By Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd) Former Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Training Command, IAF

Media Reports in the recent past indicated that the marine version of the F-35 Lightening II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) designed and developed by Lockheed Martin Corporation of the US, was likely to make its debut in the near future. These reports had emanated on the basis of statements by some senior functionaries of the US Marine Corps. The head of the Aviation Wing of the US Marine Corps had stated that the version of the aircraft meant for the Marine Corps, i.e. the F-35B, which is designed for short take-off and vertical landing, had been subjected to a complete operational readiness inspection at the first F-35B squadron by the competent authority and that the aircraft had passed all tests. He felt that as the aircraft had met all the requirements stipulated for a declaration of combat readiness, it was expected that the F-35B would soon be granted initial operational clearance (IOC). If and when this does happen, out of the total of 13 customers for the F-35, the US Marine Corps will be the first to operationalise the aircraft.

This view was reinforced when another General of the Marine Corps who is slated to take over command of the force had said: “The F-35 is incredibly impressive and the Marine Corps is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the aircraft”.

Though seven years behind schedule, the Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter jet has finally been granted IOC which means that the platform has been officially approved by the US Marine Corps as being ready for combat. Grant of IOC has definitely flagged a major milestone for the F-35 programme as it has been declared technically ready for operational deployment. After the debut of the F-35B for the Marine Corps, the F-35A meant for the US Air Force will follow suit a year from now, i.e. in August 2016. There are however a few challenges that lie ahead for the programme.

As per the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Lockheed Martin, the F-35 will be able to deliver revolutionary capability to the armed forces of the US and the allied nations that are committed to participating in the programme, for a long time to come. The nine countries that are partners in the programme are the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Suppliers in each of the partner countries are producing components for the entire fleet of the F-35 and not only for the lot that will be supplied to them.

A Troubled Programme

The fifth-generation F-35 programme was conceived at the turn of the century and the platform has been under development in three versions for a decade-and-a-half. This weapons system has been projected as the most advanced in the world today. Some of the features that give it this status are advanced stealth capabilities, supersonic cruise, extreme agility and state-of-the-art sensor fusion technology. However, what was initially touted as an affordable next-generation weapon system for the US Air Force, the US Navy and the US Marine Corps, has now turned out to be the most expensive weapon system acquisition to date. As the F-35 programme has been constantly afflicted with delays and cost overruns, its total financial outlay has escalated significantly and has nearly doubled from $233 billion in 2001 to over $400 billion now for 2,457 aircraft. As per the Government Accountability Office (GAO), to operate and maintain the JSF programme over the course of its lifetime, the Pentagon will have to incur an expenditure of nearly $1 trillion. The GAO has gone further and warned of further delay in the programme as well as of the resulting cost escalation. So far 140 of the projected 2,457 jets ordered by the US military have been delivered. In addition, five aircraft have been delivered to other nations that are partners in the programme.

As per the aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the majority of difficult technical problems are in the past

Apart from the cost factor, the programme has perhaps been one of the most controversial as well. This fact has been openly acknowledged by the OEM Lockheed Martin. The history of the programme was characterised by controversy especially in the early stages of development during the early and mid-2000s, when programme managers made overly optimistic assumptions about its testing and production schedule. Unfortunately for the programme, the state it is in, does not inspire confidence even now. The aircraft continues to suffer from serious flaws and deficiencies. There have been problems with engine reliability, issues with software controlled systems and difficulties integrating different weapons systems into the different variants. As per observation by a representative of the Democratic Party from California, Jackie Speier, “The F-35’s logistics system is largely unreliable, its engine stability is extremely poor and electronics in the individually sculpted $4,00,000 pilot’s helmet is currently unable to distinguish friend from foe. Even if the aircraft is granted IOC this year, it may not be in a position to undertake several of its core missions for quite some time, possibly years even after further sizeable investments in retrofits.”

A former Secretary of Defence of the UK described the programme as “one of the biggest white elephants in history” and felt that chances of the F-35 becoming combat ready prior to 2018 was very low. Over the last 10 years, the F-35 JSF had suffered a series of hardware malfunctions and software glitches that delayed the programme for more than three years apart from the steep escalation of cost. In 2014, the entire fleet of F-35s was grounded following an engine fire that entailed a modification in the engine that proved costly. There were also setbacks at key milestones, including the start of the flight test programme, delivery of the first production aircraft and testing of critical missions systems, according the GAO. However, the plane’s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, has said it believes the majority of difficult technical problems are in the past.

The F-35B Lightning II fighter jet was expected to make its international debut at around the same time in the year 2014 at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire as also at the Farnborough International Airshow, UK. Unfortunately on account of an incident of fire on the runway on June 23, 2014, while the aircraft was on the take-off run at the Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, United States, the entire fleet of F-35 aircraft was grounded till such time the technical investigations into the incident was over and the cause determined. On account of safety concerns, the F-35B aircraft thus was not granted clearance to undertake its first transatlantic flight to the UK. This episode was just another in the series of problems with the controversial programme that has been plagued by major redesign issues and technical problems. As per an expert in a think-tank in the UK, the F-35 programme is not only way too expensive, it is technically and operationally flawed and the likelihood of it entering operational service in the desired time frame appears somewhat remote. In fact the F-35B for the Marine Corps that is reportedly heading for IOC will not be able to integrate its full range of weapons. As and when the F-35A destined for the US Air Force reaches the IOC stage, it is very likely that it will not be fitted with the synthetic aperture radar known as ‘BIG SAR’ or be able to deliver all types of bombs.

Aerial Combat Capability

But what has surprised the global military aviation community the most is the fact that the fifth-generation F-35 has been outperformed in a mock aerial combat by the F-16 Fighting Falcon that has the technology of the mid-1970s. The dogfight, which was staged in January near Edwards Air Force Base, California, was designed to test the F-35’s ability in close-range combat at altitudes between 10,000 feet and 30,000 feet. The pilot of the F-35 aircraft participating in the exercise has revealed that in the mock aerial combat, the performance his aircraft was definitely inferior to that of his opponent, the F-16. He said that the F-35 was not able match the F-16 in climb rate and manoeuvrability and even went on to declare that the F-35 was not suitable for close combat.

However, as per the OEM, the F-35 has been given the capability to pick up targets at well beyond visual range, engage and destroy enemy aircraft with long-range guided missiles. The F-35 is unlikely to ever encounter a situation involving close combat.