Israeli F-35 detachable fuselage?

popcorn · by **popcorn** » 21 Jun 2013, 03:25

Are these "detachble fuselages" CFTs? Or some sort of stealthy low-drag weapons pod?
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newslet ... p?id=10103

Israel will be first country to receive F-35 stealth jet fighter

State-of-the-art fighter aircraft, the first of which are scheduled to be delivered to Israel at the end of 2016, are also expected to be fitted with an Israeli "twist" • Israeli defense companies Elbit and Rafael make strong showing at Paris Air Show.

Israel's Air Force can start preparing the runways after the vice president of Lockheed Martin, Steve O'Bryan, announced on Tuesday at the Paris Air Show that Israel will be the first country to receive the F-35 American-made stealth fighter jet.

The state-of-the-art fighter aircraft, the first of which are scheduled to be delivered to Israel at the end of 2016, are also expected to be fitted with an Israeli "twist."

O'Bryan said Lockheed Martin was examining the feasibility of adding detachable fuselages to the plane, manufactured by the Israeli company Cyclone, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, mainly because the fuselages would not be detrimental to the plane's stealth capabilities. In practical terms, this means that the plane would have a longer flight range while still remaining invisible to enemy radar.

The first of 20 versatile, single-engine F-35s, ordered by Israel in October 2010 at a cost of $2.75 billion, are scheduled to arrive in 2016 at the earliest, but the Air Force is already setting up a new infrastructure to absorb the stealth jets.

The Israeli business daily Globes recently reported that new bomb-proof underground pens for the fifth-generation jets are being built to accommodate the F-35s, along with special testing installations that minimize the noise of the jets' Pratt & Whitney F-125 engines.

The Israeli government has approved the acquisition of a second batch of 20 F-35s despite the plethora of problems and setbacks that continue to plague Lockheed Martin's development program.

Ultimately, the Israeli Air Force wants 75 F-35s. These will replace Lockheed Martin's F-16I Sufas and Boeing's F-15 Ra'ams as the strategic strike force.

The Air Force currently has 100 Sufas and 25 Ra'ams, backed by about 185 lower performance F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-15 Eagles.

lookieloo · by **lookieloo** » 21 Jun 2013, 05:41

My guess is that they mean EFTs. The fact that "F-125 engines" are referenced is a pretty good indication that the author doesn't really know jack-$hit about airplanes.

popcorn · by **popcorn** » 21 Jun 2013, 05:50

lookieloo wrote:My guess is that they mean EFTs. The fact that "F-125 engines" are referenced is a pretty good indication that the author doesn't really know jack-$hit about airplanes.

Could be a simple typo, of course.. the writer attributes the claim to Steve O'Bryan so he does cite his source so I won't dismiss it outright.. we shall see soon enough.

lookieloo · by **lookieloo** » 21 Jun 2013, 06:35

popcorn wrote:
lookieloo wrote:My guess is that they mean EFTs. The fact that "F-125 engines" are referenced is a pretty good indication that the author doesn't really know jack-$hit about airplanes.
Could be a simple typo...

More likely a translation issue.

Lightndattic · by **Lightndattic** » 21 Jun 2013, 16:09

Sounds like they're talking about stealthy conformals.

Lightndattic · by **Lightndattic** » 21 Jun 2013, 16:19

Sounds like they're talking about stealthy conformals.

neptune · by **neptune** » 21 Jun 2013, 19:31

Lightndattic wrote:Sounds like they're talking about stealthy conformals.

Conformal Fuel Tanks perhaps similar to the F-16I Sufas.

Perhaps some of our graphical talented cohorts could provide a "proposed" concept design?? :wink:

popcorn · by **popcorn** » 22 Jun 2013, 06:15

neptune wrote:
Lightndattic wrote:Sounds like they're talking about stealthy conformals.

Conformal Fuel Tanks perhaps similar to the F-16I Sufas.

Perhaps some of our graphical talented cohorts could provide a "proposed" concept design??

Yikes! somehow those Armani-style bulging shoulders look weird..

JoeSambor · by **JoeSambor** » 22 Jun 2013, 21:25

Betting that they are talking about CFTs. Cyclone manufactures the current 600-gallon wing tanks.

Best Regards,

popcorn · by **popcorn** » 23 Jun 2013, 05:44

neptune wrote:
Lightndattic wrote:Sounds like they're talking about stealthy conformals.

Conformal Fuel Tanks perhaps similar to the F-16I Sufas.

Perhaps some of our graphical talented cohorts could provide a "proposed" concept design??

You mean something like this?
http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopi ... rt-15.html

spazsinbad · by **spazsinbad** » 23 Jun 2013, 08:22

'neptune': You have a good memory. I had forgotten about that BB photoshop effort: http://www.f-16.net/attachments/f35_future_447.jpg

count_to_10 · by **count_to_10** » 23 Jun 2013, 14:32

Well, the CFTs definitely aren't LO, and isn't the inboard pillion the only one that's plummed on the F-35?

popcorn · by **popcorn** » 23 Jun 2013, 15:43

count_to_10 wrote:Well, the CFTs definitely aren't LO, and isn't the inboard pillion the only one that's plummed on the F-35?

O'Bryan did mention that the " detachable fuselage" would not be detrimental to the jet's stealth capabilities, so if they are CFTs, they are a LO design.

popcorn · by **popcorn** » 23 Jun 2013, 15:44

count_to_10 wrote:Well, the CFTs definitely aren't LO, and isn't the inboard pillion the only one that's plummed on the F-35?

O'Bryan did mention that the " detachable fuselage" would not be detrimental to the jet's stealth capabilities, so if they are CFTs, they are a LO design.

thegroundeffect · by **thegroundeffect** » 23 Jun 2013, 15:48

I wonder what the range increase would be that such CFT's would provide.