Once more from a comment to the blog by Steiner:
Steiner said...
"What use the F-35 might be against an opponent like Hezbollah that possesses no AF or even SAM weaponry beyond a few handhelds is unclear."
My thought is that the F-35 when tasked with missions against unconventional targets [such as Hezbollah combatants] will carry large numbers of:
1. Small diameter bomb.
"The GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) is a 250 lb (110 kg) precision-guided glide bomb that is intended to provide aircraft with the ability to carry a higher number of more accurate bombs."
"The Small Diameter Bomb II . . . scheduled to enter production in January 2014, will add a tri-mode seeker (radar, infrared homing, and semi-active laser guidance) to the INS and GPS guidance of the original SDB."
2. DIME weaponry.
"Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME) is an experimental type of explosive that has a relatively small but effective blast radius . . . It is intended to limit the distance at which the explosion causes damage, to avoid collateral damage in warfare."
From the air with great precision the F-35 can TAKE OUT ON COMMAND from a high orbit fleeting targets such as Hezbollah rocket artillery OR HIGH-VALUE HEZBOLLAH SENIOR COMMANDERS IN BOTH CASES DESTROYING THE TARGET WHILE LIMITING COLLATERAL DAMAGE.
The F-35 able to carry prodigious numbers of SDB and DIME internally and externally? What numbers I am speaking of I cannot say with accuracy.
coolbert.
Who needs a manned and very expensive asset like the F-35 to deliver anti-personnel munitions against irregulars with no air cover of any kind? UAVs will do most of this work in the future, supplemented by various manned assets with extended loiter time over the battlefield. Recall that the OV-10 Bronco was revived for service last year over Iraq. Expect more of this, not the Lightning II.
ReplyDelete