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Mr Secretary - Why Does the Pentagon Say the JSF is a 5th Generation Fighter . .  Really?

Air Power Australia - Australia's Independent Defence Think Tank

Air Power Australia NOTAM

   8th November, 2009

Peter Goon, BEng (Mech), FTE (USNTPS),
Head of Test and Evaluation, Air Power Australia

Contacts: Peter Goon
Carlo Kopp

Mob: 0419-806-476 Mob: 0437-478-224





To:     The Hon Robert Gates
          US Secretary of Defense
 
Dear Mr Gates,

The term 5th Generation Fighter appears very frequently these days in public statements, press releases, PowerPoint slides and interviews. More than often the label is attached concurrently to the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22A Raptor, despite the enormous differences in the design of these aircraft.

This begs two very basic questions. What is a 5th Generation fighter; and which fighters actually qualify as 5th Generation designs? The question which follows, is whether the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter actually qualifies, on merit, as a 5th Generation fighter.

APA decided to test the evidence, and using data and facts from robust sources, compiled a comparison matrix to tease out what capabilities, features and attributes define a 5th Generation fighter design.

To score the candidate aircraft, the APA proprietary Zero-One Comparative Tabulation (ZOCT) technique, which assigns normalised scores against clearly defined measures is used; namely:
 
-1 Does not meet a Fifth Generation Air Dominance Fighter metric
0
Capability meets a Fifth Generation Air Dominance Fighter metric
+1 Enhanced Capability meets a Fifth Generation Air Dominance Fighter metric

Though some interpretation on any skew induced by the specifics of particular metrics and their relations with other capability metrics may be necessary, in general:
  • A total score of Zero (0) signifies the candidate aircraft meets the criteria for categorisation as a Fifth Generation Fighter.
  • A total score greater than Zero (0), i.e. a total positive score, signifies the same but denotes there are enhancing characteristics.  The larger the positive score, the more the candidate aircraft may be referred to as an Advanced Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft.
  • A total score that is negative indicates the candidate aircraft does not meet the criteria for being called a Fifth Generation Fighter.  The larger the negative score, the further away the candidate aircraft is from being able to be called a Fifth Generation Fighter.
The JSF achieving a total score of minus eight (-8) assessed across these 14 capability metrics would appear to leave only one - self evident - conclusion to be drawn.
 
That this contrivance is not in the best interests of our Nations or those of other friends who, in good faith, agreed to participate in the JSF  Program, is also self evident, stemming from the same ‘total indifference to reality’ that gave us the Global Financial Crisis and its  more rapacious emerging offspring, the World Economic Realignment.
 
That the JSF Program needs fixing is not in doubt. How this may best be achieved is well understood by the international team of experts at Air Power Australia, whose advice has, to date, been ignored by most of those who advise you.

As ever, this small group of dedicated and diligent citizens remain willing and able to assist in doing what is right and what is best for our Nations and those of our friends.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Goon

Peter Goon
Principal Consultant/Adviser
Head of Test and Evaluation
Co-Founder, Air Power Australia
Peter Goon and Associates
 
Mob:    +61 (0)41 980 6476
Sunday, 8 November 2009



Is the JSF Really a Fifth Generation Fighter?
  Modern Fighters
Current Threat
5th Generation Fighter Capabilities
F-22A Raptor T-50 PAK-FA  J-12/J-XX F-35 JSF
Lightning II
Gen 4++
Su-35S
USA Russia China International Russia
Super Cruise Yes
> 1.7 Mach
(0)
2.0 Mach Design Target
(+1)
Yes
(0)
No
(-1)
Yes
(0)
High Agility Supersonic/
Subsonic
Yes
(0)
Extreme Agility
(+1)
Yes
(0)
Neither
(-1)
Extreme Agility
(+1)
High Specific Excess Power - Ps Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
No
(-1)
Yes
(0)
Thrust Vectoring Control - TVC Yes
2-D
(0)
Yes
3-D
(+1)
 Yes
(0)
No
(-1)
Yes
3-D
(+1)
Highly Integrated Avionics Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
Electronically Steered Array (ESA) Radar High Power Aperture
(+1)
High Power Aperture
(+1)
Yes
(0)
Medium Power Aperture
(0)
High Power Aperture
(+1)
Sidelooking ESA Apertures Fitted For But Not With (FFBNW)
(0)
Yes
(+1)
Unknown
No
(-1)
Yes
(0)
High Situational Awareness (SA) -
Onboard/Offboard
Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
Likely
Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
Supersonic Weapons Delivery Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
Yes
(0)
No
(Bomber Doors)
(-1
Yes
(0)
Large Thrust to Weight
Multi Engine
Thrust Growth
Yes
2 Engines
Large Growth
(0)
Yes
2 Engines
Large Growth
(0)
Yes
2 Engines
Large Growth
(0)
Middling T/W
One Engine
Little Growth
(-1)
Yes
2 Engines
Large Growth
(0)
High Combat Ceiling
(> 7 deg/sec turn rate, sustained)
Yes
> 55 kft
(0)
Yes
> 55 kft
(0)
Yes
> 50 kft
(0)
No
< 45 kft
(-1)
Yes
> 55 kft
(0)
Very Low Observable Stealth/
Low Observables
All Aspect, Wideband
(+1)
All Aspect, Wideband  Design
Target
(0)
Yes or Partial
(0)
Yes but Partial
(0)
No
(-1)
Large Internal Fuel Load
lbs
Yes
>18 klbs
(0)
Yes
>20 klbs
(0)
Unknown
Yes
>18 klbs
(0)
Yes
>25 klbs
(+1)
Internal Weapon Carriage Hard Point Stations Yes
6 + 2
(0)
Yes
8 - 10
(0)
Highly Likely
Nos. Unknown
(0)
Yes
4
(0)
Partial
(Tunnel Pod)
2 - 4
(-1)
ZOCT Scoring
by 5th Gen Metrics
+2 +5 0 -8 +2
Table © 2009, Peter Goon, Air Power Australia, Peter Goon & Associates.


Air Power Australia Website - http://www.ausairpower.net/
Air Power Australia Research and Analysis - http://www.ausairpower.net/research.html











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