WHY FEARED F-35 IS LORD OF THE SKIES
THE WORLD’S most capable and feared fighter jet, the £70million F-35B Lightning, is ready to rule the skies – with RAF and Navy pilots at the controls.
The UK has ordered 138 of the 4,600mph stealth jets and has taken delivery of 17.
For the first time, four launched in quick succession from the £3.1billion Queen Elizabeth supercarrier last week.
The rest are at RAF Marham in Norfolk, home of the rebooted 617 “Dambusters” squadron.
But it’s not until you visit Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, where the F-35 was created, that its true wonder becomes apparent.
At least 20 years ahead of anything else in the air, the fifth generation fighter’s main feature is “very low observable stealth”.
It is not invisible, but its shape and special coating allows it to detect any enemy threat from hundreds of miles away and strike before foes are even aware
of its presence. Such is its success, the F-35 has transformed survivability rates.
“With older fourth generation aircraft such as the Eurofighter Typhoon or F16, the loss exchange ratio is 1:1 – for every adversary we neutralise, they neutralise one of ours,” said Steve Over, director of F-35 international business development. With the F-35, that figure is 20:1.” F-35s were not needed
in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, “then suddenly Russia decided to move ground troops into Syria and things changed remarkably”, said Mr Over.
“They brought their best fourgen fighters. Then there was an airspace incursion in Turkey and one was shot down.
In response Turkey brought Russia’s S-400 missile systems – lethal monsters that can threaten a Typhoon from 200 miles away.
The F-35 was designed to deal with weapon systems proliferating around the world through Russia and China. They’re selling these systems to any nation that wants them.”
The F-35’s smooth, sleek lines contain everything from radar arrays, antennae and fuel tanks to its two air-to-air missiles and bombs – and that’s the secret to its stealth capabilities.
“It allows pilots to take the weapon system anywhere they want to,” said Mr Over.
It takes 18 months to transform parts into a lethal machine, with 3,000 technicians working round the clock to deliver three a week.
More than 100 UK firms contribute, accounting for 24,000 jobs. BAE makes the rear fuselage, Rolls-royce the short takeoff vertical landing system and Martin Baker the ejector seat.
The F-35’s helmets with virtual reality visors give pilots a “God’s eye” view of the sky around them, relaying all vital information. The “bone dome’s” shell is made in Stranraer.
Britain is already one of three members of an elite club of nations to use the F-35 in battle.
Six F-35s flew 99 sorties against Islamic State terrorists in Syria, but not one fired a shot in anger. Instead, their sophisticated sensors were used to seek out targets for others to destroy.
Mr Over said: “There is a future world out there where F-35 pilots will only be providing target solutions. “Killing without firing a shot.”