- Gentlemen of the jury, the defendant did not admit his guilt and did not repent. But look him in the face! A fat plump face with traces of stealth technology … in my opinion, he simply does not understand what we want from him.
Do you understand me, sir? Kan du tale Dansk? Türkçe konuşuyor musun?
- I assure you, gentlemen, the F-35 speaks excellent English, Danish and Turkish. The young polyglot perfectly understands Hebrew, Italian and Norwegian, and has recently started studying Japanese.
But he cannot understand the main thing - what is he to blame?
Yes, the F-35 is not a holy man. An aircraft worth more than $ 100 million is worthy of harsh criticism and must meet the most stringent customer expectations. He suffers severely from "childhood diseases" and for the seventh year since his first flight, he has not been able to reach operational readiness. The kid initially took on too much - in a dashing attempt to replace the F-16, F / A-18, AV-8 and A-10, he could not become either a nimble fighter, or a formidable bomber, or a tenacious attack aircraft.
But why trample him in the mud so cruelly? Why ruin the life of an unhappy young man? Where is your mercy and common sense, gentlemen? Who of you did not have mistakes in your youth?
Understand, gentlemen, the guy has a heavy legacy. All his imaginary "shortcomings" are the consequences of our difficult era. You accuse the F-35 that it does not meet the requirements of the "fifth generation", while you yourself are not able to clearly articulate the requirements for the "fifth generation of fighters" …
You are claiming that the F-35 does not have supersonic cruising speed. But who said that this parameter plays such an important role in a real combat situation? The cruising supersonic is nothing more than a figment of the imagination of the creators of the "fifth generation of fighters". As well as the "fifth generation" itself: in fact, the level of modern technologies does not allow creating a fundamentally new design; the only parameter that surpassed the characteristics of the fourth generation machines is the price.
Unable to give the plane any useful skills that could be in demand in current conditions (unmanned control in combat or absolute invisibility in the electromagnetic spectrum), cunning top managers and marketers came up with a brilliant advertising move - independently set the requirements for the new »Generation of fighters. This is how the “afterburner supersonic” appeared (an interesting function, but far from the most important), the vague concept of “multifunctionality” (yeah, tell the F-15E about it), “glass cockpit”, “stealth” and “super-maneuverability” …
Stop! The last two parameters are clearly mutually exclusive paragraphs. Made with stealth technology, the fuselage and wing of the aircraft will not be effective from the point of view of the laws of aerodynamics.
For this reason, the comparison of Lightning with the Russian Su-35 generation 4 ++ fighter looks utterly absurd. The large twin-engine Su-35 (empty weight 19 tons) and the lighter single-engine F-35A (empty weight 13 tons) are already in different "weight categories" and have different tasks, functions and purposes.
The Su-35 can be confidently classified as a "fifth generation fighter", but with one caveat: the heavy multifunctional Su-35 is a Russian view of the problem of a promising fighter. Being the direct successor of the T-10 platform - an unsurpassed masterpiece in the field of aerodynamics, the Su-35 followed the path of further development of its maneuverability, “scoring” the rest of the requirements of the “fifth generation”, including stealth.
In turn, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program is an analogue of the unrealized domestic light front-line fighter (LFI) program. The American solution to the "fifth generation" theorem, in which priority is given to stealth + some national characteristics of the American aircraft industry (an impressive complex of onboard electronics and advanced strike skills, the so-called "bomb carrier").
The result is obvious:
Su-35. An airplane that is capable of jokingly performing "pancake" and "Pugachev's cobra". The ingenious Russian machine, which has abolished the very concept of "bend radius", it is extremely strong in close combat, and in terms of "maneuverability" today has no analogues in the world.
The F-35A, on the other hand, demonstrates objective advantages at long and medium distances, while being able to carry tons of bombs. But "dog dumps" are clearly contraindicated for him.
Whose decision is correct - only a real fight in the sky will clarify. Nevertheless, it is known that during the air war against Yugoslavia, all 12 air victories of the NATO Air Force were won in long and medium-range combat using medium-range missiles AIM-7 and AIM-120 AMRAAM (the last missile with a range of 100+ km and an active seeker actually refers to a long-range weapon).
In such a situation, a clear advantage remains for the F-35.
"Lightning" has less visibility, compared to "Sukhoi" - its small dimensions (shorter by 7 meters, wingspan by 4 meters less) + a full set of stealth technology attributes: a coverless lantern, an internal suspension of weapons, radio-absorbing coatings, etc. minimum of radio contrast elements on the outer surface of the fuselage and wings. Computer-aided 3D-design based on the CATIA package made it possible with the utmost precision to ensure the relative positioning of large-sized panels of the fighter structure, to reduce the number of seams and dimensions of gaps, and to reduce the amount of fasteners.
All this points to a noticeable decrease in the RCS of the American F-35 in comparison with any of its existing competitors of Russian, Chinese or European production. The American will be the first to detect the enemy even if the capabilities of the F-35 and Su-35 detection systems are assumed to be equal (which is unlikely - after all, on board the Lightning, in addition to the AN / APG-81 active HEADLIGHT radar, an all-angle infrared system is installed AN / AAQ-37 detection from six optoelectronic sensors interacting with the AN / AAS-37 electronic warfare and RTR complex and the AN / AAQ-40 IR sighting cameras, providing the pilot with an unprecedented level of control of the surrounding space: navigation and piloting at night, identification of the location of operating anti-aircraft weapons, notification of incoming missiles and enemy aircraft).
Radar image of the area, taken with the radar AN / APG-81
From the point of view of the capabilities of on-board electronics, Lightning fully meets the customer's expectations: the sighting and navigation system will allow a fighter-bomber to equally effectively strike air and ground targets.
The AN / APG-81 radar is capable of simultaneously operating in the air-to-air and air-to-surface modes, conducting high-resolution mapping, performing the functions of electronic intelligence and electronic warfare.
The capabilities of the AN / AAQ-37 optoelectronic complex look no less impressive - the system is capable of automatically fixing the positions of anti-aircraft weapons and detecting enemy ballistic missile launches at ranges of up to 1,300 km - it is no coincidence that the F-35 is planned to be introduced into the US Navy's missile defense system.
The Yankees hope that each F-35 will become a cluster in a single information space of the Armed Forces - now each fighter is equipped with a broadband data line MADL (Multifunction Advanced Datalink), specially designed for stealth machines F-22, F-35 and B-2 … In the future, it is planned to equip the F-35 with a highly secure IR data transmission channel IFDL (Infra-Flight Data Link) for communication with US Air Force aircraft at short distances.
Quite frankly, Lightning could have grown into an excellent tactical reconnaissance aircraft with an impressive set of tools for radar terrain mapping, visual, IR and RTR reconnaissance.
Of the other positive qualities of the F-35, it should be noted that the information field of the cockpit is the most perfect to date. Panoramic multifunctional display PCD (Panoramic Cockpit Display) measuring 20 x 8 inches (50 x 20 cm), instead of ILS - a computerized helmet-mounted sight HMDS (in the future, the aircraft may become "transparent" for the pilot) and a voice control system - all this gives its own specific advantages for the F-35 pilot, simplifies the assessment of the air situation and positively affects the speed and correctness of decisions.
In general, in everything that concerns the field of on-board electronics, the F-35 is confidently ahead of even its older brother, the Raptor.
Gentlemen, after all of the above, it would be highly incorrect to mock the F-35, calling it a worthless project, created only to "cut" the American budget. Is it worth “cheating” the Lightning for its inability to perform a “pancake” (a 360 ° turn in the air with practically no loss of speed), if the American concept of a “fifth generation light fighter” did not initially envisage the creation of a “super-maneuverable” aircraft with OVT?
In return, Lightning received a number of specific advantages associated with stealth and combat information support. In addition, created as a replacement for the F-16, the Lightning is attempting to become a multi-role fighter-bomber. Internal weapon bays were originally designed to carry guided bombs and air-launched cruise missiles. And if the situation permits, six external weapons suspension points will be used. It is no coincidence that the declared combat load of the F-35A exceeds 8 tons - more than that of the solid Su-24 tactical bomber.
Compared to the promising Russian fighters MiG-35, Su-35 or PAK FA, the F-35 Lightning II is not a good or bad aircraft. He's just different. A completely different concept of air combat, practically excluding the possibility of "close fights" (knife fight), a completely different purpose and functions, largely associated with striking ground targets, as well as working as a controlled combat unit in a single intellectual space of the Pentagon.
Carefree childhood
Throughout its youth, "Lightning" fought uncontrollably in fits of childhood illnesses, regularly surprising its creators with all sorts of tricks from its high-tech "filling". It seems that this has begun to annoy many - so much so that in the West, proposals from high-ranking officials are already heard in full that it is time to stop this whole circus and direct cash flows to smarter projects.
Among other things, "Lightning" suffers severely from "split personality" - according to the idea of the designers, a fighter for the Air Force, a carrier-based aircraft for the Navy and a "vertical" for the Marine Corps were built on the basis of one F-35 design.
If the requirements for the carrier-based F-35C could be combined with the requirements for the "land" F-35A, without much damage to the designs of both machines, then the attempt to build the F-35B VTOL aircraft in the hull of a conventional fighter turned into a disaster. Due to the need to place a lifting fan, the Lightning's fuselage turned out to be too wide, which further worsened the already low flight characteristics of the entire F-35 fighter family.
It's amazing how such a "universal" managed to take off in the air!
The illusion of the collapse of the F-35 program is skillfully supported by the sensation-hungry media, in which a clumsy goof is not able to fly at altitudes above 7000 meters, is afraid of a thunderstorm and cannot land on deck due to an extremely short landing hook. Electronics junk, pilots choke, guns don't fire … well, it's over!
However, despite the deafening whistles and insults at the JSF program, it is worth noting that none of the 72 F-35s built (as of August 2013) were lost in flight accidents.
The Yankees methodically correct the identified problems and, with admirable persistence, promote their Über-plane on the world market, while improving the design along the way. The F-35 has not yet been adopted by any of the combat squadrons and has not participated in any of the military conflicts, and the developers are already thinking about the promising composition of the new generation of equipment and weapons.
Popular opinions about "glitchy" electronics and insurmountable difficulties allegedly arising when trying to integrate all the "most complex" F-35 systems into a single on-board information complex have no serious grounds. The machine is, of course, complex, but the main thing in its operation is high-quality software. And with this, as usual, there are no critical problems, especially considering the efforts that Lockheed Martin spends on software development for its new technology.
Reasoning in the style of "robots will ruin the world" is worthy only of undergraduate students of the humanities. But anyone who has ever faced real design knows that electronics are the most reliable and unpretentious component of any system. All the rest: mechanics, electromechanics, hydraulics, cause much more trouble and problems - for example, the main rule when creating spacecraft (where reliability is of key importance): as few moving mechanical parts as possible. The translational movement is especially not held in high esteem, if possible, they try to transform it into rotational.
AL-41F1S - one of the variants of "Product 117" (1st stage engine for Russian fifth generation fighters)
For this reason, the operation of the "high-tech" F-35 in combat units is unlikely to be more difficult than the operation of the Su-35 with the AL-41F1S engine with a controlled thrust vector. Creation of an engine with UHT (or at least OHT) requires remarkable efforts, high technologies and unique structural materials that retain their physical properties for a long time in the raging blue flame of a jet stream.
Repair of such a machine in "field" conditions, without the presence of highly qualified specialists (welders, mechanics, mechanical assembly works), is, in principle, impossible. Operation of a fighter with UHT (OVT) will require an extremely high "technical culture" among the pilots and service personnel of air bases and, as usual, "will cost a pretty penny."
Horizons of innovation
It is fair to admit that, as it stands, the F-35 is not particularly needed by the US Armed Forces. The JSF program is a pure "scam" in the American style: everything is very bright, powerful, colorful, just breathtaking. But in fact: all the promising technologies implemented in the Lightning design - super-radars with AFAR, all-angle IR detection systems, multifunctional PCD displays, helmet-mounted sights and elements of stealth technology - all of this could be successfully implemented (and has already been implemented !) on machines of generation 4+
Otherwise, the F-35 is a conventional fighter with rather mediocre flight characteristics and a very high cost.
Due to the relatively small number of F-35s, and the low rates of procurement of these aircraft, the Lightnings will not be able to completely replace the aircraft of the previous generation: this is especially clearly seen in the example of the naval versions of the F-35C (only 260 aircraft - and this is 8 10 US Navy aircraft carriers!)
The conclusion is obvious: the F-35C will serve side by side with the proven F / A-18, especially since Boeing (the main competitor of Lockheed Martin) has already announced the development of the next version of its F / A-18E / F - a new unofficially dubbed the Silent Hornet, the aircraft possesses most of the characteristics of a fifth generation fighter, including a glass cockpit and an overhead stealth weapon container.
At the same time, the JSF program has become a powerful generator of innovative technologies. These days, creating technological masterpieces like the F-35 is much more difficult than putting a satellite into low-Earth orbit.
It is clear that the Yankees in the next 5-10 years will bring their "Lightning" to mind and launch it into mass production. Our task is to find a worthy answer.
