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

[Jura The idiot]

four years ago, Jan 10, 2015

...
I checked again for Poland, didn't find any articles newer than the two from spring of 2014 (I think I mentioned them here in summer? they're not too specific, say like "possibly", "up to", "as much as $10b could be allocated")

now
Poland wants to buy fifth-gen fighters under $49B modernization program

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Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced Thursday he signed a military modernization plan document under which the country will spend 185 billion zloty (U.S. $49 billion) on new weapons and military equipment by 2026.

The acquisition of 32 fifth-generation fighter jets is one of the priority procurements that are to be carried out under the program, the minister said.

“I expect both the chief of the General Staff, and the chief of the Armament Inspectorate to immediately initiate actions to perform this task,” Blaszczak said in a Feb. 28 ministerial statement.

The acquisition aims to help Poland replace its outdated Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-22 and Mikoyan MiG-29 aircraft.

Other acquisitions ...

... skipped

 

[Air Force Brat]

The A-10 is a really cost effective bomb truck. The F-35 thus far is an economic disaster.
I also think it might get worse before it gets better. The aircraft is not far enough in its life cycle for us to know its foibles.

Actually, its not if you go into contested airspace. You may not accomplish your mission if you are shot down on the way in, that's a false economy...

if you go after Russian or Chinese tanks, there WILL be contested airspace....... it worked great in Iraq, but F-111's killed more tanks with heat seeking missiles than A-10's..... look it up, and the F-35 will excel in this same scenario...

 

[Air Force Brat]

four years ago, Jan 10, 2015
now
Poland wants to buy fifth-gen fighters under $49B modernization program

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... skipped

and you think they are buying J-20's??? LOL

 

[Jura The idiot]

and you think they are buying J-20's??? LOL

thought the Gripen, ordered by

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[Brumby]

quote of the day comes from the acting Air Force Secretary inside
How the US Air Force’s Kessel Run team plans to solve one of the F-35 program’s biggest headaches

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:
“There is a logistics system that supports the F-35 called ALIS. It cannot scale. It has got huge problems. It drives the maintainers nuts. And so we put together a team of Lockheed Martin, Air Force programmers and maintainers on the flight line,” she said.

For those like us who follow the F-35 program we know ALIS was flagged early as problematic and needed a priority fix. However if you read the article, the latest team "Mad Hatter" tasked with solving the problem was only set up late last year even though some of the technical issues date back to 2012. You therefore wonder what have they been doing in the last 6 years.

ALIS’ problems are legion and legendary in the defense acquisition community. New software builds take more than a year to formulate and are often late. Data gaps have caused canceled missions. In a report released in January, the Pentagon’s director of test and evaluation blasted the lack of progress in fixing the logistics system’s longtime technical issues — some of which have been on the books since 2012.

Having read the article in its entirety I have no clue what the issues are beyond the description that the solution is best suited for cloud based computing and user friendly apps. Reading between the lines, I get a sense that the present software lacks integration and requires a lot of manual interface. I apply a basic principle in making judgement of things. If a spokesperson cannot articulate the problem in simple meaningful sentences, the person do not understand the underlying issues and this is an example. A software is just the enabler. Are the problems connected to data integrity or timely availability; integration; supply chain related; parts management; false diagnostic driving analytics; et al?

 

[Jura The idiot]

... If a spokesperson cannot articulate the problem in simple meaningful sentences, the person do not understand the underlying issues ...

... or s/he plays dumb, in fact being well aware of what's screwed

A software is just the enabler. Are the problems connected to data integrity or timely availability; integration; supply chain related; parts management; false diagnostic driving analytics; et al?

my conjecture is the F-35 on-board diagnostics is at last-century level, so it can't cope with something THAT over-overgineered, but can't be upgraded either

 

[Jura The idiot]

and in the meantime (dated February 27, 2019)
Lockheed expects F-35 flying costs will take time to come down: executive

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Lockheed Martin Corp expects it will take around 15 to 20 years to bring the cost per flight hour of the F-35 below fourth-generation fighter jets such as the F-16, the head of the F-35 program said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Air Force, the largest global customer for the F-35, has launched a push to drive down the cost of flying and servicing F-35s to the same levels as current fighters without stealth capabilities.

Lockheed Martin Vice President and General Manager F-35 Program Greg Ulmer said there was an effort to lower the cost per flight hour to $25,000 by 2025 but further savings would take longer.

“Today it is different customer by customer but I think $35,000 per flying hour is a good number,” he told Reuters in an interview at the Australian International Airshow.

“If we project that out based on the initiatives we have in place, we believe as we move out to the 2035-2040 timeframe we can get that cost down to under what a fourth gen is today,” in the range of $20,000-25,000 per flight hour.

Initiatives involved in lowering the cost to $25,000 an hour include reducing the number of mechanics needed to support each plane, Ulmer said.

Lockheed is also looking to refine diagnostic systems to reduce false alarms as well as to ensure there are proper spare parts available for maintenance and repairs.

Lockheed Martin Vice President and General Manager Training and Logistics Services Amy Gowder said the United States had been late to install enough capacity for F-35 repairs due to delays in funding approvals.

“The U.S. has been very slow to fund that in the depots specifically like Hill Air Force Base,” she said. “They should have started those projects a few years ago.”

That was becoming increasingly problematic as more planes were added to the fleet, Gowder said.

“When you have 180 aircraft it is probably okay. Now we have 300. It is the scale of the volume increases which is why there is a concern,” she said.

“That is putting more pressure on the supply chain in the near term.”

The U.S. Air Force did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside usual business hours.

Operating costs were a big issue when military officials from the United States, Israel and F-35 user nations in Europe - Britain, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Turkey, the Netherlands - met in Germany in September last year.

Experts say the U.S. Air Force could cut back its planned purchases of the aircraft unless it can lower the flying costs.

 

[Brumby]

Navy Declares Initial Operational Capability for F-35C Joint Strike Fighter

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Congratulations to the program. It was a long road getting to the final service declaring IOC.

 

[bd popeye]

Thanks for posting Bumbry. I'd like to know besides VFA-147 what other USN VFA squadrons are transitioning to F-35C. I can't seem to find that information. If anyone knows please post. Thanks!

 

[Brumby]

Thanks for posting Bumbry. I'd like to know besides VFA-147 what other USN VFA squadrons are transitioning to F-35C. I can't seem to find that information. If anyone knows please post. Thanks!

You are right. Other than VFA-147, the current program of record only specifically calls for VFA-101 and VFA-125 to be stood up as the East and West Coast Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS). VFA-125 at NAS Lemoore will additionally be responsible for training brand-new naval aviators on the type and will also assist in transitioning fleet squadrons to the F-35C.