Thread: S-300 Vs. F-35: Stealth And Invincible Are Not Exactly Synonyms How effective

S-300 Vs. F-35: Stealth And Invincible Are Not Exactly Synonyms



How effective is the S-300 PMU-2 "Favorit" that Russia has just delivered to Syria? Especially when employed against the F-35 stealth fighters that Israel intends to make more use of when attacking targets in Syria? Who has the edge?

Thu, 10/11/2018 - 02:00
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Authored by Andrei Akulov via The Strategic Culture Foundation,

How effective is the S-300 PMU-2 "Favorit" that Russia has just delivered to Syria? Especially when employed against the F-35 stealth fighters that Israel intends to make more use of when attacking targets in Syria? Who has the edge?



This is truly a hot topic for the press right now. It would be better, of course, to avoid the military hostilities and leave this as a theoretical, unanswered question, because no definite answer is possible until a real shootout takes place. Stealth technology includes both active and passive measures that reduce visibility and the chance of detection. Some of those are classified, as are the specifications and capabilities of the S-300. This makes it much more complicated to offer predictions or conclusions. But the known facts can be considered impartially and objectively.
Israeli officials play down the significance of the shipment of the S-300 to Syrian government forces.

“The operational abilities of the air force are such that those (S-300) batteries really do not constrain the air force’s abilities to act,” said Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s regional cooperation minister.
“You know that we have stealth fighters, the best planes in the world. These batteries are not even able to detect them.”
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in April that “if anyone attacks us, we will retaliate, regardless of S-300, S-700 or any anything else’s presence there”.

The Pentagon has also cast doubt on the S-300’s effectiveness.
Let’s give the devil his due. The F-35 is a fine example of low observable aircraft with extraordinary capabilities. It’s a formidable weapon, but so is the S-300. If the worst happens, Israel’s high-end F-35I Adir aircraft will be checkmated by this Russian-made, state-of-the-art air-defense system.
A stealth aircraft is not invincible. It has its strengths and weaknesses. In Syria, Israeli F-35s will be up against a tight, integrated air-defense network with multiple radars trying to detect and track the target from different directions.
Excessive use of stealth technology restricts the combat capabilities of an aircraft like the F-35. A plane based on stealth technology does not perform exceptionally well in combat. It cannot carry many weapons because everything is hidden inside the body. Its ability to remain invisible is reduced as soon as the radar is turned on. Low frequencies can detect a stealth aircraft. A bomb bay that has been opened to launch weapons will also give the plane away.
The S-300’s 48N6E2 missiles boast single-shot kill probability of 80% to 93% for an aerial target, 40% to 85% for cruise missiles. and 50% to 77% for theater ballistic missiles. The Russian system uses the 96L6 all-altitude detector and acquisition radar, which works in L-band. It has a 300 km range and enhanced resolution. The S-300 PMU-2 version can detect and track 100 targets. The radar is said to be able to detect stealth targets.
Large wavelength radiations are reflected by “invisible” aircraft. Radar that operates in the VHF, UHF, L and S bands can detect and even track the F-35 without transmitting weapons-quality track. It is true that no accurate targeting is possible, but at least you can tell where the plane is.
The S-300’s vertically launched missiles can be re-targeted during flight. The explosion is so powerful that no kinetic kill is needed. Multiple killing elements will strike targets throughout the vicinity.
The IAF F-35s still need to be integrated with other assets in order to enhance their chances of carrying out missions. Just to be on the safe side, they will probably be escorted by electronic warfare aircraft, which are not stealth, thus giving away their position and providing the enemy with enough time to take countermeasures. Israel has only 12 F-35s, with 50 more arriving by 2024. The price tag for each is about $100 million. It’ll be a long time before they are in place and integrated into the Air Force. And twelve are simply not enough.
Besides, the aircraft still needs to be upgraded with the full operational capability of Block 3F and subsequent Block 4 software and hardware configurations.
Once the S-300s are operational, all other Israeli non-stealth planes will face huge risks any time they fly an offensive mission into Syria. It should also be taken into account that Russia will jam the radar, navigation, and communications systems on any aircraft attacking targets in Syria via the Mediterranean Sea, as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned on Sept. 24, 2018.
Israel boasts a broad repertoire of standoff weapons, along with highly advanced electronic warfare systems and enhanced cyber capabilities. It also has very experienced and well trained personnel. Nevertheless, the S-300 in Syria is a deterrent to be reckoned with. Hopefully, the peace process in that war-torn country will move forward and there will be no escalation to provoke an S-300 vs. F-35 fight.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...actly-synonyms

I got a question; does the F-35 have Chinese microchips in it and easy to hack too?

"Nearly All" The Pentagon's Expensive New Toys Are Embarrassingly Easy To Hack, GAO

Pentagon grounds F-35 fighter jets in wake of crash...

Entire F-35 Fleet Grounded After South Carolina Crash



All variants of the jet, including the "A" version used by the Air Force and the Navy's "C" version are included.

Thu, 10/11/2018 - 22:45
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The Pentagon has temporarily suspended F-35 flight operations in the wake of a Marine F-35B crash in South Carolina last month. All variants of the jet, including the "A" version used by the Air Force and the Navy's "C" version are included.

Lee Hudson @LeeHudson_

UPDATE: The #F35 grounding extends to A and C variants, not just B, multiple sources confirm to @AviationWeek.
9:28 AM - Oct 11, 2018

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The entire F-35 fleet will undergo inspections for a fuel tube within the engine, which are expected to be completed within 48 hours, according to Task & Purpose, citing a Pentagon spokesman.

“If suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced,” Joe DellaVedova, a spokesman with the Pentagon’s Joint Program Office, which oversees the F-35, said in a statement.
“If known good fuel tubes are already installed, then those aircraft will be returned to flight status,” DellaVedova said. “Inspections are expected to be completed within the next 24 to 48 hours.” -Task & Purpose

"The primary goal following any mishap is the prevention of future incidents," DellaVedova said. "We will take every measure to ensure safe operations while we deliver, sustain and modernize the F-35 for the warfighter and our defense partners."

The office said the grounding “is driven from initial data from the ongoing investigation of the F-35B that crashed in the vicinity of Beaufort, South Carolina on 28 September. The aircraft mishap board is continuing its work and the U.S. Marine Corps will provide additional information when it becomes available.”
...
The grounding comes after the Pentagon announced that a Marine Corps F-35B conducted the platform’s first-ever combat mission on Sept. 27. The Marine Corps' aircraft launched from the amphibious warship Essex, striking targets in Afghanistan.
In April, a Marine Corps F-35B out the Marine Corps air station at Cherry Point, North Carolina, was forced to make an emergency landingwhen the aircraft fuel light came on. -Military Times

The F-35B is a short takeoff, vertical landing variant of the design - which allows pilots to hover and land vertically like a helicopter. Since the problem which led to the grounding affects all models, it appears unlikely that the problem is connected to the VTOL capabilities on the Marines' design.

The issue as described by the JPO indicates the issue is believed to come from a subcontractor who supplied the fuel tubes for engine manufacturer Pratt and Whitney.
A spokesman for the F-35s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, said Thursday morning that industry partners were working with the F-35's Joint Program Office to investigate the problems. -Military Times

"We are actively partnering with the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office, our global customers and Pratt & Whitney to support the resolution of this issue and limit disruption to the fleet,” said a Lockheed spokesman.
Meanwhile, the grounding comes amid orders by Secretary of Defense James Mattis ordering military readiness on four planes above 80% - including the F-35, by next September. According to the most recent data, the F-35A has a 55% readiness rate at present.
While the Marines are the first US service to fly the joint strike fighter, the F-35 has been used by the Israeli air force - confirming that the plane had been used in May during two airstrikes.
The F-35 was declared operational in 2015 after working out most of the kinks in the most expensive program in the Pentagon's history. The Air Force, Navy and Marines plan to purchase a total of 2,456 F-35s at an estimated cost of $325 billion. The program is expected to top around $1 trillion to "develop, produce, field and sustain" over its lifetime according to Military Times, citing the Government Accountability Office.
Full statement from the Joint Program Office:

The U.S. Services and international partners have temporarily suspended F-35 flight operations while the enterprise conducts a fleet-wide inspection of a fuel tube within the engine on all F-35 aircraft. If suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced. If known good fuel tubes are already installed, then those aircraft will be returned to flight status. Inspections are expected to be completed within the next 24 to 48 hours.
The action to perform the inspection is driven from initial data from the ongoing investigation of the F-35B that crashed in the vicinity of Beaufort, South Carolina on 28 September. The aircraft mishap board is continuing its work and the U.S. Marine Corps will provide additional information when it becomes available.
The primary goal following any mishap is the prevention of future incidents. We will take every measure to ensure safe operations while we deliver, sustain and modernize the F-35 for the warfighter and our defense partners.


https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...carolina-crash