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

[Jura The idiot]

... it will get much, much better!

in the meantime in Germany “The indicated view of the inspector of the air force that the F-35 Lightning II is an especially suitable successor to the Tornado system is not the position of the federal government,” Deputy Defence Minister Ralf Brauksiepe wrote in the letter.
Germany favors Eurofighter as it seeks to replace Tornado
December 11, 2017

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The German Defence Ministry said on Monday that the European fighter jet was the leading candidate to replace its Tornado jets, which it wants to start phasing out in 2025.

The ministry’s position appears to contradict that of the German air force, whose chief indicated last month that he preferred Lockheed Martin’s F-35, which meets the military’s requirements of stealth and long-distance operational capabilities.

In a letter to a Greens lawmaker who had inquired about the deliberations, the ministry said the F-35 and Boeing’s F-15 and F-18 fighters were secondary options.

“The indicated view of the inspector of the air force that the F-35 Lightning II is an especially suitable successor to the Tornado system is not the position of the federal government,” Deputy Defence Minister Ralf Brauksiepe wrote in the letter.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a joint project between British defense group BAE, France’s Airbus and Italy’s Finmeccanica.

The ministry’s preference for the Typhoon is no surprise; France and Germany said earlier this year they would work together to develop a new European fighter, as they expand cooperation on defense and security [nL8N1K43JS].

Many German allies in Europe, including Norway, the Netherlands, Britain, Italy, Turkey and Denmark have selected the F-35 and some have received initial deliveries. Belgium is expected to make a decision next year.

The contract to replace Germany’s 85 Tornado jets, which go out of service around 2030, could be worth billions of euros.

A new fighter purchase would have to be approved by parliament in the next two years and a contract signed by 2020 or 2021 to ensure deliveries by 2025. No final decision is likely before a new government is formed, following elections this past September.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will open talks on Wednesday with the Social Democrats (SPD) on renewing their alliance, which has ruled Germany since 2013. She turned to the SPD after efforts to form a coalition with the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats failed.

 

[kwaigonegin]

Aside from the obvious things like cost, supply chain efficiency, operational tactics, etc, geostrategic implications are also taken into account. That is also a key driver for such a huge defense expenditure.

While on paper, the F35 being a 5th Gen stealth is far sexier and appears more capable, the Luftwaffe will be fighting on home turf or at least very close to home turf. Most of the air battles will likely be defensive in posture utilizing existing C4ISR infrastructure with full integration into NATO's Western AEGIS system (not to be confused with the naval Aegis radar).

For ground attack, which is what this is mainly all about, the same argument applies. Current fleet of IDSs and ECRs do not have deep penetration capabilities nor were they ever designed to go that deep into Russian airspace for offensive strikes.
Even a stealth aircraft like the F35s will have an extremely short lifespan going that deep before mission killed.

From a standpoint of A2G in the European theater, not much has change since the days of the Fulda Gap even though the place may have.
Typhoon's or F35's primary role will still be task with rolling back massive Russian armor and mechanized forces with air and ground support. On occasion they will strike installations and other assets not far from the border but never too deep inside.

For deep penetration strikes into Russian airspace guarded by S400s, S500s etc, the Luftwaffe will be utilizing American muscle anyways like B1Bs, B2s and potential LRSBs NOT F35s (either theirs or ours) so it's moot!

The Typhoon is a home grown extremely capable fighter with world class kinematics and no doubt ground attack with the types of improvements they are talking about for 2020 and beyond, they can do everything an F35 can do and more if stealth is taken out of the equation.

F35s will likely have to compromise their stealth anyway to roll back Russian armor because it's likely a one way trip as all external hardpoints needs be utilized.

Due to geography, tactical operations and the types of role it will play, I do not fault the Luftwaffe or the German gov. for picking the 'improved' EF over the F35 if that decision is made to go that route.

On the non military side, selecting the EF would obviously benefit the local European economies more than F35 as well.

 

[Jura The idiot]

now noticed in Twitter

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F-35C Joint Strike

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of VFA-125 carrying out flight ops off

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ABRAHAM

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CVN72 this week off the Virginia coast

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[Air Force Brat]

now noticed in Twitter

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F-35C Joint Strike

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of VFA-125 carrying out flight ops off

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ABRAHAM

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CVN72 this week off the Virginia coast

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Happy to see these Charlies launching and recovering to the ABE LINCOLN! the Navy is gonna finally get their juice on!

 

[Jura The idiot]

Tuesday at 6:07 PM

I'm still not buying F-35 ...

... while Pentagon OKs limited F-35 testing before modifying jets
13 December, 2017

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The Pentagon’s top weapons tester intends to approve limited testing on the Lockheed Martin F-35 while the programme office waits for modifications needed to begin the fighter’s full initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E).

Recent reports stated that the Defense Department’s office of the Director of operational test and evaluation (DOT&E) had approved some IOT&E testing that would include close air support and reconnaissance missions, a major shift from the office’s previous position that warned against testing without completing modifications to all 23 test aircraft.

This week, the US Air Force clarified DOT&E intends to approve select “pre-IOT&E” events such as cold weather or ship suitability testing. DOT&E expects to approve as many pre-IOT&E events as possible without interrupting ongoing modifications on the 23 test aircraft that will allow formal testing to begin, the service says in an email to FlightGlobal.

DOT&E has not approved any plans that would allow the start of F-35 IOT&E before all test aircraft are configured with required modifications, a Pentagon spokesman tells FlightGlobal.

In its 2016 report on the F-35, DOT&E director Michael Gilmore highlighted the “extensive and time-consuming modifications” still required for the test fleet. Due to the ongoing delays, Gilmore projected the fleet would likely not be able to start formal testing until 2019. At the time of the report, Gilmore cited 155 different modifications needed across all variants and lots, though no single aircraft required all 155 fixes.

“In fact, IOT&E could be delayed to as late as (calendar year 2020), depending on the completion of required modifications to the IOT&E aircraft,” the report states.

Beginning formal testing before the 23 aircraft are production ready would mark a stark departure from DOT&E’s previous recommendations, though former Joint Programme Office executive officer Lt Gen Christopher Bogdan had suggested a similar plan advocating piecemeal testing. But with new leadership at the office under the Trump administration, the recent move toward some early testing could signal a policy shift.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon may be aggravating the issue as the department continues to purchase new F-35s even as its existing inventory is not yet combat capable.

“The fact that the programme has not even contracted for all the testing aircraft and has been favoring purchasing new aircraft is telling that they’re not taking the testing process very seriously,” says Dan Grazier, a fellow at the Project on Government Oversight.

soon the Pentagon will need to beat A-10 with F-35 in a press release

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

soon the Pentagon will need to beat A-10 with F-35 in a press release

• 14 DECEMBER, 2017
  
• SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM
  
• BY: LEIGH GIANGRECO
  
• WASHINGTON DC

The US Air Force no longer needs to rob its A-10 fleet’s maintainers to support the incoming Lockheed Martin F-35As, according to a Congressional report.

The F-35 delivery plan currently outpaces the number of maintainers the USAF can maintain and recruit until fiscal year 2020. In the interim, the service is hiring contract maintainers through 2019 in non-deploying squadrons to allow the USAF to stand up new F-35 squadrons, but Congress remains wary of a long term gap.

The service has warned the maintainer shortfall could threaten the stand up of F-35 squadrons, but the recent report assures lawmakers the air force has filled those gaps through converted National Guard squadrons from F-16 to F-35 operations, additional resources for active duty forces and using reserve duty forces.

"The total force units standing up the F-35 after (fiscal year 2019) have the necessary manpower resources to set the conditions for full spectrum readiness according to (fiscal year 2018) president’s budget and future defense plan," the report states.

The report makes no mention of robbing the A-10 fleet’s maintainers to bolster the incoming F-35s, a plan the joint programme office had once pushed under its former executive officer Lt Gen Christopher Bogdan.

The USAF appears to have taken an about face on the A-10 retirement, with the USAF’s chief assuring that the Fairchild-Republic aircraft would remain in the service’s inventory through 2021. In an interview with FlightGlobal, the USAF’s outgoing Air Combat Command chief said new wings could keep the A-10 flying through the 2030s. The National Defense Authorisation Act, which President Donald Trump signed earlier this week, approved $103,000,000 million for new wings but the Pentagon is still waiting on the appropriations bill that will guarantee those funds.

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[FORBIN]

Climbing out over Chesapeake Bay on test mission...F-35 loaded wall-to-wall weapons again.

 

[Air Force Brat]

View attachment 44089

even loaded, is that the gun on the center line?, that's a very good looking aircraft with the gear up, and SLIK as a baby's butt!

 

[FORBIN]

even loaded, is that the gun on the center line?, that's a very good looking aircraft with the gear up, and SLIK as a baby's butt!

Yes ofc gun pod it is the 11th hard point maybe can used for one other bomb for bad guys on demand ...

More seriously HP for 1000 lbs max maybe can be used for other thing ?

 

[Air Force Brat]

Yes ofc gun pod it is the 11th hard point maybe can used for one other bomb for bad guys on demand ...

More seriously HP for 1000 lbs max maybe can be used for other thing ?

Nuthing like a good looking chick carrying a "Winchester!"