- Russia’s war against Ukraine has shown what air warfare over a modern battlefield looks like.
- None of the countries has an F-35, but it is designed for this environment, said former test pilot Billy Flynn.
- F-35s have “capabilities focused precisely on what we see in Ukraine,” Flynn said.
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As the war in Ukraine approaches its third month, neither Russia nor Ukraine is able to dominate the air, as both still have active surface-to-air missile batteries and aircraft.
This makes the war in Ukraine unique in recent conflicts and provides useful lessons on how modern aircraft will operate in contested airspace.
In an interview with The Aviationist on April 7, Billy Flynn, a former Canadian lieutenant colonel and senior F-35 test pilot for Lockheed Martin, highlighted the role the F-35 could play in such circumstances.
“The F-35 is designed specifically for the environment we see in Ukraine now,” Flynn said.
The new generation
US Air Force F-35A over RAF Lakenheath, March 22, 2022. US Air Force Sergeant / Staff. Dhruv Gopinath
The F-35, built by Lockheed Martin, is one of two fifth-generation fighters used by the United States, along with the F-22 Raptor, and one of four used worldwide. The Chinese J-20 went into mass production at the end of 2021 and did not take part in battles. The Russian Su-57 has not entered mass production and has been deployed in only a few limited missions in Syria.
A multifunctional stealth aircraft, the F-35 is designed for air superiority and strike missions.
It is equipped with a powerful complex for electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and intelligence. These capabilities, which allow the F-35 to collect and disseminate real-time battlefield information to friendly forces, have earned it the nickname “quarterback in the sky.”
The weapons he carries vary. In a configuration known as “beast mode”, it carries four 500-kilogram GBU-12 laser bombs on its wings, two GBU-12s in its internal weapons compartment and an AIM-9 air-to-air missile with heat demand. This configuration sacrifices stealth for firepower.
When in stealth mode, the aircraft abandons externally mounted weapons to maintain its low profile.
There are three variants of the F-35. The F-35A is designed for conventional take-offs and landings, the F-35B for short take-offs and vertical landings, and the F-35C for aircraft carrier operations.
Reinforced team
Bomber B-52H of the US Air Force and F-35 of the Italian Air Force on a training flight, March 7, 2022. US Air Force / Techn. Sergeant Korban Lundborg
In contested airspace, the viability of older fourth-generation fighters, such as the ubiquitous F-16, will be limited, Flynn told The Aviationist.
F-16s “have not survived the much-contested world,” as in Ukraine, where “there are a significant number of complex ground-to-air threats,” Flynn said.
However, the F-35’s ability to improve the capabilities of friendly aircraft is exactly what would make it invaluable in such a conflict, Flynn said.
“The F-35 is designed to operate in highly contested airspace, and the capabilities are precisely focused on what we see in Ukraine today. If you have an F-35, you don’t have to need an F-16 to deal the damage that the F-35 will do, “according to the former F-35 test pilot.
The F-35 would be particularly effective against surface-to-air missile systems and other ground defenses, neutralizing them and enemy aircraft for air superiority.
F-35 of the US Air Force at Ämari Air Base in Estonia, February 24, 2022 US Air Force
The stealth profile of the aircraft will be one of its main advantages.
“Remember,” Flynn said, “we see them, they don’t see us. It’s like playing football when one team is invisible and the other team doesn’t have a big advantage on behalf of the F-35. The F-35 would see all enemy air-to-air threats and kill them all, plus completely neutralize the threat of surface-to-air missiles to gain dominance in the air. “
Once air superiority is achieved, aircraft such as the F-16 can provide additional firepower against enemy ground forces, but even then the F-35 will be needed to protect them, according to Flynn.
The F-35 can also conduct close air support missions to ground troops. However, when friendly ground forces are in close contact with the enemy, the F-35 may need to use less modern weapons and take a greater risk.
“There may be a time when the troops are in contact and you will get off and use the pistol in the F-35,” Flynn said. “This is a big risk for the $ 80 million F-35, but our job is to protect the troops on the ground.
Flying solo
US Air Force F-35A without radar reflectors over Eastern Europe, February 28, 2022 US Air Force / 1st Class Pilot Edgar Grimaldo
The United States has repeatedly said it will not become a fighter in Ukraine.
The F-35s are carrying out stealth missions near Ukraine’s borders, although it is unclear whether they have conducted regular patrols to deter Russia or used their electronic capabilities to monitor forces in and around Ukraine.
However, their presence so close to the conflict zone has had an impact, according to Flynn.
The flight of this aircraft on NATO’s eastern flank is a “significant deterrent” against Russian forces, which continue their ambitions to move further east. “Because F-35s are an extremely deadly threat,” Flynn said.
“The capacity of the F-35 to neutralize the enemy cannot be compared to any other aircraft flying in someone else’s air force,” Flynn said. “So just the fact that the F-35s are there scares everyone on the other side.”
Konstantin Atlamazoglu is working on transatlantic and European security. He has a master’s degree in security and European affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
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