p33lmybanana wrote:I was previously going by what i thought were reputable publications like popular mechanics, national interest and etc. Why were the numbers I've read so far off from what the pilot said? Were the initial figures released just estimates? I definitely will take the pilots word, just wondering what's the best way to research this stuff in the future.
Note that the pilot didn't exactly say twice the range; he would do two (vs one) offensive pushes with an F-35A; but an offensive push doesn't mean going all the way back to base and flying back out again; it could be something like flying 200nmi from the base, flying another 300nmi into enemy territory, fighting and returning 300nmi, either to then fly the remaining 200nmi back home (for a total distance of 1000nmi), or doing another strike the same 300nmi in and out and then returning home (for a total distance of 1600nmi).
Anyway, as for specific figures. You'll see some articles and websites claim that the F-35A has a combat radius of 590nmi and a range of 1200nmi. These figures exist because 590nmi is the threshold (minimum) combat radius (with an A2G payload)
requirement for the F-35A while 1200nmi is just the combat radius x2 (because you fly 590nmi out to a target, then fly 590nmi back home) and rounded to the nearest hundred nmi. Those are requirements though, not actual performance figures; they've just been used in the past because they were the only 'guaranteed' figures, while these days it's just ignorance or malice that causes people to still use those numbers.
The F-35A's actual demonstrated combat radius (with an A2G payload) is 669nmi according to the FY2018 Selected Acquisition Report (see the F-35 program documents thread), and a presentation made to Israel by Lockheed states that an F-35A's combat radius with an A2A payload is approximately 760nmi.
For 1-way range, doubling the combat radius isn't really accurate either. Combat radius figures include a routing factor (accounting for the need to fly around threats), they nearly always include non-optimal flight for ingress / egress (fast and lower for better effectiveness / survivability but at the cost of more fuel burn), and they can also account for dogfights by assuming things like the pilot will need 3 full 360 deg turns (at maximum sustained turn rate) with full afterburner.
When you see a 'range' figure, it's not uncommon for that to include none of that and instead is just how far a jet can fly under ferry conditions (optimum altitude and airspeed for range, no heavy manoeuvring, no enemies to avoid, no afterburner usage, no weapons to carry around / slow you down). Sometimes a jet's ferry range (max distance a jet can fly with as much internal and external fuel it can carry) is also called its range.
Based on data I've seen, I'd estimate an F-35A's range / current ferry range (they're the same thing as they F-35 isn't currently integrated with any external fuel tanks) is in the ballpark of 1800nmi on just internal fuel.