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

Valkyrie is a female figure that chooses who will live or die in battle

“Valkyries epitomizes the force’s move toward more inclusivity and equally represents the fifth-generation stealth fighter’s air superiority,” incoming 495th FS Commander Lt. Col. Ian McLaughlin said in the release. “I am honored to be the first commander of the initial U.S. Air Force’s overseas-based F-35A unit. Like the Valkyries themselves, we’ll be vital to determining the fate of our adversaries in the battlespace.”
Click to expand...
www.airforcemag.com

Lakenheath’s F-35s Get a Nickname: Valkyries | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Air Force’s first overseas F-35A unit has a nickname: the Valkyries.
www.airforcemag.com www.airforcemag.com
 
Last edited:
GTX said:
bobbymike said:
breakingdefense.com

'Clean Sheet' F-16 Replacement In The Cards: CSAF Brown - Breaking Defense

"In the budget for FY 23, that's where I see that we'll really make some key decisions" about the tactical air fleet, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown says.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com
Click to expand...
Just buy more F-35s...
Click to expand...
Could be interesting.

I wonder how many times an F16 providing ground support has had to go Air to Air - one hand?

Depending on where you cut your needs and wants, you could end up with some very different solutions - Scorpion? Mini A10?

Private contractor ? Deliver x bombs over x hours at x range. We could see Vulcans fly again!!
 
rooster said:
Hydroman said:
Flyaway said:
Regarding the F-35 sale to the UAE.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1354501800271994886
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/KThomasDC/status/1354501800271994886
Click to expand...
I know this is a little off topic, but we (USA) hand out F-35's like candy but would not offer/allow the F-22 to Australia or Japan as an example when requested, remarkable.
Click to expand...
Japan had a recent history of handing over $ecret data to not so friendly nations back then. You are talking about 25 years ago. So that boxes with denying Japan. Also there was trepidation about Japan having such a powerful airforce and pissing off china. Australia doesn't make sense... But the environment wasnt as dominated by hyper rich billionaires back then either. The 35/jsf was a international money making tool for us from what... 1994? but bringing in countries like Turkey doesn't make sense unless you look at the $$$. The 22 was bleeding edge in every way... I think its the first fighter to use fiber optics as example. The rest of the world has grown up since then.
Click to expand...
Also the first with IMA architecture, an outstanding technological feat.
 
GTX said:
bobbymike said:
breakingdefense.com

'Clean Sheet' F-16 Replacement In The Cards: CSAF Brown - Breaking Defense

"In the budget for FY 23, that's where I see that we'll really make some key decisions" about the tactical air fleet, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown says.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com
Click to expand...
Just buy more F-35s...
Click to expand...
I don't know the case for USAF but for ROKAF the F-35A was 2.2 times more expensive to operate compared to F-15K and 3 times more expensive compared to KF-16 per airframe. So its quite understandable, even though the flyaway cost for each airframe is getting closer to that of legacy fighter jets.


www.flightglobal.com

USAF rethinks future fleet, ponders clean-sheet 4.5-generation fighter

The US Air Force is studying a future fighter fleet that might include new Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters or possibly a clean-sheet 4.5-generation fighter.
www.flightglobal.com www.flightglobal.com

Interesting that he talks about clean sheet design, which I don't really think is going to realize. Maybe they go for something that is a compromise between a completely clean sheet design and an existing design, something based on the F-16 but with modified airframe like the F-2 or F-16XL. I mean as we've already seen how F-16 block 72 already has some compromise compared to the block 60, like its cooling capacity or engine so maybe just further upgrade the block 60?

Going full fantasy mode, there do exist one aircraft that meets the "completely clean sheet, not completely 4.5th gen but also not completely 5th gen" criteria , which LM is involved in, but then again, no one knows how expensive it would be to operate this jet. If they do think it's a viable option, they could do what LM was planning to do in T-X.

To be honest, the most reasonable thing to do is just buy more F-35 and fix its maintenance system without looking elsewhere. Then again, the estimated cost for upgrading UK's F-35Bs was like, $ 27 million per airframe? I mean it would be cheaper for F-35A I suppose but that is still very expensive.
 
Mean cost per flying hours is annually published by the USAF. An extract of the most interesting variables should be found in those pages (cost per flying hours and availability).
 
This is a frustrating development. As others have pointed out its difficult to imagine a "clean sheet" 4th gen design coming in lower overall program cost than continued F-35 buy; unless its O&S is radically cheaper. Even then, we would be making production decisions based off projected costs rather than empirical data. That being said, instead of a clean sheet design why not dust off the F-16XL? Joking aside I wonder if the so-called "digital century series" can rapidly develop a 4th gen faster than a 6th gen platform. Maybe that is the attraction to a new design but still seems like a waste to me. I do like Gen Brown but not sure I'm sold on this idea.
 
Maro.Kyo said:
I don't know the case for USAF but for ROKAF the F-35A was 2.2 times more expensive to operate compared to F-15K and 3 times more expensive compared to KF-16 per airframe.
Click to expand...

Given the South Koreans have only had F-35s operating in country since April 2019 and thus are still coming up to FOC, I think it is still very early to make definitive calls re costs to operate.
 
BDF said:
This is a frustrating development. As others have pointed out its difficult to imagine a "clean sheet" 4th gen design coming in lower overall program cost than continued F-35 buy; unless its O&S is radically cheaper. Even then, we would be making production decisions based off projected costs rather than empirical data. That being said, instead of a clean sheet design why not dust off the F-16XL? Joking aside I wonder if the so-called "digital century series" can rapidly develop a 4th gen faster than a 6th gen platform. Maybe that is the attraction to a new design but still seems like a waste to me. I do like Gen Brown but not sure I'm sold on this idea.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm basically calling for. IIRC there were some notable changes to the structure of the block 60 vipers compared to the previous and following variants so why not just develop on top of that if they really want an advanced 4th gen?
 
GTX said:
Maro.Kyo said:
I don't know the case for USAF but for ROKAF the F-35A was 2.2 times more expensive to operate compared to F-15K and 3 times more expensive compared to KF-16 per airframe.
Click to expand...

Given the South Koreans have only had F-35s operating in country since April 2019 and thus are still coming up to FOC, I think it is still very early to make definitive calls re costs to operate.
Click to expand...
That's the budget for the whole 2020-2023 period, based on what Lockheed and ROKAF estimated on the contractual basis. You are correct that the exact figures will eventually change as the time goes but I can't really stay assured that those figures would go down in a meaningful margin.
 
We see this argument with old aircraft being compared with new aircraft all the time. Does anyone have a chart which shows what the running costs were in the first couple of years of service for F-15's/F-16's, in todays money ? just for a comparison ---
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1365616067389841410
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/TheDEWLine/status/1365616067389841410


The challenge of F-35 coverage is managing the whipsaw of the USAF’s mixed messaging. Last week, Gen. Brown said it was the Ferrari they can’t afford to fly for every mission. This week, he said it was the “cornerstone” of the TacAir fleet. A day after, Gen. Kelly said this.
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1365616886352916482
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/TheDEWLine/status/1365616886352916482


To the USAF, the F-35 is both essential and a cost problem they’re not sure they can fix. Both seem to be true and contradictory at the same time. Makes finding the right balance in tone and content difficult at times for everybody.
Click to expand...
 
Flyaway said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1365616067389841410
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/TheDEWLine/status/1365616067389841410


The challenge of F-35 coverage is managing the whipsaw of the USAF’s mixed messaging. Last week, Gen. Brown said it was the Ferrari they can’t afford to fly for every mission. This week, he said it was the “cornerstone” of the TacAir fleet. A day after, Gen. Kelly said this.
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1365616886352916482
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/TheDEWLine/status/1365616886352916482


To the USAF, the F-35 is both essential and a cost problem they’re not sure they can fix. Both seem to be true and contradictory at the same time. Makes finding the right balance in tone and content difficult at times for everybody.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
To be fair, Kelly also wasn't sure F35 could ever get to $80m, but it got there a 'lot' faster now, didnt it? (Lot 13 if you didn't get the pun)
 
Meanwhile...
https://twitter.com/x/status/1087795248762441728
View: https://twitter.com/ImageSatIntl/status/1087795248762441728?s=20


defence-blog.com

Source: Israeli F-35 destroyed Chinese-made radar during airstrikes in Syria

Last month, an Israeli satellite imagery analysis company ImageSat confirmed that Chinese-made JY-27 radar of the Syrian Air Defense at Damascus airport destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on January 20th. No airstrike details were given and the quoted ImageSat did also not contain any further...
defence-blog.com defence-blog.com
 
TomcatViP said:
Also French C-135FR (KC-135) refueled for the first time coalition F-35s:
www.opex360.com

Un C-135 de l'armée de l'Air et de l'Espace a ravitaillé quatre F-35A norvégiens pour la première fois - Zone Militaire

Certes, après presque 60 ans de service au sein des Forces aériennes stratégiques , l'avion-ravitailleur C-135FR est proche de la retraite, les A330 MRTT
www.opex360.com www.opex360.com
Click to expand...
thats interesting. how many French aircraft can be refuelled by the boom? i thought all of them used the drogue system
 
None except the 135FR and MRTT. But NATO compatibility requires that. And tankers need to refuel each others.
Boom refuelling can deliver more fuel in a given time than what you can have out of the Drogue system. It's more adapted to larger airframe that need an offload of large quantity of fuel.
 
Last edited:
helmutkohl said:
wow im surprised it went for colored flag and roundels rather than the 2 tone ones
Click to expand...
In theory, no one will ever get close enough to see them. How many Danish F-35s are there now? This might be a public relations paint job.
 
We have discussed this earlier but red color was introduced recently for the F-35, and my mem tells me Blue also.
 
Belgian firms Asco, Sabca and Sonaca to produce F-35's tail planes for around half billion $ of parts:
Sabca va fournir des panneaux en composites spéciaux à partir de son usine de Lummen, Asco (Zaventem) produira des mécanismes pour actionner ces éléments et Sonaca assurera à Gosselies l'assemblage de précision.
—--------
Sabca will supply special composite panels from its factory in Lummen, Asco (Zaventem) will produce mechanisms to operate these elements and Sonaca will provide Gosselies with precision assembly.
Click to expand...
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom