F-22 and F-35 double seaters

[Arjen]

QF-35 by LM

That is a what-if image by Stéphane Beaumort / Stargazer2006.

http://aviadesign.online.fr/pages/lockmart-f35ucav.htm

 

[Scott Kenny]

Double seater derived from F-22 is highly unlikely simply because the F-22 is in fact single purpose fighter. So there is only a need of training, that can be with the state of the art computer technology fully satisfied.

But with the much universal F-35, well, this is the real question for the future. In the electronic jamming variant or attack/strike variant the second crew member should be very handy.

A 2-seat F-22 or F-35 would be very handy to wrangle all those Loyal Wingman drones.

The only place a tandem version of either would be needed is for dedicated special aerial ops where the workload is simply too high for one person and a second set of eyes is necessary......SEAD......AEW........possibly nuclear delivery, etc.

Wrangling Loyal Wingman drones...

The insinuation that more, rather than less, than one pilot would be needed is a step in the wrong direction towards a pilot free drone world.

The AH-64E MUMT projects have shown that you absolutely need a second pilot/drone operator to keep flying the manned plane while also flying the drone.

 

[fightingirish]

An USMC aviator from the now deactivated Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101 mentioned on the Fighter Pilot Podcast, that they would like a modern two-seater fighter jet for close air support. IMHO eighter a F/A-18F(AW) aka "F/A-18M(arines)" or a CTOL two-seater F-35 just for the USMC. But the USMC brass want only to invest in the single-seat F-35B and F-35C.

 

[Scott Kenny]

An USMC aviator from the now deactivated Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101 mentioned on the Fighter Pilot Podcast, that they would like a modern two-seater fighter jet for close air support. IMHO eighter a F/A-18F(AW) aka "F/A-18M(arines)" or a CTOL two-seater F-35 just for the USMC. But the USMC brass want only to invest in the single-seat F-35B and F-35C.

I understand why the USMC is trying to only have a single fast jet in their inventory, it's a pretty big logistical savings. The problem is that the USMC alone doesn't have enough power to get LockMart to make a 2-seater F-35.

Maybe once the USAF and USN realize that they need a back seater to wrangle drones they'll pay for a 2-seat version of the F-35A, which can be ported into a 2-seat F-35C.

 

[Archibald]

How hard would it be to put a second seat and canopy in place of the lift fan (so not F-35B obviously) ? TF-35A and TF-35C ?

 

[Scott Kenny]

How hard would it be to put a second seat and canopy in place of the lift fan (so not F-35B obviously) ? TF-35A and TF-35C ?

According to some old LockMart plans, not very. The 2-seater As/Cs would lose about 75nmi of range due to taking up part of the fuel tank. And I believe it's been designed already, they'd just need to make tooling to make the parts.

However, a 2-seat B would be a very serious redesign, stretching the forward fuselage about 4-6 feet, with attendant changes to center of gravity limits and location. Much like the TAV-8s got a stretched nose. This would be very expensive and time consuming to do.

I was going for F-35D/E/F for the 2-seater designations, as full combat drone wranglers. D for standard, E for STOVL, F for CATOBAR.

 

[TsrJoe]