Robert “Rocky” Kendall

’70 Graduate South Dakota State University
’80 Masters of Aeronautical Science – Embry-Riddle University – Daytona Beach FL

Why I think the 5 Kills Website is important by Rocky Kendall USAF retired.
It is human nature to take for granted the things we have always seen, touched, observed, etc., and to assume that they will always be there like some genetic trait given us at birth. This seems to be the case in regard to the US military and a combat condition that we have always had and maintained, that being, Air Superiority (A/S). However, when looking at and reviewing future combat scenarios with potential threats (Russian Su-57, Chinese J20, etc.), the US will be forced to employ large numbers of F-35s in the A/S role. As an example, the US Navy will be employing the F-35C in the A/S mission of fleet defense. The USAF and USMC will also be employing the F-35 in the A/S mission of Air Defense of their ground-based assets. In all of these missions, there will be times when the F-35 cannot simply turn and run away from the incoming threats. It must engage and may be forced to engage in a visual turning fight as necessary to stop the attacks. When you hear people address the F-35’s definite lack of maneuvering capabilities by explaining it will use its superior levels of information and situation awareness to engage from a positional advantage or even avoid the enemy, they are blowing smoke. Because the US military will now be forced to use the F-35 in the A/S role there should be some serious discussions by the senior leadership as to how they are going to remedy this problem. If this situation is allowed to continue unanswered, no one in the US military will be taking A/S for granted anymore. It will be a thing of the past and we can all read about it in the history books.

Related Experience in Fighter Operations, Training, Fighter Design, Operational Test and Evaluation

*Graduate F-4 RTU, MacDill AFB – Tampa FL.

*Combat Tour, Ubon RTAFB – Thailand.

*Graduate F-4 FWS, Nellis AFB – Las Vegas NV.

*Graduate USAF Aggressor Course, Nellis AFB – Las Vegas NV.

*Aggressor Pilot, Alconbury RAFB – Alconbury England.

*Assisted Col Moody Suter in designing, developing, and implementing the Warrior Prep Center- Europe.

*OT&E and Foreign Military Exploitation, Special Programs Office, Nellis AFB – Las Vegas NV.

*Supported five ATF Working Groups – Cockpit, Threat, Avionics, Concept Development, and Core Pilots.

*Authored multiple threat analysis reports and documents.

*Managed USAF Situation Awareness Study.

*Supported USAF Armstrong Labs development of the Distributed Mission Training System.

*F-22 Cockpit Analysis and Integration IPT Leader, Lockheed – Burbank, CA.

*Performed numerous studies for JSF Program addressing onboard & off-board information integration.

*22 years of experience in design & development of AI based decision aiding tools covering from the        cockpit up to and including the AOC.

*Performed as Mission Commander operating Hermes and Aero Star UAVs in support of USN, USMC, and the US Border Patrol.

*References Available Upon Request.