Air Combat Command chief General Hawk Carlisle said that the F-35 is “combat ready,” and he would have no reservations about sending it into battle. Speaking with reporters at the Pentagon on August 2nd, Carlisle declared Initial Operational Capability for the F-35A, saying the 388th Fighter Wing and the associated 419th Reserve Wing have the requisite number of planes (15 versus the six necessary), maintainers, and trained pilots—and have demonstrated their capabilities in realistic exercises—such that he is “comfortable” sending the fighters anywhere that a regional combatant commander asks for them.
Whether they are requested will be up to the commanders, Carlisle said, but he does expect that “sometime in the next 18 months” the jets will deploy to Europe and the Pacific theater, and that in any event they will soon be “in the rotation” to deploy wherever USAF operates.
The F-35As have the requisite “basic capability” in offensive and defensive counter-air, interdiction, electronic warfare, electronic attack, and “basic” close air support, electronic warfare/electronic attack, and “limited” suppression of enemy air defenses, Carlisle said. “The Operational Test folks and the line pilots are comfortable taking it into a … contested environment,” meaning against tough air defenses, Carlisle said, and he’s accepted their judgment. He also said that not sending the F-35 immediately into combat won’t mean there’s anything wrong with it, but that it has to be suitable to the mission.
When the F-22 was declared IOC in 2005, Carlisle said, USAF was rebuffed by higher authorities from deploying it right away because it might be considered a “provocative” gesture; an assessment Carlisle disagreed with. In his opinion, Carlisle said, deploying F-22s and F-35s is “a good thing” because it’s “reassuring to our allies and partners”—many of whom are anxious to either buy the new fighter or work with it and develop tactics around it—”and a deterrent to our adversaries.”
There are still some issues to be shaken out of the F-35A, Air Combat Command chief Gen. Hawk Carlisle said Tuesday. Speaking with reporters at the Pentagon about declaring the F-35A’s initial operational capability, Carlisle said the displays are not yet fully “intuitive” for the pilots, and the “pilot-vehicle interface” needs work. He explained that sometimes the function pilots want to perform or the info they want to see requires “too many actions … like putting a cursor on it” that can’t be performed without taking their hands off the throttle and stick. Carlisle also said it was understood from the outset of the program that this initial version—the 3i software build—would not have full capability, particularly in close air support, but the jet will “continue to evolve” just as “every new airplane we have ever fielded” has.
With regard to CAS, Carlisle said the F-35 will lack an infrared “pointer” for a while, but will pick up more functionality with the objective 3F version and in the “Block 4” package of upgrades. Surprisingly, Carlisle wasn’t asked about the Autonomic Logistics Information System, which earlier this year was considered the only potential obstacle to declaring IOC in August. Maintainers with the 388th Fighter Wing said last week and during a recent deployment to Britain that the deployable version of the ALIS does everything they need it to do, and USAF has said the system will, like the F-35, gain more capability as it grows and develops.
Sources: Air Force Magazine /YouTube