F-35 Joint Strike Fighter News, Videos and pics Thread

[taxiya]

I don't think you can simply "clean" off rust unless they reapply the coating every now and then onboard which could be done but considering rust apparently don't really damage stealth characteristics that would kinda of just be a waste of money at the expense of terrible PR.

did you also get this from Pentagon?

 

[siegecrossbow]

I don't think you can simply "clean" off rust unless they reapply the coating every now and then onboard which could be done but considering rust apparently don't really damage stealth characteristics that would kinda of just be a waste of money at the expense of terrible PR.

Why don’t they just apply rust directly instead?

Rust, by its very nature, is porous and prone to falling off. It will at the minimum cause issues with shaping.

 

[Anlsvrthng]

Only part that contain iron is the radar aborbent coating.

US MIC bloated about the "baked in" radar aborbed material, that doesn't need repaiting.

Means rust could mean permanent damage to the radar absorbent material. At least if we go by the USA military interviews.

Of course there is a chance for that they lie. Or I misinterpret it.

From wiki :

The F-35 has a fibermat radar-absorbent material (RAM) baked into the skin, which is more durable, easier to work with, and faster to cure than older RAM