The F35 in the US ‘Vision 2020+’ Strategy
The F35 is certainly the most emblematic equipment of the ‘modern’ US Strategy
The #F35 is certainly the most emblematic equipment of the ‘modern’ #US Strategy !
It is especially designed for :
- Countering modern Long-Range Ground-to-Air defence systems (stealthness)
- Countering aerial defence (stealthness)
- Air-to-Ground missions against ‘1st defence-ring’ (with, typically, the weapons bays)
- Air-to-Ground Precise strikes (in completion of bombers, adapted for larger targets)
- Being easily deployed on, and opterated from, Forward Command Bases (including carriers)
F35 main mission types : #F/A-18 replacement :
- Ennemy facilities targetting (such as radar installations or anti-aircraft battery)
- Air-support against armoured vehicules
F35 typical wars context : ‘Blitzkrieg’ (quick efficient war) :
- Gulf war (1991)
- Bosnia (1995)
- Iraq (2003)
- Libya (2012)
In other hand, even it is described as a multi-role aircraft…
It is not optimized of :
- Large Air-to-Ground strikes (due to a limited loading capacity)
- Forward Air-to-Ground strikes (limited range and speed)
- Air-to-Air missions (limited speed, external capacity, and G limits)
- Close Air Support
- Endurance missions (limited range)
F35 is unsuitable for :
- ‘Guerrilla‘ (Afghanistan)
- ‘Strength Forces’ war [Long-Term / WW] (no recent case)
About F35 :
F-35 ‘Lightning II’ by #LockheedMartin
F35 in the US Vision :
Even the critics over F35 performances and the fact that it is potentially inadapted for some customers strategies, the aircraft is rightly designed to complete the US ‘Vision 2020+’, facing to modern conflicts, in its role of F18 replacement :
- Air-to-Ground strikes on ‘1st defence-ring‘ : performed by F35 [F18/F16 replacement]
- Air-to-Ground Precise strikes : performed by F35 [F18 replacement]
- Large Air-to-Ground strikes : performed by bomber
- Forward Air-to-Ground strikes : performed by UCAV or bomber
- Air-to-Air missions : performed by #F22 [F15/F16 replacement]
- Close Air Support : performed by helicopter AH64 ‘Apache Longbow’
- Endurance missions : performed by #UCAV
JM