The Joint Strike Fighter program from an Australian perspective (2)

In Australia, since day one, there have been ringing criticisms of the decision to buy the F-35. Much of this is in relation to perceived technical and capability shortcomings in conjunction with a high and rising price tag. It is apparently the mission of people like Winslow Wheeler or Carlo Kopp and Peter Goon at Air Power Australia (APA) to rubbish the F-35 and decry its potential as an air power asset. There is a general scepticism from the media and public about the F-35, but much of this is simplistic and poorly informed, and in truth the F-35 is far less of a ‘lemon’ than it is made out to be.

It is well known that the JSF program has seen its fair share of technological issues – from the B-model’s lift fan, to the new helmet-mounted display and even the air conditioning. The fact is though, most of the elements contained within the F-35 are fundamentally unique. It is the world’s first supersonic capable STOVL aircraft. It will use a revolutionary helmet-mounted display. That these would all come about without a hitch is just a fantasy.

The radio frequency signature of the F-35 is a topic often discussed when the JSF is being scrutinised. In 2006 it was downgraded from ‘very low observable’ to ‘low observable’. In response to this, APA’s Peter Goon described this change as one comparable to a “marble and a beach ball”. It is a reasonable concern to raise, seeing as the low observable features of the F-35 are a key component in its mission to dominate future battlefields, and ensuring its combat survivability.

Despite the downgrade though, the F-35 still produces better low observable outcomes than Gen 4+ jet aircraft such as the Gripen, Rafale and Typhoon. It also possesses an electronic suite far more advanced than even the F-22 and internal weapons bays capable of carrying larger munitions than its ‘bigger brother’ (if, admittedly, not as many on account of the smaller airframe).

In terms of the F-22, APA and others have compared the designs and make the point that the F-22 has significantly greater thrust, wing area, sustained cruise speed and fuel capacity. It also has superior inherent low observable characteristics. To them, this makes the F-35 a poor design.

Being less stealthy, smaller and slower than an F-22 does not make the F-35 incapable though. Its design and features are a reflection of its purpose and it should come as no surprise that the capabilities of an F-35 do not match those of the world’s greatest ever air dominance fighter. If all America needed was F-22s, then the F-35 would not have been developed, and it is no shame to come in behind such a dominant platform in terms of combat performance.

From the outset the F-35 was designed as an ‘affordably stealthy’ multi-role fighter to complement the F-22. Complement is the key word. There will undoubtedly be certain kinetic advantages possessed by aircraft such as the F-22 and Su-27/30/35 (thanks to canards and thrust vectoring), but the F-35 design aims to mitigate these combat disadvantages by way of its low observable technologies, internalised weapons storage and superior electronic systems to improve performance and lethality.

The F-35 is an explicitly multi-role aircraft. The air-to-air combat benchmarks of the CTOL F-35A are on par with the F-16 and it has a 9g manoeuvrability limit that matches that of the Rafale; its range is markedly superior to any of the four platforms it was designed to replace and it carries a comparable payload. The F-35 is also the most electronically advanced aircraft of its age and its capacity to operate on a networked battlefield is unparalleled for any aircraft in its class.

One thing that critics do not point out is just how complex this project is. The JSF program sought to replace the F-16, F/A-18, A-10 and AV-8B with a single common airframe and design. It is one of the most advanced air combat systems ever devised. Any airframe that can replace those four, very specialised designs is going to have to be of a very high quality and be immensely capable. As such, I have no doubt that once the design and mechanical issues have been resolved that the F-35 will prove itself as a dominant, frontline combat system.