It might get louder
F-35s could use afterburners more frequently than Air National Guard promises
BY HOWARD HARDEE, Isthmus SEPTEMBER 19, 2019
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Rosanne Greco: “They have enough years of flying this thing to know that they have to take off with afterburners almost all the time.”
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“The 115th Fighter Wing currently uses afterburner on approximately 60 percent of our F-16 takeoffs at the airfield,” he [Col. Erik Peterson, commander of the 115th Fighter Wing] says. “Because the F-35A has more thrust and military power, the use of afterburner on takeoff is expected to be limited. As such, it has been modeled for 5 percent of takeoffs.”
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In practice, however, the F-35 could use afterburners 10 times more frequently, according to an internal U.S. Air Force memo obtained by Isthmus. In response to “some discrepancies and concerns over F-35 flight elevation and afterburner usage,” the Air Force appears to be counseling officials to adjust models based on using afterburners up to 50 percent of the time.
“It’s all just a big Charlie Foxtrot that could have been addressed over a year ago when we all questioned the validity of only using 5 percent [afterburners],” the memo reads.