FLIR Scan of F-35 Highlights Some of its Thermal Stealth Features

FLIR Systems published today a short video depicting the F-35 Lightning II 5th Generation fighter during its flight display at the recent Farnborough Airshow (2016). The clip shows the JSF after a simulated takeoff, in forward flight, approach to vertical landing and hover.

While the video highlights the extremely hot air exhaust during vertical hovering, it also shows the striking low thermal contrast of the skin canopy and engine bay, which testify to its effective thermal masking. Low contrast means reduced detectability by thermal imagers from long range, and also improves its protection from heat seeking missiles.

The video clip shown below compares the recent images taken with FLIR Systems’ new Star SAFIRE 380-HDc high definition FLIR, and a similar video with another FLIR sensor, showing the F-22 Raptor. The F-22 thermal view was taken at the Farnborough Airshow in 2010 during high performance flight display. At the recent Farnborough show the F-35 Lightning II performed a flyby and hover, but did not perform high performance maneuvering. Previous FLIR videos of 4 Generation fighters such as the F-16, Typhoon, and Su-27 shows skin area much with much higher thermal contrast.

The IR image maps the hot areas inside the wheels and weapons bays, which are covered in forward flight. Particularly impressive are the rear vertical engine doors – one side is boiling hot, the other side is as cool as the rest of the aircraft. Photo: FLIR Systems

The most intriguing view is the forward flight, showing the aircraft from a forward 3/4 view, in very high contrast – as the camera shows minimal difference between the aircraft and hot air plume of the engine exhaust. This effect most likely the evidence to the aircraft low thermal signature, as in the flight phases where the engine runs in high power, the contrast between the air exhaust and aircraft, especially around the engine, is striking.

At that short distance, the FLIR SAFIRE 380-HDc camera details the hot and cold parts on the aircraft, for example, the windows of the Distributed Aperture Systems (DAS), where high-resolution IR cameras are located.

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