It seems to be referring to the export F-35.

Ah, that’s the problem.

There is no such thing as an “export F-35” when it comes to RCS. Several program and LM officials have been very explicit about this.

There is AFAIK no definition of LO/VLO/ELO that has any agreed, universal or official acceptance.

Correct. I was not implying that a simple 3 character acronym could describe, to any level of detail, the RCS of the F-35 (or any other fighter).

I was simply saying that in order to be “downgraded”, the planned and final RCS of the F-35 would have to be known using a common set of criteria (ie an apples-to-apples comparison).

Since the only people to know what the F-35’s RCS was to have been and what it is now have said that it has “met or exceeded the spec”, it could not have been “downgraded”.

You can put a F-22 and F-35 in a hardened shelter.

Not so for an AWACS.

Found the source

If I remember correctly, it was an EADS rep that claimed a Typhoon + Captor-E combo could track an F-35 at that range.

Would that be the same EADS rep that has NO access to the F-35’s RCS, it’s ESM capabilities, or it’s RAM/RAS effectiveness? 😉

Some people are overthinking the issue about EODAS tracks.

EODAS uses its internal CPU & software to classify & geolocate tracks. It then passes those tracks to the ICP. The ICP gathers information from all other sources (other EODAS units, radar, ESM, EOTS, off-board, etc) and presents a unified, fused picture to the pilot & others through datalinks.

The ICP can determine that two tracks in the convergence zone of two EODAS units is really a single track and will combine (average?) them together. The ICP can use the track data to calculate target course, YATO calculations, setup a firing sequence, etc.

EODAS only (for the time being) detects, classifies (TBM, SAM, AAM, plane, etc), and tracks targets. It does not ID a target (eg as a Mig-29, S-300, etc).

Probable EODAS upgrades include larger FGAs, QWIPs, and multi-spectral arrays (IIR, UV, etc), more powerful CPUs, etc. These upgrades will allow for it to track more objects at longer ranges. However, the basic data being sent to the ICP will not change, there will just be more of it. This will likely require more ICP processing cards (btw, there is an empty 8-card bay in the tail just waiting for an upgrade along with available card slots in the main ICP bay) or new ICP chips to handle & fuse the increased number of tracks.

The ICP does not do everything as some people are thinking of it. I read an article a while back about F-22 lessons learned and how they adapted them for the F-35. One of them was that the ICP would not do everything as in the F-22 (remember the famous dateline issue). While the ICP remains the arbiter of how the date is fused and presented to the pilot, a lot of the data is first processed by the sensors themselves.

I’ll work on my Google Fu and see if I can dig up the article.

Some interesting EODAS info

http://www.helitavia.com/books/Mil%20Av%20Sys/Wiley%20-%20Military%20Avionics%20Systems.pdf

Pg 249:

The distributed aperture system (DAS) being developed by Northrop Grumman together with BAE SYSTEMS comprises six EO sensors located around the aircraft to provide the pilot with 360 situational awareness information that is detected by passive means.

The concept of horizontal coverage of the DAS is depicted in Figure 5.37.

The six DAS sensors provide a complete lateral coverage and are based upon technology developed for the BAE SYSTEMS Sigma package (shown in the inset).

Key attributes are dual-band MWIR (3–5 mm) and LWIR (8–10 mm) using a 640 x 512 FPA. Each sensor measures ~7 x 5 x 4 in, weighs ~9 lb and consumes less than 20W.

Sensor devices with megapixel capability (1000 x 1000) are under development and will be incorporated.

Confirmation that EODAS software is the final Blk3 config.

“EO-DAS is the first capability of its kind, providing pilots with unprecedented full, 360-degree, situational awareness around an aircraft,” says Mark Rossi, Northrop Grumman program development director for the Joint Strike Fighter radar and Electro Optical Distributed Aperture System. “This software delivery represents the final, full-performance, operational flight program-approved version, following an in-depth, eight-year product development and test phase. This delivery marks the critical first step in a series of milestones that will provide the warfighter with the most game-changing technologies available in the avionics industry.”

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2010/07/f-35-an-aaq-37-distributed.html