The F-35 is expected, through continuous upgrades, to maintain its dominance into the 2060s.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is a fifth-generation fighter offering cutting-edge technology, which has been exported to over a dozen countries worldwide—making the F-35 the de facto aircraft of the US-aligned first world.
The program has not been without its problems, however. High costs, complex maintenance, and production delays have hampered the program. But with respect to pure performance, the F-35 offered an impressive combination of stealth, sensor fusion, advanced avionics, multirole versatility, and network-centric warfare. And given its sensor fusion and network-centric warfare capabilities in particular, the F-35 may be totally unrivaled.
The F-35 Gives Pilots a “Sixth Sense”
The F-35 excels at sensor fusion, or, the real-time integration of data from all the onboard and off board sensors into a single, clear, picture for the pilot. The result is enhanced situational awareness for the pilot—a sort of “sixth sense” in combat.
The F-35’s onboard systems include the AN/APG-81 AESA Radar, which tracks air and ground targets; the Distributed Aperture System (DAS), which features six infrared cameras giving the pilot 360-coverage around the aircraft; the Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), which offers infrared targeting and laser designation for precision weapons; an Electronic Warfare Suite for detecting, identifying, and locating threats; and the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), which alerts the pilot to hostile radar tracking.
However, whereas older jets required the pilot to interpret raw sensory data across multiple display screens, the F-35 fuses the information and presents a labeled display of threats, friendlies, and points of interest, all intuitively presented in the Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS). The benefits are what one would expect: quicker reaction time, better situational awareness, reduced cognitive load for the pilot, and enhanced stealth operations through the improved use of passive sensors.
Indeed, the F-35 is probably the world’s best sensor-fusing aircraft. It is also interconnected across platforms, meaning other aircraft, ships, ground units, and satellites—which creates a shared combat picture across the battlefield. In effect, the F-35 is not only a fighter jet, but a flying sensor node and command relay station. The features enabling such interconnectedness are the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL), the Link 16, and secure datalinks.
The upshot? The F-35 can see targets others can’t, and can then silently pass that information along, hence lifting the fog of war. It can also designate targets for others, or serve as a sensor node for older aircraft like the F-15 or F-16, thereby enhancing their targeting abilities. In sum, the F-35 enables coordinated attacks, precision strikes, and faster decision cycles—aka “kill chains.”
The F-35 Is the Future of Airpower
The F-35 is expected, through continuous upgrades, to maintain its dominance into the 2060s. Upcoming blocks are set to include improved sensor fusion and artificial intelligence, upgraded electronic warfare systems, and an expanded weapons suite—including the ability to carry the B61-12 nuclear bomb in the A-variant.
The F-35’s dominance will of course depend on what else rolls off the production line. Of note, China is working ambitiously to expand its own aerospace capabilities—meaning that the F-35’s supremacy of the skies could soon be tested.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
