October 12, 2019
The U.S. Air Force (Using F-35s) Is Learning How To Defeat Russia's S-400 Air Defenses
The F-35 won't be beat so easily.
by Kris Osborn
Key point: Software improvements and computer simulations are a big help.
Designed as part of the developmental trajectory for the emerging F-35, the test-firing facilities further development of an ability to fire the weapon “off-boresight,†described as an ability to target and destroy air to air targets that are not in front of the aircraft with a direct or immediate line of sight, Pentagon officials explained. The AIM-9X, he described, incorporates an agile thrust vector controlled airframe and the missile’s high off-boresight capability can be used with an advanced helmet (or a helmet-mounted sight) for a wider attack envelope.
The Air Force F-35 is using “open air†ranges and computer simulation to practice combat missions against the best Chinese and Russian-made air-defense technologies – as a way to prepare to enemy threats anticipated in the mid-2020s and beyond.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/us-air-force-using-f-35s-learning-how-defeat-russias-s-400-air-defenses-87266
