Lockheed Martin F-35 Fighter Poised To Become One Of America

[kimjongnumbaun]

Article from forbes.

Lockheed Martin F-35 Fighter Poised To Become One Of America's Biggest Exports

This is a particularly curious statement from the article.

"In addition, the price has fallen to a level where the most common variant will soon cost no more than the latest F-16 -- for a great deal more capability. For instance, the electronic warfare suite on F-35 will generate ten times more radiated power than previous fighters, meaning it will not need a jamming aircraft flying escort in order to safely penetrate hostile air space. Every military power within a thousand miles of Russia or China is likely to want that, because when combined with low observables ("stealth") it makes F-35 unstoppable."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthomp ... 92f654d54d

[southernphantom]

Well, when compared to previous integrated ECM trackbreaking systems like the AN/ALQ-126, AN/ALQ-135, and AN/ALQ-187, which were entirely defensive in nature, it is entirely believable that the F-35's systems, which go beyond self-defense and into the realm of electronic attack, radiate ten times as much energy.

[SpudmanWP]

If you are just talking about the APG-81's abilities, then I would safely say that that it can put 100x the energy on target thanks to it's size AESA focusing properties.

[wrightwing]

The ASQ-239 is also part of this equation, in terms of radiated energy.

[hornetfinn]

https://www.f35.com/about/capabilities/ ... nicwarfare

While F-35 is capable of stand-off jamming for other aircraft — providing 10 times the effective radiated power of any legacy fighter — F-35s can also operate in closer proximity to the threat (‘stand-in’) to provide jamming power many multiples that of any legacy fighter.

Effective radiated power (ERP) is calculated by multiplying power input to the antenna with antenna gain. ERP is the power that is felt by and affects the enemy systems. F-35 EW suite has high gain antennae (especially with AN/APG-81) which gives high ERP even with modest power input. Legacy EW/ECM suites use sector antennas with very low antenna gain which would mean low ERP even with high power systems.

Btw, I think the "10 times the effective radiated power" is an understatement. Other thing to remember is that F-35 needs very little jamming power for protection compared to other fighter jets (except F-22) due to very low RCS. Combination of low RCS and high jamming power is extremely powerful. It's almost like every single F-35 is equipped like Growler in most threatening frequency bands. Of course dedicated EW platforms like Growler have superior abilities in low frequency bands and certain other aspects. NGJ will likely change this also though when it's integrated with F-35.

[Corsair1963]

The geopolitical and economic effects of the JSF program are probably going to be the most disruptive in the history of foreign military sales and other defense projects.

When you have a nation like Japan, who has one of the most impressive military industrial and scientific infrastructures, walking away from their own 5th Gen Fighter, the Mitsubishi X-2, in favor of a joint US-Japanese system, while Germany and France look back and forth at each other wondering what to do for their 5th generation contribution, it's more than a ripple in the pond.

The sheer weight of the design, engineering, development, and integration of the systems would break the backs of most of the G7 nations, and Russia has failed miserably at even developing the power plants for their PAK-FA/Su-57 Potempkin Village 5th Gen imitator.

The Chinese are the only ones who are currently in development of what are claimed to be 5th Gen aircraft, outside of the multi-national JSF partners, and even they don't have propulsion other than derivative Su-27 and MiG-29 engines inside the J-20 and FC-31.

The US and our close coalition partners seem to be the only current political-economic allies who are capable of developing competent and relevant new generations of combat aircraft.

This is coming from an existing imbalanced position in our favor with the teen fighters, B-2, F-117A, AWACS, and other systems from the previous generation, acting as a techno-industrial global pivot for the 5th Generation revolution.

What that does from a business and global economics perspective is create more customer loyalty, and more customers. Most of those nations are currently flying F-16s, F-15s, and Hornets, while some are flying Eurofighters, Rafaels, MiG-29s and Su-27s, or Su-30MKs. Some of the nations with the most to lose, like Israel, are already F-35 customers.

If your Viper and Eagle inventory is on the end of its legs even after MLU/SLEP, and you're reading about F-35 capabilities against everything else out there, are you going to purposely buy something that can't defend your skies in the 5th Generation world? What does the economic scale of that answer look like over the next 30-50 years?

The F-35's true Achilles Heel could be it's own success. As with little real threat to overcome. As time goes many nation may decide to limit the number of aircraft that they acquire!

[vilters]

It is a world wide problem.

Russia has no money.

China has the money but not the tech yet.

Europa has immigrants to take care of, no enemies, and no worries. (And Rafale and Tiffy are pretty "new".)

South America continent has no money.

African continent has no money. ( And if they continue to flee to Europe, no population either.) LOL.


Then you have some left-overs that have the money but no enemies.
Some others have enemies, but no money.

And as latest argument?

Where will the next war be?
The Internet?
You don't need F-35 to fight the Internet.

A possible "next war" will be over the North Pole oil fields and you need submarines to fight that one.

Russia has some good subs, but they don't need us to sink them. LOL.

[nutshell]

It is a world wide problem.

Russia has no money.

China has the money but not the tech yet.

Europa has immigrants to take care of, no enemies, and no worries. (And Rafale and Tiffy are pretty "new".)

South America continent has no money.

African continent has no money. ( And if they continue to flee to Europe, no population either.) LOL.


Then you have some left-overs that have the money but no enemies.
Some others have enemies, but no money.

And as latest argument?

Where will the next war be?
The Internet?
You don't need F-35 to fight the Internet.

A possible "next war" will be over the North Pole oil fields and you need submarines to fight that one.

Russia has some good subs, but they don't need us to sink them. LOL.

I Don even...

... Did you ran out of meds?