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

[GTX]

What a lost opportunity for Safran...

??

 

[TomcatViP]

Safran aerobooster, a Belgium based company (a country that ordered F-35s) had all the capabilities and ressources to takeover Turkish parts production.

 

[GTX]

Ah that makes more sense now - I was thinking as the parent France based Safran Group.

 

[TomcatViP]

Fuel tank study restarted for USAF and IAF F-35.
https://theaviationist.com/2021/04/25/f-35i-fuel-tanks/amp/

 

[Forest Green]

http://www.defensenews.com/air/2021...rnization-program-increased-by-19b-in-a-year/

Why is fixing the troubled software development for this program proving to be such a great challenge? Seems to have been a bottleneck for this program since AA-1 first flew.

The software fixes needed new microprocessors... At least some of the fixes. When I develope a module for a vehicle i spec out 25% excess capability than needed to avoid this problem.

Maybe too many programmers used to making Windows bloatware.

It'll be all the tracking cookies monitoring user inputs and trying to determine if they might be short on toilet paper yet.

 

[TomcatViP]

"the largest air group of fifth generation fighters at sea anywhere in the world."

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/04/26/...strike-group-asia-intl-hnk-scli-ml/index.html

 

[TomcatViP]

[Gen. Eric Fick] said that both mission capable rates (MC) and fully mission capable rates (FMC) have gotten better. (MC means what percentage of aircraft on the flightline can perform at least one of the F-35’s various missions, Fick explained, and FMC means what percentage can undertake all the missions their unit has assigned them.)

“We have been seeing increases both MC and FMC increases between 2019 and 2020. And they’re not insignificant,” Fick said. “Across the fleet, and we saw the average in 2019 go from 63.2% from an MC perspective to 68.5%.” Fleet FMC, he added, has gone from 33.5% to just shy of 37% — a number that he called “still unsatisfying,” but nonetheless one that is “moving in the right direction.”

Fick elaborated that those cross-fleet numbers hide a vast disparity among the services.

The Air Force is seeing the best readiness numbers, he said, with an MC of above 73%, and an FMC of above 54%. Those represent “10% jumps over last year.”

On the other hand, the Navy and the Marine Corps readiness rates are pretty dismal. “As a matter of fact, I think we step backwards just a little bit with the Navy this past year — from just over 59 to just under 59 percent from an MC perspective,” Fick said.

Fick and Lockheed Martin’s Greg Ulmer both reassured lawmakers that sustainment costs also are going in the right direction (i.e., down). Between 2019 and 2020, the F-35A’s cost per flying hour decreased by 10%, Fick said, from $37,000 per flight hour to $33,300 per flight hour in base year 2012 dollars.

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/04...nic-f-35-maintenance-bartering-with-lockheed/

 

[TomcatViP]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1387387297503629313

View: https://twitter.com/USMCFEA/status/1387387297503629313?s=20


https://www.businessinsider.com/us-marine-corps-f-35s-deployment-uk-aircraft-carrier-2021-4

 

[TomcatViP]

The 10-year, nonexclusive agreement between Honeywell and GKN Aerospace will cover the entire European market and bring significant benefits to both current and future owners and operators of the F-35. This agreement will substantially reduce the logistical footprint of supporting the regional fleet with a Netherlands-based depot, thus resulting in a lower cost of ownership for F-35 operators.

As part of the license agreement, GKN Aerospace will provide repair, overhaul and maintenance of Honeywell’s wheels and brakes covering all variants of the F-35.

https://www.aero-mag.com/honeywell-and-gkn-sign-agreement-on-f-35-wheels-and-brakes/

 

[TomcatViP]

Hayes [Raytheon's CEO] doesn’t see Defense Department adding second engine source for F-35:

https://www.defensedaily.com/hayes-...second-engine-source-f-35/business-financial/

 

[Jason Dykstra (Wyvern)]

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-f-35-jets-in-final-preparations-before-going-to-sea/

 

[Sferrin]

Hayes [Raytheon's CEO] doesn’t see Defense Department adding second engine source for F-35:

https://www.defensedaily.com/hayes-...second-engine-source-f-35/business-financial/

Don't know why they would. Second sources for engines is an aberration not the norm (despite what the engine manufacturers, and their lobbyists/politicians would tell you).

 

[TomcatViP]

FRCE's Rapid Reaction Team (RRT):

FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The facility is the lead site for depot-level maintenance on the F-35B (short takeoff-vertical landing) and F-35C (carrier) variants and generates combat air power for America’s Marines and naval forces while serving as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.
[...]
“We deployed to two separate locations within 10 days of each other,” he continued. “Once we received notice of the need, the support team had less than 48 hours to work through the logistics of getting our artisans and the tooling to the USS Makin Island, including everything from COVID testing and orders to securing a military flight and gathering tools and consumables. It was truly a team effort.”

https://southernmarylandchronicle.c...-meets-maintenance-needs-in-dual-deployments/

 

[TomcatViP]

Four Italian Air Force F-35A fighter planes landed at Estonia’s Amari Air Base on April 30 to take over the NATO’s BAP (Baltic Air Policing) mission for the first time.

It is also the first deployment of Italian F-35As to Estonia. These jets will replace the German Eurofighter Typhoon fighters in rotation. The aircraft belongs to the 13° Gruppo (Squadron) of the 32° Stormo (Wing) from Amendola Air Base, in southeastern Italy, and their deployment to Estonia was supported by a KC-767A tanker, Estonian Air Force said in a statement.

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/2...ver_Baltic_Air_Policing_Missions#.YI_G2VOxWyM

 

[TomcatViP]

Opinion piece by Maj. GEN. (RET.) Larry Stutzriem:

Never in the history of air combat has a pilot landed back at base, after putting their life on the line flying a grueling combat mission and remarked, "Thank goodness my jet met its life cycle sustainment cost estimates."
[...]
Congressional leaders would do well to heed the wisdom of Sir Frederick Handley Page, a British aviation pioneer: "Nobody has ever won a war by trying to run it on the cheap. Nothing is so expensive as losing a war by saving money. If you want the cheapest possible Air Force today, it is very easy to standardize on a whole lot of aircraft that will be of no use when the war comes."

https://thehill.com/opinion/nationa...al-the-f-35-is-the-combat-power-america-needs

 

[Jason Dykstra (Wyvern)]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...east-combat-missions-from-hms-queen-elizabeth
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/video-of-british-f-35bs-landing-on-hms-queen-elizabeth/

 

[GARGEAN]

Ok. So...

Spoiler: GAO report 2020

GAO 2020 report. And all this paired with ~25mil price for upgrade of Block 3F to Block 4 (and possibility for some users, namely UK, not upgrading their entire fleet to Block 4).

Problems with sustainment cost seems to be more understandable now for me. Aircraft still isn't ready, and won't be until 2027 (!) with further delays possible. That's... Not reassuring.

 

[TomcatViP]

Not ready for what?

 

[GARGEAN]

For proper deployment and utilization along with whole weaponry suite originally intended for it.

 

[TomcatViP]

The Gao is focused on budgetary analysis and relies often on out of date or out of scope information.
If it's true that Block4 is delayed and will be a paying upgrade, some part of that upgrade have been already implemented and other items added to supplement the phased increase in capability.

Then there are the things that are lagging or surprisingly revealed to be failures (ODIN - but was it?).

To put things into context, no weapons systems as complex as a fighter jet get into service with all its systems able to function nominally from day one.
It took years for the French Rafale to get medium range missile, A2G or have a perfect HMD or an aesa (still mostly not the case b/w).
Today F-35 have been deployed all across the globe by various air forces. Some have put them in anger repeatedly.

Lately, the RN announced the deployment of the largest stealth air force at sea ready to set sail to two of the most demanding theatre of operations today: Syria and the south China sea.

It would be hard to share such opinion that the bird is not ready.

 

[GARGEAN]

The Gao is focused on budgetary analysis and relies often on out of date or out of scope information.
If it's true that Block4 is delayed and will be a paying upgrade, some part of that upgrade have been already implemented and other items added to supplement the phased increase in capability.

Then there are the things that are lagging or surprisingly revealed to be failures (ODIN - but was it?).

To put things into context, no weapons systems as complex as a fighter jet get into service with all its systems able to function nominally from day one.
It took years for the French Rafale to get medium range missile, A2G or have a perfect HMD or an aesa (still mostly not the case b/w).
Today F-35 have been deployed all across the globe by various air forces. Some have put them in anger repeatedly.

Lately, the RN announced the deployment of the largest stealth air force at sea ready to set sail to two of the most demanding theatre of operations today: Syria and the south China sea.

It would be hard to share such opinion that the bird is not ready.

Not saying it is unusable - that's obviously not the case. But it is still have huge teething problems (ALIS, ODIN), still has constant price overruns and deadlines shifting to the right despite outcry for lowering costs, and, most importantly for me, despite being not approved for full rate production, already is produced in more than a half thousand airframes which are unable to be upgraded to Block 4 without TR3 upgrade, which apparently goes into HUGE price (couple dozen millions) for each airframe. And Block 4 was and still is the milestone of "fully capable for all intended missions" multirole jet, as which F-35 is being produced and sold abroad now.

 

[totallyaverage]

2027 is a weird standard, as by that time the program will be integrating weaponsand features never listed in the original SDD master plan, such as AARGM-ER, SDB-2, AIM-9X Block II+, multi ship IRST, etc. Hell, two of those weapons haven't been flight tested yet.

The F-35 should be considered "complete" when any and all deferred 3F capabilities are fielded. Anything not listed in the SDD master plan should be considered as separate modernization, else by your proposed standard no plane is ever complete until after it is retired.

 

[GARGEAN]

2027 is a weird standard, as by that time the program will be integrating weaponsand features never listed in the original SDD master plan, such as AARGM-ER, SDB-2, AIM-9X Block II+, multi ship IRST, etc. Hell, two of those weapons haven't been flight tested yet.

The F-35 should be considered "complete" when any and all deferred 3F capabilities are fielded. Anything not listed in the SDD master plan should be considered as separate modernization, else by your proposed standard no plane is ever complete until after it is retired.

Hm. SEAD wasn't one of intended airframe missions originally?

 

[NASA]

2027 is a weird standard, as by that time the program will be integrating weaponsand features never listed in the original SDD master plan, such as AARGM-ER, SDB-2, AIM-9X Block II+, multi ship IRST, etc. Hell, two of those weapons haven't been flight tested yet.

The F-35 should be considered "complete" when any and all deferred 3F capabilities are fielded. Anything not listed in the SDD master plan should be considered as separate modernization, else by your proposed standard no plane is ever complete until after it is retired.

Hm. SEAD wasn't one of intended airframe missions originally?

Yes it was, SEAD capability today should be able to be carried out with SDB-I and JSOW. Both of which have been test launched and have SEAD/DEAD as the target mission set during their testing.

 

[totallyaverage]

Hm. SEAD wasn't one of intended airframe missions originally?

Early in the program, they eliminated weapons judged to be becoming obsolete. This included the AGM-88, as well as the AIM-120A/B, Harpoon, and other weapons. This was in the early 2000s, long before weapons integration work was even on the horizon. HARM would have required external carriage anyway to fit on the aircraft due to its wingspan without major modification to the weapon. Which would make for a real headscratcher, carrying a missile externally in a situation where absolutely minimizing RCS is critical.

It was always understood that the AGM-88 was to be replaced by a new weapon. What that new weapon would look like wasn't exactly known, the US was for a long time looking at a dual-role AIM-120/AGM-88 replacement, but it was certain that whatever weapon the US built would have to be carried in the F-35. As it turned out, that weapon came to be AGM-88G, which is a vastly different weapon from the C model the US had at the time.

The F-35 was therefore always understood to have a limited initial SEAD/DEAD weapon capability, relying on guided bombs, JSOW, or cluster munitions to engage enemy air defense systems. The latter were axed from the program due to outside political reasons; can't really blame the F-35 for that. In any case, the aircraft also would (and does) have the ability to cue other HARM shooters so they can poke at the radars themselves.

 

[Dragon029]

2027 is a weird standard, as by that time the program will be integrating weaponsand features never listed in the original SDD master plan, such as AARGM-ER, SDB-2, AIM-9X Block II+, multi ship IRST, etc. Hell, two of those weapons haven't been flight tested yet.

The F-35 should be considered "complete" when any and all deferred 3F capabilities are fielded. Anything not listed in the SDD master plan should be considered as separate modernization, else by your proposed standard no plane is ever complete until after it is retired.

Hm. SEAD wasn't one of intended airframe missions originally?

You don't need a dedicated anti-radiation weapon to perform SEAD; in things like Red Flag there are 4-ships of F-35As outperforming (by a good margin) entire strike packages of legacy fighters. If the F-35s are going up against something like S-400 battalions, then the F-35 might get stagnated in their progress a bit, but at least their survivability would be a whole lot better and so you could employ larger packages of F-35s with SDBs, which at the very least will suppress them, if not overwhelm and destroy vehicles. An 8-ship package of F-35As for example could carry 64 SDBs internally; an S-400 battalion meanwhile has 8 TELs with 4 missiles each (up to 32 SAMs), and I doubt they could reload them in time; they'd therefore have to rely on their SHORAD defences to take out most of those weapons (even if the TELs did want to waste all their larger missiles on the SDBs), and if those SDBs are launched more or less simultaneously the SHORADs would be struggling to not let weapons slip through. The S-400 would potentially have enough time to pack up and leave before the bombs arrive, but even if they survive this encounter you'd successfully performed SEAD.

 

[tequilashooter]

The purpose of the S-400 would be to target the aircraft before such glide bombs will be released which seems to be getting upgraded from a 2007 to 2015 and now newer generation radars in development like Nioby, and in case it fails Pantsirs are being tested with quadpacked missiles and 2km/s missiles with twice the range and more precise warheads with radars that have twice the range to deal with such threats. And of course there is alot of news of photonic radars from their CEO and head management of their ABM shield where they state using Thz radiation and even the head CEO of RTI stating sub-millimeter detection for miniature size drones would be developed in 2025. Currently SDBs are a threat to SAMs but later better air to ground weapons will be needed.

 

[Josh_TN]

AGM-88G will be the dedicated SEAF weapon, and F-35 will be an unrivaled SEAD platform when equipped with it. That said I could easily see F35s operation with a mix of weapons in SEAD operations. F-16CJs often operated with Mavericks or CBUs on the lead ship and ARMs on the wingman in 2003, from what I’ve read.

 

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.defensenews.com/industr...keys-top-weapons-buyer-prioritizes-tf-x-work/

 

[Grey Havoc]

http://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/05/06/more-than-130-house-lawmakers-push-to-ramp-up-f-35-buy/

 

[TomcatViP]

There are now 283 Joint Strike Fighters in the Air Force’s arsenal, compared to 281 A-10s, 234 F-15C/Ds, and 218 F-15Es. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. told the House Appropriations defense subcommittee on May 7 the F-35 reached the milestone within the last week.

https://www.airforcemag.com/f-35-is-now-the-air-forces-second-largest-fighter-fleet/

 

[seruriermarshal]

EIELSON’S SECOND F-35A UNIT RECEIVES FIRST TWO AIRCRAFT

The second of two combat-coded US Air Force (USAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighter squadrons at Eielson Air Force Base (AFB), Alaska, has received its first two aircraft.

The first conventional take-off and landing (CTOL)-configured F-35As for the 355th Fighter Squadron (FS) ‘Fighting Falcons’ were delivered to Eielson on the evening of April 29 from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The delivery comprised serials: 19-5534 ‘AK’ (c/n AT-15, originally allocated as 18-0015 for Turkey) and 19-5536 ‘AK’ (c/n AT-17, originally allocated as 18-0017 for Turkey).

https://www.key.aero/article/eielso...ce=twitter&hss_channel=tw-1175073506733756416

 

[GARGEAN]

Dam those numbers are impressive.

 

[seruriermarshal]

Next batch of F-35As delivered to RAAF

On 6 May 2021, a batch of four F-35As arrived at RAAF Base Williamtown (NSW). These are the latest additions to the RAAF's ever growing fleet of Lightning IIs.

Among the ones delivered on 6 May is A35-034. This is the final Lightning for the 2nd Operational Conversion Unit (2OCU). According to the Scramble Magazine database, this unit now has sixteen F-35As on strength.

The other three F-35s of this batch are A35-035, A35-036 and A35-037. These are the first jets for 77 Squadron Swift to Destroy. 77sq parted with their Hornets just a few months ago, in December 2020.

Australia ordered a total of 72 Lightning IIs of which 37 have been delivered so far. All are based at RAAF Base Williamtown. According to the Scramble Magazine database, just like 2nd OCU, 3sq has sixteen aircraft on strength.

Three aircraft are allocated to 77sq, so with 37 delivered, that leaves two aircraft that are unaccounted for. One of these is A35-029. This one was delivered to RAAF Base Williamtown in November 2020 in 75sq colours. However, 75sq is based at RAAF Base Tindel (NT) and is still flying the remaining operational Hornets. The other one is A35-030, which was also delivered to Williamtown in November 2020, however without unit markings.

https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/next-batch-of-f-35as-delivered-to-raaf

 

[RavenOne]

Fortnight ago I was at RAF Lakenheath to see VMFA-211 ‚Wake Island Avengers’ come back to the Uk. So here are some of my photos arriving then departing to HMS Queen Elizabeth last week.

cheers

 

[RavenOne]

Also in between the First Wave of Wake Island Avengers arriving on The. Kenya and Wednesday, there were the Vermont ANG F-35A pair came in. As fsr as I know they are the only National Guard / Reserve that fly the F-35A (?) as the other eight went to Spangdalahem AFB in Germany so here are my photos below.

cheers

 

[TomcatViP]

There is also the 388th now deployed in South West of France for the 2021 edition of exercise Trident (Mont de Marsan):
https://www.airforcemag.com/hill-f-35s-deploy-to-france-for-atlantic-trident/

 

[Jason Dykstra (Wyvern)]

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-queen-elizabeth-f-35s-fire-missiles-off-scottish-coast/

 

[TomcatViP]

Speaking at the McAleese FY2022 Defense Programs Conference on May 12, Brown explained that he signed a letter from 132 House lawmakers to the body’s leadership urging full F-35 support because “it’s performing well” in “executing … real-world missions.”

The April 28 letter by the leaders of the Joint Strike Fighter Caucus urged the House leadership to support whatever request the services submit for buying F-35s in fiscal 2022 as well as any that appear on their “unfunded requirements” lists. The letter was prompted by recent comments from House subcommittee leaders Reps. John Garamendi (D-California) and Donald Norcross (D-New Jersey) that they would oppose adding any F-35s to service requests

https://www.airforcemag.com/rep-brown-explains-support-for-full-f-35-buy/

 

[TomcatViP]

There is also the 388th now deployed in South West of France for the 2021 edition of exercise Trident (Mont de Marsan):
https://www.airforcemag.com/hill-f-35s-deploy-to-france-for-atlantic-trident/

U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, taxi down the flight line at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base, France, upon arrival May 10, 2021. During their time in the European theater, the aircraft will take part in multiple events, including Atlantic Trident 21. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander Cook.

Notice how the picture appears to be heavily edited (and the temporary shelters on the left).
https://www.airforcemag.com/hill-f-35s-deploy-to-france-for-atlantic-trident/