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

[Jeff Head]

Current builds and deliveries for the F-35 world wide are now:

Italy

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These are what are either already delivered or currently on the production line building.

For example, the UK has eight of those 14 delivered.

The US numbers are much closer to what has actually been delivered. The US has over 200 JSF aircraft of the 232 total in que flying now.

285 now delivered or on the manufacturing floor world wide...and those numbers are going to grow faster and faster with each passing year.

 

[Jura The idiot]

in case you didn't know Air Force F-35s coming to Japan in November
7 hours ago

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The Air Force’s F-35 is making its operational debut in the Asia-Pacific region, with 12 A-models set to arrive at Kadena Air Base, Japan, early this November for a six-month deployment.

More than 300 airmen from the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah — including pilots, maintainers and other personnel — will deploy to Kadena to support the aircraft, Pacific Air Forces announced.

“The F-35A gives the joint warfighter unprecedented global precision attack capability against current and emerging threats while complementing our air superiority fleet,” said Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander. “The airframe is ideally suited to meet our command’s obligations, and we look forward to integrating it into our training and operations.”

Although the large number of F-35s moving into the Asia-Pacific, and long duration of their rotation, is somewhat surprising, it had long been expected that the A-model would deploy to the region for the first time this year.

Expectations were heightened when two A-models showed up at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition last week. The aircraft did not perform a flight demonstration during the show and were instead featured as static displays, but defense watchers speculated that the F-35 could remain in the region after the show.

Before leaving office in February, former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James hinted that the service would deploy two separate “theater security packages” of F-35s by the end of 2017 – first to Europe, then to the Asia-Pacific.

“Now that the F-35 has been declared combat capable, we will deploy our newest fighter to Europe in the not too distant future,” she said in December. “Matter of fact, if I were a betting woman, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if the F-35 didn’t make an appearance, perhaps, next summer.”

The service made good on its promise in April, when it sent eight F-35As to RAF Lakenheath, England. During the three weeks spent in Europe, the aircraft made stops in Estonia and Bulgaria and trained with NATO partner aircraft from countries like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Although the November deployment will mark the first time the A-model operates in the Asia-Pacific, the Marine Corps has had its F-35B short takeoff and landing variant permanently stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, since January.

 

[FORBIN]

 

[FORBIN]

Air Force F-35s coming to Japan in November

Except for politic, strategy etc..; the main interest is relieve F-22's fleet with a deployment in less
coz not only deployments to Kadena in general 6 - 12 birds 6 months on 12 but also a permanent detachment to Al Dhafra UAE with 6.
Considering 5th generation do the job separately not completely ofc.

 

[Jura The idiot]

according to FlighGlobal Lockheed F-35 deliveries lag in third quarter

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After nine months of production, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 line is still lagging, according to the latest company earnings report.

Lockheed delivered 15 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at the end of September, according to its third quarter 2017 earnings released this week. That batch brings Lockheed’s total F-35 deliveries to 44 this year, far away from the Lockheed's original goal of 66 jet deliveries by the end of 2017.

Lockheed delivered 14 jets in the second quarter of this year and 15 in the previous quarter, setting a nine-month average of almost three deliveries a month. To meet the 2017 delivery goal, Lockheed needs to average 5.5 deliveries a month for the full year.

While the company often boosts its deliveries in the fourth quarter, the year-end goal would set an ambitious production pace for the next two months. In April, a Pentagon contract management agency forecast Lockheed’s year-end delivery at 57 jets, based on the lower than expected delivery rates in prior years.

Lockheed's delivery target in 2016 was set at 53 F-35s, but the company's globally distributed production system managed to hand over only 46.

Lockheed assembles the F-35 in three locations: Forth Worth, Texas; Cameri, Italy and Najoya Japan. Primary suppliers for major structures include Lockheed (forward fuselage and wings), Northrop Grumman (centre fuselage) and BAE Systems (aft fuselage). But major components are also assigned to factories across Europe, Australia and North America.

Once the components reach the final assembly stage, Lockheed must assemble and integrate the structures with the F-35's engine, systems and wiring while maintaining the aircraft's rigid tolerance requirements for stealth.

Despite the lagging deliveries so far this year, Lockheed executives struck an optimistic tone during a 24 October earnings call, quoting the low-rate initial production lot 11 contract award from this summer. Lot 11 will deliver another 141 jets, including US and foreign orders.

 

[Jura The idiot]

May 14, 2017

May 6, 2017

kinda related:
Italians say 'Ciao' to first locally built F-35B
source:

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now First F-35B Assembled Outside Of The U.S. Makes First Flight In Italy
Oct 24 2017

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“BL-01” is the first Italian F-35B STOVL jet.
On Oct. 24, the first F-35B, the Short Take-Off Vertical Landing variant of the the F-35 Lightning II, the first assembled internationally, flew its first sortie from Cameri airfield, home of the Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility, in northwestern Italy.

The aircraft, designated BL-1, is the first F-35B assembled internationally. The aircraft should be delivered to the Italian MoD soon. Then, after a series of “confidence flights” from Cameri, an Italian pilot will fly the first F-35B jet to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, to conduct required Electromagnetic Environmental Effects certification. The next Italian F-35B aircraft is scheduled for delivery in November 2018.

Based on the previous LM releases, the aircraft should be destined to the Italian Navy. However, for the moment it was not given any specific unit markings.

The

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has the only F-35B production capability outside the United States. It will assemble the 60

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s and 30

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(for a total of 90 aircraft to be procured by the Italian Air Force and Navy), will build 29 F-35A for the

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and was selected in December 2014 as the European F-35 airframe Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade center for the entire European region.

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, F-35s will replace the Italian Air Force ageing

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and

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attack planes and the

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[Jeff Head]

May 14, 2017

now First F-35B Assembled Outside Of The U.S. Makes First Flight In Italy
Oct 24 2017

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When they get fully operational, the Cavour with 24 F-35Bs will be a very powerful carrier.

 

[Jura The idiot]

When they get fully operational, the Cavour with 24 F-35Bs will be a very powerful carrier.

I was surprised to see her modest capacity:

"The ship can support eight VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft such as AV-8B Harrier or F-35 joint strike fighter VTOL variant, or 12 helicopters, such as the EH101, NH 90 or SH-3D, or a mix of platforms."

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"L’hangar, necessario per il ricovero e la manutenzione in navigazione degli elicotteri e degli aerei, è lungo 134 mt e largo 21, con la capacità di ospitare fino ad 11 aeromobili."

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[FORBIN]

Current builds and deliveries for the F-35 world wide are now:

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These are what are either already delivered or currently on the production line building.

The US numbers are much closer to what has actually been delivered. The US has over 200 JSF aircraft of the 232 total in que flying now.

.

Nearly 200 of America's F-35s May Remain Indefinitely Unfit for Combat (Updated)

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Not completely exact Block 2B is limited but able to combat armed with only in weapons bays
AIM-120
GBU-32 JDAM, GPS, 454 kg
GBU-12 JDAM, LGB, 227 kg
Mk-80 series free fall 227/907 kg
And also limited to G limit about 1 in less than Block 3i different for the versions 5.5 - 7.5 G later Block 3F, 7.5 - 9 G.

USMC had decladred IOC with this block, USAF Block 3i and USN later with Block 3F the true Block for combat.

For number must be
108 A Block 2B plus about 30 Block 3i really capable in 1 FS and some in the 2nd
34 C ( 28 + 6 ) USN/USMC Block 2B
47 B Block 2B plus about 15 Block 3i really capable in 1 VMFA and some in the 2nd

BTW it is not a problem for formation, training use this variant all OCU use a less capable verion in the world in general and planned 144 to Luke, 80 for USN OCUs and 50 for USMC OCUs so no problems.

 

[Jura The idiot]

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in action:
Pentagon kicks off intensive F-35 cost review
1 day ago

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The U.S. Defense Department’s deep dive into the F-35’s cost is officially underway, as a team of Pentagon officials works their way through the massive supply chain of the joint strike fighter, a top official said Monday.

The Pentagon knows how much it’s paying for the F-35, but the deep dive will help officials understand the true cost of the jet and why, as well as what can be done to whittle down the price tag even further, said Shay Assad, the department’s director of defense pricing.

Over the next several weeks, the assessment team will meet with the three major contractors on the F-35 — prime contractor Lockheed Martin, as well as BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman, which make major portions of the fuselage — and lay out the parameters of the review.

“Lockheed is familiar with this process because we’ve done it before with them, so this isn’t something new,” Assad said. “Many of the things we’re talking about are just practices that have occurred in the past, this will just be much more rigorous. So we’ll lay it out with the companies. And we’ll also lay out for them: Here’s our plan in terms of your subcontractor base, and this is what we want to do, and then get off and get the work done.”

The review will take about a year to complete.

“It’s a very intense effort,” he said.

While Assad has a cost-savings target in mind, he declined to share that number, saying he wants to ensure it’s feasible before publicly releasing how much he will expect the price of F-35 production and sustainment to decrease.

“What are the opportunities and do they believe that they can realistically implement [them]? There’s no sense creating goals that are fiction. I don’t believe in that kind of stuff,” he said.

However, Assad noted that he thinks Lockheed can bring unit costs down even further than its current goal: an $80 million F-35A conventional takeoff and landing model by 2020.

“I think our view is we believe there is opportunity in the entire chain, from Lockheed Martin to Northrop to BAE to their subcontractors. We want to work with the companies collaboratively to get on that path for improvement,” he said.

Assad announced the deep-dive review in March, saying he hoped it would help the department learn where to de-layer the supply chain and push companies to invest their own funds on cost-cutting improvements to the manufacturing process.

In September, Vice Adm. Mat Winter, head of the F-35 joint program office, said Assad’s work had already begun influencing the contract negotiations for an international block buy encompassing lots 12, 13 and 14.

“He continues to provide valuable information to the [program executive officer] to better inform my production negotiations with Lockheed Martin Aero,” Winter said. “You can read into that however you want. I can’t give you any more details on that right now.”