At a recent Center for Strategic and International Studies conference, US Air Force General and Chief of Staff David L. Goldfein laid out how the US would use F-35s to fight against high-end threats like China's J-31 or J-20 — and he made it clear that the F-35 could dominate.
ADVERTISEMENT
US Air Force general describes how the F-35 would take on China's J-31 competitor
At Red Flag, the F-35 absolutely slaughtered the competition, achieving a 15-1 kill ratio on other planes and elevating every single squadron it worked with.
US Air Force Chief of Staff David L. Goldfein.
According to Goldfein, the battle doesn't start when planes see or detect each other as they did in generations past.
"The cyber campaign had been raging ... The space campaign has been raging" before the F-35 even gets into position, and the pilot is tuned into every development along the way.
By the time the F-35 pushes across the line and meets "the most robust enemy integrated air defense system we could put up against him," the F-35 has absolutely unparalleled situational awareness, and is primed to shape the fight to his liking from the outset, according to Goldfein.
ADVERTISEMENT
The F-35 can maneuver forces against high-value targets, coordinate search-and-rescue for downed aircraft, and slam enemy air defenses all at once.
"He's calling audibles as the quarterback of the entire joint force based on the displays he's got in his cockpit and the fusion of information that he's getting from both in his cockpit and every other aspect of the network — that's the F-35."
F-35Bs, the Marine Corps variant, have already deployed to Japan. F-35As, the Air Force variant, will likely join later this year. In Australia, the US has sent F-22s and approximately 2,500 Marines.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
ADVERTISEMENT