Airmen learn the art of hand paint F-35s so the fighters evade the eye of the enemy
Painting Aircraft has been a long time art in the Airforce. Take the Memphis Belle above.
Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress flew in every combat zone during World War II, but its most significant service was over Europe. Along with the B-24 Liberator, the B-17 formed the backbone of the USAAF strategic bombing force, and it helped win the war by crippling Germany’s war industry.
The B-17’s design emphasized high altitude flight, speed, and heavy defensive armament in order to survive enemy defenses. Advanced turbosupercharged engines allowed it to fly up to about 30,000 feet with a combat load, while powered turrets and flexible guns covered all areas around the aircraft.
The goal of the art was not always in making the aircraft clandestine. Nor were the artists always Airmen. During World War II, artists working for Walt Disney created over a thousand military insignia, which were used as colorful nose art for bombers and as unit logos. Disney artists designed logos for about ten Naval Construction units in 1943. By the end of World War II, Disney’s five-man staff assigned to insignia completed over 1,200 unit insignia, never charging a fee to the military.
Then there were the flashy P-51 Mustangs . The long-range P-51 Mustang fighter was invaluable to the Allied victory, enabling resumption of strategic bombing after heavy losses suffered by unescorted bombers in 1943. Developed for export to Britain, models modified by the British to use Rolls-Royce Merlin engines became America’s most capable wartime fighters.
Currently, The painting of the F-35s is a serious matter with serious motives.
Airmen hand-paint F-35s for high-tech stealth
By Airman 1st Class Renan Arredondo, 2D Audiovisual Squadron
How do you make a 51-foot-long, 35-foot-wide fighter jet undetectable? There’s no black magic that exists to make the F-35A Lightning II invisible but it does have masking features which make it challenging to detect, track or target by radar with missiles or by an enemy aircraft. The cloaks of these aircraft are called low-observable technology and are managed by highly-trained Airmen.
“You can’t just read the steps in the manual,” said Master Sgt. John Knowles, 388th Maintenance Squadron section chief. “There are requirements for who can do it and inspect it … We take doing it correctly very seriously.”
With stealth designed in from Day One, the F-35 has an unmatched ability to evade enemy detection and enter contested airspace. The F-35’s aligned edges, reduced engine signature, internal carriage of weapons and fuel and embedded sensors all contribute to its unique stealth performance.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. said, “The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the cornerstone of our future fighter force and air superiority. Achieving air superiority in a future fight is strongly dependent on full-spectrum dominance. The F-35 and its fifth-generation capabilities are part of our fighter force design that outpaces key competitors.”
The F-35A has several panels that are frequently removed for routine maintenance and there are various fasteners that keep body panels in place. Without this maintenance, the jet’s ability to avoid radar and various defense systems using specialized materials can deteriorate.
“The panels undergo a very in-depth process of different coatings just to remove the latches and cover the fasteners. In the end, there has to be a balance of covering the panel with the proper material while also maintaining full functionality,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew Hicks, 419th Maintenance Squadron low observable craftsman. “This is the most frequent job done in the shop, while encompassing the processes of many of their tasks within the unit.”
Part of maintaining low observable functions is corrosion control where technicians apply and remove coatings that could be covering rust or damage.
“My favorite part of the job is painting because it’s kind of like an art,” said Airman 1st Class Evander Esperanza, 388th Maintenance Squadron low observable journeyman. “You get to see it from the beginning and then see it from the end.”
Maintaining this radar absorbent coating on the surface of the F-35 is a job that takes very detail-oriented, sometimes tedious work – masking every small area, properly mixing chemicals, applying them precisely, smoothing and assessing the smallest imperfections.
The work done by these craftsmen ensures that the coating looks aesthetically pleasing so it’s noticeable to others working on the jet that everything is covered underneath and unable to get damaged. Without these coatings, equipment can corrode and delay operations.
“We take pride in being experts in our craft because it depends so much on us,” Knowles said. “There is definitely an art to what we do.”