F-35 Joint Strike Fighter News, Videos and pics Thread

[Jura The idiot]

the most recent on the "B"
...

more:
Lockheed F-35 heads for the ski jump in next key round of tests

Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will start "ski-jump testing" at a Maryland air base this week, while another B-model jet wraps up six months of tests at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) to as high as 120 F (49 C).

Two UK pilots will test the ability of the new warplane to take off from upward-sloping ski-jump ramps used on aircraft carriers like those operated by Britain and

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. The ramps launch the jets forward and upward, reducing the thrust needed.

Sylvia Pierson, spokeswoman for the Pentagon's F-35 program office, said two British pilots, one from BAE Systems Plc and the other from the British Royal Navy, would use the first UK F-35B jet to complete the testing through late May.

The F-35 is also finishing six months of tests at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory in Florida, another key milestone before the U.S. Marine Corps declares the jet ready for initial combat use in July.

After 14 years of development, early cost overruns and schedule delays, the $400 billion F-35 fighter jet program is becoming an operational reality for the U.S. military. Over 120 jets are flying at nine U.S. bases.

Richard Aboulafia, analyst with the Teal Group, said the program has stabilized but it is unclear whether the Air Force will stick to plans to buy 1,763 F-35 A-models through 2037 even as it ramps up work on a new bomber and a "sixth generation" jet.

The F-35 climate testing has been closely watched by the U.S. military and nine other countries that have placed orders: Britain, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Norway, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands and Israel.

Pilots, technicians and F-35 program officials have tested the jet's performance in heat, driving rain, hurricane-force winds, snow, sleet and other extreme conditions.

Industry and government officials say the testing has gone better than expected, although final assessments will wait until after the testing is concluded next month.

Billie Flynn, a former Canadian Air Force pilot who tested the F-16 fighter 23 years ago in the same climate chamber, said he expected the F-35 to face some issues since it is so much more complex and software-driven.

But Flynn, now a Lockheed F-35 test pilot, said the jet surpassed his expectations. "This just gives us so much more confidence about when and where we operate the jets."

F-35 program officials and enginemaker Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, said oil in the engine became too thick at very cold temperatures, but the problem had been resolved by switching to a thinner oil used by the Air Force.

They said it was unclear if the issue would require a minor modification to an external component of the engine.

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[Jura The idiot]

most recent news about ASuM for F-35:
Norway and Australia to cooperate on JSM-development

The Norwegian Ministry of Defence and the Australian Department of Defence have agreed to cooperate on the development of the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), following talks between Norwegian State Secretary Mr. Øystein Bø and his Australian colleague Mr. Stuart Robert during the Norwegian State visit to Australia this week. The agreement seeks to support the introduction of an advanced maritime strike weapon on the F-35 in the early 2020's time frame.

- Although far apart geographically, Norway and Australia share many of the same challenges. We are both maritime nations on the periphery of our immediate regions, with a large land mass and even larger maritime territories, yet relatively limited populations. This means that we have to maximize the effects of the capabilities that we invest in to ensure that they cover as much of the spectrum of operations as possible, said Norwegian Minister of Defence, Ms. Ine Eriksen Søreide.

Norway and Australia have maintained a close dialogue for several years regarding the JSM within the framework of the multinational F-35-partnership. This agreement takes the process one step further, with Australia agreeing to provide expertise in missile control and guidance systems.

The cooperation between Norway and Australia on the JSM was announced at Avalon Air Show earlier today. From the left, Deputy Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Leo Davies, Norwegian State Secretary of Defence Mr. Øystein Bø, and Executive Vice President of Kongsberg Defence Systems, Mr. Pål Bratlie

- The JSM is already a very capable missile, but with the support of Australia, we hope to make it even better. Though Australia is still a few years away from making any final decisions on its future maritime strike capability, we are encouraged by the interest they have shown for both the missile and for the capabilities of Norwegian industry. We should now continue talks between our two governments, and aim to formalize this agreement in the near future, said Norwegian Minister of Defence, Ms. Ine Eriksen Søreide.

The Joint Strike Missile is an advanced long range precision strike missile, tailor made to fit the internal weapons bay of the F-35. The F-35, combined with the JSM, provide the ability to both locate and defeat heavily defended targets, both on land and at sea, at extended ranges, significantly enhancing the strategic capabilities of the aircraft. The missile utilizes advanced navigation, a passive infrared seeker, low signature and superior manoeuvrability to ensure mission effectiveness, thereby providing user nations with significantly enhanced combat capabilities.

Norway intends to procure up to 52 F-35A aircraft to enhance the ability of its Armed Forces to meet future security challenges, with first delivery planned for late 2015. Norway’s first four aircraft will be based at the F-35 International Pilot Training Centre at Luke Air Force Base Arizona, while the first F-35 will arrive in Norway in 2017. Australia has so far committed to procuring 72 F-35A, out of a planned 100, with the first two aircraft delivered in 2014.

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[Jeff Head]

more:
Lockheed F-35 heads for the ski jump in next key round of tests

Two UK pilots will test the ability of the new warplane to take off from upward-sloping ski-jump ramps used on aircraft carriers like those operated by Britain and

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. The ramps launch the jets forward and upward, reducing the thrust needed.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

to see...and not unexpected.

Absolutely necessary for both the UK and the Italians.

...and for that matter the Spanish too once they decide to retire their Harriers. And ultimately perhaps the Australians and Koreans.

Looks like the Japanese, if they use the F-35B, will use it like the US MArines do on the Wasp and America classes...without the ski-jump.

And the US Marines have already tested and proven that capability at sea.

​

 

[strehl]

From Google Maps. It's off to the left where the 2 main runways cross. It has been there since 2009.

 

[Jeff Head]

Yes, that is a land based model of what the ski-ramp is on the QE and is specifically for them to prepare for the F-35Bs operating off of the QE.

 

[Jura The idiot]

another issue, or non-issue:
F-35B Internal Weapons Bay Can't Fit Required Load Of Small Diameter Bomb IIs (Updated)

The internal weapons bay of the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter cannot fit the required Small Diameter Bomb II weapons load, and a hydraulic line and structural bracket must be redesigned and modified ahead of the planned Block 4 release in fiscal year 2022, the joint program office confirmed this week.

The Air Force and Raytheon plan to begin scaling up production of the 250-pound class, precision-attack munition, except the current F-35B internal weapons bay cannot fit four of the eight required SDB IIs in its current configuration.

The Marine Corps is purchasing 353 of the F-35B jump jets and 34 had been delivered as of Feb. 2, according to a fact sheet from prime contractor Lockheed Martin. JSF partners Italy and the United Kingdom are also procuring F-35Bs and three of those international orders have been satisfied.

In response to questions from Inside the Air Force, F-35 spokesman Joe DellaVedova confirmed the weapons bay does not currently meet the requirements to house the planned Small Diameter Bomb II load and is being redesigned and modified in line with the scheduled rollout of Block 4 capabilities.

The short-takeoff-vertical-landing (STOVL) aircraft has unique weight requirements compared with the Air Force's conventional F-35A and Navy's F-35C carrier variant because of its vertical lift fan and it has a smaller internal weapons bay.

According to DellaVedova, the JSF program has been aware of the issue for some time and expects to award Lockheed a contract later this year to complete the design changes. The F-35 is designed to carry eight precision-attack small diameter bombs internally and 16 externally on its wings, and the program office has not publicly acknowledged the issue.

The issue surfaced this month in budget documents accompanying the Air Force's FY-16 budget request. A line in the SDB II program scheduled is titled "SDB II Redesign for F-35B/C," but DellaVedova confirmed the weapons bay issue only relates to the STOVL version.

The JPO is targeting to have the F-35B weapons bay changes incorporated into the post-systems development and demonstration airplanes delivered in the 2019, 2020 time frame and beyond, DellaVedova said in a Feb. 25 phone interview with ITAF. "There are considerations for small bay changes to support the rest of the Block 4 weapons suite. Rather than make multiple small changes, we're planning to do one modification that will address all Block 4 requirements," he said.

The Air Force's Small Diameter Bomb II program is worth around $4.1 billion and will deliver around 17,000 weapons, including 5,000 for the Navy. The sophisticated, 250-pound glide weapon is produced by Raytheon and will eventually replace the legacy version built by Boeing.

SDB II integration with the F-35B will not impact the Marine Corps' preparation for initial operational capability in July, but would become a problem as new weapon systems are introduced. The F-35 is designed for stealth and carries weapons internally to reduce its radar cross section.

The Navy initially wanted to field the SDB II first on the F-35B/C but is instead bringing forward integration with the F/A-18 Super Hornet. The SDB II is an F-35 Block 4 software capability and the release of that software load has been pushed back to FY-22.

In a Feb. 24 phone interview with ITAF, Raytheon's SDB II business development executive Jeff White said F-35 fit checks have found the weapon system fits fine in the larger F-35A/C weapons bays.

"I think it's just the B," White said. "When we did our fit checks on the JSF, the A and the C basically had the same bay."

According to White, the SDB II program is nearing the end of its development phase and a production decision is due out soon. He said the SDB II form will not be altered to suit the F-35B and it is hoped the weapons bay redesign will wrap up in 2016.

White said SDB II is an important aspect of the JSF program, and the international partners are eager to receive the new weapon along with the Air Force and Navy. He expects production will ramp up to more than 4,000 munitions per year in the early 2020s.

The United Kingdom is the second largest F-35B customer behind the Marine Corps, with 138 aircraft. Italy wants 30 of the jump jets to augment its F-35A fleet.

According to DellaVedova, the United Kingdom has not yet committed to purchasing the SDB II but is aware of the weapons bay issue. He said Italy would have also been informed.

"This is not a new issue to us," DellaVedova said. "We've been working with the SDB II program office and their contractors since 2007. The fit issues have been known and documented and there were larger and more substantial modifications needed to support SDB II that have already been incorporated into production F-35 aircraft. These minor or remaining changes were put on hold until the aircraft reached a sufficient level of maturity to ensure that the needed changes would not adversely impact any ongoing SDB [II] developments."

In a Feb. 2 press briefing on the FY-16 president's budget, Deputy Assistant Navy Secretary for Budget Rear Adm. William Lescher said the service planned to reduce its procurement of SDB II by 750 across the future years defense plan to 1590 units.

Lescher said this change in the procurement profile aligns with the planned F/A-18 Super Hornet integration in FY-20 and new F-35 Block 4 software rollout date of FY-22.

ITAF reported in December that the Office of the Secretary of Defense directed the Navy to bring forward the planned integration of the SDB II on the F/A-18E/F. The Air Force's threshold aircraft for SDB II is the F-15E Strike Eagle.

Other weapons tied to the F-35 Block 4 software release include the Joint Stand-Off Weapon, Norwegian Joint Strike Missile, Turkish Stand-Off Missile and AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II.

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credible source, most recent:

Posted: 02-25-2015

(Editors Note: This story has been updated to clarify the scope of the F-35B internal weapons bay design changes.)

I think soon we'll hear from F-35 detractors (well, maybe they've commented already, but right now I don't have time to check their sites

 

[FORBIN]

I don't understant this SDB problem why size / congestion or technical problems ? carry 4 now ? and only SDB II ?

F-35B get a weapon bay more short as other variants don' t carry " big " bombs of 907 kg as A/C him max 454 kg for a matter of mass with her propulsion system which adds weight AND weapons bay less long because the fan take some place behind the cockpit

B, weapons max size for B 3.85 m x 0,64
A/C weapons max size for B 4.2 m x 0,64

After gun one new weapon no ready... !

 

[asif iqbal]

Anyone see the first night flight of the F35A??

 

[FORBIN]

A add, maybe a problem for SDB II only but seems USMC actually don't use SDB and get later new SDB II.
In fact SDB II integration in F-35B planned for Bl 3i or F reported to Bl 4.

Weapons for Bl 2B include AIM-120, JDAM and GBU-12.

 

[A Bar Brother]

I don't understant this SDB problem why size / congestion or technical problems ? carry 4 now ? and only SDB II ?

F-35B get a weapon bay more short as other variants don' t carry " big " bombs of 907 kg as A/C him max 454 kg for a matter of mass with her propulsion system which adds weight AND weapons bay less long because the fan take some place behind the cockpit

B, weapons max size for B 3.85 m x 0,64
A/C weapons max size for B 4.2 m x 0,64

After gun one new weapon no ready... !

Clearance between the weapons may be a problem. The SDB is 1.8 m long. So the technicians have to work with only 0.25 m clearance on B.