The F-35 Thread

Huh. Maybe it's just their shape makes them appear big to me. Feel silly now. They give the impression, to me at least, of being bulky and large more so than the others. I see 16s and 18s regularly also. I guess from below looking at a flat blue sky there's not much frame of reference. I stand corrected :p

Huh. Maybe it's just their shape makes them appear big to me. Feel silly now. They give the impression, to me at least, of being bulky and large more so than the others. I see 16s and 18s regularly also. I guess from below looking at a flat blue sky there's not much frame of reference. I stand corrected :p

It's definitely the fuselage. The blended shape makes it look pretty THICC.

It is definitely bulkier. One of the most shocking things when you're up close, though, is how differently everything is shaped. Everything is smooth and blended on a stealth jet, and it doesn't feel like you're standing next to a fighter jet. More like a spaceship. That, and the weapons bays are huge.

I got the "spaceship" vibe as well. It's the same with the Raptor - something about the smooth lines and lifting body design. Both jets seem to slide through the air in a rather alien way at times.

makes u think

re: the much earlier discussion about f-35 vs f-18 vortex generation and the lack of traditional lerx designs

this is a fantastic shot of f-35 vortex generation capabilities

despite their thick section, looks like the chines ahead of the intake indeed are capable of generating their own vortices.

 

makes u think

YES! I knew I wasn't the only one who thought that right away!

Lack of Vapor before was not the design, but the Operation Limits placed on yhe Airframe until it reached IOC and Specific Items fixed.

context here

I think the nose shape has more to do with stealth, and I don't really see them generating much of an actual vortex, even if they are essentially a small form of chines.

 

There are many photos of F-35 vortex

There are many photos of F-35 vortex

none of which visualize vortices at this location:

^That's cool. More to this jet than immediately meets the eye methinks.

Somebody know what for on F-35A/C install four Luneburg lens. But on F-35B install only three. If you are remember on F-22 it's only one. Why so many on F-35?

Somebody know what for on F-35A/C install four Luneburg lens. But on F-35B install only three. If you are remember on F-22 it's only one. Why so many on F-35?

Radar reflectors. you don't want to reveal the real radar cross section of the aircraft.

Radar reflectors. you don't want to reveal the real radar cross section of the aircraft.

Isn't the principle hope of the F-35 that its very small radar cross section means that it will avoid detection ?

Luneberg lenses are installed radar decoys to increase their effective radar cross sectional area - for instance in the ADM-141 TALD...

So these are devices specifically added to artificially increase the radar cross section of an aircraft specifically designed around the concept of a low radar cross section ?

Do you know if they're shroud-able ?

Surely they must be.

Otherwise it's like putting reflective tape on your black ninja suit so you don't get run over while sneaking across the road - which wouldn't sound like a 100% endorsement of the whole concept of stealth - we planned to hide, but we know we're going to be detected, so let's try to look like something else - something BIGGER and scarier...

Isn't the principle hope of the F-35 that its very small radar cross section means that it will avoid detection ?

Luneberg lenses are installed radar decoys to increase their effective radar cross sectional area - for instance in the ADM-141 TALD...

 

So these are devices specifically added to artificially increase the radar cross section of an aircraft specifically designed around the concept of a low radar cross section ?

 

Do you know if they're shroud-able ?

 

Surely they must be.

Otherwise it's like putting reflective tape on your black ninja suit so you don't get run over while sneaking across the road - which wouldn't sound like a 100% endorsement of the whole concept of stealth - we planned to hide, but we know we're going to be detected, so let's try to look like something else - something BIGGER and scarier...

The point is to drown out the actual signature of the aircraft with the artificial one created by the reflectors in order to stop people from working out how the aircraft performs.

And of course they wouldn't have them installed when going into combat.

So these are devices specifically added to artificially increase the radar cross section of an aircraft specifically designed around the concept of a low radar cross section ?

.

F-117 and F-22 carry radar reflectors during peace time. Not sure about the B-2.

They are also installed to allow stealth aircraft to be detected by civilian radars and thus to operate safely in a crowded friendly airspace.

Isn't the principle hope of the F-35 that its very small radar cross section means that it will avoid detection ?

Luneberg lenses are installed radar decoys to increase their effective radar cross sectional area - for instance in the ADM-141 TALD...

 

So these are devices specifically added to artificially increase the radar cross section of an aircraft specifically designed around the concept of a low radar cross section ?

 

Do you know if they're shroud-able ?

 

Surely they must be.

Otherwise it's like putting reflective tape on your black ninja suit so you don't get run over while sneaking across the road - which wouldn't sound like a 100% endorsement of the whole concept of stealth - we planned to hide, but we know we're going to be detected, so let's try to look like something else - something BIGGER and scarier...

:megalol: You do know they're completely removable right? :smilewink:

Re: "Stealth". It would be more accurate to say that it is there to make an aircraft undetectable at a certain range, detectable but untrackable closer in, trackable but untargetable closer still and targetable but nigh on "unhittable" closer than that. The synergy between friendly/onboard EW and very low RCS is particularly important here.

The sig reduction measures VLO fighters like this posess are part of a layered approach to breaking the enemy kill chain (in tandem with EW/ECM/EA), not just an attempt to hide from it completely.

Radar reflectors. you don't want to reveal the real radar cross section of the aircraft.

We all know for what it neded (lens I mean). Interesting what for there four of them used. I suppose that only two are enough for upper and bottom hemisphere. But we see four - that is interesting...

They are also installed to allow stealth aircraft to be detected by civilian radars and thus to operate safely in a crowded friendly airspace.

Actual for this used transponder - 'enemy/friendly'. And lens used only for hide real RCS.

F-117 and F-22 carry radar reflectors during peace time. Not sure about the B-2.

Northrop made a wise solution to combine lens and navigation lights together. And when it necessity they take away inside wings.

Northrop made a wise solution to combine lens and navigation lights together. And when it necessity they take away inside wings.

Weird, we had several things like that on the F-117 and still needed reflectors. :dunno:

:megalol: You do know they're completely removable[/url] right? :smilewink:

Did I Know they were removable ?

No,

But I figured they must be

Do you know if they're shroud-able ? Surely they must be ...

Most days I don't get 10/10 on the morning quiz either...

You goose. Go have your morning coffee! ;) :P