I think I know the problem
Posted on 03/26/2015 6:50:26 AM PDT by Doogle
Engineers are trying to fix the F-35’s software package after it was discovered the sensors for the Joint Strike Fighter malfunction when detecting targets when the aircraft flies in formation.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, Program Executive Officer, F-35, said he didn’t have a date when the correction would be made. However, he said the problem would not delay the declaration of the Marine variant of the aircraft, the F-35B, ready for combat.
“When you have two, three or four F-35s looking at the same threat, they don’t all see it exactly the same because of the angles that they are looking at and what their sensors pick up,” Bogdan told reporters Tuesday. “When there is a slight difference in what those four airplanes might be seeing, the fusion model can’t decide if it’s one threat or more than one threat. If two airplanes are looking at the same thing, they see it slightly differently because of the physics of it.”
(Excerpt) Read more at defensetech.org ...
And people wonder why Israel’s demand re: the F-35 was complete access to the software and electronics package.
Stuff like this AND Obama put a kill switch in the software.
No thanks.
Boondoggle.
Really. It looks like the testing process caught it but how many future software patches are going to have to be uploaded on the fly (if that’s even possible). The complexity of that aircraft amazes and worries me at the same time. But yeah, let’s get rid of the workhorse with the proven record. The decision theory of duh.
Not surprising a completely new capability (automated networked threat assessments) has bugs that need to be worked out. The bottom line is that F-35's can do ground attack and air-to-air, whereas the A-10 can only do air-to-ground. As an aircraft no longer in production, fixes for the A-10 will get increasingly expensive, as parts have to be made on a one-off basis for routine maintenance. Given budget constraints, it's not surprising USAF went for the F-35. Can't ward off Chinese stealth fighters with A-10's.
Edsel with wings.
CC
and elon musk...us still talking.....completely automated automobiles..
The A-10s have to get a lot more increasingly-expensiver to even begin to match the F-35.
BTW, why aren’t the F-35’s radar’s vulnerabilities classified?
Good point and good question.
“Forget it and only have the A-10” Is like saying, “these newfangled ironclads are too slow, lets just forget them and stick with wooden ships.”
The problem described is with sensor fusion, where all 4 fighters see as one, all seeing what any see. This is something the A-10 can’t do right now. And if it did it might have the same problem. They will work it out.
The A-10 was not designed to challenge Chinese stealth aircraft, it is a very good CAS platform. The F-35 is very expensive, and has a long list of issues. As a lowly serf/taxpayer, I don’t see a great deal of value with it.
I remember these problems with the F-22, F-15 and every single plane we have had, yes even the F-16. These are called “teething problems” and occur in every system, period.
I have to wonder about the motivation of those doing the complaining.
They have a ton of parts for the A-10 sitting in the desert at Davis-Monthan AFB. It will be some time until those run out. And yes, it some ways the F-35 is better...when it works...which isn’t often. The F-35 is the Brewster Buffalo version 2.0
CC
I think I know the problem
I believe they get to choose one of the two. I'd go for the F-35 every time. Infantry support can be accomplished with rocket and tube artillery, armor, choppers and the F-35. None of these other weapon systems can hold off enemy fighters, stealth or otherwise.
F-35 can't do the particular air-to-ground missions (Close Air Support [CAS]) that the A-10 can nearly as well as it can; the ability to slow down and loiter in the area should not be underestimated. It means that the aircraft can respond to the boots 'instantly' compared to an aircraft that has to launch and travel to the location.
Besides, the A-10 is used for more than just CAS:
It's obviously something the F-35 can't do right right now, either.
Infantry support can be accomplished with rocket and tube artillery, armor, choppers and the F-35. None of these other weapon systems can hold off enemy fighters, stealth or otherwise. Cheap is good, but the other non-A-10 infantry support options are cheaper.
Air dominance is something that isn't wished out of thin air. It is the product of superior aircraft *and* numbers that prevent an adversary from coming up with an effective response. Without air dominance, A-10's get shredded in turkey shoots. We had air dominance in Desert Storm and 4 A-10's were shot down, presumably doing front line fire support missions rather than the deep penetration strikes that got the front line fighters knocked down. Against a near-peer adversary like China, A-10's would be little more than targets.
But dogfights are possibly a thing of the past, being fought by SAMs and robo-drones and things like that. But the A-10 has been spectacularly successful at fighting ground wars, which is not and has not been a thing of the past. Anyway, the idea that the A10 has outlived its usefulness would seem to be incorrect, and in term of bang for the buck, the A10 seems like a clear winner. Although, I’m not a general making these sorts of decisions.
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