【Epoch Times November 07, 2021】In today’s society, the role of weapons and the army is given a deeper meaning than killing. Strong military power is often used as a deterrent to maintain world peace and human security. Although the war became hidden, it never stopped. 【Current Affairs and Military】Take you to the forefront to see the details and truth of the battle between good and evil.
In early November, the Israeli Air Force held a biennial Blue Flag military exercise. Pilots from eight countries including Israel, the United States, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, and India and their respective fighter jets, including F-35 and F -16, F-15, Mirage 2000 and Rafale participated in the exercise. The exercise demonstrated that Israel, as a leader in the use of F-35 fighter jets, has become a model for air force training and learning in other countries.
Captain “O” of the Israeli Air Force is an F-35 fighter pilot. He said that the pilots participating in the exercise played different roles in attack and defense operations. These air forces from NATO and other countries formed a strong partnership.
Before flying the F-35, Captain “O” drove an F-15E. Now he has changed to the F-35 for a year. He was surprised by the changes F-35 brought. He said that the single-seater F-35 is different from the traditional two-seater F-15 fighter. The F-15 does not have a weapon system officer, and you can’t do two people alone, but the F-35’s intelligent electronic system solves this problem. F-35 is known for its data sponge, network and digital mode can help pilots deal with complex battlefield information, make better and faster decisions. He said that the new method of high-tech warfare means receiving more data and information on the plane, more situational awareness, and pilots becoming a key role. This situation will not change in the next few years.
F-35 is becoming a key node, connecting partners on the battlefield in the future. The capabilities of the F-35 should make rivals such as Russia, the Chinese Communist Party and North Korea nervous, especially the performance improvements brought about by its latest Block IV upgrade.
According to a report on the future fighter force by the American think tank Mitchell Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the timetable for the new block upgrade of F-35 fighter jets, the F-35 upgraded in block 4, may be delivered in 2029.
Block 4 is a set of confidential hardware transformations, a series of upgrade plans for new technologies and software applications, which will fundamentally improve the combat effectiveness of the F-35. Many of the fighter’s combat capabilities are achieved through software upgrades. For example, the F-35’s block 3F software upgrade increases the joint bombing fighter (JSF) weapon delivery capability, allowing it to drop small-diameter bombs and 500-pound joint direct Attack ammunition and AIM-9X air-to-air missiles.
The upgrade of the F-35 is accelerating. Mitchell’s report stated that in any form of confrontation with the CCP, it is necessary to upgrade the functions obtained in block 4. Operational analysis shows that the more advanced block 4 configuration will play a role in the conflict with the Chinese Communist army. The US Navy’s F-35B/C fighter jets will mature with the upgrade of the block 4 software.
According to Lockheed. According to Martin’s data, as of January this year, more than 610 F-35s have been delivered, and more than 1,255 pilots and 1,030 maintenance personnel have received training. In December 2020, the Marine Corps 314th Fighter Strike Squadron (VMFA-314) announced that their F-35C Lightning II has initial operational capability (IOC). The first batch of F-35C TOP GUN pilots of the US Navy have graduated in June 2020.
The block 4 software upgrade also improves the flexibility of the F-35, enabling the F-35 to operate AI-controlled unmanned wingmen, such as the XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned fighter jet, through the US Air Force’s Skyborg program. And the MQ-20 drone of General Atomics. At the same time, the electronic warfare capabilities of the F-35B/C are improved, which can interfere with the enemy’s radar and communication systems, such as interfering with the enemy’s sensors trying to detect the F-35.
F-35’s APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar (AESA) can penetrate clouds to draw maps, detect moving objects on the ground, and even create a photo-like map of a local area, and compare this information with other aircraft or ground forces Sharing, forming a more efficient combat coordination, and accurately attacking moving targets on the ground.
The 6 cameras around the F-35 can create a sensor fusion picture. Allow pilots to understand the airspace situation intuitively and reduce the workload of pilot information interpretation. Sensor fusion and data sharing allow F-35 wingmen to see the same battlefield conditions and threats, even without the need for radio calls.
The upgrade of Block 4 also completely changed the F-35’s weapon configuration, making it have more missiles and a longer range. The F-35 adds flanking pylons, new missiles and smaller smart weapons. In the beast mode, its wing weapon pylon can increase the ammunition load to 22,000 pounds.
The small amount of ammunition carried in the aircraft has always been a fatal problem for the F-35. Lockheed Martin has designed a new type of side-wing bomb bay called Sidekick, which can increase the loading capacity of the F-35A and F-35C’s internal bomb bays by 50%. With the addition of the side wing bomb bays, the US Navy’s F-35C has increased its air-to-air combat configuration from 4 AIM-120 air-to-air missiles in a stealth configuration. If it is a formation of 4 fighters, a total of 24 air-to-air missiles can be carried. The flanking bomb bay increased the bomb load but did not change the aerodynamic shape, maintaining the original stealth performance of the aircraft.
In the beast mode, the F-35 can mount a variety of weapons, including long-range anti-ship missiles, and the bomb load can be increased several times. But the problem that follows is that the stealth performance is destroyed. In July 2020, Raytheon developed a miniature missile specifically designed to intercept air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. This missile is called a miniature self-defense missile (MSDM). When the fighter missile warning system detects an incoming missile, the carrier aircraft will launch multiple MSDM missiles to intercept to ensure that the incoming missile is completely destroyed. This kind of miniature anti-missile missile can make the F-35 resist the opponent’s missile attack in the non-stealth beast mode.
The new weapon equipped with the US Navy F-35 also includes Raytheon’s Stormbreaker GBU-53B small-diameter bomb. The GBU-53 uses a 109-pound warhead and has a range of 110 kilometers to fixed targets and 72 kilometers to moving targets. The Navy’s F-35 can carry up to 24 small-diameter bombs.
GBU-53B has three guidance modes including infrared, laser and radar guidance systems. It can also use GPS-assisted inertial navigation system guidance. The Storm Crosser provides pilots with unprecedented capabilities and tremendous flexibility. The advantage of this weapon enables it to accurately attack any sea and land mobile targets within its range, regardless of the weather.
The AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) is Lockheed. Martin is developing a long-range air-to-air missile. It is a new variety that complements the lack of AIM-120 capabilities. It is planned to form an initial combat capability in 2022. The U.S. Air Force still keeps this new type of missile secret. It is said that the AIM-260 may fly at a speed of more than Mach 5 and has a range of about 200 kilometers.
The U.S. air and navy have continuously increasing demand for long-range air-to-air missiles. The CCP’s PL-15 is largely similar to a variant of AIM-120D, and the CCP claims that it has a longer range than AIM-120D. This is also the main reason why the Pentagon launched the AIM-260 project. The missile has a strong autonomous capability and can provide higher kinetic energy at the end of the flight to effectively destroy high-mobility aerial targets. There are few details about the AIM-260. The missile does not use a ram thruster. The overall dimensions are basically the same as those of the AIM-120, and it is compatible with the F-35 weapon system. The U.S. military needs to ensure that in air combat, it has the air superiority to defeat its opponents at greater distances.
In January of this year, Lockheed. Martin introduced the F-35 to be equipped with two long-range anti-ship cruise missiles (LRASM). Due to the large size of the missile, it can only be installed on the external pylon of the wing. The long-range anti-ship cruise missile (LRASM) is a precision-guided weapon equipped with armor-piercing and fragmentation warheads and can be used in all-weather conditions. The missile has a multi-mode sensor suite, weapon data link and enhanced digital anti-jamming global positioning system, capable of detecting and destroying specific targets at sea.
The latest developments of the F-35 mentioned above keep the same pace as the upgrade pace of Block 4. The F-35 has improved the ability of long-range air combat and precision strikes against ground mobile targets while maintaining its stealth performance. This means that the F-35 can break through the opponent’s air defense system, penetrate into the enemy’s inland, and effectively attack time-sensitive, high-value, and highly maneuverable targets.
In the context of certain conflicts, such as the CCP’s conflict over Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait and North Korea’s conflict over South Korea on the peninsula. Since the US military and allies (including South Korea and Japan) have deployed a considerable number of F-35 fighter jets in this area, they will likely play a key role.
Written by: Xia Luoshan (Reporter of “Epoch Times”, has experienced more than ten years of military life, mainly engaged in military teaching and some technical management work)
Production: Current Affairs Military Production Group
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Editor in charge: Lian Shuhua
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