News>F-35: Newest fighter much more than just 'stealthy plane'
Photos
An F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and an F-22A Raptor from the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., soar over the Emerald Coast Sept. 19, 2012. This was the first time the two fifth-generation fighters have flown together for the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)
F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter crew chief Staff Sgt. Darron Cothran (left) and a Lockheed Maintainer from the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., pull the wheel chalks on the jet before taking off for a local training mission over the Emerald Coast Sept. 18, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)
F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter pilot Lt. Col. Mike Ebner, from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., preflights his jet before flying a local training mission over the Emerald Coast Sept. 18, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)
F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter crew chief Staff Sgt. Jeremy Deck from the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., checks over the jet after a local training mission over the Emerald Coast Sept. 18, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)
F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter crew chief Staff Sgt. Jeremy Deck from the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., preflights the jet before taking off for a local training mission over the Emerald Coast Sept. 18, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)
An F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., flies over the Emerald Coast Sept. 19, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)
F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter pilot wing commander Col. Andrew Toth from the 33rd Fighter Wing and production superintendent Master Sgt. Scott Grabham talk about his flight after flying a local training mission over the Emerald Coast Sept. 18, 2012 Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)
An F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and an F-22A Raptor from the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., soar over the Emerald Coast Sept. 19, 2012. This was the first time the two fifth-generation fighters have flown together for the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)
by Marine Corps Cpl. Daniel Wetzel
Defense Media Activity
10/16/2012 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- The engines roared overhead as an F-35A fell into formation. Although this is a basic maneuver for the test pilots, the possibilities for combat environments created by these elite aircraft working together are anything but mundane.
The F-35, which features three variants to be used by the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy, is a single-seat aircraft capable of stealthy operations, equipped with an enhanced computer technology system. The Marine Corps B variant is also capable of performing short takeoffs and vertical-landings while maintaining the conventional operations of other airplanes.
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program started in 1997. The program includes plans to replace the Air Force's aging F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt II, the Marine Corps' short takeoff, vertical landing AV-8B Harrier and dogfighting and air-to-ground attacking F/A-18 Hornet and the Navy's stock of legacy Hornets.
"The F-35 is a fifth-generation fighter; but it's more than just a stealthy airplane," said Marine Corps Col. Art Tomassetti, a pilot who has been with the JSF program since 1998. "It goes beyond stealth and low observable capability. It brings together everything that today's computer and digital age can bring to how the airplane flies and how it's maintained."
The F-35 is an ideal combination of stealth, sensor fusion and a robust digital flight control system making it, not only easy for a pilot to fly, but easy to identify and engage targets in the battlespace. Along with ease of flight, the F-35 also allows pilots greater situational awareness.
"When you look at the F-35, you can't look at it as a single airplane against another single airplane," Tomassetti said. "You have to look at a group of F-35s working together, then you really get to take advantage of what the F-35 brings to the battle space. The ability of the airplanes to use a variety of sensors to gather information and share the information they gather between planes is truly incredible."
With the F-35, pilots can access information about possible targets and threats from supporting F-35 aircraft via data links, which allows them to see more and identify more of what is happening in the battle space, Tomassetti said.
Currently, the military is only training seasoned pilots on the new airplane at Eglin Air Force Base.
When new pilots are allowed into the program, they will find themselves in a unique training environment along with enlisted aircraft maintainers and mechanics from all three branches of service and also coalition partners from several foreign nations.
These service members will learn how to operate and maintain the F-35 through a digital training environment. This kinetic learning system allows the learning to occur through touching and doing, rather than seeing and hearing.
"The fact that we're starting with the same airframe, same formations, same weapons capabilities, I think that already puts us at a better starting point when we show up to a combat theater together," said Lt. Col. Lee Kloos, squadron commander for the 58th Fighter Squadron, of the integration of forces with the F-35.
Kloos, who has more 2,100 hours flying the F-16, said having the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy field the same airframe allows a common frame of reference for pilots regardless of service.
The aircraft is also a joy to fly, Kloos said. Despite the advanced technology and complexity of the aircraft, it's a very easy aircraft to fly, and basic pilot actions remain the same as in any fighter aircraft.
"Pull back on the stick and the trees get smaller, push forward and the trees get bigger," Kloos said. It is a stable and well-balanced plane designed for today's generation who grew up playing video games, he said.
Comparatively speaking, the F-35 has a clean cockpit. Instead of a multitude of switches inherent of many aircraft, the F-35 has two touch screens with interfaces similar to a tablet computer.
For the maintainers, things are a little tougher.
"I was working on the F-15 C and D models," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Reed, F-35 A maintainer. "The F-35 is a completely different aircraft. The technology is challenging at times."
Since the F-35 is still in operational testing, the maintainers and pilots work through all the bugs together. On a continuous basis, personnel are testing the aircraft in new maneuvers and capabilities. Once these are monitored and assessed, the pilots are cleared to perform them in their daily flight operations.
"Today our training consists of the basics of takeoff, landing, navigation and basic formation as we wait for the flight clearance to expand and allow us to train specific mission sets," Tomassetti said.
Air Force maintainers, the first service members to work on the F-35, use the maintenance side of the computer to do preventative diagnostics and pinpoint possible problems.
With the pilots and maintainers working together, the Air Force and Marine Corps have flown hundreds of training sorties since their first flight in 2011. They continue to fly daily to bring the F-35 A, the Air Force's conventional landing and take-off variant, F-35 B, the Marine Corps' STOVL variant, and F-35 C, the Navy's carrier-based variant, closer to combat operations.
Comments
10/19/2012 11:58:51 AM ET How about fielding a system in under 10 years? Frankly by the time it's in service it's outdated technology these days.
Robert, TX
10/18/2012 11:46:14 AM ET The F-35 IS much more than just a 'stealthy plane' ... it's a very expensive deterrent that can't even fly missions in our decade-long war on a handful of terrorists in a third-world country.
Stuart, Planet Earth
10/18/2012 10:08:42 AM ET I've been watching new fighter programs since my father joined the F-105 SPO in 1958. All of the negative comments made about the F-35 were made when the F-105 F-111 F-110F-4C F-15 YF-16 etc were new. All of those old reliable combat veterans were trouble plagued and over priced. They only became cheaper after long production and more reliable after lots of people toiled very hard to make them work. Those first F-105s cost an outrageous 8 milion each. How could a fighter cost so much Buy more F-100Ds
SMR, Sheppard
10/17/2012 6:09:42 PM ET Still don't see how this airframe will replace the A-10 and the F-16. It costs way too much and even in numbers it'll never equal the costs per hour of it's predecessors.
Joshua, Indiana
10/17/2012 2:31:44 PM ET hooray for more money being wasted in a time when we dont have it...man the leadership ... about budget cuts and turn arround and spend a gazillion dollars for this...priorities i guess.. (Editor's note: This comment was edited to comply with our comment policy. Please read the policy, which is located above the comment box.)
John Smith, My TARDIS
10/17/2012 7:59:50 AM ET The Jury is still out on this. The proff of reliability and maintainability for the ground crews along with the situational awareness increase for the Aviators can only be proved after the aircraft enters daily mission service. We hope it all works but wait and lets allow it to prove itself. This makes most people nervous to hear we may end up with one flying weapon system supporting the entire military Kind of like all your eggs in one basket.
SNCO Ret 89, Ohio
10/17/2012 4:48:21 AM ET To bad it's billions over budget years late and has many systems like its star wars helmet display that still do not work. Who knows what other problems will pop up as the software goes through further testing. This whole development program is an example of what not to do. Maybe the Air Force should reevaluate its needs and do something right like buying uprated Eeagles and Falcons now before all of the current F-16's and F-15C age out.
