The Air Force wants to give its F-35 a big boost in range

The Air Force is looking to give its F-35’s a big boost in range by adding external fuel tanks to the fighter as a part of its massive Block 4 upgrade.

(The upgrade will also include a powerful new radar array, improved infrared targeting and situational awareness, a huge boost in electronic warfare capabilities and a slew of new weapons, some of which remain classified.) 

This is not the first time Lockheed Martin and others have explored the idea of adding drop tanks to the Joint Strike Fighter. As The Warzone reported, studies were conducted between 2004 and 2007 and in 2018 with the company reportedly experimenting with both 460 and larger 480 gallon underwing fuel pods. In 2019, Israel announced that it had completed design studies for the integration of even bigger 600 gallon drop tanks, as well as conformal fuel tank designs, for the F-35I, which is an Israeli variant of the F-35A. 

Drop tanks are carried underwing on external pylons; they get their name from the practice of dropping them prior to heading into a fight. Conformal fuel tanks, on the other hand, hug the fuselage of the fighter, thus producing less drag and, with careful design work, potentially less negative impact on the fighter’s stealth. And there’s at least some evidence to suggest that tanks like these, either underwing or conformal, may have been a vital part of Israel’s airstrikes against Iran last month, giving its F-35s enough range to fly all the way to Iran and back without the need for mid-flight refueling. 

However, the F-22 Raptor is also amid a massive $11 billion upgrade that includes the Low Drag Tank and Pylon program, which will provide it with new stealth drop tanks to allow it to fly further while maintaining a stealth profile. And just as  importantly, these new tanks are meant to break away clean from the fighter, leaving no gaps or seams that could produce an unwanted radar return. Lockheed officials have already gone on record to say that these tanks could be modified for use on the F-35 – it is worth noting that all F-35s built to date do include the wing-plumbing necessary to quickly add drop tank capabilities. 

The F-35A can carry 18,498 pounds of fuel internally, which gives it an already respectable combat radius of some 670 nautical miles. The addition of two 600-gallon stealthy drop tanks would provide approximately another 8,000 pounds of fuel to the F-35A and stretch its combat radius out to more than 1,100 miles with a combat load. 

However, adding drop tanks to the F-35 isn’t as simple as just bolting them on, despite the plumbing already being present. Lockheed struggled with the aerodynamics of their 480-gallon drop tanks for the F-35 years ago, before attempting a complete redesign for the smaller 460-gallon tanks, and it isn’t currently clear if the F-22’s new 600-gallon tanks could resolve those problems. 

Additionally, the impact that underwing pods could have on the jet’s stealth would have to be carefully considered – but it is worth noting that not all missions require stealth. But if these new fuel pods are stealthy enough, they could also lead to stealthy underwing weapon pods to further increase the F-35’s weapons carriage capabilities while flying in a stealth profile.

Feature Image: A Luke Air Force Base F-35A Lightning II stands by to take off at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, April 15, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Thomas Spangler)

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