Posted on 02/05/2019 5:10:40 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
An F-35B Lightning II is launched from USS Wasp. (Image credit: U.S. Navy)
F-35B Lightning II aircraft, attached to the F-35B detachment of the “Flying Tigers” of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262 (Reinforced), are currently in the Indo-Pacific region deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1).
Wasp, flagship of Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), is operating in the region “to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency.”
F-35B flying in “Third Day of War” configuration. (Image credit: U.S. Marine Corps).
Images being released these days show the Marines STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) aircraft in VMFA-121 markings carrying external weapons during blue water ops, a configuration being tested for quite some time and known as CAS (Close Air Support) “Beast Mode” (or “Bomb Truck”).
In particular, the aircraft are loaded with 2x AIM-9X (on the outer pylons) and 4x GBU-12 500-lb LGB (Laser Guided Bombs).
This configuration involving external loads is also referred to as a “Third Day of War” configuration as opposed to a “First Day of War” one in which the F-35 would carry weapons internally to maintain low radar cross-section and observability from sensors.
As we explained in a previous story: “as a conflict evolves and enemy air defense assets including sensors, air defense missile and gun systems and enemy aircraft are degraded by airstrikes (conducted also by F-35s in “Stealth Mode”) the environment becomes more permissive: in such a scenario the F-35 no longer relies on low-observable capabilities for survivability so it can shift to carrying large external loads.”
LO (Low Observability) is required for penetrating defended airspaces and knocking out defenses at the beginning of a conflict, but after the careful work of surface-to-air missile hunting is done (two, three days, who really knows?), the F-35 is expected to “go beast”.
In “Beast Mode“, exploiting the internal weapon bays, the F-35A can carry 2x AIM-9X (external pylons), 2x AIM-120 AMRAAM (internal bomb bay) and 4x GBU-31 2,000-lb (pylons) and 2x GBU-31 PGMs (internal bay). It’s not clear whether the F-35B can launch from a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship in this configuration.
On Sept. 27, 2018, U.S. Marine Corps F-35B jets made their combat debut. U.S. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, the “Wake Island Avengers”, of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, used their F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters to hit insurgent targets in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province launching from U.S. Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) on station in the Persian Gulf. The aircraft used in the strike were loaded with GBU-32 1000-lb JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) but were also equipped with the externally mounted GAU-22 25mm gun pod in addition to the weapons in the internal bays. And sported the radar reflectors too.
At least two aircraft, modex CF-00 and CF-01, made a stopover in Kandahar Air Field after the air strike, before returning to the aircraft carrier.
An F-35B takes off with 2x AIM-9x and 2x GBU-12 LGBs (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sarah Myers)
Back to the “Beast Mode”, F-35B have launched from the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) with inert 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided test bombs during operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the STOVL stealth aircraft conducted by Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) in 2016. Still, the ones just released are probably the very first images of the aircraft launching in “Beast Mode” operationally.
According to a Pentagon test office document recently obtained by Bloomberg, “Durability testing data indicates service-life of initial F-35B short-takeoff-vertical landing jets bought by Marine Corps “is well under” expected service life of 8,000 fleet hours; “may be as low as 2,100″ hours.”
This would mean that some of the early F-35B jets would start hitting service life limit in 2026.
Why would a 5th gen aircraft that is stealth have external armament? Or is that what “Beast Mode” is?
Not if you own stock in Lockheed-Martin.
8,000 fleet hours seems low to me. Are we really building aircraft with a lifespan of 7 years?
The article states that this is more they would use AFTER stealth is no longer an issue. I guess on day 3 of a war they will probably know we are coming.
And how many cruise missiles and drones could be had for the price of one F-35?
How many schools? Eisenhower made a great speech about the cost of schools compared to the price of a single B52.
8000 hours was the projected life. Testing is showing in fact the service life may be around 2000h! For comparison, the F15 has a service life of 20,000 hours. Roughly 10 times the F35. Wow. That’s a bombshell report.
America spends on schools more thab any other nation for absolute sht results. Money for schools is not the issue. NYC is at $ 22,000 per students...
Beast Mode is when they’re all dirtied up with ungainly, heavy stuff (which would negate stealth) mounted on the external pylons.
“They buried that little nugget. Wow, that is criminally bad.”
PilotDave, I caught that, too. Interesting statement in a sentence edited oddly by Bloomberg. Would love to see that information in context. I wonder if the service life applies only to the first batch? Is it degraded by short-take off and landing operations? Does “Beast Mode” affect it? Is it airframe fatigue? Systems problems? Jet blast problems from operations?
Importantly, can short service life scenarios be rectified and service life extended as in almost every other airframe in our military’s inventory?
Are these VTOL craft gonna burn a hole in the landing zone of the flight deck like the Russian YAK-38? Hovering over the deck is just as stressful on the equipment as flying at Mach.
The F-35, in all three of its guises, was designed to have "first day of war" stealth attack capabilities, followed by unstealthy "bomb truck" capabilities further into the campaign.
The F-35 was designed to either carry a small internal stealthy payload, or large, unstealthy external payload.
This is demonstrating the external payload capabilities of the F-35B.
Oh for Chist’s Sake, it was an analogy. The MIC is sucking every dollar out of our economy. I am no leftest, but these days I would rather see us wean off of $35 billion dollar airplanes, and pay down some of our debt.
All this whiz bang shit hadn’t won us much in the last 18 years.
Or by then we can expect their anti-air capabilities will be so degraded due to destroyed sensors (RADAR), expended assets (missiles), and degraded airborne warning, that it will not matter.
..we had M-188 750lb LGB's back in 1969...
Beast Mode? The F-35 will never be a beast. It is a least visible, early entry, stealth weapon.
The B-52 and the B-1B and the B-2 are Beast aircraft.
And as far as ground troops are concerned the lowly AC-130H is a Beast. And to the troops on the ground cheer the A-10 Warthog when they arrive.
Beast? Heavy metal attack.
Third day of war configuration means air-to-air and Surface-to-air nonvisual weaponrybof the enemy is substantially downgraded or eliminated.
Why would a 5th gen aircraft that is stealth have external armament? Or is that what “Beast Mode” is?
Sometimes articles do contain information.
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