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

[Jeff Head]

VFA-147 first front line F-35C unit

The Navy has selected the first operational strike fighter (VFA) squadron that will fly the F-35C Lightning II strike fighter.

VFA-147, based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., is slated to become the first carrier-based squadron to operate the F-35C. The squadron currently operates the F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter.

The announcement was made Sept. 10 during an aviation panel at the annual Tailhook Association convention in Reno, Nev., by Cmdr. Timothy F. “Bo” Locke, the F-35 requirements officer for the director of Air Warfare in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

VFA-147, known as the Argonauts, will make the transition in 2018, with the goal of entering the deployment cycle in 2020.
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This is GREAT news.

Someone has to be the first unit to transition...and it will be a great honor for these guys to get this opportunity.

Way to go Argonauts!

 

[Jeff Head]

F-35As at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho

We've been lucky to have seven F-35A at mountain Home AFB here in Idaho from the 61st Fighter Squadron from Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix Arizona. The main objective of the training has been to increase instructor pilots' skill in finding and destroying surface to air threats. Officials say Mountain Home Air Force Base provides them a great training opportunity thanks to their range in northern Nevada.

"One of the bread-and-butter missions of the F-35 is to locate and destroy surface to air threats on the ground. The range up here is world-class for that type of environment so we’re able to come up and have some world-class training up at Mountain Home," said Lieutenant Colonel Michael Gette commander of the 61st Fighter Squadron.

Many of you may remember me taking some of my grandsons to see the Gunfighter Skies Air SHow at Mountain home about two years ago at Mountain Home when they had a couple of F-35s here for show. I posted it here on SD:

https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/gunfighter-skies-2014-airshow.t7027/

Well, this is the real thing. These birds are IOC, and now this squadron is here bombing and blowing things up (particularly finding potential AAW sites) so they can go back and train many other F-35A pilots to do the same.

This post and the following two are pictures of these F-35As here in Idaho. On the last page are a couple of stills of them using precision guided munitions to hit a particular building within a group of buildings.

Great stuff!

 

[Jeff Head]

...more pictures of F-35s at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho:

 

[Jeff Head]

...final pictures of F-35s at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho:



...and the bet goes on...baby the beat goes on!

 

[Equation]

VIPER: "Good morning gentlemen the temperature is 110 degrees..."

Hollywood: "Holy....sh...t it's VIPER!"

Goose: "Greaaat Viper's here...holy sh...t!"

MOMENTS LATER

VIPER: "Break NOW JESTER"

That's what that image reminds me of.

 

[Jura The idiot]

the usual, right?
Boeing protests Denmark's F-35A decision

Boeing has initiated a legal challenge against Denmark’s Ministry of Defence for selecting the Lockheed Martin F-35A over the F/A-18E/F as the Danish air force’s next generation fighter.

Boeing submitted a request for insight to the Ministry of Defence to obtain all materials related to what the manufacturer calls a “flawed” evaluation process.

“Denmark deserves to know beyond a shadow of doubt that a fair and transparent process was used to select the country’s future fighter fleet,” says Debbie Rub, vice-president and general manager of Boeing Global Strike.

In June, Denmark’s parliament approved a recommendation by the MoD to buy 27 F-35As after the New Fighter Programme Office released an evaluation showing the Lockheed fighter was the superior option compared to the F/A-18E/F or the Eurofighter Typhoon.

In four judging catetgories — military, strategic, economic and industrial — the F-35A topped the alternatives in the Danish evaluation. The F-35A was judged to be more affordable than the F/A-18E/F by almost half.

“Our action today underscores our belief that the Ministry’s evaluation of each of the four selection criteria fell short of these objectives and must be reviewed to the fullest extent allowed under Danish law,” Rubs says in a statement.

Boeing also has presented objections against the MoD’s evaluation to the Denmark Parliament Defence Committee.

source is FlightGlobal

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[Jura The idiot]

...
UK (Level I Partner)
...

... found this picture(s) now:

 

[FORBIN]

... found this picture(s) now:

Good !
I don't think with a Meteor more big the Block 5 can host 6 as the number of AIM-120.

 

[Jura The idiot]

just one comment personally from me: I post news as they come and go!
15 F-35 Models Grounded Due to Wiring Issue

The US Air Force has ordered the grounding of 13 F-35A models, as well as a pair of Norwegian F-35As, following the discovery of "peeling and crumbling" coolant tube insulation.

The issue appears to have been with a supplier of coolant lines, which are installed in the wings of the jet. During a routine maintenance check, it was discovered that the insulation on the lines were in some cases decomposing, which left residue in the fuel itself, according to a release from the Norwegian government on the grounding.

The issue has been traced back to the insulated coolant tubes manufactured by one particular provider that have only been installed in the wing fuel tanks of the 15 aircraft — 10 from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, two US and two Norwegian F-35As at Luke AFB, Ariz., and one plane at Nellis AFB, Nev.

The problem was first discovered this summer during depot maintenance of an F-35A being prepared for initial operational capability, Lockheed Martin spokesman Mike Rein said.

After maintainers found three aircraft with crumbling coolant tubes, Lockheed conducted subsequent tests that "indicated it was possible for this crumbling insulation to become lodged in the siphon lines connecting wing and fuselage fuel tanks," said US Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek. "This could result in excessive negative pressures in the fuel tanks during flying operations or excessive positive pressures during air or ground refueling. In either case, the under- or over-pressure could cause structural damage to the fuel tanks."

Lockheed works with several suppliers that are responsible for manufacturing the coolant lines, but Rein declined to disclose which of its subcontractors had been responsible for the nonconforming part. The company plans to continue to work with that supplier in future F-35 lots, he said.

"There has been no discussion about changing doing business with them," he said.

Stefanek said the Air Force ordered the temporary suspension of flight operations for those jets out of an "abundance of caution" regarding potential effects from the degraded insulation.

"Although testing and simulation are ongoing, initial indications are that impacts are either minimal or can be mitigated. However, it is too early to outline specific issues that might arise," she said. "Again, our primary concern is the safety of our pilots. This is a prudent precaution. Identifying and addressing issues is a standard part of the lifecycle of any of our aircraft."

The impact expands further than the operational F-35 inventory, as there are 42 aircraft currently on the production line that have received parts from the same provider. That includes three three Norwegian aircraft scheduled for delivery early next year. It is unclear if those parts will need to be replaced or if other nations planes will be impacted.

According to an Air Force press release, engineers from the F-35 Joint Program Office, Lockheed AFB and have inspected eight aircraft and are working on a plan for mitigate issues connected with the pause in flight operations. The service expects a proposed mitigation strategy as early as next week, but even after a fix is identified, it could take "days to weeks" to repair each airplane, Stefanek said.

Lockheed is developing potential fixes for the impacted jets that would allow them to return to flight as soon and as cheaply as possible, but Rein declined to comment on when the company would have a plan finalized. It is also working on a root cause analysis.

The F-35 JPO stressed that the problem was caused by a manufacturing defect rather than a technical problem that would affect the aircraft's performance.

"The root cause of the problem was determined to be use of nonconforming material for the tubing insulation and improper manufacturing processes during fabrication of the cooling lines," it said in a statement. "The non conforming material that was used is not compatible with fuel, causing degradation of the insulation and resulting in it falling off the tubing."

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Morten Klever, director of the Norwegian F-35 Program Office, emphasized that the issue was not a design flaw but instead was caused by a supplier using improper materials and techniques for the parts.

“I expect Lockheed Martin to identify the appropriate measures to correct this issue, and that they implement these as quickly as possible,” Klever said.

This story is developing and will be updated.

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News
Temporary Suspension of Flight Operations Announced for a Limited Number of F-35A Aircraft
September 16, 2016
at manufacturer's site

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In consultation with our customers, a precautionary suspension of flight operations was issued for 15 F-35A aircraft. This action was taken after non-conforming insulation was found on coolant tubing carrying Poly-Alpha-Olefin (PAO) throughout the jet’s wings.

This issue was discovered during depot maintenance on one of the impacted jets where loose insulation was discovered. The issue is confined to one supplier source and one batch of parts. In total, 57 F-35As are affected; 42 are in production and 15 have been delivered to the U.S. Air Force and Norway.

This is not a technical or design issue, it is supply chain manufacturing quality issue. It will likely require depot-level maintenance to address the corrective actions for the 15 jets in the field. The U.S. Government and Industry engineering teams are analyzing the best approach to resolve this issue. For the 42 F-35As in assembly, the issue will be addressed prior to their delivery.

Safety is always our first consideration and Lockheed Martin is committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible to return jets to flying status.

 

[Air Force Brat]

The

just one comment personally from me: I post news as they come and go!
15 F-35 Models Grounded Due to Wiring Issue
source:

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News
Temporary Suspension of Flight Operations Announced for a Limited Number of F-35A Aircraft
September 16, 2016
at manufacturer's site

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The insulation covering the coolant lines is degraded by the coolant, major pain in the butt, but that's the "music business" or maybe I should have said "show business", LOL. It is indeed disappointing and the fact that we are talking depot level maintenance means its going to be a lot of work.

That's why its so important to do inspections and preventive maintenance, and whoever the supplier is will get "dinged" and likely have to "foot the bill"???