Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning and F-22 'Raptor' : News & Discussion
- Thread starter Nick
- Start date
This next-gen DAS is going to be a game-changer because of its higher range and resolution if F-35 Block-4 gets the cooling right!
Higher range means nothing. Once again your own eye can see stars at billions kilometers away. You have to use angular resolution and sensibility.
She's a thick beauty and thanks to female F-35 pilot interview we now know it also has 900nm combat radius which makes sense....
' We know from other pilot anecdotes, that it took ~5,000lbs of fuel to fly the 900 miles from Florida to the Oshkosh airshow. That would give an unrefueled range of 2,700+ miles, with 3,000lbs in reserve. We've heard other pilots state that they could fly a mission with a 500+ nautical mile radius, and land with 7,000-8,000lbs of fuel. With an air to air load out, a hi hi hi flight profile, and with minimal routing (or afterburner usage,) 900 nautical miles isn't entirely unreasonable. That would be ~2,070 statute miles + whatever time on station.'
US fighter pilots use the NM system and abbreviate every word so when they say miles they mean NM's. Instead of saying kilometers they say klick to keep it short.
Watch pic and others go nuts on this claim. I'll let this marinate before posting the interview.
' We know from other pilot anecdotes, that it took ~5,000lbs of fuel to fly the 900 miles from Florida to the Oshkosh airshow. That would give an unrefueled range of 2,700+ miles, with 3,000lbs in reserve. We've heard other pilots state that they could fly a mission with a 500+ nautical mile radius, and land with 7,000-8,000lbs of fuel. With an air to air load out, a hi hi hi flight profile, and with minimal routing (or afterburner usage,) 900 nautical miles isn't entirely unreasonable. That would be ~2,070 statute miles + whatever time on station.'
US fighter pilots use the NM system and abbreviate every word so when they say miles they mean NM's. Instead of saying kilometers they say klick to keep it short.
Watch pic and others go nuts on this claim. I'll let this marinate before posting the interview.
Official mission radius is very specified, normally for worst case scenarios.
As to the pilot interview. Now add two 600gal drop tanks to the 900nm. Israel and others are considering. So far no one has needed them, but there are two 5,000lb wet points.
www.twz.com
As to the pilot interview. Now add two 600gal drop tanks to the 900nm. Israel and others are considering. So far no one has needed them, but there are two 5,000lb wet points.
Lockheed Eyes Giving F-35s More Gas With Drop Tanks And That's A Very Good Thing
The external tanks could give F-35s significantly valuable extra range and loiter time for certain key missions and circumstances.
www.twz.com
Air refuel/top-off over Jordan should give it 950-960nm maybe? A good chunk of fuel is spent on takeoff.Official mission radius is very specified, normally for worst case scenarios.
As to the pilot interview. Now add two 600gal drop tanks to the 900nm. Israel and others are considering. So far no one has needed them, but there are two 5,000lb wet points.
Lockheed Eyes Giving F-35s More Gas With Drop Tanks And That's A Very Good Thing
The external tanks could give F-35s significantly valuable extra range and loiter time for certain key missions and circumstances.
Norway Aims to Use Biofuel for Its F-35 Multirole Fighters
Norway Aims to Use Biofuel for Its F-35 Multirole Fighters
www.armyrecognition.com
We've told that many times and now realities come to everyone eyes.
In addition to its reevaluation, the program office anticipates the scope of Block 4 will change as it becomes a major subprogram by removing capabilities that cannot be supported by the current F-35 engine and thermal management system. According to program officials, capabilities that will require more power and cooling than the current engine and thermal management system can provide will be reclassified as “post Block 4” for future development. Program officials stated that the earliest the program expects to deliver post-Block 4 capabilities is 2029.
(..)
"The limitations of the current cooling capacity could impede post-Block 4 capabilities and mission systems as soon as 2029. The earliest the program could field any of the thermal management system upgrades it is considering would be in 2030. Program officials told us, however, that delivering the modernized subsystems in 2032 is a more realistic time frame. As we noted earlier, the program currently plans to move Block 4 capabilities that will require more power and cooling than the current engine and thermal management system can provide to post-Block 4. The program expects to start delivering post-Block 4 capabilities as early as 2029. However, if the thermal management system upgrades come after 2029, post-Block 4 capabilities will also be delayed. The program is currently evaluating how this potential power and cooling deficit will affect the delivery of post-Block 4 capabilities and what actions it could take to address it."
In addition to its reevaluation, the program office anticipates the scope of Block 4 will change as it becomes a major subprogram by removing capabilities that cannot be supported by the current F-35 engine and thermal management system. According to program officials, capabilities that will require more power and cooling than the current engine and thermal management system can provide will be reclassified as “post Block 4” for future development. Program officials stated that the earliest the program expects to deliver post-Block 4 capabilities is 2029.
(..)
"The limitations of the current cooling capacity could impede post-Block 4 capabilities and mission systems as soon as 2029. The earliest the program could field any of the thermal management system upgrades it is considering would be in 2030. Program officials told us, however, that delivering the modernized subsystems in 2032 is a more realistic time frame. As we noted earlier, the program currently plans to move Block 4 capabilities that will require more power and cooling than the current engine and thermal management system can provide to post-Block 4. The program expects to start delivering post-Block 4 capabilities as early as 2029. However, if the thermal management system upgrades come after 2029, post-Block 4 capabilities will also be delayed. The program is currently evaluating how this potential power and cooling deficit will affect the delivery of post-Block 4 capabilities and what actions it could take to address it."
We've told that many times and now realities come to everyone eyes.
In addition to its reevaluation, the program office anticipates the scope of Block 4 will change as it becomes a major subprogram by removing capabilities that cannot be supported by the current F-35 engine and thermal management system. According to program officials, capabilities that will require more power and cooling than the current engine and thermal management system can provide will be reclassified as “post Block 4” for future development. Program officials stated that the earliest the program expects to deliver post-Block 4 capabilities is 2029.
(..)
"The limitations of the current cooling capacity could impede post-Block 4 capabilities and mission systems as soon as 2029. The earliest the program could field any of the thermal management system upgrades it is considering would be in 2030. Program officials told us, however, that delivering the modernized subsystems in 2032 is a more realistic time frame. As we noted earlier, the program currently plans to move Block 4 capabilities that will require more power and cooling than the current engine and thermal management system can provide to post-Block 4. The program expects to start delivering post-Block 4 capabilities as early as 2029. However, if the thermal management system upgrades come after 2029, post-Block 4 capabilities will also be delayed. The program is currently evaluating how this potential power and cooling deficit will affect the delivery of post-Block 4 capabilities and what actions it could take to address it."
So all the F-35s delivered to date are junk and will remain junk for the foreseeable future.
The problem is they have wanted a new block before knowing exactly what they could put in.
They haven't any spec ...
Politics prevented them from giving a new name to the expanded B4 program. Now they have no choice but to turn it into a new block. What's more worrisome is the older jets have hit their limits already. And we do not know when the new airframe will be ready, 'cause all jets until that point will be trash.
Rafail fanboys once again circle jrking to each others BS.
-American F-35 pilots share their experience of flying the plane - "You'd be surprised how much we use autopilot and autogas"
26.6.2022 Mikko Pulliainen
Sean Harvey and Justin Lennon talk about what lies ahead for Finland's future F-35 pilots.
The US Air Force (USAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II pilots who arrived at the Pori air show last weekend are a good example of the kind of backgrounds that can come from to take the controls of an aircraft.
Major Justin Lennon has served in the USAF for eleven years, and prior to his current assignment, he flew the world's first fifth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
Lieutenant Sean Harvey, on the other hand, comes straight out of the training pipeline, with his first training aircraft being a Raytheon T-6 Texan II turboprop and his jet training aircraft being a Northrop T-38C Talon.
"You fly the planes for about 60 to 70 hours each before moving on," Harvey says of his training.
There is no two-seat version of the F-35, so Harvey flew the simulator for about 30 hours before taking the controls of the real aircraft. He received about 2.5 months of simulator and theory training before his first flight in the aircraft.
"The first 5 to 10 flights are mainly to learn how to understand the aircraft, then you move on to things like night flights."
For the first 3-4 months, Harvey learned individual mission types, then moved on to training for real, more complex operational flights involving a large number of aircraft and other operators.
Major Lennon's type course was shorter, as he already had experience with fighter aircraft.
"Sean's course lasted six months, mine lasted three. My air-to-air training was limited because I was already experienced in it. There was more training for air-to-ground missions because they play a minor role in the F-22. For the A-10 (ground combat aircraft) pilots coming to F-35 training, it's the opposite."
The training program for foreign F-35 pilots can similarly be tailored to their previous experience.
Lennon describes the F-35 as quite similar to the F-22 in terms of systems, as both are built by Lockheed Martin. A major who served as a flight instructor believes pilots who come directly from basic training are the easiest to train because they don't need to be taught away from the procedures of the previous operational aircraft type.
"When I flew my first F-35 missions, there were situations where I instinctively ended up flipping switches like an F-22 and I might, for example, select the wrong weapon."
The F-35As arrived in Pori from the 495th Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, operated by the US European Air Force.
For the pilots, this is a 2-3 year mission, during which they will fly around Europe and practice joint operations with partner countries.
The squadron will mainly focus on air-to-air operations, in particular defensive counter-air operations. Some training is also given to disabling enemy air defences, in practice Russian anti-aircraft batteries.
"Most of the [air-to-air training] is focused on fighting beyond visual range, because that's where we want to be. If we get within visual range, something has gone wrong," says Harvey.
With the British and Dutch F-35 fleets, the Americans train weekly. Interestingly for Finland's NATO membership ambitions, the Americans have flown together with the British, Dutch and Norwegian F-35s, with the aircraft's Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) exchanging situational awareness simultaneously between the fleets of all four countries.
The F-35s have also had some training with the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon fleet. Both were involved in the Finnish HX evaluation, but Lennon said the F-35 was the clear winner in the air battle.
"If you talk about a realistic scenario that starts beyond visual range, the F-35 is second to none. Because of the stealth characteristics of the aircraft, the Eurofighters don't even know we're in the area."
Lieutenant Harvey's previous experience with fast jets is limited to the T-38, but for a training aircraft it's quite a cannon: its afterburners accelerate the aircraft to supersonic speeds at best, taking it to over 55,000 feet.
"Both are great to fly, but the F-35 is much more powerful. In aerial combat, the T-38 flies horizontally because it doesn't have the power for vertical movement, but the F-35 has more both power and manoeuvrability."
Major Lennon's former tool, the F-22, on the other hand, is probably the most capable air superiority fighter in the world.
"The sensors are better in the F-35, the performance is certainly better in the F-22 because it has two engines, it turns better, it flies higher and faster. The F-35 has better fuel capacity and mission time, which is very handy for longer missions. This is often underestimated in the case of fighters, although the extra time is valuable to us. The F-22 has a larger weapons load, carrying eight air-to-air missiles internally (F-35A currently four, in the future six). I would still probably choose the F-35 because of its operational time and sensors, in particular the infrared sensor and electro-optical sensors, which the F-22 does not have."
The key features of the F-35 include its ability to collect large amounts of data and package the data through sensor fusion in a pilot-friendly way.
"The limitation of the aircraft is its pilot, which is the pilot's ability to process the information presented by the aircraft and act on it. Often, when we come back from a mission and find out why something failed, we find that some plane did have the information on its screen, but the pilot probably didn't know how to process it. When I was a flight instructor at Luke (USAF Air Force Base, Arizona), we tried to teach pilots to identify where to find the information they needed at any given point in the mission," Lennon explains.
He says it's very useful that the basic flight of the F-35 is quite easy: it frees up the pilots' mental resources to process information.
"The F-35's automation is quite good. You might not think that autopilot and autothrottle would be useful for flying a fighter, but you'd be surprised how much we use them just because it frees up our capacity."
For the F-35 pilot, information is presented on a large touchscreen, the layout of which can be adapted to the requirements of the mission and/or the pilot's personal preferences. According to Lieutenant Harvey, the settings are selected either before take-off or during a cruise to the mission area.
"Usually, the display doesn't need much adjustment [in the air]. The bulk of its operation is done using HOTAS (Hands On Throttle and Stick = a user interface where the functions most needed by the pilot are centralised on the stick and throttle switches), moving the cursor on the screen or something. I also sometimes use a touchscreen because in some situations, instead of moving the cursor, it's easier to just lean forward and touch."
The F-35's display functionality is not activated at the moment of touch, but only when the pilot pulls his finger away. So after a touch in the wrong place, the pilot can slide his finger over the correct function.
However, Lennon says that using the touchscreen in turbulent weather or under high g-forces can be cumbersome, and in those situations he says he misses the F-22's interface, with physical buttons placed along the edges of the screens.
"I'd say almost 90 percent of the pilot's tasks can be done through HOTAS."
www.talouselama.fi
-American F-35 pilots share their experience of flying the plane - "You'd be surprised how much we use autopilot and autogas"
26.6.2022 Mikko Pulliainen
Sean Harvey and Justin Lennon talk about what lies ahead for Finland's future F-35 pilots.
The US Air Force (USAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II pilots who arrived at the Pori air show last weekend are a good example of the kind of backgrounds that can come from to take the controls of an aircraft.
Major Justin Lennon has served in the USAF for eleven years, and prior to his current assignment, he flew the world's first fifth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
Lieutenant Sean Harvey, on the other hand, comes straight out of the training pipeline, with his first training aircraft being a Raytheon T-6 Texan II turboprop and his jet training aircraft being a Northrop T-38C Talon.
"You fly the planes for about 60 to 70 hours each before moving on," Harvey says of his training.
There is no two-seat version of the F-35, so Harvey flew the simulator for about 30 hours before taking the controls of the real aircraft. He received about 2.5 months of simulator and theory training before his first flight in the aircraft.
"The first 5 to 10 flights are mainly to learn how to understand the aircraft, then you move on to things like night flights."
For the first 3-4 months, Harvey learned individual mission types, then moved on to training for real, more complex operational flights involving a large number of aircraft and other operators.
Major Lennon's type course was shorter, as he already had experience with fighter aircraft.
"Sean's course lasted six months, mine lasted three. My air-to-air training was limited because I was already experienced in it. There was more training for air-to-ground missions because they play a minor role in the F-22. For the A-10 (ground combat aircraft) pilots coming to F-35 training, it's the opposite."
The training program for foreign F-35 pilots can similarly be tailored to their previous experience.
Lennon describes the F-35 as quite similar to the F-22 in terms of systems, as both are built by Lockheed Martin. A major who served as a flight instructor believes pilots who come directly from basic training are the easiest to train because they don't need to be taught away from the procedures of the previous operational aircraft type.
"When I flew my first F-35 missions, there were situations where I instinctively ended up flipping switches like an F-22 and I might, for example, select the wrong weapon."
The F-35As arrived in Pori from the 495th Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, operated by the US European Air Force.
For the pilots, this is a 2-3 year mission, during which they will fly around Europe and practice joint operations with partner countries.
The squadron will mainly focus on air-to-air operations, in particular defensive counter-air operations. Some training is also given to disabling enemy air defences, in practice Russian anti-aircraft batteries.
"Most of the [air-to-air training] is focused on fighting beyond visual range, because that's where we want to be. If we get within visual range, something has gone wrong," says Harvey.
With the British and Dutch F-35 fleets, the Americans train weekly. Interestingly for Finland's NATO membership ambitions, the Americans have flown together with the British, Dutch and Norwegian F-35s, with the aircraft's Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) exchanging situational awareness simultaneously between the fleets of all four countries.
The F-35s have also had some training with the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon fleet. Both were involved in the Finnish HX evaluation, but Lennon said the F-35 was the clear winner in the air battle.
"If you talk about a realistic scenario that starts beyond visual range, the F-35 is second to none. Because of the stealth characteristics of the aircraft, the Eurofighters don't even know we're in the area."
Lieutenant Harvey's previous experience with fast jets is limited to the T-38, but for a training aircraft it's quite a cannon: its afterburners accelerate the aircraft to supersonic speeds at best, taking it to over 55,000 feet.
"Both are great to fly, but the F-35 is much more powerful. In aerial combat, the T-38 flies horizontally because it doesn't have the power for vertical movement, but the F-35 has more both power and manoeuvrability."
Major Lennon's former tool, the F-22, on the other hand, is probably the most capable air superiority fighter in the world.
"The sensors are better in the F-35, the performance is certainly better in the F-22 because it has two engines, it turns better, it flies higher and faster. The F-35 has better fuel capacity and mission time, which is very handy for longer missions. This is often underestimated in the case of fighters, although the extra time is valuable to us. The F-22 has a larger weapons load, carrying eight air-to-air missiles internally (F-35A currently four, in the future six). I would still probably choose the F-35 because of its operational time and sensors, in particular the infrared sensor and electro-optical sensors, which the F-22 does not have."
The key features of the F-35 include its ability to collect large amounts of data and package the data through sensor fusion in a pilot-friendly way.
"The limitation of the aircraft is its pilot, which is the pilot's ability to process the information presented by the aircraft and act on it. Often, when we come back from a mission and find out why something failed, we find that some plane did have the information on its screen, but the pilot probably didn't know how to process it. When I was a flight instructor at Luke (USAF Air Force Base, Arizona), we tried to teach pilots to identify where to find the information they needed at any given point in the mission," Lennon explains.
He says it's very useful that the basic flight of the F-35 is quite easy: it frees up the pilots' mental resources to process information.
"The F-35's automation is quite good. You might not think that autopilot and autothrottle would be useful for flying a fighter, but you'd be surprised how much we use them just because it frees up our capacity."
For the F-35 pilot, information is presented on a large touchscreen, the layout of which can be adapted to the requirements of the mission and/or the pilot's personal preferences. According to Lieutenant Harvey, the settings are selected either before take-off or during a cruise to the mission area.
"Usually, the display doesn't need much adjustment [in the air]. The bulk of its operation is done using HOTAS (Hands On Throttle and Stick = a user interface where the functions most needed by the pilot are centralised on the stick and throttle switches), moving the cursor on the screen or something. I also sometimes use a touchscreen because in some situations, instead of moving the cursor, it's easier to just lean forward and touch."
The F-35's display functionality is not activated at the moment of touch, but only when the pilot pulls his finger away. So after a touch in the wrong place, the pilot can slide his finger over the correct function.
However, Lennon says that using the touchscreen in turbulent weather or under high g-forces can be cumbersome, and in those situations he says he misses the F-22's interface, with physical buttons placed along the edges of the screens.
"I'd say almost 90 percent of the pilot's tasks can be done through HOTAS."
Amerikkalaiset F-35-pilotit kertovat kokemuksensa koneella lentämisestä – ”Yllättyisit, jos tietäisit miten paljon käytämme autopilottia ja autokaasua”
Sean Harvey ja Justin Lennon kertovat, mitä Suomenkin tulevilla F-35-lentäjillä on edessään.
Check Out Aviator Airwaves!
Do you want to take a peek into the F-35 cockpit? Check out Aviator Airwaves, a conversation with two F-35 pilots. This video explores why the F-35 is the world's most advanced fighter jet.
[Monessa] : and my name is Monessa baltzhizer my call sign is Siren and I'm also a F-35 pilot.
and we're here today to talk to you guys about the fifth generation F-35 and its amazing capabilities and significant contributions to 21st Century Security.
[Tony] :
now the F-35 is the most capable the most survivable and the most uh connected fighter flying on the face of the planet today and that's what allows it to be the most advanced node in the 21st century security network.
now what siren said about 5th gen what makes the plane 5th gen most people automatically go to stealth and stealth is an important part of what makes the F-35 5th gen but the other part of it is it's combination of advanced sensors advanced communication suite and Sensor Fusion.
Sensor Fusion is a system that not only manages the sensors for the pilot but optimizes them for the mission. it's Sensor Fusion that uh collects both onboard and off-board information.
presents it in a succinct picture that gives Battlefield commanders unprecedented situational awareness and the confidence to act quickly against any adversary. but you know the F-35 is much more than just a fighter it's also sorry about the noise we are in an active Factory today.
anyways and it makes it a perfect ISR platform. ISR stands for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. you can think of the F-35 as a fly-in data node okay which makes it an integral part of what we call JADO or joint all domain operations.
the F-35 uses its Advanced sensors to collect this information Sensor Fusion then analyzes it we use the data links to disseminate it against or not against but two space assets air assets surface assets both land and sea as well as subsurface assets.
and cyber right and that's what allows us to provide this multi-spectral picture across the anyone that's in the network. and that's what really makes this aircraft key to interoperability siren you're going to tell us a little bit about interoperability right.
[Monessa] :
yes uh absolutely so as wicked mentioned the F-35 is the most advanced aircraft in the world and it is the only fighter that has been designed to count in Next Generation threats and the European theater from 2070 and Beyond.
it is also becoming the aircraft of choice for European countries to replace their Heritage fleets.
and it is spearheading every country's integrated deterrent systems through its unprecedented level of technology and capability being incorporated into these countries defense systems.
once again gotta love that sound we are in a factory but hey f-35s have to be produced right. so as I was saying the F-35 is not just a deterrence. it is improving interoperability as Brick had mentioned because it is becoming compatible with a wide range of Allied systems.
and it just continues to grow uh as more f-35s join NATO joined Allied countries and other partners around the world. but what is interoperability and why is it so important well for pilot putting in very easy terms you're connecting forces.
you're connecting those forces to enable tactics and resources to efficiently and effectively achieve an objective and it's producing synergies.
for example let's talk about the air policing mission in the baltics. and now incorporating a two ship of f-35s into that long-standing mission. so you have f-35s flying out doing an air policing mission in the baltics. and it sees an unknown aircraft much farther away.
with the F-35 will do and which I'm sure most people know it will look at that unknown aircraft use Fusion in all the sensors it has on the jet to identify that aircraft.
and now it's not only identifying it but it's identifying it with extreme High Fidelity. and where interoperability plays a key is now that F-35 takes that informationand pushes it out to multiple assets whether that is a naval Battleship battleship in the sea uh to other aircraft Airborne companion control and space and cyber as wicked mentioned.
so now Pilots particularly are getting data quicker farther out and with higher fidelity that is what interoperability means to a pilot and it continues to strengthen Partnerships beyond the battle space because Pilots are now doing joint training and working side by side every step of the way.
it's important to us and it's a key feature that the F-35 brings. so okay enough talking with the brick and I we've given you guys a quick overview of what the F-35 is what it can do and why it's important but now let's get to the good part and answer some of the questions feel free to ask us any questions and input them into the chat uh to be read over.
[Q] : all right we'll start with our first question our first question is how do software upgrades work on the F-35 and does it change the Pilot experience ?
[Tony] :
so in the simplest way you can think of software upgrades for the F-35 similar to software upgrades for assault so for example typically cell phones the hardware gets upgraded every two years.
but the cell phone makers are constantly pushing software updates and with that update comes new capability right well it's the same or very similar with the F-35.
however the F-35 is right now getting what we call tr3 or Tech refresh three this is only the third time since the aircraft's been flying that we are upgrading the hardware.
however software gets pushed about every six months and with each new software drop. comes new capability or an increase in capability so what it means to the pilot is every time we get new software we become more capable we become more survivable we become more connected.
and a great example of survivability is agcast or Auto ground collision avoidance system this is a system that's working constantly in the background to protect both the plane and the pilot.
it's always projecting where the aircraft is going and it will give the pilot a warning if it senses or determines an impending collision with the ground if the pilot doesn't take command of the aircraft or is uncapable for whatever reason the aircraft automatically takes control and puts the aircraft on a safe trajectory keeping both the pilot and the aircraft safe.
[Monessa] :
I think that brick brings up a really good point is when those software upgrades happen they're also really getting a lot of feedback from the pilots.
and what exactly will help what in their mind helps bringing the F-35 capability to another level. so yeah definitely bringing that feedback from the pilots helps when we're trying to upgrade the jet.
[Q] : all right we're going to go to a fun question. what does G-Force feel like ?
[Monessa] :
I don't know if that's a fun question because g-forces uh well okay. um so if you think about the average roller coaster those roller coasters pull about three to four G's Max I think there's some that go up to six years good luck with that.
um but a G-Force is think about your weight and I'm not going to tell you my weight so let's just do some math here let's just say a person who weighs a hundred pounds.
if they're pulling nine G's that's 900 or 900 pounds of course on a person's body and that is what the F-35 is capable of doing so imagine just that much pressure on your body so it takes a lot of training as well as some specialized equipment that Pilots will use to pull g-forces.
[Tony] :
yeah you know siren for me g-forces feel like 800 pound gorilla sitting on your chest like siren said you know when you're pulling those g-forces uh your body just gets heavier right so when we go out and we're practicing bfm or basic fighter Maneuvers uh what you also know is dog fighting.
it's like a full body workout so we'll go out there and we'll fly for an hour hour and a half constantly pulling and knees and G's going up to nine G's and back down so when you come back you are wiped out it's like you just spent the last hour hour and a half doing a total body workout.
[Monessa] :
yes and one of those things the center training that all Pilots love if you want to see what yourself looks like in about at 100 years old and wrinkled face just go do that for fun and you'll you'll find out what g-forces really feels like.
[Q] : all right we'll go to our next question. I read that the F-35 doesn't communicate with other aircraft is that true ?
[Tony] :
absolutely not. so the F-35 is both MADL and Link 16 capable. MADL is an F-35 to F-35 data link and that allows the F-35 to increase capability.
I can't talk about what capabilities it provides but what I can tell you about MADLs that one plus one is greater than two it is a force multiplier with respect to the F-35.
but the F-35 is also uh outfitted with link 16 data link link 16 is the standard link across all U.S platforms as well as all NATO platforms as well so whatever we're able to see with our Advanced sensors uh bringing in both onboard and off-board information linking it or fusing it with Sensor Fusion we're able to push that out over link 16.
so whatever for the F-35 is capable of seeing again think about it as that Airborne data node we're able to communicate with any other aircraft any other asset or platform that is also link 16 capable.
[Q] : all right we'll do our next question. how far can the F-35 fly Non-Stop ?
[Monessa] :
oh. well it depends on what it's doing right it's its Mission. so that will like I said it really depends on how much maneuvering the aircraft can do... I believe it's about 900 miles is that... ( [Tony] : for for combat radius.) combat radius about 900 miles. looking a little bit over 1200 if you're just cruising from point to point.
so a lot of that really depends on um what the pilot is doing with the aircraft and how much fuel it's using based off maneuvering.
[Tony] :
so, it's Sirens really trying to say is first of all you have to take into account each variant okay while we have the three variants.
and they're all very common they all carry a different amount of fuel so the F-18 or, excuse me, the F-35. I used to fly F-18s. the F-35A carries about 18 000 pounds of fuel. that's where F-18 came from. the F-35B carries about 13 000 pounds and then the C model the carrier variant carries almost 20 000 pounds of fuel.
so like siren was saying first it's going to depend on the mission and what she's trying to say is how much After Burner are we using right. because when we're putting in an afterburner you using your fuel quickly.
the other part of it when you start talking about fighter performance is how how heavy is the aircraft and just multiple factors environmental factors. So, what we typically say is a combat radius anywhere between 700 - 900 nautical miles. And what that means is how far can the aircraft travel into an adversary adversarial territory execute its Mission and then travel back.
[Q] : all right we'll go to our next question. quite fives into ground-based systems or other aircraft enhance its Effectiveness in joint operations ?
[Monessa] :
wow that's a great question great question. um so how does it how does the F-35 enhanced ground-based systems and it all comes back to what I was talking about with interoperability.
and how that plays a key role in how the F-35 is a critical node in 21st Century Security. and how it passes that information to a lot of the various assets on the ground for instance those ground-based systems.
and if you think about the amount of data that the F-35 brings and gathers and then now disseminates down to those systems it really can alter the way the battle space works or the bad the tactics that are used within that mission to be able to give key uh information out to every other asset.
[Tony] :
yes. Aaron I think it's really important that everyone understands you know we try to think
Pilots tactical Pilots try to think of building a chain right so for Mission accomplishment we have to execute a series of steps to build this chain with the last link being mission accomplished right the first couple of links in that chain are to detect locate and identify.
okay if we know what's out there then we know what tactic to employ we know how to solve that tactical challenge.
okay and that's really where the F-35 it's Sensor Fusion become an asset uh to the entire Battlefield because we can detect locate and identify at much greater ranges than most assets out there today which then allows us to again build that succinct picture for the battlefield commanders and gives everyone the the confidence out there to make those critical time decisions.
[Monessa] :
yeah. absolutely and as you were mentioning information also increases of viability. not only for just pilot to be to become home safely but also everybody else on the ground the more you know the more survivable you can be to counter some of those threats.
[Q] : okay we'll go to our next question.
[Monessa] : these are great questions.
[Q] : they're good. how does the F-35 handle different weather conditions. and what precautions or adaptations are necessary for extreme environments ?
[Tony] :
so the F-35 is an all-weather aircraft. um that means we can fly anywhere anytime day night snow wind sand rain one of the things that Lockheed Martin and U.S services and the partner countries did is we put the F-35 through extensive Environmental Testing uh down in Eglin during this testing it was exposed to extreme temperatures from 120 degrees Fahrenheit all the way down to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit it was also exposed to torrential rainfall and icing okay and that was part of the confidence uh or testing that was completed to build the confidence that the aircraft can operate in in any environment.
we also have additional systems within the aircraft that provide protection against uh things such as icing and other weather phenomenon.
[Q] : all right we're seeing a lot of questions in the chat about comparing the F-35 to other aircraft so I'll just kind of Encompass them into one. what are the main differences between flying an F-16 or F-18 and flying an F-35. how many hours of training does a pilot need to make a full transition from flying an F-16 or F-18 to an F-35.
[Monessa] :
I could take that one as the baby F-35 pilot of the Lockheed Martin group here. um so the F-16 and the F-35 from a flying standpoint for me was a very simple because the stick in the throttle were in the same location between the two aircraft. however while I was going through training I also saw some of myco-workers or other Pilots that I was going through that training with go from a center stick to a side stick and they said it was an easy transition for them to get used to the side stick.
so but were the F-35 and the F-16 for me really made that difference is the amount of information and situational awareness that the F-35 gave me in comparison to the F-16.
so I know brick has used this analogy for and a lot of the other Pilots have used it before in the F-16 it's for us it was three separate screens or displays that we would use.
and each one of those screens was tied to a specific Center so the pilot had to do the center Fusion themselves in their brains by looking at each individual screen on the F-16 take that information think about it and then come up with a solution.
whereas in the F-35 that large glass display that's in front of us and Sensor Fusion combined with it does that and provides that information that situational awareness much quicker than what I was able to do in the F-16 when as we've you know been mentioning before in this webinar the quicker the more High Fidelity information you get the better tactics and the better solutions that come out of it.
so the transition for the F-16 to the F-35 when I went through training I had about I want to say 1400 hours in the F-16. so the training was based off how much experience I had in the Jet and so that led to me getting about two weeks of academics and then 12 simulators and by three flights I was checked out in the F-35.
[Tony] :
yeah. you know uh for me the F-35 I can't put it any other way it's easy to fly but that's by Design the easier an aircraft is to fly the safer it is it gives the pilot what we call spare capacity to pay attention to other things now.
F-35 is easy to fly and I had been talking about Sensor Fusion when I was flying my fourth gen fighter and like siren was saying I was as much a sensor operator as I was a pilot or tactician I spent a lot of my spare capacity uh focusing the radar analyzing the multiple displays listening to a lot of off-board information come in to build that tactical picture.
Sensor Fusion takes care of that for the pilot so now with the F-35 it's easy to fly I don't have to dedicate as much attention to sensor management and allows us to be that tactician in the cockpit.
okay. and that's important because it used to take the services anywhere between 8 to 12 years to get a pilot to the Tactical level where they could lead a large number aircraft against an adversary and what we're seeing is Pilots are achieving those level levels in as little as two to four years now.
so it's all due to the capability that the F-35 and Sensor Fusion brings to them in the cockpit.
[Monessa] : I don't know about you but the more spare capacity I can get in the aircraft in the cockpit I will take it so F-35 is definitely easier to fly in my opinion.
[Tony] : well I didn't get the call sign brick capacity.
[Monessa] : for another time okay.
(LoL)
[Q] : all right we got another good question. are you using touch screen during the flight or mostly HOTAS ?
[Tony] :
so I'll take this one. so we'll use the touch screen primarily for what we call administrative portions of the flight so as we're getting ready to start executing the training mission we're going from point A to point B we'll use the touch screen. okay.
that's not to say that we can't use hotas but that's primarily when we'll be using the touch screen similar to an iPad or any other touch device.
when we're executing the Tactical portion of the mission then we're primarily hotas and that allows us like the acronym means Hands-On stick and throttle to never make me leave my hands from the stick and throttle that way I'm able to react and maneuver the jet as quickly as possible or as needed.
[Q] : we'll go to our next question. can you talk a little bit about the type of combat simulations that F-35 Pilots prepare for ?
[Monessa] :
yes. so um the simulators provide quite a bit of training that F-35 Pilots will do the the various combat missions. and um by doing that training it allows pilots to train learn as brick had already mentioned learn the HOTAS how to quickly and effectively use the aircraft depending on what the combat mission is or required to do.
so I think a lot of that extra training in simulators really help and it's an addition to not it I don't for me I don't think it could ever replace flying but it is definitely an addition to training to help the pilots prepare for the various combat missions. and a lot of those missions the F-35 does it can do all the legacy missions all the missions that Legacy Fighters used to do and more so a very advanced high threat environment is what gets pilots prepared for going out and doing it in the real world.
[Tony] :
yeah. so like siren was saying some of the missions that we'll execute in the simulator include both OCA and DCA offensive and defensive counter air so basically out there being a fighter pilot against other air adversaries we'll also do what's called SEAD and DEAD suppression and or destruction of enemy air defenses.
and then like siren was saying those are what we as fighter pilots will typically think of as our Legacy missions but as I said earlier the F-35 is also a fantastic ISR intelligent surveillance and reconnaissance platform so that is another mission that we train to is being able to uh work our way into a contested area and pass back information.
[Q] : yep. all right we'll go to our next question. are all three mod F-35 models fully operational and which ones do you fly ?
[Tony] :
so all three models are uh operational um uh all three are have IO seed initial operating operational capability here in the US as well as with some of our partner countries from flying around the globe the F-35 is out there on the tip of the spear today executing live world missions.
uh as far as which ones do do we fly I fly all three variants the A the B and the and the C.
[Monessa] : and then I fly uh the a model.
[Q] : we'll go to our next question. can F-35 fly supersonic ?
[Monessa] : yes. absolutely the F-35 is a highly maneuverable aircraft I can go up to Mach 1.6. um which is if you think about it about 1200 miles per hour or just under 2 000 kilometers an hour and gotta love the sound again once more sorry about that.
[Q] : okay we'll go to our next question. how does the F-35 vertical takeoff in landing work. what is the Pilot's experience ?
[Tony] : so uh the B model is our STOVL model it stands for uh short takeoff and vertical Landing okay so that...
(Noise from factory) (LoL)
[Tony] :
sorry about the noise like we said. we're we're actively building up there building at 35. um distillable model if you if the opportunity go ahead and take a look at videos that are online it looks amazing when it makes that transformation.
uh doors are opening the rear nozzle is swinging it looks amazing and if you didn't know better you were probably thinking the pilot must be working tremendously hard well the reality is we're not.
and again it's by Design it's the easier we can make the aircraft to fly the more survival it is okay. so without getting into it in great detail we have uh two nozzles we have the cold What's called the cold nozzle or the lift fan and we have the hot nozzle that allows the aircraft to basically hover.
uh again another uh Point as far as survivability goes other stowable aircraft or recall aircraft when they went into the hover they fly more like a helicopter.
we have what's called uh unified control system here so that the aircraft uh the B model in particular flies just like an aircraft when it's hovering so that prevents confusion and again builds survivability and safety margins for the pilot.
[Monessa] : I mean I don't I don't fly the B model but every time I see one hovering there it's it's a pretty amazing site to do to see for sure.
[Q] : all right we'll go to our next question. is it easy to get used to the F-35 helmet ?
[Monessa] :
um Yes actually for me transitioning from a heads up display or a hug which was in the F-16 to a helmet mounted display in the F-35 it weighs almost seamless for me to make that transition.
because of how the F-35 is fit to each pilot. so the F-35 is custom fit to each Pilot's head and it takes a little bit about two days of fitting versus various times to where a pilot first and foremost gets a 3D scan of your head.
if you want to know what you look like bald and where all the flat spots are on your head definitely go you know get an F-35 helmet fit it up because they do a as a crane goes over our head right now.
they do a scan of your head they make the internal mohawk internal molding of it they place it into the helmet and then they align using various machines and Optics they align the pupils to provide you a single image in that helmet mounted display.
so all in all it provides almost an extra sensor for the F-35 as it's integrated into the six distributed aperture cameras that are around the Jet. and that's where you hear a lot of people asking the questions can you guys really see through the jet really through and the answer is yes for sure.
[Q] : all right we've got time for one more question. what was your inspiration to become a fighter pilot ?
[Tony] :
um well uh a sense of adventure sense of excitement a little bit of being an adrenaline junkie uh being aggressive and competitive or competitive um my uh it's a bond my grandfather and I shared we used to he used to spend a lot of time with me as a child introducing me to Aviation.
um and it just being a Naval aviator having that extra challenge of landing on the boat and taking off. (LoL) kid to get any cooler no.
[Monessa] : well I personally like to land on runways. not boats but yes yes um but for me my inspiration was just really a service to my country um as Rick had mentioned my father had served as well so I also wanted to do my part and serve and what better way to serve than flying over the speed of sound.
[Tony] :
okay. so I think that's all the time that we have we really appreciate you joining us for Aviator Airwaves uh spend a little bit of time with us here in Fort Worth Lockheed Martin Aeronautics where we're obviously in the process of building f-35s.
we appreciate all those questions they were really fantastic hopefully you guys learned a little bit uh something I know I learned a little bit of something having the opportunity to sit here with siren again Tony Wilson call sign brick.
[Monessa] : and siren thank you for joining us.
So F-35 in air to air has more range and is more capable than Rafail having to carry 3 tanks making it a fatso flying brick target?
Do you want to take a peek into the F-35 cockpit? Check out Aviator Airwaves, a conversation with two F-35 pilots. This video explores why the F-35 is the world's most advanced fighter jet.
- Jun 16, 2023
[Monessa] : and my name is Monessa baltzhizer my call sign is Siren and I'm also a F-35 pilot.
and we're here today to talk to you guys about the fifth generation F-35 and its amazing capabilities and significant contributions to 21st Century Security.
[Tony] :
now the F-35 is the most capable the most survivable and the most uh connected fighter flying on the face of the planet today and that's what allows it to be the most advanced node in the 21st century security network.
now what siren said about 5th gen what makes the plane 5th gen most people automatically go to stealth and stealth is an important part of what makes the F-35 5th gen but the other part of it is it's combination of advanced sensors advanced communication suite and Sensor Fusion.
Sensor Fusion is a system that not only manages the sensors for the pilot but optimizes them for the mission. it's Sensor Fusion that uh collects both onboard and off-board information.
presents it in a succinct picture that gives Battlefield commanders unprecedented situational awareness and the confidence to act quickly against any adversary. but you know the F-35 is much more than just a fighter it's also sorry about the noise we are in an active Factory today.
anyways and it makes it a perfect ISR platform. ISR stands for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. you can think of the F-35 as a fly-in data node okay which makes it an integral part of what we call JADO or joint all domain operations.
the F-35 uses its Advanced sensors to collect this information Sensor Fusion then analyzes it we use the data links to disseminate it against or not against but two space assets air assets surface assets both land and sea as well as subsurface assets.
and cyber right and that's what allows us to provide this multi-spectral picture across the anyone that's in the network. and that's what really makes this aircraft key to interoperability siren you're going to tell us a little bit about interoperability right.
[Monessa] :
yes uh absolutely so as wicked mentioned the F-35 is the most advanced aircraft in the world and it is the only fighter that has been designed to count in Next Generation threats and the European theater from 2070 and Beyond.
it is also becoming the aircraft of choice for European countries to replace their Heritage fleets.
and it is spearheading every country's integrated deterrent systems through its unprecedented level of technology and capability being incorporated into these countries defense systems.
once again gotta love that sound we are in a factory but hey f-35s have to be produced right. so as I was saying the F-35 is not just a deterrence. it is improving interoperability as Brick had mentioned because it is becoming compatible with a wide range of Allied systems.
and it just continues to grow uh as more f-35s join NATO joined Allied countries and other partners around the world. but what is interoperability and why is it so important well for pilot putting in very easy terms you're connecting forces.
you're connecting those forces to enable tactics and resources to efficiently and effectively achieve an objective and it's producing synergies.
for example let's talk about the air policing mission in the baltics. and now incorporating a two ship of f-35s into that long-standing mission. so you have f-35s flying out doing an air policing mission in the baltics. and it sees an unknown aircraft much farther away.
with the F-35 will do and which I'm sure most people know it will look at that unknown aircraft use Fusion in all the sensors it has on the jet to identify that aircraft.
and now it's not only identifying it but it's identifying it with extreme High Fidelity. and where interoperability plays a key is now that F-35 takes that informationand pushes it out to multiple assets whether that is a naval Battleship battleship in the sea uh to other aircraft Airborne companion control and space and cyber as wicked mentioned.
so now Pilots particularly are getting data quicker farther out and with higher fidelity that is what interoperability means to a pilot and it continues to strengthen Partnerships beyond the battle space because Pilots are now doing joint training and working side by side every step of the way.
it's important to us and it's a key feature that the F-35 brings. so okay enough talking with the brick and I we've given you guys a quick overview of what the F-35 is what it can do and why it's important but now let's get to the good part and answer some of the questions feel free to ask us any questions and input them into the chat uh to be read over.
[Q] : all right we'll start with our first question our first question is how do software upgrades work on the F-35 and does it change the Pilot experience ?
[Tony] :
so in the simplest way you can think of software upgrades for the F-35 similar to software upgrades for assault so for example typically cell phones the hardware gets upgraded every two years.
but the cell phone makers are constantly pushing software updates and with that update comes new capability right well it's the same or very similar with the F-35.
however the F-35 is right now getting what we call tr3 or Tech refresh three this is only the third time since the aircraft's been flying that we are upgrading the hardware.
however software gets pushed about every six months and with each new software drop. comes new capability or an increase in capability so what it means to the pilot is every time we get new software we become more capable we become more survivable we become more connected.
and a great example of survivability is agcast or Auto ground collision avoidance system this is a system that's working constantly in the background to protect both the plane and the pilot.
it's always projecting where the aircraft is going and it will give the pilot a warning if it senses or determines an impending collision with the ground if the pilot doesn't take command of the aircraft or is uncapable for whatever reason the aircraft automatically takes control and puts the aircraft on a safe trajectory keeping both the pilot and the aircraft safe.
[Monessa] :
I think that brick brings up a really good point is when those software upgrades happen they're also really getting a lot of feedback from the pilots.
and what exactly will help what in their mind helps bringing the F-35 capability to another level. so yeah definitely bringing that feedback from the pilots helps when we're trying to upgrade the jet.
[Q] : all right we're going to go to a fun question. what does G-Force feel like ?
[Monessa] :
I don't know if that's a fun question because g-forces uh well okay. um so if you think about the average roller coaster those roller coasters pull about three to four G's Max I think there's some that go up to six years good luck with that.
um but a G-Force is think about your weight and I'm not going to tell you my weight so let's just do some math here let's just say a person who weighs a hundred pounds.
if they're pulling nine G's that's 900 or 900 pounds of course on a person's body and that is what the F-35 is capable of doing so imagine just that much pressure on your body so it takes a lot of training as well as some specialized equipment that Pilots will use to pull g-forces.
[Tony] :
yeah you know siren for me g-forces feel like 800 pound gorilla sitting on your chest like siren said you know when you're pulling those g-forces uh your body just gets heavier right so when we go out and we're practicing bfm or basic fighter Maneuvers uh what you also know is dog fighting.
it's like a full body workout so we'll go out there and we'll fly for an hour hour and a half constantly pulling and knees and G's going up to nine G's and back down so when you come back you are wiped out it's like you just spent the last hour hour and a half doing a total body workout.
[Monessa] :
yes and one of those things the center training that all Pilots love if you want to see what yourself looks like in about at 100 years old and wrinkled face just go do that for fun and you'll you'll find out what g-forces really feels like.
[Q] : all right we'll go to our next question. I read that the F-35 doesn't communicate with other aircraft is that true ?
[Tony] :
absolutely not. so the F-35 is both MADL and Link 16 capable. MADL is an F-35 to F-35 data link and that allows the F-35 to increase capability.
I can't talk about what capabilities it provides but what I can tell you about MADLs that one plus one is greater than two it is a force multiplier with respect to the F-35.
but the F-35 is also uh outfitted with link 16 data link link 16 is the standard link across all U.S platforms as well as all NATO platforms as well so whatever we're able to see with our Advanced sensors uh bringing in both onboard and off-board information linking it or fusing it with Sensor Fusion we're able to push that out over link 16.
so whatever for the F-35 is capable of seeing again think about it as that Airborne data node we're able to communicate with any other aircraft any other asset or platform that is also link 16 capable.
[Q] : all right we'll do our next question. how far can the F-35 fly Non-Stop ?
[Monessa] :
oh. well it depends on what it's doing right it's its Mission. so that will like I said it really depends on how much maneuvering the aircraft can do... I believe it's about 900 miles is that... ( [Tony] : for for combat radius.) combat radius about 900 miles. looking a little bit over 1200 if you're just cruising from point to point.
so a lot of that really depends on um what the pilot is doing with the aircraft and how much fuel it's using based off maneuvering.
[Tony] :
so, it's Sirens really trying to say is first of all you have to take into account each variant okay while we have the three variants.
and they're all very common they all carry a different amount of fuel so the F-18 or, excuse me, the F-35. I used to fly F-18s. the F-35A carries about 18 000 pounds of fuel. that's where F-18 came from. the F-35B carries about 13 000 pounds and then the C model the carrier variant carries almost 20 000 pounds of fuel.
so like siren was saying first it's going to depend on the mission and what she's trying to say is how much After Burner are we using right. because when we're putting in an afterburner you using your fuel quickly.
the other part of it when you start talking about fighter performance is how how heavy is the aircraft and just multiple factors environmental factors. So, what we typically say is a combat radius anywhere between 700 - 900 nautical miles. And what that means is how far can the aircraft travel into an adversary adversarial territory execute its Mission and then travel back.
[Q] : all right we'll go to our next question. quite fives into ground-based systems or other aircraft enhance its Effectiveness in joint operations ?
[Monessa] :
wow that's a great question great question. um so how does it how does the F-35 enhanced ground-based systems and it all comes back to what I was talking about with interoperability.
and how that plays a key role in how the F-35 is a critical node in 21st Century Security. and how it passes that information to a lot of the various assets on the ground for instance those ground-based systems.
and if you think about the amount of data that the F-35 brings and gathers and then now disseminates down to those systems it really can alter the way the battle space works or the bad the tactics that are used within that mission to be able to give key uh information out to every other asset.
[Tony] :
yes. Aaron I think it's really important that everyone understands you know we try to think
Pilots tactical Pilots try to think of building a chain right so for Mission accomplishment we have to execute a series of steps to build this chain with the last link being mission accomplished right the first couple of links in that chain are to detect locate and identify.
okay if we know what's out there then we know what tactic to employ we know how to solve that tactical challenge.
okay and that's really where the F-35 it's Sensor Fusion become an asset uh to the entire Battlefield because we can detect locate and identify at much greater ranges than most assets out there today which then allows us to again build that succinct picture for the battlefield commanders and gives everyone the the confidence out there to make those critical time decisions.
[Monessa] :
yeah. absolutely and as you were mentioning information also increases of viability. not only for just pilot to be to become home safely but also everybody else on the ground the more you know the more survivable you can be to counter some of those threats.
[Q] : okay we'll go to our next question.
[Monessa] : these are great questions.
[Q] : they're good. how does the F-35 handle different weather conditions. and what precautions or adaptations are necessary for extreme environments ?
[Tony] :
so the F-35 is an all-weather aircraft. um that means we can fly anywhere anytime day night snow wind sand rain one of the things that Lockheed Martin and U.S services and the partner countries did is we put the F-35 through extensive Environmental Testing uh down in Eglin during this testing it was exposed to extreme temperatures from 120 degrees Fahrenheit all the way down to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit it was also exposed to torrential rainfall and icing okay and that was part of the confidence uh or testing that was completed to build the confidence that the aircraft can operate in in any environment.
we also have additional systems within the aircraft that provide protection against uh things such as icing and other weather phenomenon.
[Q] : all right we're seeing a lot of questions in the chat about comparing the F-35 to other aircraft so I'll just kind of Encompass them into one. what are the main differences between flying an F-16 or F-18 and flying an F-35. how many hours of training does a pilot need to make a full transition from flying an F-16 or F-18 to an F-35.
[Monessa] :
I could take that one as the baby F-35 pilot of the Lockheed Martin group here. um so the F-16 and the F-35 from a flying standpoint for me was a very simple because the stick in the throttle were in the same location between the two aircraft. however while I was going through training I also saw some of myco-workers or other Pilots that I was going through that training with go from a center stick to a side stick and they said it was an easy transition for them to get used to the side stick.
so but were the F-35 and the F-16 for me really made that difference is the amount of information and situational awareness that the F-35 gave me in comparison to the F-16.
so I know brick has used this analogy for and a lot of the other Pilots have used it before in the F-16 it's for us it was three separate screens or displays that we would use.
and each one of those screens was tied to a specific Center so the pilot had to do the center Fusion themselves in their brains by looking at each individual screen on the F-16 take that information think about it and then come up with a solution.
whereas in the F-35 that large glass display that's in front of us and Sensor Fusion combined with it does that and provides that information that situational awareness much quicker than what I was able to do in the F-16 when as we've you know been mentioning before in this webinar the quicker the more High Fidelity information you get the better tactics and the better solutions that come out of it.
so the transition for the F-16 to the F-35 when I went through training I had about I want to say 1400 hours in the F-16. so the training was based off how much experience I had in the Jet and so that led to me getting about two weeks of academics and then 12 simulators and by three flights I was checked out in the F-35.
[Tony] :
yeah. you know uh for me the F-35 I can't put it any other way it's easy to fly but that's by Design the easier an aircraft is to fly the safer it is it gives the pilot what we call spare capacity to pay attention to other things now.
F-35 is easy to fly and I had been talking about Sensor Fusion when I was flying my fourth gen fighter and like siren was saying I was as much a sensor operator as I was a pilot or tactician I spent a lot of my spare capacity uh focusing the radar analyzing the multiple displays listening to a lot of off-board information come in to build that tactical picture.
Sensor Fusion takes care of that for the pilot so now with the F-35 it's easy to fly I don't have to dedicate as much attention to sensor management and allows us to be that tactician in the cockpit.
okay. and that's important because it used to take the services anywhere between 8 to 12 years to get a pilot to the Tactical level where they could lead a large number aircraft against an adversary and what we're seeing is Pilots are achieving those level levels in as little as two to four years now.
so it's all due to the capability that the F-35 and Sensor Fusion brings to them in the cockpit.
[Monessa] : I don't know about you but the more spare capacity I can get in the aircraft in the cockpit I will take it so F-35 is definitely easier to fly in my opinion.
[Tony] : well I didn't get the call sign brick capacity.
[Monessa] : for another time okay.
(LoL)
[Q] : all right we got another good question. are you using touch screen during the flight or mostly HOTAS ?
[Tony] :
so I'll take this one. so we'll use the touch screen primarily for what we call administrative portions of the flight so as we're getting ready to start executing the training mission we're going from point A to point B we'll use the touch screen. okay.
that's not to say that we can't use hotas but that's primarily when we'll be using the touch screen similar to an iPad or any other touch device.
when we're executing the Tactical portion of the mission then we're primarily hotas and that allows us like the acronym means Hands-On stick and throttle to never make me leave my hands from the stick and throttle that way I'm able to react and maneuver the jet as quickly as possible or as needed.
[Q] : we'll go to our next question. can you talk a little bit about the type of combat simulations that F-35 Pilots prepare for ?
[Monessa] :
yes. so um the simulators provide quite a bit of training that F-35 Pilots will do the the various combat missions. and um by doing that training it allows pilots to train learn as brick had already mentioned learn the HOTAS how to quickly and effectively use the aircraft depending on what the combat mission is or required to do.
so I think a lot of that extra training in simulators really help and it's an addition to not it I don't for me I don't think it could ever replace flying but it is definitely an addition to training to help the pilots prepare for the various combat missions. and a lot of those missions the F-35 does it can do all the legacy missions all the missions that Legacy Fighters used to do and more so a very advanced high threat environment is what gets pilots prepared for going out and doing it in the real world.
[Tony] :
yeah. so like siren was saying some of the missions that we'll execute in the simulator include both OCA and DCA offensive and defensive counter air so basically out there being a fighter pilot against other air adversaries we'll also do what's called SEAD and DEAD suppression and or destruction of enemy air defenses.
and then like siren was saying those are what we as fighter pilots will typically think of as our Legacy missions but as I said earlier the F-35 is also a fantastic ISR intelligent surveillance and reconnaissance platform so that is another mission that we train to is being able to uh work our way into a contested area and pass back information.
[Q] : yep. all right we'll go to our next question. are all three mod F-35 models fully operational and which ones do you fly ?
[Tony] :
so all three models are uh operational um uh all three are have IO seed initial operating operational capability here in the US as well as with some of our partner countries from flying around the globe the F-35 is out there on the tip of the spear today executing live world missions.
uh as far as which ones do do we fly I fly all three variants the A the B and the and the C.
[Monessa] : and then I fly uh the a model.
[Q] : we'll go to our next question. can F-35 fly supersonic ?
[Monessa] : yes. absolutely the F-35 is a highly maneuverable aircraft I can go up to Mach 1.6. um which is if you think about it about 1200 miles per hour or just under 2 000 kilometers an hour and gotta love the sound again once more sorry about that.
[Q] : okay we'll go to our next question. how does the F-35 vertical takeoff in landing work. what is the Pilot's experience ?
[Tony] : so uh the B model is our STOVL model it stands for uh short takeoff and vertical Landing okay so that...
(Noise from factory) (LoL)
[Tony] :
sorry about the noise like we said. we're we're actively building up there building at 35. um distillable model if you if the opportunity go ahead and take a look at videos that are online it looks amazing when it makes that transformation.
uh doors are opening the rear nozzle is swinging it looks amazing and if you didn't know better you were probably thinking the pilot must be working tremendously hard well the reality is we're not.
and again it's by Design it's the easier we can make the aircraft to fly the more survival it is okay. so without getting into it in great detail we have uh two nozzles we have the cold What's called the cold nozzle or the lift fan and we have the hot nozzle that allows the aircraft to basically hover.
uh again another uh Point as far as survivability goes other stowable aircraft or recall aircraft when they went into the hover they fly more like a helicopter.
we have what's called uh unified control system here so that the aircraft uh the B model in particular flies just like an aircraft when it's hovering so that prevents confusion and again builds survivability and safety margins for the pilot.
[Monessa] : I mean I don't I don't fly the B model but every time I see one hovering there it's it's a pretty amazing site to do to see for sure.
[Q] : all right we'll go to our next question. is it easy to get used to the F-35 helmet ?
[Monessa] :
um Yes actually for me transitioning from a heads up display or a hug which was in the F-16 to a helmet mounted display in the F-35 it weighs almost seamless for me to make that transition.
because of how the F-35 is fit to each pilot. so the F-35 is custom fit to each Pilot's head and it takes a little bit about two days of fitting versus various times to where a pilot first and foremost gets a 3D scan of your head.
if you want to know what you look like bald and where all the flat spots are on your head definitely go you know get an F-35 helmet fit it up because they do a as a crane goes over our head right now.
they do a scan of your head they make the internal mohawk internal molding of it they place it into the helmet and then they align using various machines and Optics they align the pupils to provide you a single image in that helmet mounted display.
so all in all it provides almost an extra sensor for the F-35 as it's integrated into the six distributed aperture cameras that are around the Jet. and that's where you hear a lot of people asking the questions can you guys really see through the jet really through and the answer is yes for sure.
[Q] : all right we've got time for one more question. what was your inspiration to become a fighter pilot ?
[Tony] :
um well uh a sense of adventure sense of excitement a little bit of being an adrenaline junkie uh being aggressive and competitive or competitive um my uh it's a bond my grandfather and I shared we used to he used to spend a lot of time with me as a child introducing me to Aviation.
um and it just being a Naval aviator having that extra challenge of landing on the boat and taking off. (LoL) kid to get any cooler no.
[Monessa] : well I personally like to land on runways. not boats but yes yes um but for me my inspiration was just really a service to my country um as Rick had mentioned my father had served as well so I also wanted to do my part and serve and what better way to serve than flying over the speed of sound.
[Tony] :
okay. so I think that's all the time that we have we really appreciate you joining us for Aviator Airwaves uh spend a little bit of time with us here in Fort Worth Lockheed Martin Aeronautics where we're obviously in the process of building f-35s.
we appreciate all those questions they were really fantastic hopefully you guys learned a little bit uh something I know I learned a little bit of something having the opportunity to sit here with siren again Tony Wilson call sign brick.
[Monessa] : and siren thank you for joining us.
So F-35 in air to air has more range and is more capable than Rafail having to carry 3 tanks making it a fatso flying brick target?
Rafail fanboys once again circle jrking to each others BS.
-American F-35 pilots share their experience of flying the plane - "You'd be surprised how much we use autopilot and autogas"
26.6.2022 Mikko Pulliainen
Sean Harvey and Justin Lennon talk about what lies ahead for Finland's future F-35 pilots.
The US Air Force (USAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II pilots who arrived at the Pori air show last weekend are a good example of the kind of backgrounds that can come from to take the controls of an aircraft.
Major Justin Lennon has served in the USAF for eleven years, and prior to his current assignment, he flew the world's first fifth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
Lieutenant Sean Harvey, on the other hand, comes straight out of the training pipeline, with his first training aircraft being a Raytheon T-6 Texan II turboprop and his jet training aircraft being a Northrop T-38C Talon.
"You fly the planes for about 60 to 70 hours each before moving on," Harvey says of his training.
There is no two-seat version of the F-35, so Harvey flew the simulator for about 30 hours before taking the controls of the real aircraft. He received about 2.5 months of simulator and theory training before his first flight in the aircraft.
"The first 5 to 10 flights are mainly to learn how to understand the aircraft, then you move on to things like night flights."
For the first 3-4 months, Harvey learned individual mission types, then moved on to training for real, more complex operational flights involving a large number of aircraft and other operators.
Major Lennon's type course was shorter, as he already had experience with fighter aircraft.
"Sean's course lasted six months, mine lasted three. My air-to-air training was limited because I was already experienced in it. There was more training for air-to-ground missions because they play a minor role in the F-22. For the A-10 (ground combat aircraft) pilots coming to F-35 training, it's the opposite."
The training program for foreign F-35 pilots can similarly be tailored to their previous experience.
Lennon describes the F-35 as quite similar to the F-22 in terms of systems, as both are built by Lockheed Martin. A major who served as a flight instructor believes pilots who come directly from basic training are the easiest to train because they don't need to be taught away from the procedures of the previous operational aircraft type.
"When I flew my first F-35 missions, there were situations where I instinctively ended up flipping switches like an F-22 and I might, for example, select the wrong weapon."
The F-35As arrived in Pori from the 495th Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, operated by the US European Air Force.
For the pilots, this is a 2-3 year mission, during which they will fly around Europe and practice joint operations with partner countries.
The squadron will mainly focus on air-to-air operations, in particular defensive counter-air operations. Some training is also given to disabling enemy air defences, in practice Russian anti-aircraft batteries.
"Most of the [air-to-air training] is focused on fighting beyond visual range, because that's where we want to be. If we get within visual range, something has gone wrong," says Harvey.
With the British and Dutch F-35 fleets, the Americans train weekly. Interestingly for Finland's NATO membership ambitions, the Americans have flown together with the British, Dutch and Norwegian F-35s, with the aircraft's Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) exchanging situational awareness simultaneously between the fleets of all four countries.
The F-35s have also had some training with the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon fleet. Both were involved in the Finnish HX evaluation, but Lennon said the F-35 was the clear winner in the air battle.
"If you talk about a realistic scenario that starts beyond visual range, the F-35 is second to none. Because of the stealth characteristics of the aircraft, the Eurofighters don't even know we're in the area."
Lieutenant Harvey's previous experience with fast jets is limited to the T-38, but for a training aircraft it's quite a cannon: its afterburners accelerate the aircraft to supersonic speeds at best, taking it to over 55,000 feet.
"Both are great to fly, but the F-35 is much more powerful. In aerial combat, the T-38 flies horizontally because it doesn't have the power for vertical movement, but the F-35 has more both power and manoeuvrability."
Major Lennon's former tool, the F-22, on the other hand, is probably the most capable air superiority fighter in the world.
"The sensors are better in the F-35, the performance is certainly better in the F-22 because it has two engines, it turns better, it flies higher and faster. The F-35 has better fuel capacity and mission time, which is very handy for longer missions. This is often underestimated in the case of fighters, although the extra time is valuable to us. The F-22 has a larger weapons load, carrying eight air-to-air missiles internally (F-35A currently four, in the future six). I would still probably choose the F-35 because of its operational time and sensors, in particular the infrared sensor and electro-optical sensors, which the F-22 does not have."
The key features of the F-35 include its ability to collect large amounts of data and package the data through sensor fusion in a pilot-friendly way.
"The limitation of the aircraft is its pilot, which is the pilot's ability to process the information presented by the aircraft and act on it. Often, when we come back from a mission and find out why something failed, we find that some plane did have the information on its screen, but the pilot probably didn't know how to process it. When I was a flight instructor at Luke (USAF Air Force Base, Arizona), we tried to teach pilots to identify where to find the information they needed at any given point in the mission," Lennon explains.
He says it's very useful that the basic flight of the F-35 is quite easy: it frees up the pilots' mental resources to process information.
"The F-35's automation is quite good. You might not think that autopilot and autothrottle would be useful for flying a fighter, but you'd be surprised how much we use them just because it frees up our capacity."
For the F-35 pilot, information is presented on a large touchscreen, the layout of which can be adapted to the requirements of the mission and/or the pilot's personal preferences. According to Lieutenant Harvey, the settings are selected either before take-off or during a cruise to the mission area.
"Usually, the display doesn't need much adjustment [in the air]. The bulk of its operation is done using HOTAS (Hands On Throttle and Stick = a user interface where the functions most needed by the pilot are centralised on the stick and throttle switches), moving the cursor on the screen or something. I also sometimes use a touchscreen because in some situations, instead of moving the cursor, it's easier to just lean forward and touch."
The F-35's display functionality is not activated at the moment of touch, but only when the pilot pulls his finger away. So after a touch in the wrong place, the pilot can slide his finger over the correct function.
However, Lennon says that using the touchscreen in turbulent weather or under high g-forces can be cumbersome, and in those situations he says he misses the F-22's interface, with physical buttons placed along the edges of the screens.
"I'd say almost 90 percent of the pilot's tasks can be done through HOTAS."
Amerikkalaiset F-35-pilotit kertovat kokemuksensa koneella lentämisestä – ”Yllättyisit, jos tietäisit miten paljon käytämme autopilottia ja autokaasua”
Sean Harvey ja Justin Lennon kertovat, mitä Suomenkin tulevilla F-35-lentäjillä on edessään.
There's absolutely nothing in the article that's actually relevant to the B4 delay.
Then we have to find what will be the capabiluties postponed after 2032.
We all know that the f135 is at it max electric power capabilty and then it is totally impossible to make more power.
If the new equipments come with more power than needed then out.
Apg-85 ?
Eodas ?
EW ?
Laser ?
I hope the tr3 need less power than tr2... oh wait !!!
The only way these equipments can be used before 2032 is if their power specifications are below the former equipments. Problem ... GAO told us that there're no specifications with C2D2.
Randomradio is right to say that obsolescence has already begun.
Rafale new standards come every 6 to 7 years, F-35 that's every 14 years.
We all know that the f135 is at it max electric power capabilty and then it is totally impossible to make more power.
If the new equipments come with more power than needed then out.
Apg-85 ?
Eodas ?
EW ?
Laser ?
I hope the tr3 need less power than tr2... oh wait !!!
The only way these equipments can be used before 2032 is if their power specifications are below the former equipments. Problem ... GAO told us that there're no specifications with C2D2.
Randomradio is right to say that obsolescence has already begun.
Rafale new standards come every 6 to 7 years, F-35 that's every 14 years.
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To understand these limits and why the architecture choosen for the F-35 has such effets we will compare with the SCORPION helmet for the rafale.
What is the main point in this demonstration is that the SCORPION or the HMDS can't be considered for themselves but are part of a bigger optical system : eye / helmet / canopy.
We will begin by some video showing what these two systmes have to deal with :
At approx. 5:17, the effect of deformation of the rafale canopy seen from the rear, with accentuation or diminution of the earth's roundness depending on the position of the aircraft.
Ditto chillout video around 4:53 with change of pilot's head direction and deformation effect caused by the canopy. Visible effect on the horizon during a barrel at around 21:04.
The same effect is visible on the F-35, particularly at around 5:26 or 5:49 during a loop. On the other hand, there's a lot more vibration than with a rafale.
In this video from inside the HMDS helmet, you can't see any distortion of the horizon when the pilot turns his head at 1:13. There's a lack of other views to check, for example during a barrel. But overall, if the pilot keeps his head on the same vertical axis in relation to the aircraft, then the helmet gives him an undistorted view that is compatible with the instruments.
HMDS video. At around 0:33 we see one of the image projectors on the visor. You can also see during the video that the journalist is looking through the visor at the simulation, switching from his view of the ground through the floor to his view through the canopy, totally imperceptibly. HMDS a very fine piece of optical precision.
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Let me summarize the videos above. We can see that the rafale and f-35 canopies do distort the landscape. Unfortunately, we can only partially see that the HMDS corrects these distortions very smoothly and efficiently.
Last but not least, the rafale videos are very stable compared with the F-35 video during the demo flight, so you can better understand the vibrations experienced by the pilot and structure in an F-35.
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What is the main point in this demonstration is that the SCORPION or the HMDS can't be considered for themselves but are part of a bigger optical system : eye / helmet / canopy.
We will begin by some video showing what these two systmes have to deal with :
At approx. 5:17, the effect of deformation of the rafale canopy seen from the rear, with accentuation or diminution of the earth's roundness depending on the position of the aircraft.
Ditto chillout video around 4:53 with change of pilot's head direction and deformation effect caused by the canopy. Visible effect on the horizon during a barrel at around 21:04.
The same effect is visible on the F-35, particularly at around 5:26 or 5:49 during a loop. On the other hand, there's a lot more vibration than with a rafale.
In this video from inside the HMDS helmet, you can't see any distortion of the horizon when the pilot turns his head at 1:13. There's a lack of other views to check, for example during a barrel. But overall, if the pilot keeps his head on the same vertical axis in relation to the aircraft, then the helmet gives him an undistorted view that is compatible with the instruments.
HMDS video. At around 0:33 we see one of the image projectors on the visor. You can also see during the video that the journalist is looking through the visor at the simulation, switching from his view of the ground through the floor to his view through the canopy, totally imperceptibly. HMDS a very fine piece of optical precision.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me summarize the videos above. We can see that the rafale and f-35 canopies do distort the landscape. Unfortunately, we can only partially see that the HMDS corrects these distortions very smoothly and efficiently.
Last but not least, the rafale videos are very stable compared with the F-35 video during the demo flight, so you can better understand the vibrations experienced by the pilot and structure in an F-35.
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The whole part saying that the system is eye + helmet + canopy and that the canopy is a lens that distorts the landscape is demonstrated.. I would also remind you that there is no HUD in the F-35. Finally, the canopy is a lens that gives a false indication of the position of an object outside the cockpit. The helmet actively corrects these errors by deforming, probably using piezo cables, the helmet visor where the image it has produced is projected. This correction is highly complex, since during flight the canopy behaves like a drop of water, deformed by aerodynamic stresses. However, it is controllable and can be modeled and countered by the helmet's active correction.
However, the visor's piezo correction is necessarily limited in reactivity and especially in length. If the canopy deforms too much, the visor can no longer correct. It's hard to say when this limit is reached, but the higher the speed of the F-35 and the greater the air density, the closer it gets.
However, the visor's piezo correction is necessarily limited in reactivity and especially in length. If the canopy deforms too much, the visor can no longer correct. It's hard to say when this limit is reached, but the higher the speed of the F-35 and the greater the air density, the closer it gets.