The F-35 Lightning II: Fire in the Sky

Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recommended increasing the Pentagon's procurement of the F-35 from 14 aircraft in 2009 to 30 in 2010. Like the F-22 Raptor, a highly-maneuverable strike fighter that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 2005, the F-35 Lighting II is designed and built mainly by Lockheed Martin, a Maryland-based defense contractor. Other erospace partners for the F-35 Lighting II program include Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, and BAE Systems.

Most media accounts of Secretary Gates' recent recommendations have focused on government outlays, cost overruns, and potential job losses – the stuff of television evening news. Here on CR4, however, members and guests recently locked horns in a spirited and informative debate about the F-22, the strike fighter whose production Secretary Gates wants to cap at 187 aircraft. Today, let's start with a brief look at the F-35 Lighting II, the stealth multi-role jet fighter that is slated for introduction in 2011.

The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program

The F-35 Lighting II is what the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) terms its "focal point" for providing an "affordable next generation strike aircraft" for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Marines. In describing the F-35, the DoD often refers to this warplane as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) – a reference to how different versions of this same aircraft will be used by multiple branches of the U.S. military.

DoD press releases may emphasize the JSF's "affordability", but military planners such as John J. Young, Jr. stress the F-35's features. According to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development, the JSF will provide "precision strike capability with unprecedented stealth, range, sensor fusion, improved radar performance, combat ID and electronic attack capabilities".

Stealth, Sensors, and Engines

A stealth fighter, the F-35 Lighting II reportedly uses stealth coatings and radar-absorbing materials (RAM) that combine low maintenance with low observability. Details of the JSF's stealth technology remain classified, but the aircraft's AN/APG-81 AESA multi-function sensor array is well-known. Built by Northrup Grumman Electronic Systems, this active electronically scanned array (AESA) includes advanced air-to-air modes and air-to-ground modes, high-resolution mapping, ultra high bandwidth communications, combat identification, and electronic attack features.

There are two different engines under development for the F-35: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the General Electric / Rolls Royce F136. With both powerplants, the short take-off and vertical landing (STVOL) versions use the patented Rolls Royce LiftSystem. Unlike the vertical-flight Harrier, which uses lift engines and rotating nozzles on the engine fan, the LiftSystem features a shaft-driven fan and a thrust-vectoring nozzle for the main engine exhaust.

Resources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a0NQwnEqxSl4&refer=home

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-35_Lightning_II

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APG-81

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_LiftSystem