth is not as good as the F-22, and it has lower manoeuvrability and cannot super-cruise.

These are air-frame limitations and cannot be changed much.

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When other countries have their own versions of the F-22, we will worry about it.

Reading the entire piece is a must. ( Even the thread owner may not have done that. )
It will mitigate a lot of the criticism.

14. Conclusion

Stealth technology has become sine qua non: all military aircraft, tanks, ships etc, are designed or redesigned according to low observable (l.o.) principles. This technology allows a potential intruder to enter enemy area undetected and deliver a first strike before the defender realizes he is being attacked or at least before he has the time to respond effectively. Furthermore, l.o. techniques help to "break the kill chain": even if the l.o. aircraft is detected, it cannot be easily engaged by a fire control radar or a missile radar seeker.

On the other hand, stealthiness is not panacea: stealth aircraft are not invincible, they are just detected at shorter distances. ... Actually, the l.o. approach is a trade-off among cost, stealth capability and operational performance, i.e., maneuverability, amount of weapons and fuel, etc.

In any case, a stealth threat is a serious threat, which should be dealt with appropriately... In fact, no radar system alone seems capable to confront effectively such threat.

As a final conclusion, it should be noted that the development of l.o. technology and the proliferation of stealth aircraft have changed the modern warfare, rendering most legacy systems almost useless.


That is why I gave the piece a positive rating ( despite it relying on AusAirPower too much ).
But it only enlightens if you read it, Tay.

I want to see them in Indian colors . When something new is being done there are definite hiccups, it just means that instead of reinventing the wheel(after all Lockheed Martin is one of the best if not the best at designing warcrafts) they are doing something path breaking .

What is F-35 in a nutshell?

It is jet with maneuverability and range of F-16 block 52* + stealth + powerful multifunctional AESA radar +DAS + built in modern targeting pod.

* The wing load and thrust/weight ratio of F-35A is virtually equal to F-16 block 52.

I think its excellent combo making it best multiurole fighter. For me the weakest side of F-35 is hat it has only 1 person crew. Its really hard for one person to operate all these systems and fly jet in same time. Ironically almost no one ever mentions it.

500 said:

What is F-35 in a nutshell?

It is jet with maneuverability and range of F-16 block 52* + stealth + powerful multifunctional AESA radar +DAS + built in modern targeting pod.

* The wing load and thrust/weight ratio of F-35A is virtually equal to F-16 block 52.

I think its excellent combo making it best multiurole fighter. For me the weakest side of F-35 is hat it has only 1 person crew. Its really hard for one person to operate all these systems and fly jet in same time. Ironically almost no one ever mentions it.

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You have missed vertical take-off