Let s take a look at Switzerland s newest fighter: The F-35 Lightning!
Overview
It s official, Switzerland has chosen the Lockheed Martin F35A Lightning II as its newest
fighter plane.
In a 5.5 Billion Dollar deal that adds a 15th nation to the growing base of F35 users, the
agreement also comes alongside an additional 2.1 Billion dollar deal to buy the surface
to air Patriot missile defense system.
Switzerland s decision to procure the F35 has sent shockwaves throughout Europe.
The Lightning II beat out the Dassault Rafale which is produced in France, the Eurofighter
Typhoon which is jointly produced by Germany, Italy, the UK and Spain, and even the Boeing
Super Hornet.
Additionally, Swiss voters decided to remove the Saab Gripen from Switzerland s fighter
competition some seven years ago.
After a lengthy evaluation process by the Swiss government between the remaining fighters,
the decision to choose the contract for 36 F35s was due to the fact that the F35 has
quote the highest overall benefit at the lowest overall cost, endquote.
The F35 is no stranger to controversy, having been called the most expensive weapons platform
ever, the program has been besieged by numerous cost overruns, technical setbacks, and initial
production delays.
Still, the Swiss acquisition of the F35 could be seen as a turning point for the 5th generation
fighter, since as more nations adopt the platform, costs and interoperability factors can be
scaled.
In fact the proposed contract for purchasing the F35 and operating it over the next 30
years came in 2 billion francs lower than any other competitor at 15.5 billion francs.
Let's take a deeper dive into the F35:
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fifth generation, single engine, single seat,
multirole stealth fighter which is tasked with performing a variety of missions including
strike, air superiority, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare, Having been called
the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft in the world, the F35 is
intended to operate until 2070.
Lockheed Martin is the primary contractor, along with principal partners BAE Systems
and Northrop Grumman.
The F35 is an international fighter, with tiered partner nations that include Norway,
Australia, Denmark, Canada, and the Netherlands.
The F35 is actually a family of aircraft that is produced in three main variants: The CTOL
or Conventional Takeoff and landing F-35a, the STOVL or short take off and vertical landing
F-35B, and the CV/CATOBAR or Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery F-35C.
Here are some quick specifications for the model Switzerland has chosen, the F35A:
Length: 51.4 FT(15.7 M) Height: 14.4 FT (4.4 M)
Wingspan: 35 FT (11 M) Maximum speed: Mach 1.6 at altitude
700 KN (806 MPH; 1,296 KMH) at sea level
Empty weight: 29,300 LB (13,290 KG)
Max.
takeoff weight: 70,000 LB (31,751 KG)
RANGE: 669 NMI (770 MI, 1,239 KM) on internal fuel
760 NMI (870 MI; 1,410 KM) interdiction mission on internal fuel, for internal air to air
configuration
Thrust to weight ratio: 0.87 at gross weight (1.07 at loaded weight with 50% internal fuel)
Engines, one Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 afterburning turbofan, producing
28,000 LBF (120 kN) thrust dry, or 43,000 LBF (190 kN) with afterburner
Armament
The F-35A is armed with the internal GAU-22/A 25 mm 4-barrel rotary cannon, with 180 rounds
of ammunition
Additionally, the F-35 has 4 internal stations in two weapons bays which are used to maintain
its stealth profile, and 6 external hardpoints, 3 under each wing that can be used for non-stealth
missions.
The internal stations can carry up to 5,700 pounds (2,600 kg) while the external stations
can hold up to 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) Total weapons payload capacity is 18,000 pounds
(8,200 kg) t
The F35 can carry a diverse range of weapons including:
For Air to air missions: Heat Seeking AIM 9X Sidewinders or AIM-132
ASRAAM Radar Guided
AIM 120 AMRAAMS or MDBA Meteor Missiles
For Air to ground missions: AGM -154 Joint Standoff Weapon or JSOW
The Paveway laser guided bombs Mk 20 Rockeye Cluster bombs
MK 77 incendiary cluster bombs
The AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile or iJASSM
The AGM-88 HARM anti radar missile
For anti Ship Operations: The AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile
LRASM
This list is by no means inclusive, as there are several future payload options being developed
for the F35.
The F35 is equipped with the AN/APG-81, an actively electronically scanned array or AESA
radar.
An evolution of the F-22 s AN/APG-77 radar, the AN/APG-81 radar includes the air to air
modes found on the F22 along with advanced air-to-ground modes that utilize high resolution
mapping, the ability to track multiple ground moving targets, and electronic warfare capabilities.
In a real live flight test 23 targets were within 100 miles of the F35.
In less than 3 seconds 19 were automatically detected and tracked, with all 23 targets
detected and tracked in less than 9 seconds.
The radar continued to track these targets while continuing to search for new targets.
Additionally air to air and air to ground modes can be run simultaneously on the F35s
large cockpit display.
These abilities offer first look, first shot, and first kill capability to the F35.
It is not difficult to see why the APG-81 has been called the world s most advanced
fire control radar found on a fighter.
The F35 also makes use of the only 360 degree spherical situational awareness system.
Known as Distributed Aperture System or DAS, it consists of six infrared cameras mounted
around the aircraft, which send HD real time imagery directly to the pilot s helmet.
This allows the pilot to fully see the environment around them in day or night conditions with
no loss of clarity or quality.
Among other features, DAS provides detention and tracking of missiles, fire control, tracking
of friendly aircraft to enhance tactical maneuvering, and navigation assistance for both day and
night modes.
Furthermore, DAS Integrates with other aircraft sensors, meaning that if the radar detects
objects of interest the DAS algorithms analyzes them and recommends in which order to deal
with the threats, essentially providing data fusion.
Additionally, the F35 can make use of the world s first and only sensor platform which
provides both forward looking infrared or FLIR and infrared search and track or IRST
functionality, which is known as an Electro Optical Targeting system or EOTS.
Other aircraft make use of EOTS systems but the F35 s is integrated into a combined unit.
This lightweight system further enhances the pilots situational awareness and is housed
in a stealthy low drag housing with a sapphire window.
The ETOS integrates via a high speed fiber optic interface into the aircraft s integrated
central computer.
Unlike other fighters, the F35 does not have a heads up display or HUD.
Instead, the F35 s pilots make use of a helmet mounted display system or HMDS to view flight
and combat data at all times.
The HDMS also receives image data from the DAS and allows the pilot to effectively see
through the aircraft.
Additionally the helmet allows for high angles of boresight target locking meaning that the
pilot can lock a target and fire a missile at another aircraft that is not oriented to
the F35 s nose.
The main display in the F35s cockpit is a 20 by 8 inch panoramic touchscreen that displays
instrument, navigation, and combat data.
The display allows the pilot to customize the information to meet the pilot s needs.
There is a smaller backup display and speech recognition algorithms are also implemented.
All of these systems integrate to provide sensor fusion, which creates an integrated
view of the battlefield.
This provides unprecedented situational awareness, and can be distributed to other assets via
secure datalinks such as the Multifunction Advanced Data Link or MADL, making the F35
a force multiplier on the modern battlefield.
Along with its advanced sensors, stealth is another key feature of the F35.
The airframe was designed and shaped to reduce the radar cross section or RCS.
This was done by aligning edges, making use of serrated skin panels, and masking the engine
face.
Furthermore, the F35 has a diverterless supersonic inlet or DSI, which uses a forward swept cowl
and compression bump to divert the boundary layer away from the engine duct.
Additionally the F35 makes use of radar absorbent materials or RAM.
The F35 applied lessons learned from previous stealth applications such as the F22, and
as a result the F35 s skin is more durable and requires less maintenance than older topcoats.
At certain angles and frequencies the F35s RCS is lower than a metal golf ball and compares
favorably to the F22.
Additionally, The F35 s radio frequency emitters also employ rigorous controls to minimize
or prevent their detection.
Operational History Although many details of the F35 s operational
deployments are still classified, there are a couple of known examples that stand out.
In 2018 during a test mission consisting of at least three Israeli Air Force F35I s, the
aircraft flew from Tel Aviv to the Iranian capital Tehran and back.
The event was publicly unconfirmed, however as a result of the mission Iran s supreme
leader reportedly fired the air force chief and commander of the Iran Revolutionary Guard.
And also in 2018 Marine F35Bs operating off of the Amphibious Assault ship Essex, conducted
strikes on Taliban targets.
The number of aircraft or type of munitions used were not disclosed but the attack on
a fixed Taliban position was considered a success.
And more recently US Marine and UK Royal Navy F35Bs have deployed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth
and are currently deployed on a tour of the Pacific, which will include the South China
Sea.
It is important to point out that while there is some internal opposition to the F35 in
Switzerland, the Parliament can debate the cost and terms but not revisit the fighter
selection process.
The F35 will be a Swiss Fighter.
The F-35 certainly has had unprecedented cost overruns and has taken longer to bring into
frontline service than anyone ever thought, however the program did have some lofty goals
and set out to not only be the best 5th generation air to everything platform, but to also be
made available to allies.
Today there have been over 665 F35s delivered to 9 nations with more than 1400 pilots and
10,700 maintainers trained, while operating out of 28 bases worldwide.
F35 Production employs more than 254,000 direct and indirect jobs in the US in 48 states and
Puerto Rico, with over 1900 suppliers around the globe.
Final assembly takes place in Ft Worth Texas, Cameri, Italy, and Nagoya, Japan.
What do you think?
Is the F35 the best fighter in the air today?
Did Switzerland make the best choice?
Let me know in the comments below.