{"id":60119,"date":"2020-04-24T18:28:17","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T18:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/24\/the-pentagon-will-have-to-live-with-limits-on-f-35s-supersonic-flights\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:25:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:25:10","slug":"the-pentagon-will-have-to-live-with-limits-on-f-35s-supersonic-flights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2020\/04\/24\/the-pentagon-will-have-to-live-with-limits-on-f-35s-supersonic-flights\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35\u2019s supersonic flights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2019\/06\/12\/supersonic-speeds-could-cause-big-problems-for-the-f-35s-stealth-coating\/\" target=_blank>issue that risks damage to the F-35\u2019s tail section<\/a> if the aircraft needs to maintain supersonic speeds is not worth fixing and will instead be addressed by changing the operating parameters, the F-35 Joint Program Office told Defense News in a statement Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The deficiency, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2019\/06\/12\/the-pentagon-is-battling-the-clock-to-fix-serious-unreported-f-35-problems\/\" target=\"_blank\">first reported by Defense News in 2019<\/a>, means that at extremely high altitudes, the U.S. Navy\u2019s and Marine Corps\u2019 versions of the F-35 jet can only fly at supersonic speeds for short bursts of time before there is a risk of structural damage and loss of stealth capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The problem may make it impossible for the Navy\u2019s F-35C to conduct supersonic intercepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis issue was closed on December 17, 2019 with no further actions and concurrence from the U.S. services,\u201d the F-35 JPO statement read. \u201cThe [deficiency report] was closed under the category of \u2018no plan to correct,\u2019 which is used by the F-35 team when the operator value provided by a complete fix does not justify the estimated cost of that fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/hidden-troubles-f35\/2020\/04\/24\/the-pentagon-has-cut-the-number-of-serious-f-35-technical-flaws-in-half\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3202804.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The Pentagon has cut the number of serious F-35 technical flaws in half<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Pentagon is making progress resolving F-35 glitches, but new issues continue to crop up.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn this case, the solution would require a lengthy development and flight testing of a material coating that can tolerate the flight environment for unlimited time while satisfying the weight and other requirements of a control surface. Instead, the issue is being addressed procedurally by imposing a time limit on high-speed flight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The carrier-launched &#8220;C&#8221; variant and the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing &#8220;B&#8221; version will both be able to carry out all their missions without correcting the deficiency, the JPO said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The potential damage from sustained high speeds would influence not only the F-35\u2019s airframe and the low-observable coating that keeps it stealthy, but also the myriad antennas located on the back of the plane that are currently vulnerable to damage, according to documents exclusively obtained by Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The JPO had classified the issues for the &#8220;B&#8221; and &#8220;C&#8221; models as separate category 1 deficiencies, indicating in one document that the problem presents a challenge to accomplishing one of the key missions of the fighter jet. In this scale, category 1 represents the most serious type of deficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While it may seem dire that an aircraft procured for flying at supersonic speeds will be unable to do so for extended periods, the F-35 may not need to do it that often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the F-35, as opposed to the F-22 where supersonic flight is baked into its tactics, the ability to fly supersonic is more of a \u201cbreak glass in case of emergency\u201d feature, said Bryan Clark, an analyst with the Hudson Institute and a retired naval officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSupersonic flight is not a big feature of the F-35,\u201d Clark said. \u201cIt\u2019s capable of it, but when you talk to F-35 pilots, they\u2019ll say they\u2019d fly supersonic in such limited times and cases that \u2014 while having the ability is nice because you never know when you are going to need to run away from something very fast \u2014 it\u2019s just not a main feature for their tactics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, going supersonic obviates the main advantages of the F-35, Clark said. \u201cIt sort of defeats all the main advantages of the F-35,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt takes you out of stealthiness, it burns gas like crazy so you lose the range benefits of a single engine and larger fuel tank. When you go into afterburner, you are heating up the outside of your aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That creates all kinds of signatures that can be detected by an adversary, Clark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>What if?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a retired naval aviator told Defense News last year that the limitations on the afterburner could prove deadly in close-combat scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The concept of operations for the F-35 is to kill an enemy aircraft before it can detect the fighter jet, but relying on long-range kills is a perspective that, for historical and cultural reasons, naval aviation distrusts. In the Vietnam War, when air warfare began heavily relying on missiles and moved away from the forward gun, it caused a spike in air-to-air combat deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1199\" height=\"629\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Air-OpEd_Readiness-0923.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-58935\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Air-OpEd_Readiness-0923.jpg.jpg 1199w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Air-OpEd_Readiness-0923.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Air-OpEd_Readiness-0923.jpg.jpg?resize=768,403 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Air-OpEd_Readiness-0923.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,537 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An F-35A Lightning II taxis during sunset for a night flying operations at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Aug. 20, 2019. Night flying is required for pilots to sharpen their combat skills and maintainers work around the clock to prepare jets for flight, inspect them after flight and get them ready for the next flying day. The 388th Fighter Wing is the Air Force\u2019s first combat-coded F-35A wing. (U.S. Air Force photo by R. Nial Bradshaw)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lesson naval aviation took away was to prevent the latest and greatest technology from offsetting the learning of fundamentals, and it was the impetus behind the formation of Top Gun 50 years ago, a naval strike fighter course for training and tactics development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe solution is: \u2018Hey, we\u2019ll just limit the afterburner to less than a minute at a time,\u2019 \u201d a retired naval aviator said when told of the issue. \u201cWhich, with what the aircraft is supposed to do and be capable of, that\u2019s a pretty significant limitation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Primarily it would be an issue if the aircraft had to maneuver at high speeds to avoid a missile or survive a dogfight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue is compounded for the Navy, which must operate forward for months at a time, because any significant issues with coatings or the structure of aircraft would require a depot-level repair. And so a damaged aircraft would remain damaged until its host ship returns to home port, reducing the combat effectiveness of the air wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe might have to be operating at sea for eight months, so if you damage something on week one, guess what? It\u2019s damaged for the rest of the deployment,\u201d the aviator said. \u201cAnd it affects your ability to evade detection by the enemy \u2014 you just degraded that asset permanently until you can get it somewhere where it can be fixed, at great expense and time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Other deficiencies<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three other category 1 deficiencies have also been officially designated as \u201cclosed,&#8221; meaning they have either been fixed or the performance of the aircraft is being accepted as is, the JPO reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/hidden-troubles-f35\/2019\/06\/12\/amid-green-glow-concerns-another-issue-has-emerged-for-pilots-flying-the-f-35-at-night\/\" target=\"_blank\">so-called green glow deficiency<\/a> has been closed out as of last July. Green glow refers to a green light emitted by the helmet-mounted display\u2019s LED lights. That glow obstructs a pilot\u2019s view of an aircraft carrier\u2019s deck lights during landing operations at sea in very low light, such as that experienced at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue was closed \u201cas a result of incorporating an improved Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) Helmet Mounted Display (HMD),\u201d the JPO told Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Generation III F-35 OLED Helmet Display Unit (HDU) significantly reduced the \u2018green glow\u2019 experienced by pilots during night operations. The F-35 JPO has taken delivery of the first order of F-35 OLED HDUs to support the U.S. Navy (USN) and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), and a second order of OLED HDUs has been placed,\u201d the office\u2019s statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An issue created <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/hidden-troubles-f35\/2019\/06\/12\/when-the-f-35-blows-a-tire-it-can-set-off-a-chain-reaction-of-potential-failures\/\" target=_blank>when the F-35A and F-35B blow a tire<\/a>, which can result in a severed hydraulic line, will remain uncorrected, the JPO statement said, but it has not come up again since the program switched tires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe DR [deficiency report] was closed under the category of \u2018no plan to correct\u2019 based on the fact that the landing gear system design meets all F-35 safety standards,\u201d the statement read. \u201cIssues related to premature bursting of tires were resolved by tire design changes during early F-35 development and no instances of dual hydraulic system loss caused by a tire burst have ever been observed on an F-35.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1199\" height=\"629\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Eielson.JPG.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Eielson.JPG.jpg 1199w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Eielson.JPG.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Eielson.JPG.jpg?resize=768,403 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F-35-Eielson.JPG.jpg?resize=1024,537 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II sits on the flight line during pre-Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation on Jan. 23, 2018, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. All three variants of the F-35 were brought to Eielson to test their ability to operate in an extreme cold-weather environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Isaac Johnson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And an issue that<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2019\/06\/12\/the-f-35-has-to-keep-landing-in-cold-weather-heres-the-plan-to-fix-it\/\" target=\"_blank\"> forced the F-35 to land in cold weather because of battery trouble<\/a> has been fixed, the JPO said. The issue was caused by extreme cold entering the plane when the doors to the jet\u2019s nose landing gear were open, setting off alarm bells, according to \u201cfor official use only\u201d documents exclusively obtained by Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cold would enter the plane and overwhelm the battery heater blanket, which is installed to keep a 28-volt battery running at peak condition. The battery would not shut down, but because of the cold, the blanket could not heat the battery as quickly as intended, triggering warning lights in the cockpit that the battery was going to fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A software upgrade fixed the problem, the JPO said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis issue was resolved on July 22, 2019 due to improvements in the battery charger\u2019s firmware,\u201d the statement read. \u201cThe firmware changes were developed by the battery charger supplier, and integrated and tested by Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Navy&#8217;s and Marine Corps&#8217; versions of the F-35 will have restrictions on how long they can fly at supersonic speeds because of a risk of damage to the tail section.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":7,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","pentagon-congress","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news","pentagon-congress","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-air-force"},"6":{"categories":["your-marine-corps","news","pentagon-congress","left-column","home","middle-column","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-marine-corps"},"7":{"categories":["your-navy","news","pentagon-congress","left-column","home","middle-column","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-navy"}}},"categories":[7,160,16,36,30,117],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3361,3384,3378],"class_list":["post-60119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-naval","category-newsletters","category-smr","category-hidden-troubles-f35"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"HNUO6KMWGFDR5C5R6OFE2DGJKI","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2020\/04\/24\/the-pentagon-will-have-to-live-with-limits-on-f-35s-supersonic-flights\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35\u2019s supersonic flights - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Navy&#039;s and Marine Corps&#039; versions of the F-35 will have restrictions on how long they can fly at supersonic speeds because of a risk of damage to the tail section.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35\u2019s supersonic flights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Navy&#039;s and Marine Corps&#039; versions of the F-35 will have restrictions on how long they can fly at supersonic speeds because of a risk of damage to the tail section.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2020\/04\/24\/the-pentagon-will-have-to-live-with-limits-on-f-35s-supersonic-flights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-24T18:28:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T00:25:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David B. Larter, Valerie Insinna, Aaron Mehta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David B. Larter, Valerie Insinna, Aaron Mehta\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-pentagon-will-have-to-live-with-limits-on-f-35s-supersonic-flights\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-pentagon-will-have-to-live-with-limits-on-f-35s-supersonic-flights\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": 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