The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) caps the year with one of the biggest combined air exercises involving a ‘game changer’ in modern air combat.
Six Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs (main image), accompanied by supporting aircraft – an Airbus A330 MRTT and a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III – flew into RMAF Butterworth last week for Exercise Elangaroo/Paradise 2022, which kicks off today.
The presence of the Lightning IIs is significant as it represents the cutting edge in modern air combat, fusing the latest advancements in on-board sensors, radar and detection, and communications technologies.
The F-35, in the hands of a capable driver, has the ability to outclass anything in the air today.
A United States Marine Corps (USMC) pilot described the F-35 as a “supercomputer that happens to fly”. The USMC operates the B – the short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the type.
The presence of the six Lightnings will give the RMAF a rare glimpse into what air combat beyond the 21st century will look like.
“We don’t want a fair fight. The objective for a fighter pilot is to kill his adversary before he even knows we’re there,” a retired RMAF fighter pilot told Twentytwo13.
“The amount of gear on the F-35 is phenomenal. We’re talking about the ability to acquire and track targets from ranges of about 300 to 400 miles. Most current radars struggle to see beyond 180 miles … 250 miles, tops.
“The F-35s can also track targets without using their on-board radars, relying on other sensors such as AWACS (airborne warning and control systems) aircraft to provide a threat picture, and then ‘feed’ that information to them using secure datalink.”
More than a fighter, the F-35’s ability to collect, analyse and share data is a powerful force multiplier that enhances all airborne, surface and ground-based assets in the battlespace.
The F-35 has the most advanced sensor suite of any fighter in history, including the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Distributed Aperture System (DAS), Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) and the Helmet Mounted Display System. Its primary sensor is the AN/APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, developed by Northrop Grumman.
“Warfighters call this approach, ‘sensor fusion’. The designers wanted information to be the driving force behind the design of the Lightning II. Pilots use the Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems (RCEVS) helmet-mounted cueing system that is linked or ‘slaved’ to all the on-board sensors, which allows the pilot to track his target ‘eyes out’. He doesn’t have to look at his cockpit displays,” added the retired fighter pilot.
The helmet costs upwards of US$400,000 a pop.
The display is so sophisticated that the pilot can ‘see through’ the floor of his aircraft, to look at a ground target below him. He no longer has to roll his aircraft to maintain a visual on the target.
All the information from all the sensors are presented on a large-format, 19in LCD screen. The pilot can toggle and configure the displays as he sees fit, giving him a ‘God’s eye view’ of the battlespace.
The 5th Generation F-35 is critical to maintaining air dominance, combining Very Low Observable stealth, advanced sensors, information fusion and network connectivity.
Where 4th generation fighters are forced to adapt to this advancing battlespace, the F-35 shifts the power dynamic and is able to define the battlespace, forcing adversaries to adapt.
In a recent exercise with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), two RAAF Lightning IIs decimated a flight of six RSAF F-15Es and F-16 Block 50/52s – widely regarded as the most modern multirole types flying today.
“The fact that they got waxed says a lot about the F-35. This is a game changer. This thing is as revolutionary as transitioning from piston, to jet engines,” a retired US Navy fighter pilot and fighter weapons instructor told Twentytwo13.
The F-35’s development in the 1990s was plagued by delays and cost overruns.
The Pentagon estimates that the cost to develop and procure the F-35 has edged up to US$412 billion from US$398 billion, making it the most expensive weapons development programme in history.
Its bulky and less-than-flattering lines have earned it the sobriquet ‘Fat Amy’, and is often criticised for its lack of agility, often when compared to the super-agile Sukhoi Su-30 fighter.
“Dogfighting is still relevant. But given the choice, would you want to get in a close, knife-fight with your adversary, or would you rather kill him at standoff ranges before he even realises you’re there?” asked the retired Topgun instructor.
The order books for the F-35 is filling up fast, with users such as the three branches of the US military (Air Force, Navy and USMC), the Royal Air Force, the Royal Danish Air Force, Royal Belgian Air Force, and Israel’s Heyl Ha’Avir. The RSAF is expected to take delivery of its four F-35Bs in 2026, with an option for eight more.
It is believed that the six RAAF jets in Butterworth are from Nos 75, 77, and 2OCU squadrons, based in RAAF Tindal, and RAAF Williamtown.
Exercise Elangaroo/Paradise 2022 ends on Nov 18.
Main image of F-35A Lightning II by RAAF
