The F-35 Also Comes Up Short in the Eyes of the US Navy

A few days ago it was the US Air Force Air Combat Command chief arguing that his air force needs to get working on a 6th-generation replacement before the 5th generation F-35 even enters operational service.  General Mike Hostage's complaint was that the troubled warplane's weapons bays were too "shallow" - were too small to hold an adequate amount of weaponry.

Now it's the US Navy complaining that getting stuck with only the F-35 could render America's mighty carrier fleet "irrelevant."  What's the navy's gripe?  It's that the F-35 is no longer very stealthy.  An article in the US Naval Institute News warns that the 35's intended targets, Russia and China, have made terrific progress on developing multi-band radars capable of seeing through and targeting the F-35.

The navy seems to believe it needs an "all-aspect" aircraft, a thinly veiled criticism of the F-35's stealth cloaking that is frontal aspect only.  Adversaries approaching from either side, above, below or behind can detect - and attack -  the F-35 just fine.

 "...given the proliferation of low frequency radars, there are serious questions about the ability of the F-35C’s survivability against the toughest of air defenses."  That's not pulling any punches, eh? 

"All-aspect is highly desirable against this sort of networked [anti-air] environment.”

"Fundamentally, the Navy's lack of an all-aspect broadband stealth jet on the carrier flight deck is giving fuel to advocates of a high-end Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft that can tackle the toughest enemy air defenses.

"Without such capability, the Navy's carrier fleet will fade into irrelevance." 

What is the message for Canada when America's two main customers for the F-35 - the US Air Force and the US Navy - are already voicing complaints about the inadequacies of the warplane and clamouring for another warplane to take its place?  Bear in mind that these latest complaints - the inadequate weapons load and the obsolescence of the F-35's stealth cloaking - are just two of the recognized drawbacks.  Add to that, when the F-35 does run into the opposition, its limited fuel load and lack of supercruise could leave it at the mercy of modern fighter interceptors except they're not likely to be very merciful.

I think the message is clear.  Let's not take the enormously expensive leap into unproven and dubious "5th generation" technology.  Remember that, while this is supposedly 5th generation, it's also "beta" technology.  If we're really of a mind to get into air wars with China and Russia in the next 20-years, let's invest in bargain-price cruise missiles.  Congress has the US military in a headlock that will force those admirals and generals to buy 2,400 F-35's.  Another 65 of them parked in Canadian hangars won't do much to improve or weaken either country's air defences. 

It's Funny What You Can Pick Up from Watching TV

Last evening I stumbled across a documentary on America's B-2 stealth bomber on the Smithsonian Channel.  At one point there was an interview with an American engineering expert.   She mentioned that at the heart of stealth technology, it's all math.  Angles that will reflect radar waves back to the transmitter and give you away.   Angles that will deflect radar waves in helpful directions so they don't return to the transmitter and you remain radar invisible, that sort of thing.  Then she dropped what was, for me, a bombshell.

Guess where the Americans got all that genius-grade math?  It turns out the science originated in Russia.  The Americans managed to get their hands on a translated paper and - voila - they were away to the races.  Their first, primitive attempt was the angular F-117 lifted straight off the pages of the Russian paper.

Now, of course, the Americans have learned that you can make a stealth warplane that's more rounded and yet still meets the Russian specs for angles; airplanes like the F-35.

The F-35 embodies the Russian formulae plus advancements in radar-absorbing coatings and supporting electronics.  Some of those secrets have already been hacked out of contractor and defense department computers, allegedly by the Chinese.  The Chinese also got their hands on samples of America's coatings and electronics when they were allowed to filch whatever they liked from the RQ-170 Lockheed stealth drone that fell into Iranian hands, virtually intact.

So just how 'secret' is America's stealth technology advantage.  It's actually sounding less and less stealthy with each passing day.   Yet that's the key technology that's supposed to make up for every performance deficiency in the F-35.  Wowser.

While we're on the subject of this controversial warplane, The Ottawa Citizen ran a three-part opinion piece on why the F-35 is not the plane for Canada.  Here are the links.
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http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2014/02/19/why-the-f-35-is-the-wrong-choice-for-canada-part-1/

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2014/02/20/why-the-f-35-is-the-wrong-choice-for-canada-part-2/

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2014/02/21/why-the-f-35-is-the-wrong-choice-for-canada-part-3/

These are a good read and well worth the time.  The author, Kyle Meema, has left out a couple of points but, overall, it's a solid indictment of the warplane that is the 'wrong choice for Canada.'