par13del wrote:So is the F-35 a fighter / strike fighter that will ultimately take the fight to the enemy and dominate the skies, or is it a sensor platform gathering masses of information and assigning that to unmanned drones or missile truck a/c that will engage the enemy?
It's the combination of acquiring knowledge of the adversary, while denying that same knowledge about itself to the adversary, which makes the F-35 so effective.
At present, we are seeing only one side of that, acquiring knowledge. The F-35's are flying with radar reflectors that make them plainly visible. But if the gloves come off, the reflectors come off with them, and then it's a whole new ball game.
Also the advantage to the pilot, of having a mission package that clearly displays all the adversary threats, as well as safe zones and paths through them, is immense. That's why pilots would rather be in the F-35, over even the F-22. They can make much better decisions, and are more likely to come home.
The last advantage, as the article notes, is teaming. The F-35's share data with each other, and interoperate seamlessly. They are designed to fight together, like a pack. Thus the more nations that acquire them, the more incentive there is for others to do so.
The JPO has been really smart about this, including all nations in the flight and maintainer schools, training, and exercises. Especially at the instructor levels, which allows those people to go home and set up similar training structures. If you go to F-35 school, it's completely multinational, from top to bottom. Even the jets themselves are shared. A pilot just has to load their own mission package.
The advantage of that can't be overstated. If you purchase the F-35, your crews will have the same proficiency levels as the US. The F-35 is really the first program that ensures that from the beginning.
This is why the F-35 is such a compelling case, once a potential customer understands all of the advantages.