Veteran's Day 2022
As Tom Cruise was still determining filming of Top Gun: Maverick, Lockheed Martin invited him to their aerospace plant in Fort Worth that produces the phenomenal F-35 Lightning II 5th-generation stealth fighter… he signed an airframe of an F-35C (Navy variant) that is now at NAS Lamoore, the home of Top Gun. With the F-14 Tomcat retired since the original movie, Maverick’s ride would have to be updated. It would not be the F-35C. The 4th-generation F/A-18 Super Hornet was chosen for the film instead because there are no two-seat variants of the F-35. He wanted authenticity on the actors’ faces of the G-forces they experienced from the back seat of F/A-18Fs. Through the magic of movies, they used that footage to make it appear as though they were pilots of both F/A-18Fs and the single-seat F/A-18Es. That choice was a good thing, as all the critical issues concerning using the F/A-18 in the story's mission, would not have been an issue for the F-35… the movie would have been over in less than 20 minutes. No fun in that.
The pilot of this F-35C showed the crowd at the NAS Oceana Air Show just what a beast it truly is. In this profile pass over the crowd, you can see the pilot giving everyone a friendly ‘shaka sign’ hand gesture, common among fighter pilots. I wonder how many others caught that? The stunning demonstration was no more impressive than the precision and professionalism of the pilot. Moving at transonic speed is starting to create vapor on the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer skin, reflecting sunlight and showing all the sawtooth panel distinctions on the skin. Everything about that skin, as well as the shape of the aircraft, is designed to absorb and deflect search radar away from away from its receiver… stealth.
Early in its test phase, the F-35 was determined to be quite a dud as a fighter. Tested against a 4th-generation F-16, it could barely hold its own in a mock dogfight against the Viper, but what few knew was its capabilities were reined in, much like holding a racehorse back from what it was born to do… run. There was another problem that was unforeseen… pilots of the new F-35 had all previously flown 4th-generation, and they brought with them habits that did not apply to the new system’s stunning flight characteristics. They were just figuring out they had to unlearn what they had trusted for so long flying F-15s, F-16s, and F-18s, also known as Legacy fighters, because the Lightning wasn’t just capable of making mincemeat of any adversary, it was a gamechanger with immediate power, faster response to pilot input, an incredible angle of attack (AOA), and an ability to slow to less than 100 mph rapidly while still maintaining controlled flight to rapidly swing its nose to a target. The funny thing is, that as new pilots graduate flight school without the habits of the older pilots, they’re learning more about what the Lightning can do.
All variants of the F-35, A, B, and C models have advanced integrated avionics (sensor fusion) giving enhanced situational awareness not just to the pilots, but to every Lightning aircraft on a given mission… what one knows, they all know. Red Flag is somewhat like the Air Force’s version of Navy’s Top Gun, but there’s more to it than what the movie portrays. A Marine pilot new to the program in 2016 was preparing to take off in an F-35B from Luke AFB for a Red Flag exercise… it floored him how much information it provided him from the other members of his squadron who were already airborne. He had a Gods-eye view of the fray before he even left the ground. Since then, 4th-generation fighters are now taking part in that sensor fusion data… the weapons they carry can be slaved by F-35s to specific targets.
From a pilot’s own perspective at Red Flag: "You never knew I was there," he said with a smile. "You literally would never know I'm there. I flew the F-35 against 4th-generation platforms, and we killed them, and they never even saw us."
"If you were to engage an F-35 in say, a visual dogfight capability, the capabilities of the F-35 are absolutely eye-watering compared to a 4th-generation fighter. So, if it's a long-range contact, you'll never see me and you'll die, and if it's within visual-range contact you'll see me and you're gonna die and you're gonna die very quickly."
"I can tell you that it is by far the best platform I've ever flown in my entire life, and at that, you would have to take me on my word." – Maj. Gen. Scott Pleus, former CO of 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB. 24 years flying the F-16.
Makes me proud of my own involvement as an airman of the U.S. Air Force. A big shout out to all my brothers-in-arms. Many of you never knew what was coming when you signed the line and took the oath. That very decision took courage, no matter how you served. Much gratitude to you all.
If you have a special veteran in your life, mention their name here.
Veteran's Day 2022
As Tom Cruise was still determining filming of Top Gun: Maverick, Lockheed Martin invited him to their aerospace plant in Fort Worth that produces the phenomenal F-35 Lightning II 5th-generation stealth fighter… he signed an airframe of an F-35C (Navy variant) that is now at NAS Lamoore, the home of Top Gun. With the F-14 Tomcat retired since the original movie, Maverick’s ride would have to be updated. It would not be the F-35C. The 4th-generation F/A-18 Super Hornet was chosen for the film instead because there are no two-seat variants of the F-35. He wanted authenticity on the actors’ faces of the G-forces they experienced from the back seat of F/A-18Fs. Through the magic of movies, they used that footage to make it appear as though they were pilots of both F/A-18Fs and the single-seat F/A-18Es. That choice was a good thing, as all the critical issues concerning using the F/A-18 in the story's mission, would not have been an issue for the F-35… the movie would have been over in less than 20 minutes. No fun in that.
The pilot of this F-35C showed the crowd at the NAS Oceana Air Show just what a beast it truly is. In this profile pass over the crowd, you can see the pilot giving everyone a friendly ‘shaka sign’ hand gesture, common among fighter pilots. I wonder how many others caught that? The stunning demonstration was no more impressive than the precision and professionalism of the pilot. Moving at transonic speed is starting to create vapor on the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer skin, reflecting sunlight and showing all the sawtooth panel distinctions on the skin. Everything about that skin, as well as the shape of the aircraft, is designed to absorb and deflect search radar away from away from its receiver… stealth.
Early in its test phase, the F-35 was determined to be quite a dud as a fighter. Tested against a 4th-generation F-16, it could barely hold its own in a mock dogfight against the Viper, but what few knew was its capabilities were reined in, much like holding a racehorse back from what it was born to do… run. There was another problem that was unforeseen… pilots of the new F-35 had all previously flown 4th-generation, and they brought with them habits that did not apply to the new system’s stunning flight characteristics. They were just figuring out they had to unlearn what they had trusted for so long flying F-15s, F-16s, and F-18s, also known as Legacy fighters, because the Lightning wasn’t just capable of making mincemeat of any adversary, it was a gamechanger with immediate power, faster response to pilot input, an incredible angle of attack (AOA), and an ability to slow to less than 100 mph rapidly while still maintaining controlled flight to rapidly swing its nose to a target. The funny thing is, that as new pilots graduate flight school without the habits of the older pilots, they’re learning more about what the Lightning can do.
All variants of the F-35, A, B, and C models have advanced integrated avionics (sensor fusion) giving enhanced situational awareness not just to the pilots, but to every Lightning aircraft on a given mission… what one knows, they all know. Red Flag is somewhat like the Air Force’s version of Navy’s Top Gun, but there’s more to it than what the movie portrays. A Marine pilot new to the program in 2016 was preparing to take off in an F-35B from Luke AFB for a Red Flag exercise… it floored him how much information it provided him from the other members of his squadron who were already airborne. He had a Gods-eye view of the fray before he even left the ground. Since then, 4th-generation fighters are now taking part in that sensor fusion data… the weapons they carry can be slaved by F-35s to specific targets.
From a pilot’s own perspective at Red Flag: "You never knew I was there," he said with a smile. "You literally would never know I'm there. I flew the F-35 against 4th-generation platforms, and we killed them, and they never even saw us."
"If you were to engage an F-35 in say, a visual dogfight capability, the capabilities of the F-35 are absolutely eye-watering compared to a 4th-generation fighter. So, if it's a long-range contact, you'll never see me and you'll die, and if it's within visual-range contact you'll see me and you're gonna die and you're gonna die very quickly."
"I can tell you that it is by far the best platform I've ever flown in my entire life, and at that, you would have to take me on my word." – Maj. Gen. Scott Pleus, former CO of 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB. 24 years flying the F-16.
Makes me proud of my own involvement as an airman of the U.S. Air Force. A big shout out to all my brothers-in-arms. Many of you never knew what was coming when you signed the line and took the oath. That very decision took courage, no matter how you served. Much gratitude to you all.
If you have a special veteran in your life, mention their name here.