On March 4, The National Interest published an article on 10 aspects of why the F-35 stealth fighter is unstoppable and “the greatest warplane in history.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the award of the contract for the development of the F-35 to the Lockheed Martin-led industrial team on Oct. 26, 2001.
The article states that more than 600 F-35 deliveries have been made and there are ten clear signs that the F-35 fighter is a success. Overall, these 10 aspects support the claim that the F-35 is destined to be “the greatest warplane in history.
These 10 aspects are.
First, the F-35 is the world’s most survivable fighter aircraft
All three versions of the F-35 have achieved the stealth design goal. Simply put, this means that enemy radar cannot track or lock onto the F-35 fighter. In addition, the heat released by the F-35 fighter’s engines is masked against infrared-guided missiles.
Second, the F-35 is the world’s most versatile fighter aircraft
The F-35 is designed as a family of fighter aircraft that share common technology. The Air Force variant has several times the capability of the tactical aircraft it replaces in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground strike, suppression of enemy air defenses, and collection and reconnaissance. The Marine variant adds to these characteristics the ability to take off and land vertically, while providing close air support to ground forces. The Marine variant can carry large bomb loads and can fly up to 700 miles without air refueling – farther than conventional aircraft. All three variants carry advanced electronic warfare systems and other technologies suitable for engaging in information operations.
Third, the F-35 is the world’s most lethal warplane
Combined with the connectivity provided by a secure digital network, the F-35 can accomplish kinetic and non-kinetic attacks that are far more effective than other tactical aircraft. While maximizing stealth, it can carry more than 5,000 pounds of munitions internally, and if circumstances require, the fighter can carry an external payload totaling 22,000 pounds of munitions. Either way, the F-35 can accurately destroy multiple targets in a single flight while taking far less risk than conventional warplanes.
Fourth, the F-35 has been purchased by more than a dozen allies
The development of the F-35 fighter has been shared by the three U.S. military services with allies such as Australia, Italy and the United Kingdom from the beginning. As a result, it has a large industrial support base around the world. In recent years, additional overseas allies have joined the program, including Israel, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Today, more than a dozen U.S. allies have committed to the program, and more are likely to join, providing a clear vote of confidence in the F-35 family’s price and performance.
V. The F-35 is in service with the militaries of nine countries
Hundreds of F-35s, including Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps variants, are actually operating around the world. Six air forces have conducted military missions, such as Israel’s strikes against Iranian targets in Syria, during which, as predicted, the F-35s went undetected. Thus, the F-35 is steadily replacing conventional warplanes on four continents, reinforcing the global air superiority that is critical to U.S. and allied war plans.
VI. The F-35 is Continually Improving
F-35 technology is frequently upgraded as new threats emerge and new technologies become available. The 15th production batch will feature new sensors, displays and aperture designs designed to keep the aircraft at the cutting edge of performance. Eleven new capabilities have been added to the electronic warfare suite that were not feasible or affordable at the start of the program. Some of the latest enhancements will reduce the production and operating costs of the warfighter. Planners are already looking ahead to the day when next-generation turbofan engines, capable of increasing the aircraft’s non-refueling combat radius to 1,000 miles – useful in the vast Western Pacific.
Seven, the F-35 is shaping the design of other aircraft
As the F-35 gradually fills the world’s air forces, it is becoming the global standard for tactical air power. Competitors such as the Chinese Communist Party and Russia are seeking to match its capabilities, or they can’t expect to win future wars. In the United States, several key systems on the F-35 are being modified for use in the Air Force’s future B-21 bomber, including the fighter’s F135 engine and its uniquely sensitive electronic warfare system. the use of F-35 technology in other combat aircraft has reduced the development costs of these aircraft and demonstrated the performance of the fighter’s core capabilities.
Eight, the F-35 is becoming more affordable to manufacture.
The fighter’s manufacturing costs decline with each successive production batch, often faster than government estimators predict. All three models have seen production costs drop by more than 12 percent per aircraft between the first and last batches funded by the Trump administration. At $78 million per fighter, the most common F-35 variant today costs far less than a Boeing 737 – the company’s cheapest jetliner. Some wide-body jetliners sell for more than four times the price of the most expensive version of the F-35, the Navy model.
Nine, the F-35 is becoming cheaper to operate.
During the Trump years, the Air Force’s cost per flight hour to operate the F-35 has dropped 23 percent. Comparisons show that the cost per flight hour of the F-35 is comparable to the Air Force’s legacy F-15C/D fighter. As of 2020, the Air Force F-35’s cost per flight hour is about 50 percent higher than the F-16, but the F-35 is several times more efficient than the F-16 in providing effects such as suppressing enemy defenses. The cost per flight hour is expected to decrease further as maintenance procedures are refined and airborne technology improves.
X. The F-35 is the cornerstone of the future Air Force program.
The Air Force is expected to absorb 70 percent of the domestic production of the F-35. This will be sufficient to replace all Cold War-era F-16s. Air Force Chief of Staff C.Q. Brown last month described the F-35 as the “cornerstone” of his service’s future warplane capability, promising not to take money out of the program to fund more advanced concepts. As the only stealthy tactical aircraft currently in series production, the F-35 is the only viable option for the Air Force to replace its Cold War-era fleet with an aircraft that can meet the demands of modern warfare. The Air Force will continue to experiment with other concepts, but there is no doubt that the F-35 is central to maintaining U.S. global air superiority.
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