by Kris Osborn, Warrior
(Washington DC) After first landing on a carrier more than 10-years ago, the now operational F-35C fleet has been surging onto carriers in recent years, bringing a first-of-its-kind stealth fighter to the US Navy’s Carrier Air Wing.
A “Naval Aviation Vision 2030-2035” document from 2021 explained that the F-35C aircraft was specifically engineered for landing on carriers with all-weather coatings and specially configured landing gear to enable a safe landing. The aircraft was developed with a broad wingspan and ruggedized components for harsh maritime conditions where rough seas, rain, wind, fog, and snow can complicate efforts to land. Its 51-foot wingspan makes it the largest of the three F-35 variants, because the structure of the aircraft needs to be able to withstand the impact of landing on a carrier. Also, the F-35C has larger, foldable wings to facilitate slower approach speeds compatible with moving ships, The wings of the F-35C are built with what's called "aileron control surfaces" designed to provide control power to roll the aircraft at slow approaching speeds.
On an aircraft carrier, the ship has arresting wires or metal cables attached to hydraulic engines used to slow the aircraft down to a complete stop within the landing area The cable is four to six inches above the deck of the carrier and hydraulic fluid controls the pace of deceleration for the aircraft A hook lowers from the back end of the F-35C aircraft, designed to catch the cable and slow down the plane.
AI & Sensor Fusion
Much like the F-35A and F-35B short-take-off-and-landing aircraft, the F-35C relies upon advanced sensors and AI-enabled computing to gather, organize, and present time-sensitive critical information to pilots about altitude, speed, navigation, targeting, and threats.
The aircraft travels with a full suite of weapons including 5,000-pound, GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions along with air-to-air and laser-guided missiles. The F-35C can travel with 19,000 pounds of fuel and 18,000 pounds of weapons. The aircraft can reach speeds up to Mach 1.6 and travel more than 1,200 nautical miles. In pure stealth mode using internal weapons bays, the F-35C can travel with 5000 pounds of weapons.
F-35C & Weapons
The stealth fighter also carries two AIM-120 air-to-air (AMRAAM) and two 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions, as well as the AIM-9X and the high-tech, all-weather StormBreaker precision glide bomb. In development for many years, the StormBreaker is a high-tech weapon able to track and destroy moving targets from great distances using a tri-mode seeker with millimeter wave, laser, and infrared guidance technology.
Another large advantage specific to the F-35 leverages a new generation of computing built into the aircraft which enables a smoother, safer landing for pilots on the carrier deck. The technology is a software called Delta Flight Path, an advanced series of algorithms that ease the workload placed upon pilots during their approach to a carrier when landing. The software, therefore, naturally increases safety margins and reduces what’s called touchdown dispersion.
The software helps pilots navigate the many complexities associated with a carrier landing as pilots must account for the wind speed, atmospheric conditions, and speed of the ship. Pilots follow a yellow light on the flight deck of the ship called the Fresnel Lens to help the trajectory of the approach, called their glide slope.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University