Posted on 06/28/2016 5:54:10 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
“0 losses in 8 dogfights against F-15E Red Air” The U.S. Air Force F-35A fleet continues to work to declare the Lightning II IOC (initial operational capability) scheduled in the August – December timeframe.
Among the activities carried out in the past weeks, a simulated deployment provided important feedbacks about the goal of demonstrating the F-35’s ability to “penetrate areas with developed air defenses, provide close air support to ground troops and be readily deployable to conflict theaters.”
Seven F-35s deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, to carry out a series of operational tests which involved local-based 4th Generation F-15E Strike Eagles belonging to the 366th Fighter Wing.
In a Q&A posted on the USAF website, Col. David Chace, the F-35 systems management office chief and lead for F-35 operational requirements at ACC, provided some insights about the activities carried out during the second simulated deployment to Mountain Home (the first was in February this year):
“The F-35 recently deployed from Hill to Mountain Home where crews, maintenance and support personnel conducted a number of missions. During that deployment, crews attained a 100 percent sortie generation rate with 88 of 88 planned sorties and a 94 percent hit rate with 15 of 16 bombs on target. These numbers provide a positive indication of where we are when it comes to stability and component performance.”
“Feedback from the events at Mountain Home will feed into the overall evaluation of F-35 capabilities. The second evaluation will take place in the operational test environment with F-35 mission sets the Air Force intends to execute after IOC. All reports will be delivered in July and feed into the overall F-35 capabilities report. The ultimate goal is to provide a needed capability to the warfighter to execute the mission. It is not calendar-based or event-based.”
“The feedback from unit operators in place today has been very positive for the F-35, not just concerning performance but the ability the aircraft has with other platforms. In particular at Hill, integration with the F-15E (Strike Eagle) has gone very well. We’ve also been demonstrating the ability to put bombs on target. All of that information will be provided to us in the formal IOC readiness assessments.”
The following interesting chart accompanies the Q&A.
It shows some stats about the deployment.
The fourth column shows something interesting: during the exercise, the F-35s were challenged by some F-15Es and suffered no losses.
Even though the graphic does not say whether the F-35s did shoot back at the F-15Es some analysts (noticing also the “pew pew pew” in the chart….) have suggested the JSFs achieved stunning 8:0 kill rate against the Strike Eagle.
However, the “zero losses” may simply mean that the F-35s were able to complete their assigned strikes without being shot down by the aggressors of the Red Air: considered that the F-15Es were probably equipped with the AN/APG-82 AESA radar and the Sniper ATP (Advanced Targeting Pod), the fact that the Strike Eagles performing DCA (Defensive Counter Air) were not able to “find” and/or “engage” the almost-IOC F-35s can be considered a huge achievement for the pricey, troubled 5th generation multirole combat plane.
Actually, this is not the first time the F-35 proves itself able to fly unscathed through a fighter-defended area: not a single Lightning II was shot down during Green Flag 15-08, the first major exercise conducted, more or less one year ago, on the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, during which the F-35 flew as main CAS (Close Air Support) provider.
At that time, several analysts claimed the participation of two test aircraft in the exercise was just a PR stunt, since the aircraft was still quite far from achieving a combat readiness required to really support the troops at war.
Let’s see what happens this time…
the f-35 haters aren’t going to like this.
The F-35 is a great airplane until you have to get down in the mud and take out troops, tanks and trucks with surgical precision. Then call in the A-10s.
Not enough information to be celebrating, or hating-on the -35.
I suspect that this report is as accurate as Obama’s economic reports.
Ha.
I smell the F-111 all over again.
And unemployment is at an all time low.
I highly doubt the F-35 could survive long in airspace controlled by the Russian S-400/S-500 missile system.
Don’t take them to Syria and try to create a no-fly zone.
I wonder if the “simulation” used the F-35 working the way it says it will on paper, or if they used the aircraft as it currently exists. On paper, the F-35 is a very impressive aircraft. The reality, however...
Get the F15s and F35s up and we'll see. Upgrading the F-15 with engines and a radar/IRS&T/AAM package of the same generation as that of the F35 would almost equalise almost all advantages the F35 has except stealth.
They were using Stink bombs?.......................
Mtn. Home AFB, my old stomping grounds, circa 1978-81!
This isn’t an aspect of hate of the F-35 from my perspective, but the results most definitely beg the question about the scenario assumptions of the engagements in each integral part.
What level of performance filter was applied to the F-15Es with respect to whatever “Red” opposition they were supposed to emulate? What tactics were the “red” pilots limited to? We’re filters applied to F-15E radars and weapons systems to conform to what “red” platform?”
Who put the engagement scenarios together? Lockheed Martin? The government? What group? Were tactic and capabilities from cognizant intel communities consulted?
I’ll tell you. I’ve been involved in “tests” like this in the past. I can even tell you I was in a ground radar station once when the operators were getting briefed on the scenario. After the briefing, the head operator asked the test engineer, “do we get to take our blindfolds off at any time during this test?”
I have not been a fan of the F-35, but if this was a valid test against F-15Es, it says the F-35 is a serious aircraft, for sure.
One key difference. F-15 has to see and point at the F-35 to acquire a missile lock. On a stealth plane, this is no easy task. The F-35 can target multiple planes simultaneously without pointing at rhe aircraft, or even being in the area. A different F-35 can acquire the targets while the wingman targets and fires. That’s a trick no one else can match. What one aircraft sees, they all see.
Hopefully, by the time the F-35 is actually commissioned and approved to go into air combat, we will have a POTUS that will actually use them...
They can do it with UCAVs too.
Which is, of course, the future of air combat.
Each manned aircraft controlling 2-6 UCAVs and operating as a single, integrated unit.
Throw in a little AI and you have magic.
It's hard to say.
In other news unemployment is 4.9 percent and Islam is still a religion of peace.
Israel takes deliver of F-35s starting early next year. Best to wait for leaks from Israel about its actual performance under fire.
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