- "Revenons à nos moutons", как говорят французы, маленькая сенсация:
http://aviationweek.com/defense/f-35-unscathed-hostile-fire-green-flag
F-35 невредим от вражеского огня на учениях "Зелёный Флаг"
http://aviationweek.com/defense/f-35-unscathed-hostile-fire-green-flag
F-35 невредим от вражеского огня на учениях "Зелёный Флаг"
Not a single F-35 was “shot down” during the joint-force Green Flag exercises testing the jet and its pilots’ prowess operating it in a contested air-support role in the Western U.S. this month, according to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Cameron Dadgar, head of the exercise and leader of the 549th Combat Training Sqdn. at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
This is notable because A-10s and F-16s were defeated in the same conditions, operating in an environment with hostile aircraft and surface-to-air missiles, he said. USAF officials suggest this validates the theory of Air Force leaders that sacrificing weapons load for stealth in the F-35’s design proved solid, at least for these mission sets. Skeptics, however, say the exercise was a public relations stunt designed to sell the jet as the service continues its uphill battle to convince Congress and others that the aircraft will be a sufficient replacement for the F-15E, F-16 and A-10 for future close air support (CAS) missions.
Therein lies the dichotomy between dialogs in the capitols of nations buying the Lockheed Martin F-35 and operators receiving it for training. The latter appear to be at least satisfied with the early, nascent capabilities provided by the F-35A Block 2B jets used in Green Flag, and operators are working to hone pilot skills in employing the jet. By contrast, discussions in Washington—as well as at the Paris Air Show—are focused on constantly justifying the existence of the F-35, the most costly weapons program in Pentagon history. Program managers are aiming to lower the cost of the jet (about $100 million per copy) and boost production numbers as well as defend its incrementally increasing capabilities.
The F-35 has participated in Green Flag exercises—conducted twice a year—since 2013; however, this was the first time it was featured prominently. “In comparison with the other airframes, they provided the most sorties over the most days,” says Master Sgt. Sanjay Allen, a Nellis spokesman. Two operational test F-35As participated in the fight from Edwards AFB, California. They flew more than 10 days, with sorties taking place in some cases multiple times a day.
Typical weapon loadout for these missions included a single 2,000-lb. GBU-31 and two 500-lb. GBU 12s, which are laser-guided Paveways, Allen says.
He bristles at the idea that the media invitation to Green Flag was an F-35 PR stunt. “We’ve had media days at this Green Flag before,” he says. “Just because the F-35 is here doesn’t mean this is a PR stunt.”
He and Maj. Christopher Laird, an F-35 pilot, say pilots are learning lessons on how better to employ the F-35 in a contested CAS role, the point of the exercise. With his focus on training pilots, Laird seems almost exasperated at the PR stunt criticism. “This isn’t magic,” he says. “It isn’t bringing anything magic to the fight,” but adding a new capability to the mix, he contends.
Green Flag is intended to tax operators to their max so when they reach actual combat they are proficient in a variety of scenarios. Perhaps contributing to the “PR stunt criticism” is that Green Flag is the lesser known of Nellis’s big exercises. Air Force leaders have only recently begun to discuss the exercise widely as they have fought to explain how the F-35 will provide CAS. They more often point to Red Flag, which tests pilots’ air-to-air skills, as the gold standard of flying exercises.
Laird says the F-35 pilots were able to communicate directly with ground-based air controllers calling in fires for CAS. While doing so, the F-35s provided their own counter air, or capability to evade hostile fires.
He acknowledges that one challenge is for the F-35 to communicate with legacy aircraft—F-15Es, F-16s and A-10s—when operating covertly. The F-35’s Link 16 is effective in transmitting data, but it broadcasts the jet’s location, nullifying its stealthiness. By contrast, F-35s can pass data to other F-35s via the Multifunction Advanced Data Link, which is not accessible to legacy aircraft. “What we are trying to figure out now is integrating the F-35 with fourth-gen assets,” Laird says. Passing threat data from the F-35 to these fighters will make them more survivable in the fight, he adds.
Nellis officials did not provide sortie tallies.
Meanwhile, Marine Corps officials are preparing for a series of operational readiness trials for the first squadron of F-35Bs in advance of the plan to announce initial operational capability for the aircraft in late July. VMFA-121 at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, will be the first operational F-35 unit in the world, with 10 F-35B Block 2B aircraft and enough trained pilots and maintainers to deploy for operations if needed.
The first F-35 deployment is slated for 2017, when the unit will operate from MCAS Iwakuni, Japan.
This is notable because A-10s and F-16s were defeated in the same conditions, operating in an environment with hostile aircraft and surface-to-air missiles, he said. USAF officials suggest this validates the theory of Air Force leaders that sacrificing weapons load for stealth in the F-35’s design proved solid, at least for these mission sets. Skeptics, however, say the exercise was a public relations stunt designed to sell the jet as the service continues its uphill battle to convince Congress and others that the aircraft will be a sufficient replacement for the F-15E, F-16 and A-10 for future close air support (CAS) missions.
Therein lies the dichotomy between dialogs in the capitols of nations buying the Lockheed Martin F-35 and operators receiving it for training. The latter appear to be at least satisfied with the early, nascent capabilities provided by the F-35A Block 2B jets used in Green Flag, and operators are working to hone pilot skills in employing the jet. By contrast, discussions in Washington—as well as at the Paris Air Show—are focused on constantly justifying the existence of the F-35, the most costly weapons program in Pentagon history. Program managers are aiming to lower the cost of the jet (about $100 million per copy) and boost production numbers as well as defend its incrementally increasing capabilities.
The F-35 has participated in Green Flag exercises—conducted twice a year—since 2013; however, this was the first time it was featured prominently. “In comparison with the other airframes, they provided the most sorties over the most days,” says Master Sgt. Sanjay Allen, a Nellis spokesman. Two operational test F-35As participated in the fight from Edwards AFB, California. They flew more than 10 days, with sorties taking place in some cases multiple times a day.
Typical weapon loadout for these missions included a single 2,000-lb. GBU-31 and two 500-lb. GBU 12s, which are laser-guided Paveways, Allen says.
He bristles at the idea that the media invitation to Green Flag was an F-35 PR stunt. “We’ve had media days at this Green Flag before,” he says. “Just because the F-35 is here doesn’t mean this is a PR stunt.”
He and Maj. Christopher Laird, an F-35 pilot, say pilots are learning lessons on how better to employ the F-35 in a contested CAS role, the point of the exercise. With his focus on training pilots, Laird seems almost exasperated at the PR stunt criticism. “This isn’t magic,” he says. “It isn’t bringing anything magic to the fight,” but adding a new capability to the mix, he contends.
Green Flag is intended to tax operators to their max so when they reach actual combat they are proficient in a variety of scenarios. Perhaps contributing to the “PR stunt criticism” is that Green Flag is the lesser known of Nellis’s big exercises. Air Force leaders have only recently begun to discuss the exercise widely as they have fought to explain how the F-35 will provide CAS. They more often point to Red Flag, which tests pilots’ air-to-air skills, as the gold standard of flying exercises.
Laird says the F-35 pilots were able to communicate directly with ground-based air controllers calling in fires for CAS. While doing so, the F-35s provided their own counter air, or capability to evade hostile fires.
He acknowledges that one challenge is for the F-35 to communicate with legacy aircraft—F-15Es, F-16s and A-10s—when operating covertly. The F-35’s Link 16 is effective in transmitting data, but it broadcasts the jet’s location, nullifying its stealthiness. By contrast, F-35s can pass data to other F-35s via the Multifunction Advanced Data Link, which is not accessible to legacy aircraft. “What we are trying to figure out now is integrating the F-35 with fourth-gen assets,” Laird says. Passing threat data from the F-35 to these fighters will make them more survivable in the fight, he adds.
Nellis officials did not provide sortie tallies.
Meanwhile, Marine Corps officials are preparing for a series of operational readiness trials for the first squadron of F-35Bs in advance of the plan to announce initial operational capability for the aircraft in late July. VMFA-121 at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, will be the first operational F-35 unit in the world, with 10 F-35B Block 2B aircraft and enough trained pilots and maintainers to deploy for operations if needed.
The first F-35 deployment is slated for 2017, when the unit will operate from MCAS Iwakuni, Japan.
