F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

[MarkOttawa]

Defence for F-35A (further links at original):

The F-35A Is Set To Finally Get Chaff Countermeasures To Confuse Enemy Radars
These cartridges full of radar-reflecting material have been curiously absent from the stealthy fighter's already highly capable defense suite.

Air Force is hoping to integrate a new, advanced chaff countermeasure onto its F-35A Joint Strike Fighters next year, according to a report. The cartridges, which release radar reflective material to blind and confuse enemy aircraft and air defenses, are a staple across many of the service's other combat aircraft, but have been curiously absent from the stealthy F-35's otherwise extensive defensive suite.

Aviation Week's Defense Editor Steve Trimble, a good friend of The War Zone, was first to spot the detail on Sept. 9, 2019. The Air Force included the information about the new chaff cartridge, known presently as the ARM-210, in a draft environmental impact statement, dated August 2019, regarding the basing of F-35s at various Air National Guard facilities. The report includes a host of information on how the aircraft might impact their surrounding environments, including the potential release of countermeasures, such as infrared decoy flares and chaff.

"The ARM-210 chaff proposed for use by the F-35A is currently unavailable and undergoing operational testing," according to the environmental review. "It is expected to be available for use in 2020."

It is unclear whether this applies to the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B or U.S. Navy F-35C variants, as well, or any of the three variants in service with foreign air forces. The F-35's use or potential use of chaff has long been something of a debate, in general. Recent U.S. military budget documents and other sources make no mention of it among the aircraft's expendable countermeasures – flares and towed decoys – which had suggested that it was, indeed, a capability the Joint Strike Fighter lacked and might not necessarily have needed given its stealthy design.

Lockheed Martin
An image showing the general layout of the defensive systems on a Marine Corps F-35B. The general location of the infrared countermeasures (IRCM) dispensers, as well as Radiofrequency Countermeasures (RFCM) dispenser, loaded with flares and towed decoys respectively, are the same as on the F-35A. The IRCM dispensers will likely be used to fire the new ARM-210 chaff cartridges in the future.

However, F-35 simulators have included the ability to replicate this functionality, according to Trimble. He also noted that a briefing in 2018 from U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Mathias Winter, then head of the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), had included a reference to "advanced chaff" as being part of the still-in-development Block 4 upgrades for the Joint Strike Fighters.

    Some have asserted that the F-35 doesn't use chaff. And that sort of makes sense. There's no evidence I'm aware of that its stealthy stablemates, the F-22 and B-2, possess a chaff dispenser. But you can find pic's of F-35 simulator screens showing a line for chaff dispensers. /2
    — Steve Trimble (@TheDEWLine) September 9, 2019

The ongoing testing of the ARM-210 now confirms that at least the Air Force plans to integrate chaff into its F-35As in the near future. This cartridge's specifications, and how it differs from RR-180 and RR-188 types the service already has as a countermeasure option for other combat aircraft, is unclear.

"ARM-210 chaff is similar to the RR-180 and RR-188 chaff currently in use by the F-16, F-15, and A-10 aircraft proposed for replacement [with the F-35]," the environmental impact report says, without offering any other details. "A  bundle of chaff consists of approximately 5 to 5.6 million fibers that are cut to reflect radar signals, and when dispensed from aircraft, form an electronic 'cloud' that breaks the radar signal and temporarily hides the maneuvering aircraft from radar detection," it says more generally.

Chaff, which dates back to World War II, originally consisted of aluminum strips cut to various lengths. More modern examples, use metallicized synthetic fibers, which help them hang in the air longer, offering more persistent effects. The Armtec RR-188, for example, uses bundles of aluminum-coated silica fibers. There have been a number of chaff releases within the United States in the past few years as part of training exercises that have highlighted just how long-lasting and far-ranging the clouds can become depending on release altitude and environmental factors. The size and composition of the fibers are directly connected to what radar bands the chaff affects, which can make them particularly effective against specific threats...
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/29734/the-f-35a-will-finally-get-chaff-countermeasures-to-confuse-enemy-radars-next-year

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Kirkhill]

So something with the radar signature of a golfball is suddenly going to advertize its presence with a football field sized sign.

 

[dimsum]

So something with the radar signature of a golfball is suddenly going to advertize its presence with a football field sized sign.

If they're at the point that they need chaff, that football-sized sign will let the golf ball slip away.

 

[OldSolduer]

If they're at the point that they need chaff, that football-sized sign will let the golf ball slip away.

Ok I’m infantry so short sentences please.
I take it they’ve tested these things and observed it’s signature at points maybe not be what was expected.
Am I right?

 

[Kirkhill]

If they're at the point that they need chaff, that football-sized sign will let the golf ball slip away.

Fair point.

 

[dimsum]

Ok I’m infantry so short sentences please.
I take it they’ve tested these things and observed it’s signature at points maybe not be what was expected.
Am I right?

Not quite. 

The F-35 has (supposedly) the radar return of a golf ball.  Generalizing a ton but for our purposes, chaff are thin strips of metal that airplanes throw out when a radar-guided missile is launched against them as a last-ditch attempt to evade.  The chaff blooms out into a cloud (ie. the "football sign") and the missile hopefully gets seduced into flying into that instead while the airplane is somewhere else.

 

[tomahawk6]

State has approved F35 sale to Poland worth 6.5 b .

https://www.stripes.com/news/europe/state-department-approves-poland-s-6-5-billion-f-35-fighter-jet-order-1.598479

 

[CBH99]

Glad to see Poland buying them, that will definitely give them a capability leaps & bounds above anything they’ve ever had.  I do worry though (although at this point the US seems to have been happy to give our adversaries the radar data they need) — letting Poland fly them around right beside Russia will surely give the Russians plenty of intel on them.  Wasn’t that the concern with turkey and the S400?

 

[PuckChaser]

Glad to see Poland buying them, that will definitely give them a capability leaps & bounds above anything they’ve ever had.  I do worry though (although at this point the US seems to have been happy to give our adversaries the radar data they need) — letting Poland fly them around right beside Russia will surely give the Russians plenty of intel on them.  Wasn’t that the concern with turkey and the S400?

The US is operating F-35s in Iraq right now with Syrian S-400s right next door. That's clearly not a concern.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Coming soon near a Canadian border (with a NIMBY angle):

Why the Vermont Air National Guard Is Getting the Most Advanced Fighter Jet in the World

(MONTPELIER, Vt.) — The Vermont Air National Guard is due to take delivery of the first two of what will become 20 F-35 fighter aircrafts, the first guard unit to receive the next-generation fighter.

The aircraft will be based at the Burlington International Airport and are being flown to Vermont on Thursday from the factory in Fort Worth, Texas.

The delivery follows years of hard work, planning and missions in the guard’s previous aircraft, F-16s that flew continuously for weeks over New York after the 9/11 attacks and in multiple combat tours in Iraq and other areas of the Middle East.

“The F-35 coming into Burlington really secures our mission and our future for, you are talking the next three or four decades, and that allows us to serve our nation, but also to be ready to serve our state as well,” Col. David Smith, the commander of the 158th Fighter Wing that is the new home to the F-35s, said before they arrived.

But for some members of the community, the arrival of noisier aircraft marks the failure of years-long efforts to keep the Air Force from delivering the planes to an airport located among residential neighborhoods and industrial complexes in the middle of Vermont’s most populous county...
https://time.com/5681110/vermont-air-national-guard-f35/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

The USMC is splitting their remaining F35 buy between the B and C models.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Wow! Aeronautica Militare F-35As may be first to face Bears/Blackjacks:

First Among All The Partner Nations, Italy Deploys F-35s To Iceland For NATO Air Policing Mission
The Italian Lightnings have already arrived at Keflavik International Airport, Iceland.

The Italian F-35A Lightning II stealth jets belonging to the 13° Gruppo (Squadron) of the 32° Stormo (Wing) will take over the Icelandic Air Policing mission, saveguarding Iceland’s airspace in the next weeks.

The Italian aircraft, that have already deploed to Keflavik International Airport, from their homebase at Amendola AB in southeastern Italy, will start flying familiarisation sorties in the next few days. After achieving the NATO certification they will start QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) duties.

It’s the second time this year the Italians support the Icelandic Air Policing mission (the fifth in total) and the very first with the 5th Generation aircraft. Noteworthy, the Italian Air Force is the first partner nation to deploy the Joint Strike Fighter on a NATO mission.

At the time of writing there are no other official statements than that released a few days ago by the Icelandic Coast Guard, announcing the deployment of the six jets and about 140 supporting personnel, as well as members of the NATO Combined Air Operations Center Uedem (Germany).

The F-35s, were accompanied by a KC-767A tanker, a C-130J and a P-72A Maritime Patrol Aircraft, according to data collected from flight tracking websites.

    An @ItalianAirForce formation (1x KC767A, 6x F-35s, 1x C-130J, 1x P-72A) is crossing the North Sea to Iceland.#NATO
    Tracks and details: https://t.co/iLmX3ATedM pic.twitter.com/rPQwPOZtGp

    — ItaMilRadar (@ItaMilRadar) 25 settembre 2019

Italy has made some significant work on the new jet: on Dec. 3, 2015, the ItAF welcomed the first F-35 at the Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility at Cameri, in northwestern Italy. That aircraft was also the first assembled and delivered outside the U.S.

On Feb. 5, 2016 the first Italian Air Force F-35, successfully completed the type’s very first transatlantic crossing landing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. To prepare for the 7-hour transoceanic flight the Italian Air Force conducted tanker trials in the U.S. (in July 2015) with its KC-767A, that became the first tanker not operated by the U.S. Air Force to undergo refueling certification trials with an F-35.

In December 2016, the Italian Air Force became the very first service to take delivery of the 5th generation stealth jet outside of the U.S. In March 2018, the service has achieved an IOC (Initial Operational Capability) in the air-to-air role supporting the SSSA (Servizio Sorveglianza Spazio Aereo – Air Space Surveillance Service) with a Standard Conventional Load (SCL) that includes the AIM-120C5 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) missile (a similar configuration will be probably used for QRA shifts in Iceland – let’s not forget the missions flown in support of NATO air policing usually requires the fighters to be scrambled and perform Visual Identifications on unidentified aircraft carrying live air-to-air missiles – something the F-35 can certainly carry out although it’s not a “pure” interceptor). The IOC was declared on Nov. 30, 2018, during the media day of TLP 18-4. The deployment on a NATO mission is one of the steps to achieve the FOC (Final Operational Capability).
https://theaviationist.com/2019/09/25/first-among-all-the-partner-nations-italy-deploys-f-35s-to-iceland-for-nato-air-policing-mission/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

On and on...

F-35 Testing Delays Continue, Even as Aircraft Has Made Its Combat Debut

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will not complete its already-delayed formal operational test phase this fall because of a setback in the testing process, according to a source close to the program.

While the F-35 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) was supposed to be complete by late summer, a source with knowledge of its development said the testing is still incomplete due to an unfinished phase known as the Joint Simulation Environment.

The JSE simulations project characteristics such as weather, geography and range, allowing test pilots to prove the aircraft's "full capabilities against the full range of required threats and scenarios," according to a 2015 Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) report.

The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), in coordination with the Defense Department, confirmed that the Joint Simulation Environment testing phase is still being worked through, but could not provide a timeline for its completion.

"This final phase of IOT&E will occur when the JSE is ready to adequately complete the testing," DoD spokesman Air Force Lt. Col Mike Andrews said in a statement Wednesday. "The JSE is required to adequately perform F-35 IOT&E against modern adversary aircraft and dense ground threats in realistic scenarios."

The JPO and F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin announced Dec. 6 that all three F-35 variants belonging to the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps would be field-tested "for the purposes of determining the weapons systems' operational effectiveness and operational suitability for combat." IOT&E had originally been set to begin in September 2018.

The latest delay raises doubts about when the stealth jet will hit its next crucial benchmark: expanded production [emphasis added].

IOT&E paves the way for full-rate production of the Lightning II despite the fact three U.S. services and multiple partner nations already fly the aircraft. Some versions of the F-35 have even made their combat debut. The Office of the Secretary of Defense will be the authority to sign off on the decision, moving the program out of its baseline low-rate initial production (LRIP) stage [emphasis added]...
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/09/27/f-35-testing-delays-continue-even-aircraft-has-made-its-combat-debut.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

India is looking for a 5th Gen fighter for its new carrier. I think they would love the F35.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-launches-search-to-procure-57-carrier-borne-fighter-jets/articleshow/56835231.cms?from=mdr

 

[CBH99]

India is the Canada of the East when it comes to buying equipment.  They could have a government that wants the plane, a budget to support it, and great incentives...they would still find a way to sabotage their own purchase, or bungle it up and have it cost way more.  Wouldn't get your hopes up on them buying them anytime soon T6

 

[tomahawk6]

I am not sure a sale could even get past congress and there are security issues. Alot of pro's but some con's. This story is from June. 

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/us-may-offer-f-35-fighter-if-india-scraps-s-400-deal/articleshow/69698536.cms

 

[Good2Golf]

India is the Canada of the East when it comes to buying equipment.  They could have a government that wants the plane, a budget to support it, and great incentives...they would still find a way to sabotage their own purchase, or bungle it up and have it cost way more.  Wouldn't get your hopes up on them buying them anytime soon T6

CBH99, that is (sadly) the most accurate description of the Indian MoD I’ve heard on the issue of procurement. 

 

[MarkOttawa]

Very relevant if RCAF ends up with F-35A:

Norway’s F-35s have a problem with a unique piece of gear

Norway’s F-35s have a unique feature that distinguishes them from other countries’ version of the joint strike fighter: a drag chute that is used to slow the landing of the jet in icy conditions.

However, the the drag chute is failing more than expected and the Royal Norwegian Air Force is working with the Pentagon to fix the issue before next winter.

“It’s not working the way we expected, and they are working on reconfiguring this capability,” Norwegian air chief Brig. Gen. Tonje Skinnarland said in an exclusive interview with Defense News on Thursday.

“That said, our experience operating the F-35 on slippery airfields is that it’s more safe and easier than with the F-16s,” she added. “With the stability of the [F-35] aircraft, it’s easier to take off and land on slippery airfields. … It’s performing extremely well.”..

Despite the drag chute problem, the Norwegian military is bullish on the F-35.

With Russia building up its anti-aircraft capabilities on the Kola Peninsula, a strip of land on its northwestern flank that borders Norway and Finland, Norway sees an opportunity to use the information gathering capabilities of its new F-35s and P-8 Poseidon submarine-hunting aircraft to be the eyes and ears of NATO in the Far North.

...by 2022, the air force will have built up enough jets, pilots and maintainers in the country that the F-35 will take over the “quick reaction alert” mission, which calls for operators to stand on a 24/7 alert and scramble, if needed, to intercept aircraft flying near Norwegian airspace [emphasis added]. At that point, Norway will completely phase out its F-16s, Skinnarland said...

The QRA mission could bring Norway’s F-35s very close to Russian aircraft attempting to access Norwegian airspace, which theoretically could afford Russian aircraft an opportunity to learn more about the F-35. Skinnarland said she is cognizant of the possibility, but confident that the Royal Norwegian Air Force will take the proper steps — like using radar reflectors and other countermeasures — to ensure that a potential adversary doesn’t get insight into its stealth capability...
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/10/11/norways-f-35s-have-a-problem-with-a-unique-piece-of-gear/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Quirky]

Very relevant if RCAF ends up with F-35A:

Mark
Ottawa

Is it not much easier to install a cable arrestor system on short icy runways rather than jimmy rig a drag chute? Our northern airfields have them and are used in the winter, no reason why Norway can’t do the same. The F35A does have a hook does it not?

 

[SupersonicMax]

The F-35A hook is meant for emergencies, not continued use.