The AF-2 aircraft was not equipped with the mission software required to use the sensors that allow the F-35 to intercept the enemy before they know that the F-35 is in the surrounding airspace.
Secondly, the AF-2 does not have the special stealth coating that the F-35 will be equipped with and will make them virtually invisible to radars.
Third point, the AF-2 is not equipped with weapons or software that allow the pilot to tack, point a weapon with the helmet and shoot the enemy without having to point the aircraft towards the target.
The tests mentioned in the article were carried out at the beginning of the year to verify the flight capabilities of the F-35 using visual combat maneuvers to test the system and the F-16 was used as a visual reference against which to perform maneuvers.
In the scenario of close combat the F-35 has perfectly succeeded in demonstrating its ability to maneuver pushing itself to its limits without exceeding them, and has shown that it can be managed in a positive and predictable way, however the interpretation of the scenario could be misleading .
The F-35 technology has been developed to intercept, point and knock down the enemy from long distances and not necessarily in situations of close combat. On several occasions, during combat simulations, F-35 in formation with four intercepted F-16 in formation to four, each time winning thanks to their equipment of sensors, weapons and stealth technology.
We are carrying out checks on the publication of the FOUO report. Sincere feedback from our testers is always welcome because it helps improve performance ".
Source: Lockheed Martin press release
(photo: US Air Force)
