Israel May Switch to STOVL JSFs
Tel Aviv - Expanding missile threats could prompt Israel to switch its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) procurement plans from the U.S. Air Force's F-35A to the F-35B Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) version designed for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Israel's latest five-year plan includes funds for an initial 25-aircraft JSF squadron, the first orders for which should be finalized next year. Ultimately, the Israel Air Force (IAF) hopes to acquire up to 100 new stealth fighters, all of which were initially planned as Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) F-35As.
But with the rapidly expanding missile threat from Gaza in the south, Lebanon in the north and - in worst-case future scenarios - from the West Bank hugging the Israeli heartland, runways could become vulnerable. As a result, the IAF may be compelled for the first time to operate in the type of improvised, austere environments envisioned for the STOVL variant of the JSF.
Government and military sources here say the specter of increasingly accurate, long-range missiles in the hands of Hamas and Hizbollah terrorists already has prompted the spending of tens of millions of dollars over the past three years to harden air bases and fortify weapon depots.
Moreover, the IAF has since the 2006 Lebanon War spent more time and money to hone an emergency plan for rapidly redeploying critical air assets from bases in the north to ones beyond the reach of the Iranian-supplied Hizbollah arsenal.
The evolving threat to operational requirements and modernization plans is expected to top the agenda of Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, the new commander of the IAF. Currently planning chief for the Israel Defense Forces General Staff, Nehushtan assumes his new duties April 1, following the retirement of IAF Maj. Gen. Elyezer Shkedy.
"The subject of STOVL has been kicked around on the Air Staff for a few years, but we always rejected it in favor of the longer range, bigger payload and lower price tag of the U.S. Air Force plane," said a retired IAF general. "But now that air base survivability is no longer hypothetical, it's logical that [the new IAF commander] will want to reassess the options."
Retired Maj. Gen. Herzl Bodinger, a former IAF commander, said the expanding missile threat may warrant a mix of CTOL and STOVL aircraft.
"Everyone understands that decisions of today have to serve us well over the next 20 to 30 years or more. So the flexibility inherent in a smart mix of capabilities is certainly worthy of serious consideration," he said.
Tradeoffs
Aside from an updated, long-term threat assessment and its likely impact on future IAF operational requirements, a serious re-evaluation of the JSF acquisition strategy will focus on range, weapon-carrying capacity and cost.
According to Lockheed Martin data, the CTOL F-35A carries 18,500 pounds of internal fuel, has a projected mission radius of 610 nautical miles and can deliver 18,000 pounds of weaponry. In comparison, the STOVL F-35B carries about 14,000 pounds of internal fuel, has a projected mission radius of 500 nautical miles and can deliver 15,000 pounds of weaponry.
When operated solely in stealth mode, the F-35A will deliver 5,700 pounds of weaponry, one ton more than the internal weapon load accommodated by the F-35B's smaller weapon bay. The F-35A can carry two 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) while the F-35B will accommodate two 1,000-pound JDAMs.
The STOVL version, with its complicated lift-fan, will cost about 30 percent more than the CTOL variant.
"Average unit recurring flyaway costs for the CTOL aircraft is in the upper $40 million range, while the STOVL variant is in the mid-60s," said John Smith, communications manager for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program.
The STOVL variant is more complex, with a shaft-driven lift fan, 3-bearing swivel nozzle and left- and right-side aircraft stabilizing roll posts added to increase engine thrust.
"These features basically create 40,000 pounds of thrust from a 25,000 thrust-class engine," Smith said. "They allow the aircraft to take off with a heavy load on runways a little over 500 feet long - which is really nothing - and to land practically anywhere."
He said that customers who choose a mix of CTOL and STOVL versions of the F-35 will benefit from the common avionics and logistics tail demanded by the two planes.
Sources here said that even though the CTOL version costs less, flies farther and carries more, there is one factor that could favor the STOVL variant: The F-35B will be the first to roll off the Lockheed production line.
Initial operational capability for the U.S. Marine Corps F-35 is planned for 2012, with the Air Force following the next year.
Bilateral Agreement Pending
Later this month, Israeli and U.S. government officials are expected to conclude a JSF technology-sharing arrangement that will allow the IAF to complete design studies and performance assessments essential for concrete procurement decisions.
The document, which sources from both countries have described as a kind of code of conduct governing JSF technologies, details Israel's obligations for safeguarding data and knowhow it receives during the course of the program.
If signed, as expected, by Pinhas Buchris, the director-general of Israel's MoD during mid-March meetings in Washington, the document will trigger the data flow that the IAF needs to determine its desired JSF configuration and follow-on procurement plans.
Whichever F-35 version - or mix of F-35 fighters - Israel ultimately selects will not require additional bilateral agreements or bureaucratic reassessments, a U.S. government source said.
"Regardless of what aircraft they want, the principles of technology transfer remain the same," he said. "Once that document is signed, they'll be exposed to all variants up front. They'll be able to understand the different nuances of each design and have all the data they'll need to make the internal decisions that have to be made prior to [contract] conclusion." ■
E-mail: bopallrome@defensenews.com.
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