F-35 Lightning II is known for its stealthy profile.
But there is another side to it in which it can pack more weapons and is popularly known
as Beast Mode.
In this mode, the F-35 can carry up to 4 times payload when compared to its normal mode.
This mode makes the F 35 a completely different adversary to deal with for a rival and could
be used in certain scenarios.
Beast Mode will add a lot of tactical flexibility to the nations which are deploying the F 35s
In this video Defense Updates analyzes F35 capabilities in Beast Mode.
Let’s gets started.
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The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II which is a single-seat, single-engine, all-weather
stealth multirole fighters is undergoing final development and testing by the United States.
The Pentagon began the F 35 program in 2001 with an aim to develop a cost-effective replacement
for the U.S. military’s F15 fighters, F 16 and F18 fighter bombers and reconnaissance
aircraft and A10 close in support warplanes.
The F-35 has three main models: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short
take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested
recovery, carrier-based F-35C (CATOBAR)
Apart from the United States, the primary customer and financial backer, the United
Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Norway, and Denmark are also part
of the program.
Many other nations like Japan and Israel are also deploying the fighters.
The 9 major partner nations, including the U.S, plan to acquire over 2,000 F-35s through
2035, which, if delivered will make the F-35 one of the most numerous jet fighters.
On 2 August 2016, the U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35A fighters combat-ready.
The fighter aircraft is expected to remain in service till 2050.
F 35 being a 5th generation fighter is developed from grounds up to be stealthy.
Its external structure is designed to deflect signals away from the emitting radar which
makes it hard to detect or track.
This is done by having no sharp edges or protruding elements and having a smooth external curvature.
Also, it has a coating of RAM (Radar Absorbing Material) that reduces the number of signals
getting reflected.
Classified techniques have been used to reduce the heat signature of F 35.
This thermal profile management of the jet makes it difficult for Infrared (IR) homing
missiles to target it.
F 35 has the lowest Radar Cross Section (RCS) of all the jets except the F 22 Raptor.
• Against x-band radars, it is stealthy from front and rear
• Against S-band radar, it is stealthy from the narrow front aspect
• Against L-band radar, the limited reduction is achieved from direct front
It is a very Low Observable (LO) platform in reality, unlike some of its so called competitors.
For example, Chinese Chengdu J20 got exposed last year.
Indian pilots on Russian-made Su-30MKIs from Indian airspace managed to detect and track
the new Chinese jets when they were conducting flight training over Tibet.
The disclosure didn’t come from any independent analysts but from an official source.
Indian Air Force commander Arup Shaha said, "The Sukhoi's radar can see them.
The new Chinese jets are not so invisible after all.
No special technology is required to detect the J-20, as it can be detected by ordinary
radar stations.”
This has ignited debates that the J 20 is nothing more than a decorated 4++ generation fighter.
Importantly in stealth configuration or mode, weapons are carried internally.
F 35s in stealth mode will be useful when it is deployed in the initial days of the
campaign to penetrate enemy territory that 4th generation fighters will find difficult
to handle.
It will neutralize air as well as ground threats and provide critical intelligence.
Essentially in stealth mode, it will be used to gain air dominance.
But once this is achieved, F 35 can be deployed in Beast Mode where it will carry weapons
in external hardpoints too.
In stealth mode, the F-35 can carry 5,700 pounds of ordnance but when it converts to
Beast Mode it will be able to carry up to 22,000 pounds of payload - internal and external
weapons combined.
The 22,000 pounds capacity will mean in Beast Mode F 35 will be able to carry 14 AIM-120
missiles and 2 AIM-9X missiles for air to air mission or 6 GBU-31’s and 4 AIM-120’s/9X’s
for ground missions.
Let’s check each of these weapons :
1.
AIM-9X: The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a family of short-range air-to-air missiles carried on
a wide range of modern tactical aircraft in the U.S. military and uses in infrared seeker
to home in on the heat source of its target.
It entered service with the US Navy in 1956 and subsequently was adopted by the US Air
Force in 1964.
AIM-9X is the 5th generation Sidewinder and features a high off-boresight focal-plane
array seeker mounted on a highly maneuverable airframe with a greatly improved infrared
counter-countermeasures capability.
It has a range of 22 miles or 35.4 km and has a speed of Mach 2.5+
2.
AIM-120D: The AIM-120D is the latest development of the AMRAAM missile family designed and
built by Raytheon.
The AIM-120 AMRAAM is a family of medium-range, air-to-air missile designed to meet the requirements
of the United States and several allied nations.
The AIM-120 missile is faster, smaller and lighter than its predecessor the AIM-7 Sparrow
medium-range missile.
AIM-120D includes several new enhancements for improved performance.
This includes a two-way data link, superior navigation through GPS-enhanced Inertial Measurement
Unit, much larger no escape zone and improved high-angle off-boresight capability apart
from an increase in range by 50%.
AIM-120D has much accurate guidance over its whole flight envelop which improves the kill
probability.
It also has improved kinematics and GPS Inertial Measurement Unit for better performance.
AIM-120D's range is thought to be more than 167 km or 105 miles.
3.
GBU-31: It is a smart bomb.
It can be launched from a range of around 15 nautical miles or 28 km.
Guided by GPS or INS it can precisely hit the target.
It can be equipped with a 2,000 lb or 900 kg warhead of different variant.
U.S military will be looking to phase out its 4th generation fighter jet slowly.
But these fighters like F 16 & F 18 could carry a lot of weapons through their external
hardpoints which F 35 can’t when operating in stealth mode.
But with Beast Mode, this gap is taken care of.
It is important to note that though it with loose the stealth edge in this mode, F 35s
will still be a better than any 4th generation fighter when it comes to many aspects like
situational awareness thanks to its sensor fusion capability.
F 35 is a multirole fighter and with Beat Mode, it will able to adapt seamlessly as
per the requirements of the battle situation.
As the F 35 program is maturing, new sides of the fighter are being revealed, for example,
going forward F 35s will also carry a cannon for close range dog fights.
This exactly what was envisaged by the Pentagon when it initiated the F 35 program and it
seems things are in the correct track.