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Here are the most damning parts of the report on the F-35’s dogfighting problems | National Post
Here are the most damning parts of the report on the F-35’s dogfighting problems
Jeremy Bender, Business Insider | July 3, 2015 8:46 AM ET
More from Business Insider
AP Photo / Northrop Grumman, FileThe F-35, the most expensive weapons project in history, was incapable of beating a jet it was meant to replace in a dogfight, according to a leaked report obtained by defence blog War Is Boring
The F-35, the most expensive weapons project in history, was incapable of beating a jet it was meant to replace in a dogfight, according to a leaked report obtained by defence blog War is Boring.
The report, written by an F-35 test pilot who has more than 2,000 hours of flight time in the F-15E and experience flying both F-16s and F-18s, highlights a range of problems with the U.S.’s hyper-costly and often dysfunctional “plane of the future” in a dogfighting scenario.
(Canada is taking a wait-and-see approach to the planes.)
Related
Below, we’ve pulled some notable quotations from the report highlighting the issues that the F-35 faced while dogfighting against an F-16.
• “Overall, the most noticeable characteristic of the F-35A in a visual engagement was its lack of energy maneuverability.”
• “No effective gun defense was found during this test.”
• “The helmet was too large for the space inside the canopy to adequately see behind the aircraft. There were multiple occasions when the bandit would’ve been visible (not blocked by the seat) but the helmet prevented getting in a position to see him (behind the high side of the seat, around the inside of the seat, or high near the lift vector).”
• “The F-35 was at a distinct energy disadvantage in a turning fight and operators would quickly learn it isn’t an ideal regime.”
• “Though the aircraft has proven it is capable of high AOA [angle of attack] flight, it wasn’t effective for killing or surviving attacks primarily due to a lack of energy maneuverability.”
Handout / Lockheed Martin F-35A test aircraft AF-4, captured during refueling from the U.S. Air Force tanker.
As damning as the report is, it’s worth remembering that the aircraft was never truly designed for dogfighting scenarios. Additionally, the test F-35 used in the test dogfight lacked many of the sensor and software upgrades that the fully deployed F-35 will have.
According to Jane’s 360, the F-35 is designed to detect and engage aircraft “on its own medium- to long-range terms.” The plane’s flexible attack range is intended to ensure that the F-35 wouldn’t usually have to engage in dogfights.
Still, the US$1.5 trillion F-35’s failure to best an F-16 — a plane that was first introduced into service in 1978, is concerning. Although the F-35 may be designed to overcome rival aircraft at distance, there are is no way to guarantee that a future air war won’t involve frequent dogfights, confrontations for which the F-35 may be ill-equipped.
Stealth may be overrated
Meanwhile, both Russia and China are currently developing their own fifth-generation fighter jets. Both countries may also intend to sell variants of their jets to the international customers, including Pakistan and Iran.
Ultimately, the F-35 may never need to participate in close-quarter, air-to-air battles. The aircraft is stealthy and may never have to dogfight with regularity.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert isn’t so sure. “Stealth may be overrated,” Greenert said during a speech in February. So in addition to its other problems, the F-35 may find itself nose-to-nose with enemy aircraft more often than military planners expect.
Here are the most damning parts of the report on the F-35’s dogfighting problems
Jeremy Bender, Business Insider | July 3, 2015 8:46 AM ET
More from Business Insider
AP Photo / Northrop Grumman, FileThe F-35, the most expensive weapons project in history, was incapable of beating a jet it was meant to replace in a dogfight, according to a leaked report obtained by defence blog War Is Boring
The F-35, the most expensive weapons project in history, was incapable of beating a jet it was meant to replace in a dogfight, according to a leaked report obtained by defence blog War is Boring.
The report, written by an F-35 test pilot who has more than 2,000 hours of flight time in the F-15E and experience flying both F-16s and F-18s, highlights a range of problems with the U.S.’s hyper-costly and often dysfunctional “plane of the future” in a dogfighting scenario.
(Canada is taking a wait-and-see approach to the planes.)
Related
- The helmets that go with the F-35 cost $400,000 and allow pilots to look around as if the plane wasn’t there
- With the F-35 price tag on the rise, Canada will be faced with ponying up an extra $1B or cut back purchase
Below, we’ve pulled some notable quotations from the report highlighting the issues that the F-35 faced while dogfighting against an F-16.
• “Overall, the most noticeable characteristic of the F-35A in a visual engagement was its lack of energy maneuverability.”
• “No effective gun defense was found during this test.”
• “The helmet was too large for the space inside the canopy to adequately see behind the aircraft. There were multiple occasions when the bandit would’ve been visible (not blocked by the seat) but the helmet prevented getting in a position to see him (behind the high side of the seat, around the inside of the seat, or high near the lift vector).”
• “The F-35 was at a distinct energy disadvantage in a turning fight and operators would quickly learn it isn’t an ideal regime.”
• “Though the aircraft has proven it is capable of high AOA [angle of attack] flight, it wasn’t effective for killing or surviving attacks primarily due to a lack of energy maneuverability.”
Handout / Lockheed Martin F-35A test aircraft AF-4, captured during refueling from the U.S. Air Force tanker.
As damning as the report is, it’s worth remembering that the aircraft was never truly designed for dogfighting scenarios. Additionally, the test F-35 used in the test dogfight lacked many of the sensor and software upgrades that the fully deployed F-35 will have.
According to Jane’s 360, the F-35 is designed to detect and engage aircraft “on its own medium- to long-range terms.” The plane’s flexible attack range is intended to ensure that the F-35 wouldn’t usually have to engage in dogfights.
Still, the US$1.5 trillion F-35’s failure to best an F-16 — a plane that was first introduced into service in 1978, is concerning. Although the F-35 may be designed to overcome rival aircraft at distance, there are is no way to guarantee that a future air war won’t involve frequent dogfights, confrontations for which the F-35 may be ill-equipped.
Stealth may be overrated
Meanwhile, both Russia and China are currently developing their own fifth-generation fighter jets. Both countries may also intend to sell variants of their jets to the international customers, including Pakistan and Iran.
Ultimately, the F-35 may never need to participate in close-quarter, air-to-air battles. The aircraft is stealthy and may never have to dogfight with regularity.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert isn’t so sure. “Stealth may be overrated,” Greenert said during a speech in February. So in addition to its other problems, the F-35 may find itself nose-to-nose with enemy aircraft more often than military planners expect.
. This is how LM works. 
