F-35: fifth generation physiological freak
If we consider all the "creative" combat activity aviation Since the end of the 70s as an exclusively commercial project, one has to admit its highest efficiency. Not dozens - hundreds of billions of dollars - have been successfully mastered as part of creating projects that are unique in their stupidity. The first projects appeared F-22 and F-23, then they were supplemented by B-1, B-2 and F-117 ... Leaders in terms of the amount of funds spent succeeded each other. F-22 in the end, without too much noise were written off to the scrap. But the Pentagon did not lose heart.
Back in 2001, Lockheed Martin began developing F-35. As part of the Joint Strike Fighter program, it was intended to replace all the outdated fighter and attack aircraft models at once — the F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II, F / A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier II. According to the plans of the Pentagon, Lightning II was supposed to be a cheaper and more technologically advanced alternative to the fifth-generation fighter F-22 Raptor.
Any domestic aircraft designer would say that this is impossible even theoretically. But this is America - "America can do anything!"
In the next 16 years, F-35 in several versions was turned into a super-project, imposing it on all US allies. Proving that the United States is capable of combining state corruption and the creation of aircraft heavier than air. But only. Combining a grand budget cut with ultra-modern and effective Yankee combat aircraft were not able to.
"The incompleteness of the aircraft, the need to constantly choose workarounds for flight procedures and the extremely limited capabilities of the internal systems do not allow us to assess the suitability of the F-35 for training as part of a squadron (squadron) and participation in battles," said the Ministry of Operational Testing and Evaluation US defense back in February 2013 year!
Disgusting view from the cockpit, the inability to conduct effective close combat to gain superiority in the cubature of space, disgusting gun, the ban on flying novice pilots on supersonic, low stability, failure at temperatures below minus 15 degrees, failures of the ejection system on the first series aircraft, no protection against lightning and problems with the control system interface ... the list of deficiencies of the machine takes dozens of sheets of the report.
Past since the report 4, fundamentally did not change anything. Except one. Due to the continued production and imposition of the F-35 to its allies, the Pentagon was able to report a reduction in the cost of one plane from the fabulous 237 million dollars to 120-ti. This, of course, is not originally declared 80-90 million dollars, but at least something. At the same time, he is silent about the fact that, in fact, the manufacturer continues to make a profit, and the US budget to bear more and more new spending, riveting not a 5 generation fighter, but a flying misunderstanding.
It comes to mysticism. Over the past few months, the US Air Force has recorded a significant surge in “physiological episodes” (cases of inexplicable deterioration in the health of pilots) accompanying the operation of F-35 fighters. If during the 2006-2016 period, the military counted ten such incidents, by now their number has grown to twenty, according to Aviation Week.
At least five out of ten such episodes occur in the current year. They occurred between 2 May and 8 June at the US Air Force Base Luke in Arizona. As a result, F-35 flights were suspended.
According to the commander of the 56 th operational group of Colonel Ben Bishop (piloted F-35), after the resumption of flights of the airbase fighters, three more "physiological episodes were recorded. According to him, experts who have been working with F-35A for several months still could not find the causes of this problem.
The experts involved are not sure whether the “physiological episodes” indicate hypoxia itself (a decrease in the oxygen content in the blood) or are a consequence of other conditions, for example, hypercapnia (an increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the blood), tissue hypoxia (disruption of the use of oxygen by the tissues), decompression illness, dehydration, lack of sleep, or nervous exhaustion.
Since earlier there were accidents related to the failure of the oxygen system, the backup oxygen supply system was carefully checked. Checks confirmed its health. Currently, experts are rewriting the programs responsible for monitoring fluctuations in oxygen concentration levels. it is assumed that this will allow more efficient supply of oxygen to the pilot and thereby potentially facilitate his breathing. At the same time, Colonel Bishop is sure that “physiological episodes” are not associated with pollution of the cabin or the oxygen supply system.
The commander of the 56 th operational group insists that the last three "physiological episodes" are united by a common circumstance - the backup oxygen supply system worked properly, but the pilots did not immediately feel an improvement in their state of health. "I think there may be something based on the interaction of the machine and the person, something that affects the breath. We are considering the work of valves that allow our pilots to exhale," said the colonel.
According to statistics provided in connection with the publication of the next problems, it is with F-35 that “physiological episodes occur most often — 2006-like incidents were recorded for 2017-29 years.
New facts only confirm the previously identified shortcomings of the F-35. The machine, which was supposed to be a breakthrough in the aircraft industry, turned into a real headache.
Very expensive headache.
REFERENCE. Israel buys these planes only because, under the terms of American economic assistance, it must spend it on American weapons. In fact, so much American weapons Israel simply does not need, and it has to buy goods only nominally for military purposes, for example, food for the military.
- Mikhail Onufrienko (Mikle1)
- pp.userapi.com
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