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

Brumby

Major
Air International April edition highlighted in its article the targeted engine upgrade for the F-35 is towards 2025.

The announcement by GE Aviation on February 27 that its XA100 variable-cycle fighter engine design had completed—to the satisfaction of the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)—the detailed-design process under the US Air Force’s Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) means GE is cleared to manufacture all the parts required to build and test XA100 engines. David Tweedie, GE Aviation’s general manager for advanced combat engines, told AIR International that the detailed-design process involved GE passing “a staggered set of detailed-design reviews (DDRs) over the course of time. That activity was concentrated in 2018.” GE completed the last of the detailed-design reviews before the end of last year, “so at this point there are no further customer DDRs planned as part of the baseline programme. Now we are pivoting to focus on getting the engine manufactured and tested. It’s time for the engineers to put their pencils down, for parts to come in, and let’s go get the data.”

In completing the detailed design of the XA100, according to Tweedie, the company has moved on to a new phase of development from the primary technology-development effort in which it has been involved for the past 12 years to design and mature a variable cycle fighter engine based on an adaptive cycle fan design. Its XA100 design having been approved by the US Air Force, GE has now embarked on the final push to complete Phase 1 of the two-phase AETP programme. This push represents the final maturation of adaptive-cycle fan engine development to the point where an XA100-sized engine can be placed quickly—and with very little technological and design risk—into volume production if required, said Tweedie.

This final push will involve GE Aviation manufacturing the parts needed for three complete XA100 engines that it will build and test by 2021, and GE testing the three engines fully and providing the resulting data to the AFRL. Also, highly importantly, throughout the process the company will be required to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC, which is overseeing the AETP programme) that GE can reliably manufacture the quantity and quality of parts needed for volume production of the XA100 should the US Air Force decide it requires that. Along with Pratt & Whitney’s XA101 variable-cycle engine, GE Aviation’s XA100 is one of two adaptive-cycle fan engine designs competing for what may eventually be a decision by the US Air Force to order just one variable-cycle fighter-engine design into production based on the service’s findings from AETP Phase 1. In 2016, the AFLCMC awarded each of the two companies a $1 billion, five-year R&D contract under AETP Phase 1 so the US Air Force could choose a potential winner from the XA100 and XA101 and order it into production during the first half of the 2020s. As finally became clear publicly in mid-2018, the US Air Force specifically had in mind a potential decision to re-engine the Lockheed F-35 from about 2025 onwards, partly as a result of the known thermal-management challenges the F-35 has today in combination with its existing F135 engine. To that end, the AFLCMC specified that not only must the XA100 and XA101 fit the space within the F-35 that the F135 occupies today, but it also required the competitors’ variable-cycle engines to demonstrate a 10% maximum thrust increase over the F135, along with a 25% fuel-efficiency improvement and the capability to give the F-35 a 20% range increase.
 

Brumby

Major
noted
US, South Korea celebrate first South Korean F-35A and ‘iron clad’ alliance
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plus this vid:
an automatic translation of its description works as far as I can tell
By end of the year South Korea will have 10 of the F-35s and 40 by 2021. If China does not ramp up J-20 production, South Korea alone will have more 5th generation planes than China. LOL.
 

gelgoog

Brigadier
Registered Member
Considering how long the F-35 has been in production by now I don't consider that to be particularly impressive. But yes the F-35 can be part of the strategy to contain China.
 

Brumby

Major
Considering how long the F-35 has been in production by now I don't consider that to be particularly impressive. But yes the F-35 can be part of the strategy to contain China.
I think you are underestimating the precision engineering required to manufacture fifth generation planes and in particular on a large scale like we are seeing with the F-35. The significance is that we are seeing deliveries across to all allied partners. Successively each of them are starting to have their own squadrons and declaring IOC or soon will be doing so. The best part is the pricing continues to decline and will get to $80 million soon. It is incredible value for money considering the capabilities that come with it especially in contrast to the alternatives. It is the best deal in town except that membership is restricted.
 

ougoah

Brigadier
Registered Member
China truly cannot hope to match F-35 production rates by itself. After all there is a union of industrialised nations who have invested in F-35 to make it what it has eventually become. The entire program no doubt has cost many times more than the nearest Chinese equivalent, J-20's. China's counter strategy to US led containment must be asymmetric if it hopes to survive. Most (even optimistic Chinese) would consider US to be militarily superior today, let alone US + allies willing and happy to go to war. Even though most nations won't be going to war against China in that pool of F-35 operators. China's only problem shared with South Korea is called North Korea. This has developed from a military problem into a diplomatic one now that all parties understand the situation well enough. There is close to zero chance of South Korea going to war with China even if the US insists on one. But that relies on China being able to contain NK.

The number of Japanese military assets like F-35s does however concern China. But again China's issue with Japan and vice versa has really changed in the last 40 years. I don't see the two fighting it out either even if things go way south in the disputed regions. There's just way too many corporate and economic interests involved to risk anything serious. Plus the Japanese are actually not dumb or going to play US puppet if things actually go bad. The only real threat to China in every sphere of interest remains the US. But ironically the US needs the flashpoint of Koreas, Japan, and or Taiwan to trigger a real war with China. The US is least likely to have a direct war with China unless it is jumping in to "protect" those other sovereign nations. It requires an excuse and China's not been dumb enough so far to walk into that trap yet. If one day it actually does for whatever provocation or reason, you can bet they would be very sure of their abilities to at least even the playing field.

So basically while the proliferation of advanced weapons around China by the US and her Asian allies have become a conventional problem of "catch up" for China, it doesn't actually threaten China's sovereignty. If the gap is widened so far that it does, China will become belligerent like Russia has been recently. For now it appears still focused on internal issues and development, only reacting to provocations and unilateral moves made by its neighbours like the history of the disputed islands and oceans. Without initial provocations from Vietnam and Japan in the respective disputes, there would have not been such drastic military build up by China of fortified islands. It ISN'T China that first poured concrete and fortified disputed waters and islands (Vietnam) and it ISN'T China that unilaterally allowed their own citizens and corporations from purchasing disputed islands either (Philippines and Japan). Combine that with the obvious military posturing from Taiwan and the "PACRIM" blocks since 1980s, all of this strengthened Chinese leadership in taking these matters as the genuine threats that they are. I'm certain Chinese leadership and military is far more worried about USN and to a lesser extent, Japanese military, than it is about F-35s in Korea. These nations are neighbours, they live next to each other and develop a different sort of agreeability. It is recognised by both Japan and South Korea that a prosperous and stable China is the best China to live with. A warring east Asia could spell death for both their nations. There will come a day when leaders in Japan and South Korea begin to move away from the US led rhetoric when they come to terms of the reality of US interests in ruining this region of the world. This has not fully sunk in yet due to senior age leaders and memories of yesteryear's Communism and that old Chinese/NK communism. If China is smart enough, they will become increasing agreeable and diplomatic with both Japan and South Korea. Resolving the NK issue is at the heart of diffusing the main source of fear and instability in east Asia.
 

Anlsvrthng

Captain
Registered Member
I think you are underestimating the precision engineering required to manufacture fifth generation planes and in particular on a large scale like we are seeing with the F-35. The significance is that we are seeing deliveries across to all allied partners. Successively each of them are starting to have their own squadrons and declaring IOC or soon will be doing so. The best part is the pricing continues to decline and will get to $80 million soon. It is incredible value for money considering the capabilities that come with it especially in contrast to the alternatives. It is the best deal in town except that membership is restricted.

10 000 $/hour difference from F-15 flight hours cost means 80 000 000 $ difference in ownership cost over the lifetime of the aircraft. ( IF can fly 8000 hours, there is still a big question mark about that for the B/C version)


And by all reports the F-35 /F-22 require more flight hours to train the pilots to be able to use it as intended than the F-15.
 
let me repeat the question from Yesterday at 7:47 AM
Japan declares F-35A squadron initial-operation capable
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(dated 29 March, 2019) doesn't say how many aircraft the squadron comprises now; is it still 1 (one)?

asking because Jan 31, 2018
because most of the Jane's story
Japan stands-up first operational F-35A unit
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is behind paywall

OK the question is how many F-35As is there now in
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?
 
I now happened to notice (the link is
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) about, quote

March 30-31: Melbourne Air and Space Show, Florida
What's big: Lockheed Martin's super-sophisticated fifth generation F-35A Joint Strike Fighter jet now has a USAF touring demonstration team.
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the F-35 demo team's official North American debut, according to organizers.
The F-35 has been called the most expensive weapons system in history, partially due to delays in development. Not only is it stealthy and agile, the F-35's sensor technology allows pilots to virtually "see" through the floor of the jet to spot potential threats and targets on the ground.
The USAF F-35 demo team flies the A version of the plane. The B version, flown by the US Marine Corps, can hover and land vertically, if necessary.

unquote
 

timepass

Brigadier
US suspends F-35 deliveries to Turkey over Russian S-400s purchase – Pentagon..

5ca25aeedda4c8ff3b8b458e.JPG


The United States has reportedly stopped shipping equipment related to the F-35 fighter jet to Turkey. Washington’s move comes after Ankara insisted on purchasing the Russian S-400 missile defense system.

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