Os F-35 serão armados com laser.
Citação :
U.S. F-35 Fighter May Be Armed with Laser
Directed Energy Weapon Would Complement Precision Munitions
The F-35 fighter, better known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), intended to enter U.S. service sometime around 2010, may be armed with a high-power laser, according to a proposal made by manufacturer Lockheed-Martin and Raytheon.
The F-35, a derivative of the X-35 JSF demonstrator will be built in three primary production models - a conventional design for the U.S. Air Force, a navalized model for use from aircraft carriers and a short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) model equipped with a moveable jet nozzle and lift-fan behind the cockpit. In order to reduce cost and ease manufacturing, all three variants will utilize a highly common airframe and powerplant and it is this commonality that will enable the type to carry laser weapons.
Because the conventional (CTOL) and carrier-capable (CVTOL) designs have no need for vertical flight, the area behind the cockpit which normally houses the lift fan in the STOVL variant, is empty. This extra room has allowed engineers at Raytheon Electronic Systems to design a compact solid-state laser package that would fit in the empty bay. In addition, the engine-driven shaft, producing more than 27,000 shp, that would otherwise drive the vertical lift-fan can now be used to drive a generator. This gives the F-35 the ability to generate more than enough power to drive a laser, eliminating the need for heavy batteries and freeing the design from complex and unwieldy chemical lasers powered by toxic substances, such as that which will be used on the airborne laser (ABL) project. Additionally, a solid-state laser would prove less costly, more robust and more easily maintained in the field or onboard an aircraft carrier.
With an expected power output of 100 kilowatts, a laser mounted on the F-35 would have an effective range of between 6.5 and 10 miles. It would likely be mounted on a moveable turret, similar to those used by current forward looking infrared (FLIR) and other electro-optical devices for use onboard aircraft. Lasers would be used primarily against ground targets, particularly small, moving targets, used in place of precision-guided bombs or missiles. The turret would be mounted at the bottom of the lift-fan bay.
Along with a virtually inexhaustable ammunition supply and a firing rate limited only by the need to cool components, lasers would also create the advantage of being largely undetectable. Their use, therefore would not only cause damage, but chaos and confusion within enemy forces and commanders. "There's no huge explosion associated with its employment," a Lockheed Martin official said. "There are no pieces and parts left behind that someone can analyze to say, 'This came from the U.S.' The damage is very localized, and it's hard to tell where it came from and when it happened. It's all pretty mysterious."
A laser could also be employed as a defensive weapon in aerial combat, though the need to cool-down briefly after two or three consecutive discharges could prove a liability in a dogfight. Such an application would likely require a second, top-mounted, turret, however, limiting usable internal volume. The use of a laser weapon at supersonic speeds also presents another problem, as it would require adaptive optics to account for air density distortions caused by the supersonic pressure wave that forms around high-speed aircraft.
Though designed primarily for the strike-fighter role, a variant of the F-35 is also under consideration as an electronic warfare (EW), electronic intelligence (ELINT) and radar jamming platform to replace the venerable EA-6B Prowler in service with the Navy and Marine Corps.
The F-35 is intended replace the U.S. Air Force's F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Navy's F/A-18C & D Hornets, and the AV-8B Harrier II in Marine Corps service. In addition, a number of European nations, including Britain and the Netherlands, intend to purchase F-35 variants. Both Israel and Turkey are also participating in the JSF program with the intention of operating the F-35 in the future.
The Lockheed-Martin F-35, was announced as the winner of the Joint Strike Fighter fly-off in October 2001. It will be based closely on the X-35 JSF demonstrator that competed head-to-head against the Boeing-designed X-32. Many in the Pentagon predict that the JSF shall be the last manned fighter to be built by the United States.
