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Setting the Record Straight on F-35

Written by thomas · Filed Under Aeronautics News 

September 19, 2008

thomas

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — U.S. Air Force
analyses show the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Lightning II is at least
400 percent more effective in air-to-air combat capability than the best
fighters currently available in the international market.

The Air Force’s standard air-to-air engagement analysis model, also
used by allied air forces to assess air-combat performance, pitted the 5th
generation F-35 against all advanced 4th generation fighters in a variety
of simulated scenarios. The results were clear: the F-35 outperformed the
most highly evolved fighters in aerial combat by significant margins.

“In all F-35 Program Office and U.S. Air Force air-to-air combat
effectiveness analysis to date, the F-35 enjoys a significant Combat Loss
Exchange Ratio advantage over the current and future air-to-air threats, to
include Sukhois,” said Maj. Gen. Charles R. Davis, F-35 program executive
officer.

Recent claims that Russian fighters defeated F-35s in a Hawaii-based
simulated combat exercise are untrue, according to Maj. Gen. Davis.

“The reports are completely false and misleading and have absolutely no
basis in fact,” Maj. Gen. Davis said. “The August 2008 Pacific Vision
Wargame that has been referenced recently in the media did not even address
air-to-air combat effectiveness. The F-35 is required to be able to
effectively defeat current and projected air-to-air threats. All available
information, at the highest classification, indicates that F-35 is
effectively meeting these aggressive operational challenges.”

The Pacific Vision Wargame was a table-top exercise designed to assess
basing and force-structure vulnerabilities, and did not include air-to-air
combat exercises or any comparisons of different aircraft platforms.

Other erroneous allegations about the program were recently made in a
letter distributed and written by industry-watchers Winston Wheeler and
Pierre Sprey.

“It’s not clear why they attacked the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)
program,” said Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin executive vice president of
F-35 program integration. “It is clear they don’t understand the underlying
requirements of the F-35 program, the capabilities needed to meet those
requirements or the real programmatic performance of the JSF team.”

Here are the facts:
— The F-35 is a racehorse, not a “dog,” as Wheeler/Sprey suggest. In
stealth combat configuration, the F-35 aerodynamically outperforms all
other combat-configured 4th generation aircraft in top-end speed,
loiter, subsonic acceleration and combat radius. This allows
unprecedented “see/shoot first” and combat radius advantages.
— The high thrust-to-weight ratios of the lightweight fighter program
Wheeler/Sprey recall from 30 years ago did not take into consideration
combat-range fuel, sensors or armament, which dramatically alter wing
loading, thrust-to-weight ratios and maneuverability. We do consider
all of this in today’s fighters.
— The F-35 has the most powerful engine ever installed in a fighter, with
thrust equivalent to both engines today in Eurofighter or F/A-18
aircraft.  The conventional version of the F-35 has 9g capability and
matches the turn rates of the F-16 and F/A-18. More importantly, in a
combat load, with all fuel, targeting sensor pods and weapons carried
internally, the F-35’s aerodynamic performance far exceeds all legacy
aircraft equipped with a similar capability.
— When the threat situation diminishes so that it is safe for legacy
aircraft to participate in the fight, the F-35 can also carry ordnance
on six external wing stations in addition to its four internal
stations.

Other important facts:
— External weapon clearance is part of the current F-35 test program.
— The government has already proven that no other aircraft can survive
against the 5th generation stealth that only the F-22 and the F-35
possess; it is impossible to add this stealth to fourth-generation
fighters.
— The F-35’s data collection, integration and information sharing
capabilities will transform the battlespace of the future and will
redefine the close air support mission. The F-35 is specifically
designed to take advantage of lessons learned from the F-117 stealth
aircraft. Unlike the F-117, the ability to share tactically important
information is built into the F-35, along with stealth.
— F-35 is developing, testing, and fielding mature software years ahead
of legacy programs, further reducing development risk. The F-35’s
advanced software, already flying on two test aircraft with remarkable
stability, is demonstrating the advantages of developing highly-common,
tri-variant aircraft.  The software developed span the entire aircraft
and support systems including the aircraft itself, logistics systems,
flight and maintenance trainers, maintenance information system and
flight-test instrumentation.
— Rather than relying exclusively on flight testing, the F-35 is retiring
development risk through the most comprehensive laboratories, sensor
test beds, and integrated full-fusion flying test bed ever created for
an aircraft program.  Representing only 25% of our verification plans,
still the F-35’s flight test program is comparable in hours to the
combined flight test programs of the three primary U.S. aircraft it
will replace.
— The F-35 is one aircraft program designed to replace many different
types of aircraft around the world — F-16, F/A-18, F-117, A-10, AV-8B,
Sea Harrier, GR.7, F-111 and Tornado — flown by 14 air forces.
— In addition to 19 developmental test aircraft, the F-35 is producing 20
fully instrumented, production-configured operational test aircraft. No
program in history has employed this many test vehicles.

“Simply put, advanced stealth and sensor fusion allow the F-35 pilot to
see, target and destroy the adversary and strategic targets in a very high
surface-to-air threat scenario, and deal with air threats intent on denying
access — all before the F-35 is ever detected, then return safely to do it
again,” said Burbage.

The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th generation stealth fighter.
Three F-35 variants derived from a common design, developed together and
using the same sustainment infrastructure worldwide will replace at least
13 types of aircraft for 11 nations initially, making the Lightning II the
most cost-effective fighter program in history. Two F-35s have entered
flight test, two are in ground test, and 17 are in various stages of
assembly, including the first two production-model jets scheduled for
delivery to the U.S. Air Force in 2010.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security
company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally
engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The
corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.

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