- A 27-PAGE CELEBRATION F 35OF LOCKHEED MARTIN’S SPECIAL LIGHTNING II JET “Fighting in the F-35 is like going into a boxing match and your opponent doesn’t even know you’re in the ring yet!” F-35 pilot Scott ‘Mox’ Williams, RAF “More like a Tesla” Czech Air Force USAF pilot compares F-35 NATO ally safeguarding and F-16 technologies the West’s Russian fl ank Offi cially the world’s number-one authority on military aviation F SPECIAL ISSUE Ultimate PAGES OF ANALYSIS & INSIGHT Weapon What makes the F-35 Lightning II so formidable? • Unmatched situational awareness • Nuclear-ready weapons bay Cheap & deadly • State-of-the-art networking AMX A-1 • Global interoperability fi ghter • Electronic warfare • Invisible to radar £4.99 UK Special Forces’ air transport Issue 390 September 2020 RNLAF 298 CHINOOK LEONARDO’S PORTUGAL’S TOP VERSATILE SQN’S 75TH BIRTHDAY BIG UK PLANS TRAINING SQN A330 PHÉNIX F-35 SPECIAL F-35 Gallery Thrust vectoring to land This rear view of Royal Air Force F-35B ZM140 ‘006’ provides a good view of the three-bearing swivel duct nozzle of the short take-o and vertical landing (STOVL) variant. For conventional flight, the nozzle allows thrust from the P&W F135 engine to be vectored directly aft, but can be angled downwards for STOVL operations. Paul Easton Arming the F-35 Ground crew prepare to load a GBU-12 laser-guided bomb into the weapons bay of a US Air Force F-35A operated by the 388th Fighter Wing’s 34th Fighter Squadron ‘Rude Rams’ at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. In addition to carriage in the internal weapons bay, ordnance can also be carried externally on the wings when operating in an environment where a stealth capability is not necessary. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine 26 // F-35 SPECIAL www.Key.Aero Pre-flight checks The pilot standing next to this F-35 as he carries out pre-flight checks on the aircraft lends scale and emphasises the large size of the type’s exhaust nozzle. Despite increasing the infra-red signature of the aircraft, the nozzle is left exposed to facilitate its downward rotation in the STOVL F-35B variant. The nozzle also provides yaw control during hover and transition to the hover. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine www.Key.Aero F-35 SPECIAL // 27 F-35 SPECIAL Information warrior ast December two United that makes the Lightning II The Raptor, however, while post receive the ICBS data on States Air Force F-35A (renamed ‘Adir’ in Israel) special. having many of the capabilities screen giving them a complete L Lightning II flew high over All three types of the F-35 (see of the F-35, was not designed picture of their surroundings. the US Department of Defence’s ‘Lockheed Martin F-35A/B/C to the same degree with multi- The F-35 data helped the soldiers White Sands Missile Range in Lightning II/Adir’ panel) can fly domain networking in mind. identify the incoming cruise New Mexico. Below them, two supersonically and supercruise, In the missile defence exercise missile surrogates and launch surrogate cruise missiles had been both capabilities seen decades last December, that F-35A sensor two Patriot Advanced Capability launched. The missiles’ target was before on fast jets. These F-35s data was sent to the army’s (PAC)-2 interceptor missiles. The a tactical command post operated are difficult for radar to detect Integrated Air and Missile Defence sensor data from the F-35 and by a US Army air and missile and keep track of with a low (IAMD) Battle Command System other assets feeding the IBCS also defence unit. These surrogate observable design, materials and (IBCS), developed by Northrop provided in-flight updates as the cruise missiles are able to mimic radar-absorbing coatings. But Grumman. The F-35A used its interceptor missiles converged real cruise missiles and follow it is not the first. The Lockheed Multifunction Advanced Data on their targets and ultimately the terrain to hide from radar Martin F-117 Knighthawk and the Link (MADL) to connect with the destroyed them. “Information is and other ground-based sensors, Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor IBCS. Available ground sensors, ammunition, and IBCS is providing but that would not help them. are both stealthy and they both including the Raytheon Patriot soldiers with more,” said Northrop The F-35A’s sensors detected have internal weapons bays, weapon system and US Marine Grumman IBCS programme the two surrogate missiles and like the F-35. The Knighthawk Corps TPS-59 radars could also director, Mark Rist in the its information was shared with was retired in 2008 and the feed their information into company’s announcement about the army’s missile defence unit. F-22 achieved initial operational the IBCS. The air defence unit the test’s result. “It was the first It is this networking capability capability in December 2005. soldiers at the tactical command [development test] including joint 28 // F-35 SPECIAL www.Key.Aero The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is the most connected fighter ever. It provides Information warriormore data to the pilot, other aircraft and ground assets, for executing the fight, than any other aircraft in history. operations with the Air Force F-35 based assets to defeat an enemy. networking capabilities are used networks, the origin of the name and Marine Corps radar systems.” The F-35 is operated by a number “is classified”, NATO said. ‘Internet’, in the military sphere In Lockheed Martin’s statement of NATO member states and the “It’s about information, it’s is now well understood. It is on the test, the company’s vice alliance describes the aircraft about data, it’s about analysing called network-centric warfare president and general manager as a “force multiplier”, which and acting on it faster than an and the F-35’s capabilities are of the F-35 programme, Greg requires, “a realignment of tactics, adversary can react,” the then designed for it. In late 1993, when Ulmer, said: “This test validated techniques and procedures for USAF chief of staff Gen David the DoD’s Joint Advanced Strike the F-35’s capability to serve as Allied Air Command as NATO is Goldfein told his RAF guests in Technology (JAST) programme an airborne sensor and extend establishing principles for modern Washington, DC in October last began, the cyberspace domain the range of critical integrated air aircraft integration,” NATO said. year. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is a was simply the World Wide Web, and missile defence interceptors.” participant in the F-35 programme which few people used. That JAST Ulmer added that the F-35’s The alliance and its personnel were attending programme became the Joint sensors and connectivity enable it The alliance explained that an annual USAF/RAF meeting, Strike Fighter (JSF) programme to share critical information with with the enhanced situational which included RAF ACM Mike in 1995 and its fighter would be the, “joint fighting force to lead awareness and integration Wigston. At the meeting, held called the F-35 (see ‘F-35 Joint the multi-domain battlespace”. capabilities of platforms, such at Georgetown University, Strike Fighter programme’ panel). Multi-domain is the key phrase. as the F-35, air power, “will Goldfein also explained that to The F-35 can network from The F-35 is able to operate in one be characterised by collective win requires data, networks and anywhere, as it is the first domain, the air domain, and use operation and interoperability the linking of allies’ systems. fighter to possess a satellite the space and cyberspace domains of existing and modern aircraft”. The importance of information communications capability, it to link with ground and sea- Information on how the F-35 technology and interconnected can send and receive information www.Key.Aero F-35 SPECIAL // 29 F-35 SPECIAL Pilot’s world view While the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II can share information across domains, it shares its key data with its pilot through the Gen III helmet mounted display system (HMDS). The display system has to be precisely matched to the pilot’s own vision and so the Gen III helmet is custom fitted. Every pilot will have their head scanned for precise measurements from which a liner is produced. The helmet also has active noise reduction. The Gen III display gives pilots their information through its 40 x 30° field-of-view, high-brightness and high-resolution display with integrated digital night vision. The visor display can show picture-in-picture and it is compatible with eyeglasses and laser eye protection devices. When the F-35 pilot looks straight ahead they will see the typical heads-up display data in front of their eyes. Where other pilots using night-vision have to look through the soda straws of night vision goggle lenses, the F-35’s night imaging is projected onto the visor. This imaging is created by the computer with data from the distributed aperture system’s infra-red cameras. As such, the pilot can look through the bottom of his aircraft and see the terrain below as if his fighter was invisible. In August 2015, Rockwell Collins ESA Enhanced Vision Systems delivered the first Gen III helmet. Collins ESA Enhanced Vision Systems is a joint venture between Elbit Systems of America and Collins Aerospace. Previous page: The 34th Fighter Squadron’s flagship aircraft releases a GBU-12 LGB over the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) in Central Utah. The 34th FS is the USAF’s first Operational F-35A Squadron.