Page 122 - North Atlantic and Nordic Defense

North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return

FIGURE 36 EVOLVING ALONG THE Z AXIS

The “Z” axis is the pilot’s cockpit OODA loop axis.

Starting at the beginning from air fleet Command and Control during WWI C&C has morphed into C5ISR
(getting silly) – Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance,
and Reconnaissance

Traditionally, in looking at the progression of aircraft a two-dimensional design depiction has been used; the
x-axis or horizontal axis is time and the horizontal y-axis is enhanced technology performance.

That type of graph captures individual airplanes in generational shifts.

Combat aircraft tend to cluster in generation improvements. Each aircraft clustered in a “generation” is only a
combination of platform airframe/ engine improvements.

The aeronautical design “art” of blending together ever improving and evolving technology creates
improvements in a linear fashion, if not performance would eventually go asymptotic.

The airframe design characteristics blended together prior to F-35 have been constantly improving range,
payload (improved by system/and weapons carried), maneuverability (measured by P Sub s), speed, and
range (modified by VSTOL–a basing mobility plus factor).

The F-35 is also designed with inherent survivability factors, redundancy and hardening and stealth. Stealth is
usually seen as the 5th Gen improvement.

But reducing the F-35 to a linear x-y axis improvement simply misses the point.

The F-35 is now going to take technology into a revolutionary three-dimensional situational awareness
capability.

Second Line of Defense

Page 121