Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 7 S SIT REP that there have been "numerous occasions" where F-35s have engaged F-16s in simulated combat scenarios, and won because they were equipped with the sensors, weapons, and stealth technol- ogy the aircraft was designed to incorporate. Lockheed Martin's rebuttal continues, but the thrust of its argument ultimately shows the read- er that Axe omitted the context of the test from his article. This was, of course, on purpose. Picking up the phone or sending an email to Lockheed Mar- tin would have been easy, but Axe was going for a kill shot — not a few glancing blows. In this case, not doing his homework was strategic; Axe was able to build up his brand, was quoted all over the world, and raised the profile of his blog. It is probably no coincidence that at the same time the F-35 story came out, Axe was shopping WarisBoring around for a new publisher, some- thing he'd been upfront about on his blog. Visitors to his site were being asked to sign-up for a $5 membership, explaining that if they didn't, the al- ternative would be "cutting back" on coverage, "or folding altogether." Axe isn't an amateur, and you can bet that when he was "leaked" the F-35 pilot's report, he knew exactly what to do with it. Desperate times call for desperate measures. On August 5, the site an- nounced it had found a new publisher. Lockheed Martin didn't deserve the press it got on Axe's story, but no one will likely feel sorry for a multinational defence company that records bil- lions in profit. This is what makes the F-35 such a great punching bag for journalists from struggling media outlets; it's a sexy topic that will drive traf- fic to sites — and most people don't have a clue about the technical nature of a fighter jet. You can spin the story any way you want, and read- ers won't be the wiser — as long as you don't do it all the time. By now, anyone in the defence industry knows that responsible journalism isn't free. If the de- fence industry wants better coverage, it may want to figure out how to invest in it. Until then, expect more "F-35 can't dogfight" stories. Lockheed Martin's website, where the company published its own defence in response to Axe's piece. Lockheed Martin wasted no time in clearing the air: Aircraft AF-2 did not have the mission systems software to use the sensors that allow the F-35 to see its enemy long before it knows the F-35 is in the area. Second, AF-2 does not have the special stealth coating that operational F-35s have that make them virtually invisible to radar. And third, it is not equipped with the weapons or software that allow the F-35 pilot to turn, aim a weapon with the helmet, and fire at an enemy without having to point the airplane at its target. The other interesting bit of information Axe left out of his article was that the F-35 wasn't inten- tionally designed to engage other aircraft, or dog- fight, within visual range. Lockheed Martin argues RUAG Schweiz AG | RUAG Defence Allmendstrasse 86 | 3602 Thun | Switzerland Phone +41 33 228 22 65 | marketing.defence@ruag.com www.ruag.com Act instinctively. Manoeuvre instantly. RUAG COBRA MORTAR SYSTEM Lockheed Martin's rebuttal continues, but the thrust of its argument ultimately shows the reader that Axe omitted the context of the test from his article. This was, of course, on purpose.

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