The F-35 Has a “Nuclear-Capable” Bomb Truck Attack Mode

By Kris Osborn, President Warrior

Many proponents of the F-35 platform have for years spoke of its long-range sensing, EW, computing and stealth characteristics as a 5th-gen aircraft, yet the jet can operate in a lesser known full-loaded, nuclear-armed bomb-truck as well. The F-35A is engineered to carry a nuclear bomb and is increasingly being upgraded to integrate emerging air-dropped and air-fired weapons.

Known for being sleek, stealthy, highly-networked, fast and drone-like with next-generation sensors, many regard the F-35 as a flying sensor-computer able to see and destroy enemy targets from unprecedented stand-off ranges.  The F-35 has in wargames shown it can see and destroy large numbers of 4th-generation jets from distances where it cannot itself be detected. 

This is true, yet a lesser recognized reality is that the F-35 can operate as a “bomb-truck” major weapons attack platform as well. With continuous software upgrades, the F-35 will consistently be positioned to arm itself with new, advanced, next-generation weapons. For example, the F-35 can now be armed with Stormbreaker, and advanced long-range air-dropped attack bomb able to track and destroy enemy targets from 40 miles using a tri-mode seeker.  The Stormbreaker can track targets with infrared, laser and millimeter wave sensors. Also, many might not realize that the F-35 is also going to be nuclear capable and able to drop the B-61 Mod 12. 

F-35 as Bomb Truck

Decreasing stealth properties does not render the F-35 ineffective in a variety of respects, given that the F-35 is built for heavy bombing as well as reconnaissance missions.

Thinking of these together, an F-35 could use its electro/optical-infrared (EO-IR) cameras and surrounding sensors to find far-away ground targets autonomously, and then attack them from the air with bombs.

The aircraft does have an internal weapons bay, intended to enable attacks while preserving a stealth configuration, yet a full-force attack will mean using the external pylons to enable what many call the F-35’s “beast mode.”

An interesting report from the Aviation Geek Club describes beast mode as arming an F-35 with “six inert 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided bombs, four loaded externally on the wings and two internally in the weapons bay, as well as an AIM-9 training air-to-air missile.”