F-35A officially reaches IOC

The Air Force have declared that the F-35A has reached IOC as of today. With the recent comments by the top brass, I get the feeling from the AF that in the not too distant future we'll get to see F-35's in actual combat situations fighting ISIS. Well ahead of what the F-22 was put through when it came to seeing real action.

Today, with the declaration by the program’s biggest customer — the Air Force — that the aircraft is ready for combat, many of those criticisms will fade into the past. The official declaration of Initial Operational Capabilities (IOC) is what Loren Thompson, a top defense consultant, calls “a turning point for the program.”

breakingdefense.com...

www.sltrib.com...

Great news! I`m very exited to see more videos of it in action!!

Edit: I have to reword this because it sounds like I want war. Im just fascinated by it on a technical level (!!)

a reply to: Sammamishman

I get the feeling from the AF brass that in the not too distant future we'll get to see F-35's in actual combat situations fighting ISIS.

A billion dollar fighter used for ground support? Or against Russians defending Syrian assets?

a reply to: verschickter

With the recent comments, it's turned out far more effective than people thought.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Tell us more please
Is it about AESA

a reply to: verschickter

It's quite a bit stealthier than people thought it would be, and much better at WVR.

Lockheed Martin, greatest robbers of the century.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: verschickter

It's quite a bit stealthier than people thought it would be, and much better at WVR.

In ground support role, ostensibly to fight "ISIS", Stealth is useless.


But I get the secret jargon you are using. The real reason they are deploying to Syria is to interdict Russian Air.

a reply to: verschickter

www.airforcetimes.com...

news.usni.org...

a reply to: Sammamishman

Odd, considering how there were articles saying it's stealth was inferior to an F-16Cs (from the sides and rear anyway) not too long ago.

USAF is completely in bed with Lockheed Martin.

a reply to: intrptr

They're not deploying anywhere. They're available to deploy, and they don't need them to interdict anything as they already have F-22s.

I always find it fun to see what I actually mean, instead of what I actually said.

a reply to: Ohanka

Because those articles had zero access to actual information from the program and were going on public information. Let me guess, one of those sources was Pierre Sprey.

a reply to: Zaphod58
wave vortex? I´ve no clue but if it´s that I can imagine what it does for calculating the flight path of something like a missle, using the vortex even if normal radar reflections can´t be registered. Well I guess theres always* thermal detection.

a reply to: Sammamishman

Thank you very much!

a reply to: verschickter

Within Visual Range combat. Dogfights.

a reply to: Sammamishman

IOC, 2016. In April, it was announce that two squadrons would be stationed at Eielson AFB, AK in 2020.

Is that a long enough time (4 years)? Have no idea what typical time lines are from stage to stage. Cool news though!

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Not really. They have quite a few squadrons to stand up, and they're still in low rate production through about another two years. Lots 9 and 10 only included 26 aircraft for the Air Force, and lot 11 only 3.

a reply to: Zaphod58
So F22 fanboys can finally shut up maybe. It´s getting really annoying lately. Why can´t there be different fighters. It´s the same argument they use against the F35 most of the time (can do everything but nothing good, universal is not good) that beats them. There simply can´t be ONE best fighter jet.

What´s so difficult to understand, I don´t know.

a reply to: verschickter

The way battlefield management is done has changed radically the last few years. The recent Red Flag was trying some new integration methods. It's hard for people to realize how much it's changed because so much of it is classified. So there's still a "this fighter is better than that fighter" school of thought.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I recommend them reading up on what wargaming means. I´ve digested several books about that and the way it´s done in the US, outstanding in my view. It´s all about the big picture. That´s only one reason why the F35 is so usefull.

Now, that some specs come to the public and tests can be carried out with more and more equipment, I hope at least some of the furiest "enemies" of the F35 might jump over their shadow and see the value.

I highly recommend it to them. I know I´m not an aviations specialist and embarassed myself more than one time with dumb questions (see above). But this, I recommend to everyone not understanding why the F35 is a superb tool with amazing capabilities, if not mindblowing.

I still wonder why the book was given the OK by the US government to be released. Michael J. Coumatos..
I know there have been bad critics about the writing style and story line. But the real gems are hidden in the books in plain sight. The techs and specs contained in those books have been developed and are not fiction. They exist. The book is not about F35, although it´s capabilities are shown to a degree. It also shines more light on the F18/G and it´s role.