The unobtrusive F-35 multirole fighter was defeated without firing a single shot at the enemy. The plane lost the main battle in its life long before it was embodied in metal - the battle for the justification of its existence.
One can only admire the stubbornness and perseverance of the engineers at Lockheed-Martin, who from year to year correct the identified shortcomings and improve the complex machine. The efforts of the designers are in vain - despite the brilliant solutions to all the problems that arise, the fighter is not fulfilling its main mission: neither the Air Force, nor the Navy, nor the US Marine Corps feel the need for such an aircraft.
Fate turned out to be merciless to this cute machine, reminiscent of a fat penguin: "Lightning" will never repeat the fate of the legendary "Sabers", "Phantoms" or fourth-generation fighters. Not a single pilot slaps the Lightning on the silvery trim or says, spreading into a Hollywood smile, “The car is simply gorgeous. This is the best thing I have flown! " The creators of the uber plane are ashamed to look American taxpayers and European creditors in the eye - everyone who sponsored a project that was not competitive.
What is the reason for such a vile state of affairs?
Now it is completely unimportant whether the F-35 meets or does not meet the requirements for the "fifth generation": stealth / increased combat autonomy / cruising supersonic …
Fate has played a cruel joke with the "fifth generation" - most of the stated requirements do not meet the needs of modern military aviation. And what is really needed in reality has long been implemented on fighters of the 4+ generation (a vivid example is super-maneuverability).
At the same time, such things as hypersound, increased survivability, absolute invisibility for radar detection means - what could become a real "impetus" for the emergence of a new generation of fighters, still remains in the field of science fiction.
As a result, what Lockheed-Martin designers offer under the guise of a "new generation" fighter is just an extremely expensive and complex machine, standing at the "forefront" of modern science and technology. At the same time, the achieved gain in the combat capabilities of the F-35 is incomparable with the amount of funds spent on the creation of an Über-plane.
The abundance of new technologies and unnecessarily bold design decisions was not in vain - the F-35 constantly “crumbles” and “limps” during test flights. The wind blows out the most complex electronics, the pilot does not see a damn thing from the cockpit, and the landing hook, as luck would have it, is too short for a safe landing on the deck of the ship.
Of course, billions of dollars were not wasted - the monstrous sum of money was converted into the mighty F-35 Lightning II.
Lightning outperforms its competitors in the field of stealth (detecting an enemy aircraft at a distance of 50 or 100 km - two big differences), versatility (sighting systems for work on the ground + a line of outstanding ammunition), as well as detection and integration into the Pentagon's combat network (it is no coincidence that the excellent radar with an active HEADLIGHT AN / APG-81 and the electronic-optical system AN / AAQ-37 the Yankees plan to "connect" with the naval air defense / missile defense system "Aegis" automatically issue target designation for targets over the horizon). These are the side-effects of an ÜberFighter! In terms of airborne avionics and versatility, the F-35 will confidently “plug in the belt” even its older brother, the F-22.
Internal bomb bay F-35. An AGM-154 JSW gliding bomb is visible inside.
It should be noted the ingenious concept of "three in one" - the Americans managed to create a light fighter-bomber for the Air Force, a carrier-based aircraft for the Navy and a vertical aircraft for the ILC on the basis of one glider. The process went on with a great creak, the Yankees probably regretted their careless decision to “save money” 10 times, nevertheless, they brought the business to its logical conclusion. Big money can work wonders - an investment of $ 56 billion will make even a piano on wheels fly.
And then the questions begin. The first is why the F-35 was created at all? Formally - to replace the F-16 and F / A-18, as well as the specific AV-8B Harrier II.
In reality, the process looks like this: the Yankees really need to update their fleet of light fighters - the last of the F-16s were transferred to the US Air Force eight years ago. But, excuse me, how does this relate to the F-35? Modern modifications of "Fighting Falkens" do an excellent job with their functions (cost / benefit), another thing is that they have not been released for a long time, and the existing F-16s are running out of resources.
The situation with the F / A-18 is even more interesting - modifications of the F / A-18E and 18F "Super Hornet" are in the stage of mass production and fully meet the requirements of sailors.
As for the "vertical" AV-8B, the presence of such equipment in the KMP aviation raises more questions than answers. Isn't it easier to call a link of normal fighters / bombers from the nearest airbase than to try to "shove" these underplanes onto the cramped decks of the same non-aircraft carriers (universal amphibious assault ships of the "Wasp" type)? And the use of VTOL F-35B is not a panacea here.
Getting a new type of aircraft is always a pleasure. Another thing is that the new fighters should be somewhat different from the "outdated" aircraft in a positive way.
This is where the main embarrassment arises. For all the seemingly futuristic appearance, the F-35 does not have any particular advantages over the previous generation machines.
"Lightning" does not shine with flight data: its thrust-to-weight ratio, wing loading, the value of the established rate of climb - everything remained at the level of the fourth generation fighters! Even such an interesting feature as a controlled thrust vector is absent - although it would seem that it is high time to acquire such a system - even in "bastard" Russia there is a serial production of fighters equipped with OVT engines.
The dispute about "supersonic flight without afterburner" does not matter: firstly, the F-35 does not know how to do this. Secondly, "supersonic without afterburner" is not a priority of modern aviation - the combat capabilities of fighters are determined by dozens of other, much more important parameters.
It is quite obvious: the creators of the F-35 relied on perfect on-board electronics and stealth. Lightning will be the first to notice the enemy and will be the first to deliver a crushing blow from the maximum distance, and remain unnoticed by enemy radars. The calculation is completely correct, but there is one important point:
All the super electronics and signature reduction measures implemented in the F-35 project could be successfully incorporated into the design of the fourth generation fighters!
As a result, we have the simplest logical chain:
1. The new "platform" did not give any advantages - the flight characteristics of the "Lightning" remained at the level of the F-16 and F / A-18.
2. The high-tech "stuffing" of the F-35 does not require the creation of a special carrier for it - all systems
integrate perfectly into the design of existing machines.
The verdict is obvious: there was no need to create a new light fighter from scratch. The existence of Lightning is not justified by anything other than the exorbitant greed of the managers of the Lockheed Martin company, who convinced the leadership of the Pentagon that they were right.
As for the real "fifth generation fighters" - it seems that the hour of these machines has not yet struck. Modern science cannot offer anything that could radically increase the capabilities of combat aviation.
Backstab F-35
The F-35's miserable existence was suddenly disturbed by the news of a formidable competitor. Who has “put the pig” on the newest American fighter jet? Who is plotting against the US Air Force? Again these unpredictable Russians with their Sukhoi PAK FA? Or the wily Asians who copied the F-35 and now sell countless copies in every tray in the Chinese market?
Honestly, you will laugh. The American company Boeing tripped the American F-35 fighter. Mortally offended by the victory of competitors (the X-32 concept proposed by Boeing outright lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35 concept), Boeing's top management sat down at the table, and after a short phase of depression, decided to turn the offensive loss into an advantage (Americans are pragmatic people). Let the competitors dishonor their F-35, we will not repeat their mistakes and will play ahead of the curve!
Experimental aircraft Boeing X-32, the main competitor of the X-35 (future F-35)
The appearance of X-32 is so disgusting that there is no way to publish an illustration without risking damage to the psyche of the reader.
There was not much money - there was no need to count on funding from the state, all tenders were won by Lockheed Martin. The development of a new fighter "from scratch" with its own forces, "Boeing" could not pull. The conclusion was obvious: the modernization of existing models.
Here the gaze of the Boeing specialists turned to the F / A-18 of the E / F Super Hornet modification.
What is this Super Hornet beast? Generation 4+ carrier-based fighter-bomber
Lightweight, reliable, versatile. Twin-engine layout. Full integration into the structure of the US military. An impressive history of service - in addition to the States, the Hornet family is in service with seven countries around the world. The main combat aircraft of the ILC aviation and the only fighter-bomber remaining on the decks of American aircraft carriers after the decommissioning of the F-14 Tomcat in 2006. There is something to be proud of.
F / A-18E Super Hornet
The Super Hornet (entered service in 1999) is not a simple upgrade of the Hornet fighter. This is a completely new aircraft, free improvisation based on the F / A-18 - airframe, engine, avionics - everything has changed. The wingspan increased by 20%, and the empty weight of the aircraft increased by 3 tons compared to the original design. The fuel capacity of the F / A-18E exceeds that of the Hornet by a third, and the combat radius has been increased by 40%.
The main direction of modernization was chosen to reduce the aircraft's signature. Box-shaped engine nacelles with curved air intake channels, high-quality "fit" and alignment of the joints of parts, elimination of gaps and cavities-resonators, sawtooth articulations of surfaces. The widespread introduction of radio-transparent and radio-absorbing materials has been ensured - according to Boeing representatives, the F / A-18E and 18F have implemented the most ambitious complex of measures to reduce the signature among all modern fighters, with the exception of the F-35 and F-22 stealth aircraft.
This is where you should start!
After discussing all the issues, Boeing decided to create a future competitor to the F-35 based on its Super Hornet. Why not?
Even the standard Super Hornet looks great against the F-35. Flight data and combat load of the F / A-18E (single-seat variant) are absolutely identical to the parameters of the Lightning. The aircraft has been tested in battle, reliable and unpretentious.
As for the "stuffing" - here the possibilities of upgrading the "Super Hornet" are practically unlimited - this is exactly what the new EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft based on the F / A-18F two-seat modification demonstrated.
"Growler" is known for the fact that a couple of years ago, in one of the training air battles, he "hammered" the F-22 "Raptor" with directional jamming, and then conditionally destroyed the "enemy" with missile weapons. The news went beyond official reports and became the object of caustic jokes at foreign aviation forums in the style of: “Did we do everything right? Maybe we should change the "Raptors" to EA-18G "?
Those. payload reserve "Super Hornet" allows you to install almost any electronic system on the glider: a radar with AFAR, a system of infrared sensors for all-round observation, an active jamming station or an optoelectronic sighting system for work "on the ground".
After weighing the pros and cons, Boeing announced the launch of the Super Hornet International Roadmap. As the name clearly implies, Boeing actively contacts foreign developers, contractors and potential buyers. The design of the new generation fighter, which was named "Silent Hornet" (silent hornet - a hint of "stealth"), is prepared to the maximum extent for the installation of any foreign-made equipment - at the request of the customer.
The presentation of the program took place at the Farnborough 2010 aerospace show. A year later, from a beautiful sketch on paper, a real machine "in metal" grew - a prototype for researching the main developments under the Silent Hornet program, demonstrated at the international exhibition Aero India 2011 (Elahanka airbase, Bangalore).
An external examination gives the following picture: the aircraft has "absorbed" even more elements of the "stealth" technology - the main "highlight" is the under-fuselage suspension container, made in accordance with the stealth requirements. Boeing did not “scoff” at the original design, trying to find a place for the internal weapons compartment, but simply carried the missiles to the external sling, covering them with a radio-absorbing “cap” forming a single profile of the aircraft bottom. If the target is designated as "striking ground targets" - the place of the removable stealth container will be occupied by conventional bombs, PTB, sighting and navigation containers or other equipment.
There was something else: a new generation "glass cockpit" with large-format tactical situation indicators with the ability to mix information (simultaneous output and overlapping on a single scale of "pictures" from various sensors) - as befits a real "fifth generation fighter".
On the hull of "Silent Hornet" there were specific "influxes" - conformal fuel tanks, providing intercontinental flight range. In addition, the Yankees promise new engines and an all-round missile detection system, similar to the AN / AAQ-37, that is installed on the F-35.
The new generation Super Hornet will have increased combat survivability, situational awareness and efficiency.
- Vivek Lall, Vice President, Boeing
In general, the appearance of the Silent Hornet does not promise anything good for the F-35. The updated F / A-18 has similar flight characteristics, combat payload, avionics and stealth elements. At the same time, the Silent Hornet comes at a dumping price, has proven itself in battle and has a reputation as a powerful, reliable and versatile aircraft. It is no coincidence that the thematic publications instantly dubbed the car as the JSF-killer (Joint Strike Fighter - the program for the creation of the F-35).
Foreign operators of the Hornet family fighters, which currently include Canada, Australia, Kuwait, Finland, Spain, Switzerland and Malaysia, already have a prepared infrastructure and accumulated experience in operating such aircraft, so they will consider with great interest the possibility of purchasing the updated Hornet., whose capabilities match the much-touted F-35.
Australia has already taken the first step - on January 29, 2013, Canberra representatives announced the cancellation of plans to purchase F-35 fighters, in favor of the F / A-18F Super Hornet (24 fighters, contract amount $ 2 billion). It is possible that the new Australian F / A-18F will acquire many of the features of the Silent Hornet.
As for the States themselves, it is clear that the existing plans to purchase 327 F-35Cs for carrier-based aircraft of the Navy and 353 F-35Bs for the ILC aviation will not be able to meet the needs of the American military - half of the squadrons will continue to fly on the Super Hornets, and, in the future, on the Silent Hornets.
Here is such a funny story - the Boeing impromptu created Big Troubles for the F-35 JSF program, and now it is not known how the two aircraft manufacturing giants will divide the tactical aviation market among themselves.
Epilogue. Russian developers of aircraft weapons should analyze the experience of their Western colleagues. Perhaps the constant evolution of fourth generation fighters is the key to creating the fifth generation of this magnificent technology.
