Page 14 - Maritime Services and the Kill Web

The Maritime Services, the Allies and Shaping the Kill Web

This is the beginning of a combat aircraft design that is building along a new axis-the “Z-axis.” The “Z axis” is
a core discriminator. The F-35 aircraft is not a linear performance enhancement from F/A-18 4th Gen; it has
a third performance axis “Z.”

A key enabler of reshaping of capabilities is the range of capabilities evolving along the Z axis within the
cockpit.

FIGURE 2 CONCEPTUALIZING THE F-35 IN THE KILL WEB. CREDIT: SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE

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.
Second Line of Defense

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