Page 42 - Tron Warfare.pages

Three F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, 3rd Marine Aircraft
Wing, and two AV-8B Harriers with Marine Attack Squadron 211, 3rd MAW, fly in a “V” formation during fixed-
wing aerial refueling training over eastern California, Aug. 27, 2013. The F-35B joint strike fighters practiced refu-
eling with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Michael Thorn)

Just like the F-111 El-Dorado Canyon strike an “emcon” strike, stealth enabled, can
come as a complete surprise.

The possibility will exist for the US Intelligence Community to capture information
“seen” both active or passive by US and Allied F-35s and all other ISR sensors, to create
a dynamic almost real time library of future “aim-points” for attack in the event of hos-
tilities–this building of a library can occur without any opponent knowing what US and
its allies know.

The F-35 OODA “DA” fusion cockpit will shift all US combat planning and engagement
eventually into a horizontal grid vice reliance on only Hub Spoke battle management-
this evolving attribute will change C&C in very profound ways and this is could be a
good starting point for any “Combat Cloud” discussion.

If the F-35 did not exist it would either have to be invented or many different technolo-
gies would have to be aggregated to even try and achieve what the aircraft can do–and
that effort would have exploitable seams, and an increased C&C demand with an in-
creased vulnerability to enemy “tron” counter measures.

Going active F-35 can engage in combat as USAF Secretary Mike Wynne says empower-
ing another revolutionary capability—a “sensor/shooter” dynamic engaged with legacy

Second Line of Defense December 2014

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