Check Out These Amazing Photos Of The Second F-35C Sporting A Mirror-Like Coating
The second “Chrome” F-35C was recently photographed at Point Mugu.
A new F-35C, airframe BuNo 168842, Modex 105, with a mirror-like coating, was photographed arriving at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu, California last week, complementing that spotted earlier this year (XE-100) flying through the Sidewinder low-level route in Sequoia National Park. Like the first, the aircraft is assigned to the US Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (VX-9) from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.
The new “Chrome” F-35C was spotted at Edwards Air Force Base in California back in May, but the new photos offer a better look at its peculiar coating.
WOW great shots!!! I believe this is the same one I got at Edwards last May but I was too far away to get the BuNo. The number on the tail looks like it’s the same 105. pic.twitter.com/zDxE5TuOvb
— cvvhrn / FreddyB Aviation Photography 🇺🇦🇺🇦 (@cvvhrn) August 20, 2022
The F-35C XE-105 will appear to support multiple test events, the Navy announced in an aircraft advisory to the local community, which will see about 50 aircraft operating daily from Aug. 22 to Sept. 2. The Navy also says the purpose of this exercise is to train unit-level pilots and aircrew at the Point Mugu Sea Range.
Interestingly, two F-117s also operate from NBVC these days.
The F-35C XE-105 is just the latest of many aircraft to be seen sporting this new mirror-like coating, following two F-22 Raptors and one F-117 stealth fighter spotted flying since November 2021. The coating on the F -35 resembles that of the F-22, with what appear to be small, mirror-like tiles that have been extensively applied to the nose section, gun bay doors, fuselage, and inner and outer surfaces on the twin tails.
As with the F-22, the coating was applied in a manner that would not interfere with access hatches, weapon bays, sensor and antenna areas, landing gear doors, etc. Also, this coating appears to have been applied over the F-35C’s standard gray livery, and its appearance changes depending on the viewing angle. The tiles vary in size and shape, with some areas featuring larger diamond-shaped tiles while other areas feature smaller diamond- or triangle-shaped tiles.
Many theories arose about the origin of these coatings, but without official confirmation. Here’s what we wrote about the second “Chrome” F-22:
Again, we don’t know what is the reason for the new “Chrome” or “Mirror-like” coating: among the various theories, there is a possibility that the aircraft took part in test activities related to Counter-IRST (Infra Red Search) involved & track) technologies or target systems, or acts as a test bed for a technology that will eventually find its way into the 6th generation aircraft. With the delicate radar-absorbing material on some Raptors showing signs of wear, someone suggested it could be used by the US Air Force to test some sort of RAM replacement. However, early consensus seems to be leaning towards an experimental skin used to outfit the aircraft with a passive laser defense system: mirror tiles could be used to deflect energy from low-power laser systems aimed at the aircraft.
Whatever the reason for the new coating, the differences between the first and second “Chrome” Raptor are pretty obvious. It would be interesting to know if the results of the early testing activities helped shape the modifications embedded in the second mirrored F-22, although it’s also reasonable that both were designed that way from the start. Who knows, we might see other “Chrome” Raptors popping up in the coming months…
Regarding the F-22’s delicate RAM, which requires extensive maintenance to avoid rapid degradation, there has been a suggestion that the US Air Force is testing some sort of RAM replacement. Apparently this seems to be the case as it has been confirmed somehow The War Zone by Maj. Kevin Autrey, senior F-22 Raptor operational test pilot for the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) at Nellis Air Force Base.
Since the exotic “Chrome” F-22s were spotted flying out of Nellis while also participating in Weapons School Integration (WSINT) and Red Flag missions, the question of the origin of the coatings was an obvious question during the interview. Maj. Autrey could only say that these are experimental solutions being tested to see if they make it easier to maintain the aircraft’s sustainability and reliability.
This could very well be the same reason for the F-35C’s new coatings. In fact, during the first operational sorties of the F-35C aboard aircraft carriers around the world, it was noted that the RAM showed significant wear in the demanding maritime environment, with what appeared to be rusty-looking deposits all over the aircraft.
Anyway, these new coatings are pretty interesting and we’ll keep posting about them as we get more details (or new ones emerge).
Again a big thank you goes to @point_mugu_skies for permission to use the headline photo of the new Chrome F-35. Follow him on Instagram for more great photos!
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the founder and editor of The Aviationist, one of the world’s best-known and most-read military aviation blogs. Since 1996 he has written for major worldwide magazines including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft and many others on aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyber warfare. He has reported from the US, Europe, Australia and Syria and has flown several fighter jets with various air forces. He is a former 2nd Lieutenant in the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many others.
Stefano D’Urso is a freelance journalist and contributor to TheAviationist based in Lecce, Italy. A graduate in industrial engineering, he is also studying for a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. Electronic warfare, loitering munitions and OSINT techniques applied to the world of military operations and current conflicts are among his areas of expertise.