Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

[GTX]

Meant for another topic? (Uk F-35s not part of the deployment, unless I’m mistaken F-35s not even mentioned?)

It was included as a response to the question hence is perfectly valid here.

 

[sublight_]

Another shot of the tiles.

 

[TomcatViP]

As those are only seemingly present on the fuselage, it does reaffirm my belief that those are related mainly to IR mitigation.

 

[sublight_]

As those are only seemingly present on the fuselage, it does reaffirm my belief that those are related mainly to IR mitigation.

They are also on the vertical tails.

 

[TomcatViP]

@sublight_ : Yes. See my original post. The right wording would have been signature alteration.

 

[Hydroman]

If it works, it works.

 

[Archibald]

Say what you want of the F-35, but on that picture it is sexy as hell. Never thought I would ever feel that way in my lifetime.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Say what you want of the F-35, but on that picture it is sexy as hell. Never thought I would ever feel that way in my lifetime.

Reminds me of a tarpon, a large muscular predatory fish with silver scales.

 

[Fluff]

Say what you want of the F-35, but on that picture it is sexy as hell. Never thought I would ever feel that way in my lifetime.

Reminds me of a tarpon, a large muscular predatory fish with silver scales.

How long have you been waiting for a chance to post fish pictures, on an aviation site? without being ruled offside?

 

[siegecrossbow]

Say what you want of the F-35, but on that picture it is sexy as hell. Never thought I would ever feel that way in my lifetime.

Reminds me of a tarpon, a large muscular predatory fish with silver scales.

How long have you been waiting for a chance to post fish pictures, on an aviation site? without being ruled offside?

If you’ve seen these beauts fly then you’ll know that they are right at home in an aviation forum.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a_EUuQ641t4

 

[aim9xray]

Say what you want of the F-35, but on that picture it is sexy as hell. Never thought I would ever feel that way in my lifetime.

Reminds me of a tarpon, a large muscular predatory fish with silver scales.

How long have you been waiting for a chance to post fish pictures, on an aviation site? without being ruled offside?

Shhhhush now! He's fishing for a compliment.

 

[Forest Green]

Don't be baited into a response.

 

[TomcatViP]

At least, it's a Navy plane.

 

[Archibald]

Tarpon was the british name of the Avenger (AFAIK). And it is a truly ridiculous sounding word - as if something heavy fell to the ground.

 

[siegecrossbow]

I officially apologize for derailing the thread.

In an attempt to steer the conversation back on topic, will AIM-9X be mounted internally or a stealth pod be used instead? Does the former really depend on LOAL capability integration? I recall the option of mounting AIM-9X on the bay door being discussed before and I think the seeker should have some field of view in that configuration.

 

[TomcatViP]

Mounted under the wing tips, rail mounted under a canted pylon. Pylon has been redesigned recently to improve RCS (picture is old).

The digression was fun

 

[GTX]

will AIM-9X be mounted internally or a stealth pod be used instead? Does the former really depend on LOAL capability integration? I recall the option of mounting AIM-9X on the bay door being discussed before and I think the seeker should have some field of view in that configuration.

As I understand it, AIM-9X, when it is carried, is mainly on the outer pylons as per below with the AIM-120s used in the bay:

Same goes for AIM-132:

 

[Josh_TN]

I don't think there is a mechanism to drop fire AIM-132/9X, so WVR missiles are limited to external rail mountings. Not clear if that is a big enough hangup for the users to develop a different WVR weapon/firing mode.

 

[rooster]

^ reminds me of the metallic coating/skins that were common in 50s era aircraft.. aside from the geometric shapes

The tiles are interesting. A lot of them around the nose almost look like stickers, something applied to the skin of the plane.
Most of them appear to be the same size too.

Do the tiles reduce signature, or increase it?
I believe F-35 sometimes make their presence apparent, to hide their real capabilities.

They reduce it. They’re testing how to apply it, how durable it is, etc

Looking at how reflective the new coating is, they probably testing the new low emissivity coating
View attachment 683264

Or its more to do with radar stealth and has to do with skin depth penetrating of electromagnetic energy... Penetrates decays exponentially little is reflected back. and like a one way window\mirror the energy is trapped.

 

[zjz]

Singapore reveals it might choose a different F-35 variant

Singapore received U.S. State Department approval in January 2020 to acquire an initial tranche of four F-35Bs with an option for eight more aircraft.

www.defensenews.com

 

[TomcatViP]

We have talked about that aspect of the F-35 in length but today speech by Israel prime Minister just gives historians a date for this unexpected novel rebalance of geopolitical power. Here, for the first time ever, a tactical fighter is brought forward as the stepping stone of a nation deterrence (a nation even suspected to own itself some sort of nuclear armaments).

Tactical deterrence is here to stay. And at 85M$ a piece (F-35A), it comes for incredibly cheap.

Standing next to an F-35 fighter jet, Lapid issues warning to Iran: ‘Don’t test us’

On visit to airbase, PM says too early to know if nuclear deal has been stopped; if Iran continues to pose threat, he adds, 'it will discover Israel’s long arm and capabilities'

www.timesofisrael.com

If you had been impressed by the dark hours of the Iron Wall, behold the new era of the Great Stealth fighter Wall. And let's hope that every nation committed to the program never lost the focus on this aspect (for example: Le FCAS pour tous*)

*everyman FCAS 6th Gen fighter

 

[sublight_]

F-35 deliveries suspended after finding Chinese alloys in magnets - Breaking Defense

It is unclear when F-35s with magnets made from the new alloy will begin rolling off the production line, and if the Chinese alloy is found to violate defense acquisition regulations, it would take a national defense waiver for deliveries to resume.

breakingdefense.com

 

[Forest Green]

F-35 deliveries suspended after finding Chinese alloys in magnets - Breaking Defense

It is unclear when F-35s with magnets made from the new alloy will begin rolling off the production line, and if the Chinese alloy is found to violate defense acquisition regulations, it would take a national defense waiver for deliveries to resume.

breakingdefense.com

Shouldn't be too hard to replace, it's just a material. From link:

The F-35 program office has assessed that the Chinese alloy does not present a safety or security risk that could expose the stealth jet to cyber attacks or other malfeasance, and an alternative source for the alloy has already been identified, F-35 JPO spokesman Russell Goemaere said in a statement. As a result, there are no plans to ground the F-35 fleet or return jets already accepted to Lockheed.

 

[aonestudio]

Mark and Taj on Instagram: "Diamonds in the skies over Point Mugu ........................................................... #navalairstationpointmugu #f35c #vx9 #vx9vampires #edwardsafb #edwardsairforcebase #pointmugu #naspointmugu #nbvc #f35 #fl

Mark and Taj shared a post on Instagram: "Diamonds in the skies over Point Mugu ........................................................... #navalairstationpointmugu #f35c #vx9 #vx9vampires #edwardsafb #edwardsairforcebase #pointmugu #naspointmugu #nbvc #f35 #flynavy #f35lightning...

www.instagram.com

 

[TomcatViP]

So, it's all the airframe that is covered with those triangular tiles.

 

[Fluff]

Interim report on the UK F35 that went for a swim:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1099593/20220819-ZM152_SI_Interim_Report.pdf

Very damning, No muster was conducted prior to flying to ensure all the Red Gear had been removed.

Rule 1 of groundcrew school, count all the blanks. Then count them again, they get your oppo to count the blanks. Then show the aircrew all the blanks, and believe me, most of the aircrew did actually pay attention at this point.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Plastic engine cover blunder to blame for F-35 fighter jet crash

Pilot forced to eject on take-off from HMS Queen Elizabeth after the object was left in place and then sucked into the machine

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[aonestudio]

Chinese Alloy Is In Every F-35, Pentagon Seeks Waiver To Continue Deliveries

The Chinese alloy issue is another example of problems with the defense industrial base supply chain, Pentagon's top weapons buyer says.

www.thedrive.com

 

[GTX]

 

[rooster]

Chinese magnets? What about Russian titanium to build the a12\sr71 fleet? In my last job, there was a 1 year lead time to source a simple replacement magnet.... That's the new world we live in

 

[Grey Havoc]

DoD eyes waiver to resume F-35 deliveries halted over Chinese alloy

Pentagon acquisition chief William LaPlante says the incident underscores problems keeping track of the defense industry's shifting supply chains.

www.defensenews.com

 

[VTOLicious]

Plastic engine cover blunder to blame for F-35 fighter jet crash

Pilot forced to eject on take-off from HMS Queen Elizabeth after the object was left in place and then sucked into the machine

www.telegraph.co.uk

I cannot access this article. Does it tell anything new about the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident?

 

[Grey Havoc]

That bloody paywall again, sigh.

A British F-35 fighter jet crashed into the sea last year after a plastic cover left on the aircraft was sucked into an engine, a Ministry of Defence report has confirmed.

The stealth fighter crashed in the Mediterranean Sea during an attempted take-off from HMS Queen Elizabeth last November.

After a three-week search, the aircraft was found on the seabed in “significant large parts” according to a Ministry of Defence spokesman at the time.

The interim crash investigation report said the "primary causal factor" of the accident was a plastic cover, that was designed to protect the engine from debris, had been left inside the aircraft prior to flight and was sucked into the machine.

When the aircraft tried to take off the pilot noticed the left-hand engine was not producing enough power. The pilot tried to abort the take-off but was too close to the end of the ship to stop in time and had to eject.

Crash investigators said this was "most likely due to a combination of human, organisational and procedural factors" but added other lines of inquiry "across a range of possible causes" would be addressed.

A member of the crew was arrested at the time in relation to the unauthorised release of footage of the loss of aircraft ZM152.

The jet had plunged into the sea close to the ship on November 17 2021.

The pilot, who landed back on board HMS Queen Elizabeth after a successful ejection, was taken to hospital for a routine medical check-up in Greece.

Other factors examined​

The interim report said comparisons between UK servicing procedures with other F-35 operating nations would be conducted.

"The Service Inquiry continues to examine other factors, including equipment design, workforce resource, fatigue management, quality assurance and post-occurrence management of the event, to identify any relevant lessons that may prevent reoccurrence and enhance Air Safety," the report stated.

No date was given for the release of the final report.

 

[TomS]

When the aircraft tried to take off the pilot noticed the left-hand engine was not producing enough power.

There's only one engine. Really curious what the author of the article misread to reach this point.

 

[TomS]

When the aircraft tried to take off the pilot noticed the left-hand engine was not producing enough power.

There's only one engine. Really curious what the author of the article misread to reach this point.

Ah hah!

Prior to sinking, the left-hand intake blank was observed to float clear of ZM152's wreckage and was subsequently impounded.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...-elizabeth-on-17-november-2021-interim-report

 

[Trident]

Just a really nice photo... nice flow-viz of low pressure areas:

Aviation Photo #6985791: Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II - USA - Air Force

This USAF F-35A Lightning II (19-5475; msnAF-303; LN), piloted by Kristin "Beo" Wolfe, performs a high speed dedication pass over the airfield of Leopoldsburg - Beverlo (EBLE), during the Sanicole Sunset Show in extreme humid conditions. Major Kristin "Beo" Wolfe is the Commander of the F-35A...

www.airliners.net

 

[Archibald]

Funny, it makes the F-35 looks like a miniature J-20... canard, delta.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Would also remind one of some of the old ATF concepts, ironically enough.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Would also remind one of some of the old ATF concepts, ironically enough.

Never made it to prototype stage. Shame.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Ah yes, Ghostrider.