The F-35 [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/04/f-35-the-ultimate-stealth-nuclear-bomber/] is often considered a fast, stealthy 5th-gen fighter [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/04/long-live-the-f-22-raptor-stealth-fighter/] able to elude and destroy enemy air defenses [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/04/s-300-the-most-important-weapon-in-the-ukraine-war/]. Yet, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter also has a “beast mode” bomb truck [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/01/russias-nightmare-the-f-35-comes-in-a-terrifying-beast-mode/] capacity for larger attacks. A BIG STATEMENT Decreasing stealth [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/04/f-22-raptor-why-didnt-the-air-force-build-more/] properties does not render the F-35 ineffective in a variety of respects, given that the F-35 [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/03/it-has-no-equal-the-f-35-is-far-more-than-a-stealth-fighter/] 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 [https://warriormaven.com/air/why-not-upgraded-f-22-stealth-fighters-will-fly-with-f-35s-6th-gen-until-2070] 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 [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/03/what-is-f-35-beast-mode/].” Colonel Michael Stefanovic, Director of the Strategic Studies Institute for the Air Force sits down for an exclusive interview with Kris Osborn Video Above: Colonel Michael Stefanovic, Director of the Strategic Studies Institute for the Air Force sits down for an exclusive interview with Kris Osborn An interesting report from the Aviation Geek Club [https://theaviationgeekclub.com/heres-how-f-35a-pilots-are-learning-to-fly-the-lightning-ii-on-beast-mode-configuration/] 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.” Naturally, this means an F-35 would [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/04/why-the-f-35-joint-strike-fighter-is-a-quarterback-of-the-sky/] increase its radar signature and decrease the effectiveness of its stealth properties, however, such a configuration would be possible in combat environments wherein the United States has already achieved air supremacy. Externally hanging weapons present contours and configurations likely to provide enemy radar with a more detailed radar return, therefore delivering a rendering of the aircraft to adversaries [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/04/long-live-the-f-22-raptor-stealth-fighter/]. LONGER ATTACK MISSIONS FOR F-35 This kind of attack mode [https://warriormaven.com/air/air-war-russias-su-35-4th-gen-vs-us-f-15ex] might also be needed, should a combat campaign need to extend mission dwell time, creating the opportunity for F-35s to hit more targets with a larger weapons load. Laser-guided GBU-12s [https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/smart/gbu-12.htm], a guided bomb unit, can pinpoint ground targets “lit up” by laser designators from the air or ground, enabling precision strikes. The Air Force’s GBU-54 [https://www.airandspaceforces.com/weapons-platforms/gbu-54-ldjam/], also a laser-guided bomb, also brings the ability for an aircraft to hit moving targets on the ground. This would be a massive increase in efficiency, as the aircraft could respond to new intelligence information in real time, thereby greatly reducing latency and sensor-to-shooter time. By extension, the F-35’s often-discussed “sensor fusion [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/sensor-fusion]” could play a role here, as it relies upon computer automation and AI to gather otherwise separate sensor information, analyze and organize it to provide pilots with a single integrated picture. Navigational, targeting, and electronic-related metrics can all be merged by the aircraft [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/04/why-the-f-35-joint-strike-fighter-is-a-quarterback-of-the-sky/] itself. Kris Osborn [https://warriormaven.com/author/krisosborn] is the Military Affairs Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with 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.
