Episode

1628: "Shooting Drones with an F-35"

Podcast: Interesting Things with JC
Published: Apr 20, 2026
Duration seconds: 176
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Summary

Intercepting slow-moving drones with a supersonic F-35 requires pilots to actively resist the aircraft's natural speed to maintain a viable firing solution. Success depends on fusing infrared and optical data to manage complex engagement geometries under strict munitions constraints.

Topics

F-35
Drone Interception
Infrared Tracking
Sensor Fusion
Aerial Combat
Electronic Warfare
Aerospace Engineering
Target Acquisition

Highlights

Main idea: Effective drone interception relies on sensor fusion of infrared and optical tracking rather than raw aircraft speed
Technical challenge: Pilots must match the slow velocity of drones to prevent the intercept from becoming a simple pass
Failure mode: Excessive closure rates or poor geometry can cause the tracking solution to collapse before a shot can be taken
Practical takeaway: Managing multiple targets requires disciplined selection and timing to avoid exhausting limited missile inventories
Strategic constraint: The engagement becomes a resource management problem where every shot must be precise before the aircraft must egress

Chapters

0:00 The Challenge of Slow Targets: The difficulty of matching a supersonic fighter's speed to a target moving as slowly as highway traffic.
0:30 Sensor Fusion and Tracking: How infrared signals and optical tracking create a predictive path for the intercept.
1:00 Maintaining Engagement Geometry: The critical balance of speed and approach angle required to keep the target within the firing solution.
1:40 Engaging Multiple Threats: The shift from single-target tracking to managing a sequence of incoming drones.
2:20 Resource Constraints and Discipline: The pressure of managing limited munitions and the necessity of precise shot selection under combat pressure.