F 35 Lightening II Unsurpassed Performance.
F 35 Lightening II Unsurpassed Performance. The F 35 lightening has some pretty incredible advancements from previous generation aircraft such as the F-16 Viper. The Lightening was designed to be able to replace the F-16 Viper as a dogfighter, the F18 for ground attack plus air superiority of the F15. The dedicated air superiority platform is obviously the F 22 Raptor, but the Lightening II is very capable in this role.
The advanced establishment in avionics has made the F-35 a flying sensor platform enabling it to big brother all the fourth generation aircraft.
They simply don’t have the situational awareness that the Lightening II brings to the battle space. In using its advanced sensors and sharing information the F 35 brings older 4th gen aircraft capabilities up to a survivability they could not deliver on their own. The Lightening is a force multiplier as is the F 22 Raptor in any battle space.
Specific F 35 lightening Features!
Let’s look at specific features the F-35 Lightening II offers its pilots and companion aircraft. Its a truly ground breaking aircraft design that has proven its denounces very wrong. The many countries now using them operationally shows how well it has been accepted by allies. In combat it has reportedly proven very effective with the Israeli Air Force believed to deployed them in operations. Much is still secret regarding these operations and often denied by Israel.
F35 A Stealth Platform
The most obvious feature is its stealth ability having an incredibly low observable airframe. It’s been said the radar cross section the size of a golf ball or smaller. This makes it invisible to most 4th generation fighters even at relatively close distances. Not being detected means they can simply fly around the threat and arrive behind it and kill it unseen.
AESA Radar Amazing – F 35 lightening.
Radar advancements is the F-35 radar with the Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar (AESA) make a massive difference to how the aircraft operates. The radars capabilities are mostly secret but it is nearly undetectable by its adversaries because it changes its transmitting frequency 1000s of times a second. Targeted aircraft never get an indication its being targeted by the F 35.
Targeted aircraft need to get a sample of the radar to check its radar signature so it can examine with its own computer to tell the pilot the F-35 is targeting it. The random changing frequency ensures the Lightening II remains undetected.
Sensor Fusion is Ground Breaking.
Sensor Fusion is where the pilot notices the advancements in aircraft design. Merging on board radar, optical sensors as well as shared data from data links supplied by AWACS, Ships as well as Ground based radars plus other aircraft on the network including 4th generation aircraft give it exceptional situational awareness.
The F-35 is probably the first aircraft in the world that can both attack ground targets and air targets at the same time. It’s the first aircraft ever than can display air to air tracks as well as air to ground targets, show all threats it sees on one display.
Why Sensor Fusion is Important!
Sensor fusion is defiantly the biggest advancement in fighter design ever! Older 4th generation aircraft from the strike eagle to the Viper and Hornet could only ever look at half the picture. Tracking an air to air threat, the pilot had no ability to track ground targets and limited threat information. This is as bigger than winning the lottery in jet fighter circles. You cannot probably grasp how big of a deal this really is. It’s only because of today’s super powerful computers this has become possible.
Understanding Sensor Fusion F 35 Lightening.
F 35 lightening driving a car or a bike with one eyed closed and only able to look forward with no mirrors available. There is a panel extending out 3 meters from your handle bars or bonnet so you cannot see the road for hundreds of meters.
So, you can barely see, no depth perception and cannot see any threats on the road or behind you! It’s pretty limiting isn’t it. This is essentially a 4th generation fighters view of the world is simply. By comparison the stealth aircraft like the F-22, F-35 as well as the Sukhoi Su-50 Pak Fa your pretty lonely these days in a 4th generation aircraft.
The F 35 Lightening sees everything in a 360 degree sphere both in front and behind as well as up and even directly below the aircraft. Literally nothing escapes the Lightening or its myriad of external sensors including everything fed to the aircraft on data link.
Most Expensive Helmet in the World!
Lastly but not least important is the incredible helmet worth over a 1/2 million dollars on its own! This incredible helmet transmits 360 degree view of the world for the pilot.
The pilot can look in any direction even through the aircraft and see what’s there. The pilot can see threats, targets, navigation information all combined into an easy to understand and process picture even in complex combat situations.
Lightening II is a Dogfighter.
Well I’m sure there is more with regards to weapons systems and flight models. It’s worth noting although the F-35 got a bad wrap in its early days dogfighting this combat armed F-35 weighs in at 40,000 lbs. but is powered by the MOST POWERFUL fighter engine EVER! The engine delivers 46,000 lbs of thrust to this 9G monster! Yes it can dogfight very well but it’s not planned to have to.
A lot would have to go wrong for the Lightening II to have to enter into a Dogfight for sure but it’s more than ready. The silence from its many detractors in the past shows it has succeeded on so many levels from performance to combat capability.
F 35 Lightening Varients.
It’s also worth noting this incredible aircraft’s myriad of roles! There are several variations of the Lightening II with the fixed wing F 35A being the fixed wing traditional landing Variant. Complimenting this is a B Model with folding wings and Short takeoff and Vertical landing capabilities for the Marines.
Then comes the full Navy variant built to launch and recover on USA aircraft carriers. It needs a stronger airframe as well as stronger gear plus launch bar additions for operations.
The F-35 Lightening II is the envy of many and second only to the F-22 Raptor in air to air capability but a multi role aircraft it is king!
Long live the King! The F 35 Reigns Supreme.
Fly the F 35 Lightening Yourself? Yes You Can!
The F-35 Lightening II actually appears in a number of flight simulators so you can have a go in the comfort of your sim room. Most recently MSFS 2020 has released a version of the F-35 by INDIA FOXECHO. If you would like to fly it you can find it available in a number of MSFS 2020 aircraft stores.
DCS World has a FREEWARE Mod of the F-35 you can currently Download HERE and fly for free. Enjoy killing stuff!
X Plane 11 also had a FREEWARE F-35 Lightening II but unfortunately it is now payware but I had it as a Freeware mod and it was very good already.
Check out LetsFlyVFR YouTube Channel for more great aircraft and Tutorials!
Author.
Brendon McAliece is a Sport pilot, avid flight simulator user with 23 years in military aviation. He worked on many Jet fighters, helicopters as well as trainer aircraft in the RAAF and with BAe Systems in the Middle East. He lives in Thailand and speaks fluent Thai. Visit his Lifestyle Channel www.DreamingGuitar.com.
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