More cracks found in F-35B second life testing

reply to post by SirDrinksalot


Can any F35 in ANY incarnation perform the CAS role as we currently know it?
I have NO doubt it could if someone paid for the mods.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Hm. Okay, so there's no parts made in China or in Indonesia, or something.

reply to post by swanne


There are parts made all over the place. That is just where it is assembled.

Welcome to the new world. Parts and pieces are made all over the world, shipped to a central location and assembled.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Okay, many thanks for the info (again) - makes sense indeed.

cavtrooper7
reply to post by SirDrinksalot

 

Can any F35 in ANY incarnation perform the CAS role as we currently know it?
I have NO doubt it could if someone paid for the mods.

It won't be any less capable than a F-16 or F-18 in that role.

If parts are made all over, whats to stop someone like China embedding a passive RFID someplace in the airframe? All China would have to do is "ping" for the plane and use sensitive antennas to pick up the return signal.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


Because unless you have a huge power source RFID is really short ranged. Any kind of power drain like that is a one shot. As soon as you use it we know it is there and remove or disconnect it.

I don't know...

I know there was a microchip behind the hologram on my Visa debit card (the hologram wore down enough to see it). I was having problems managing my money so I cut the card up into tiny pieces. Before I did that though, I carefully wrote down the card number, expiry date and 3 digit security code. Sure enough a week later I needed to pay for something online. To my surprise it wouldn't accept my payment. I never told anyone, let alone my bank that I cut up the card...

It is possible I wrote the info down wrong, but I triple checked before I took the scissors to the card.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


RFID readers have to almost touch your wallet or purse to scan your card and get your information.

A tiny antenna means short range.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Gen2+ RFID's can be scanned from 30m with off the shelf equipment. New DL's, credit cards, etc.

Not that it really matters, as the range is still well outside of use for A/C.

That being said, a very tiny RFID, set in very close to the surface, would make an otherwise 'stealth' aircraft very visible on radar.

reply to post by peck420


Except you are still talking about ranges that aren't useful.

Zaphod58
reply to post by peck420

 

Except you are still talking about ranges that aren't useful.

Are you talking about scanning and reading or about the generally large and ugly radar return a passive RFID will put out when hit by a high powered radar?

reply to post by peck420


Both. The problem with the radar return method is that you have to be able to hit the plane with radar in the first place, which means a lot of luck.

The F-35 isn't operating alone. There are a lot of other aircraft in the area, including AWACS. The first time you use it, you've given it away and it's now useless.

Zaphod58
reply to post by peck420

 

Both. The problem with the radar return method is that you have to be able to hit the plane with radar in the first place, which means a lot of luck.

The F-35 isn't operating alone. There are a lot of other aircraft in the area, including AWACS. The first time you use it, you've given it away and it's now useless.

Id say it fry the minute the aircraft turned on its own radar it would send a surge through it it wasnt made to handle be like putting it in a microwave.

Zaphod58
reply to post by peck420

 

Both. The problem with the radar return method is that you have to be able to hit the plane with radar in the first place, which means a lot of luck.

In air to air, sure.

Theoretically negates the F-35's capability to penetrate any ground based systems.

The F-35 isn't operating alone. There are a lot of other aircraft in the area, including AWACS. The first time you use it, you've given it away and it's now useless.

What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?

I'm sure most nations are more then happy to let all those aircraft fly around outside of their territory.

reply to post by peck420


Because one of those is going to pick up your RFID signal and that gives up the game and ruins your ability to use it more than once.

MystikMushroom
If parts are made all over, whats to stop someone like China embedding a passive RFID someplace in the airframe? All China would have to do is "ping" for the plane and use sensitive antennas to pick up the return signal.

I dont think China are making parts for the F-35 unless they somewhere make some mil spec equipment which finds its way into a subcomponent, they probably wouldnt know it was for F35, in that case, China would probably have to put pasive RFIDs in everything incase it somehow finds its way into a Stealth Jet?

Officially Chinese parts are forbidden from being used on US weapons systems. Both components and end use items.

But...

Chinese magnets were used on 115 F-35s in the radar and landing gear subsystems.

Honeywell is also under investigation for using a sensor on a circuit board that was built in China.

MystikMushroom
If parts are made all over, whats to stop someone like China embedding a passive RFID someplace in the airframe? All China would have to do is "ping" for the plane and use sensitive antennas to pick up the return signal.

The inverse square law means that the return signal is going to be ridiculously small from a small RFID chip. Even a passive array will not get you a stronger bounce than you would get from a normal return signal. It would be smaller than a normal return signal. And that would be pointless. If you are getting a RFID return signal, then you don't need it because you'd already be getting a normal paint. If your antennae are sensitive enough to pick up the passive RFID signal at a given distance, then it is sensitive enough to pick up the return signal from a normal return from the same (actually greater) distance.
You would need a transponder like an IFF transponder or even a LoJack-type system. You would need a power source and an antenna. If you want to generate more data other than a pulse for your ping, you'll need a frequency converter. You're going to notice an extra black box.
Since most radiation will be deflected by the shaping of the airframe or absorbed by the baked in RAM, I don't even know if you could get an interrogation signal through, or if you could get a responding signal out without an external antenna.
There are all sorts of good reasons for avoiding Chinese products in our weapon systems. This would be so fantastic as to be not one of them.