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

Oct 5, 2018
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oh reallyit's
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and
Heading into F-35 operational tests, threat of delays loom
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The F-35 is set to move into operational testing next month — a major milestone that precedes the Pentagon’s decision on whether to begin full-rate production of the jet — but there are already signs that it may not be able to complete testing on time.


Furthermore, the F-35 joint program office is still assessing what impact a recent
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will have on its Nov. 13 start date — though the JPO remains confident that it can wrap up needed repairs in time for operational tests to begin in November.

The Pentagon is aiming to wrap up initial operational test and evaluation, or IOT&E, on schedule in July 2019 despite a two-month delay in starting the tests, according to a Sept. 14 PowerPoint presentation by F-35 test director Air Force Col. Varun Puri, which Defense News obtained.

However, it will but will have to move through test points at a rapid pace and accept additional risk in order to make that deadline, stated the document, which described the readiness of the F-35 to begin testing.

Puri’s presentation specifies a Nov. 13 target date for the F-35 to begin the formal IOT&E process.

Nov. 13 remains the projected start data “pending completion of the remaining readiness actions,” stated F-35 JPO spokesman Joe Dellavedova in response to emailed questions, although “impacts from a mandatory fuel system inspection are being assessed,” he acknowledged.

Last week, all U.S. and international F-35s were momentarily grounded to allow for a fleet-wide inspection of the jets for a defective fuel tube that was found in the Marine Corps’ investigation into a
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.

By Monday morning, more than 80 percent of about 300 F-35s already in service had returned to flight, and about half of the impacted jets can be fixed using the existing spare parts inventory. Pratt & Whitney, which produces the F135 engine for all F-35 variants, is racing to procure more parts so that the remaining aircraft can be cleared in the coming weeks. However, questions still remain on whether Pratt or the U.S. government will be on the hook for paying for retrofits.

While a short deferment of a couple days or a couple weeks is usually not a significant barrier — and could turn out inconsequential in the F-35 program’s case — the test plan does not leave much room to absorb delays.

The Joint Strike Fighter Operational Test Team, or JOTT, still believes it can complete IOT&E by the original July 2019 goal, but only by “reducing re-fly assumptions and assuming more risk” — or in layman’s terms, lowering its estimates of how many tests it will need to redo in order to complete the test program and leaving little margin for flight cancellations due to weather or other factors.

In the “worst case scenario,” completion of operational testing could occur as late as Sept. 2019, which could add budget pressure to the program, Puri’s presentation said.

It’s unclear what form those budget pressures would take. “IOT&E is fully funded through September, if required,” said DellaVedova, but the JPO did not respond to a question on whether additional funding would be needed if testing slipped even further, into the new fiscal year starting on Oct. 1.

When asked about the specific types of risk the Pentagon will assume in order to complete IOT&E on time, the JPO did not provide specifics, saying that it was up to the JOTT and the
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to lay out the schedule.

“Operational testing will be executed in the most expeditious and efficient manner possible, while ensuring test adequacy is met, with continuous assessments of progress toward test objectives based on collected data,” DellaVedova said.

The formal IOT&E period was initially scheduled to begin Sept. 15, but was
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, called 30R02.03. Robert Behler, the director of operational test and evaluation (DOT&E), said in an Aug. memo that the new software was needed to correct deficiencies with the F-35’s Air-to-Air Range Infrastructure system, which will allow testers to evaluate the jet during range-based testing.

Preliminary IOT&E activities began earlier this year, and included two ship missions against low-end threats,
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.

Earlier this month, the Defense Department’s top acquisition official — Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment —
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, concurring with the F-35 joint program office’s recommendation to start testing in mid-November, said her spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Andrews in a statement. The decision was made after an Oct. 2 operational test readiness review.

Currently, the Defense Department is slated to make a decision on full rate production by the end of 2019, but IOT&E activities will need to be complete before a declaration is made.
 
Monday at 8:43 PM
inside
Most F-35s return to flight operations after fuel tube problem
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:

"After a fuel tube problem sidelined
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last week, more than 80 percent of jets have been cleared to return to flight, the F-35 joint program office stated Monday.


In a Oct. 15 statement, the JPO confirmed that all U.S. service and international partners have completed inspections of their F-35 inventories for faulty fuel tubes, and the aircraft that are not impacted by the bad tubes are back in flying status."

which might mean several dozen were affected (there's like three-hundred F-35s in total now)
and now noticed inside
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"5 of the UK’s 16 F35s were found to have fuel tubes needing replaced, it is understood that those aircraft remain grounded pending replacement of the tubes."
 
Oct 4, 2018
DOD To Finalize F-35 Acquisition Strategy Within Weeks

Oct 1, 2018
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so let's wait and see
now
Pentagon Finalizes F-35 Acquisition Strategy
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but, hey, "The government has not finalized the cost for the new plan, “but we are very close to that,” Pentagon acquisition executive Ellen Lord told Aviation Week Oct. 19 en route to Luke AFB, Arizona."

The U.S.
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has finalized the long-awaited acquisition strategy for the Joint Strike Fighter, a document one senior official described as a “demand signal” from the Pentagon to industry.

The government has not finalized the cost for the new plan, “but we are very close to that,” Pentagon acquisition executive Ellen Lord told Aviation Week Oct. 19 en route to Luke AFB, Arizona. Aviation Week was invited to accompany senior Pentagon officials on an
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trip around the western U.S.

The document focuses not only on managing an integrated supply chain that includes lower-tier vendors but also on reducing the time it takes to manufacture aircraft so that
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meets its monthly delivery goal. The company is currently meeting its annual delivery target but does not always hit the mark on a monthly basis.

“At this point it’s a high-level acquisition strategy, but we’re really embarking on an effort with Lockheed Martin to clearly state our key priorities and we will really work with them on that,” she said. “It really is all about managing the integrated supply chain and getting the flow times down.”

Lord will meet with the House and Senate armed services committees this week to brief staffers on the F-35 as part of a quarterly update on the program.

Aerospace DAILY previously reported the service acquisition executive had signed off on the F-35 acquisition and the document was awaiting Lord’s approval.

The strategy document will describe the program’s continuous capability development and delivery (C2D2) methodology “appropriately,” F-35 program executive offer Vice Adm. Mat Winter told reporters Oct. 1. Winter first described the C2D2 proposal in September 2017 when he compared it to running app updates on a mobile phone.

Skeptics have criticized the concept. They see the methodology as a way for the program to defer planned Block 3F capability. The Pentagon operational test and evaluation director’s office called the C2D2 plan “not executable” because of limited test aircraft. The independent office also criticized the six-month software production cycle because it does not update the logistics system or mission data files.

Separately, Lord said the Pentagon has received an initial proposal from Lockheed Martin on Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 12 and are “just about to get going on negotiations.”

Lord said she would like to speed up the time it takes to finalize LRIP 12 negotiations compared to previous aircraft lots.

“I think we’ve been exceptionally slow in the past and we have a commitment from Lockheed to work on it,” Lord said.
 

gelgoog

Brigadier
Registered Member
Who knows, they might eventually get the aircraft with the specs they originally demanded in the contract.
 
Oct 15, 2018
inside
Most F-35s return to flight operations after fuel tube problem
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:

"After a fuel tube problem sidelined
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last week, more than 80 percent of jets have been cleared to return to flight, the F-35 joint program office stated Monday.


In a Oct. 15 statement, the JPO confirmed that all U.S. service and international partners have completed inspections of their F-35 inventories for faulty fuel tubes, and the aircraft that are not impacted by the bad tubes are back in flying status."

which might mean several dozen were affected (there's like three-hundred F-35s in total now)
and
Some F-35s grounded again for new round of inspections

41 minutes ago
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The F-35 Joint Program Office temporarily has halted flight operations for a number of F-35s with higher flight hours after finding two new parts that will require inspection on older models of the jets.

A spokesman for the F-35 JPO, who confirmed the issue exclusively to Defense News and Marine Corps Times, declined to detail exactly how many jets may possibly be grounded as a result of the inspections. However, one source close to the program said that only a couple dozen F-35Bs meet the criteria where an operational pause would be necessary.

“The joint government and industry technical team has completed their assessment of the fuel supply tubes within the Pratt & Whitney engine on F-35 aircraft,” the F-35 Joint Program Office announced in a statement. “In addition to the previously identified failed tube, the analysis has identified two additional fuel supply tubes that require inspection.”

Some of the older engines with higher flight hours may require additional fuel tube replacements.

“While the two additional fuel tubes have not failed, engineering data collected during the ongoing investigation established the requirement for a time-phased inspection based on engine flight hours,” the Joint Program Office said in an emailed statement. “The procedure to inspect and replace can be done by flightline maintenance without removing the engine.”

F-35s that have not reached the “inspection requirements” are continuing normal flight operations, according to the Joint Program Office.

A source close to the program said the two additional tubes currently being inspected are made by the same supplier and using the same method as the initial tube that was found to be faulty and resulted in a fleetwide grounding this month.

Because the Marine Corps' F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing jets are subject to different stresses than the other models, only B models that have reached a certain number of flight hours will be grounded for inspections. F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft and F-35C carrier takeoff and landing jets, however, will have tubes replaced as part of normal phased maintenance.

The Marine Corps air station out of Beaufort, South Carolina, told Marine Corps Times that its F-35Bs are cleared to fly.

“We are conducting our inspections of all our aircraft, per the JPO statement,” Lt. Sam Stephenson, a Marine spokesperson for the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, said in an emailed statement.

There are also F-35Bs
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with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU, aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima.

The 13th MEU is currently operating in the U.S. Central Command area of operations.

Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the F-35 air vehicle, referred questions to the JPO and to Pratt & Whitney.

“We’re continuing to work with Pratt and Whitney, the F-35 Joint Program Office, the U.S. Services and our international customers to minimize impact to the fleet," the company said in a statement. "Pratt and Whitney builds the F135 engine and contracts directly with the F-35 Joint Program Office — and they can best address technical questions related to the engine.”

On Oct. 11, the Pentagon announced it had temporarily grounded its entire fleet of F-35s due to a suspected issue with a fuel tube. The grounding was driven by findings from the first
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near Beaufort on Sept. 28.

The pilot in that incident safely ejected from the aircraft.
 
LOL here's what fanbois are fed
by
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October 24, 2018 Topic:
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Forget the A-10 Warthog: The Army Wants the F-35
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Tuesday at 8:14 AM
Jan 22, 2018
and
Belgium reportedly picks F-35 to replace F-16 fleet
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(the article ends with "The Belgian defence ministry has yet to officially confirm the news.")
while now
F-35A wins Belgian fighter competition
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Belgium has selected the Lockheed Martin F-35A to fill a 34-aircraft requirement to replace its fleet of F-16s.

Belgian defence minister Steven Vandeput announced the decision on 25 October at a media briefing, making Belgium the 13th partner in the programme.

Vandeput says the acquisition is around €500 million ($560 million) less than the €4 billion budgeted for. Deliveries are due to begin in 2023.

In January, the US State Department approved the possible sale of 34 F-35s to Belgium, valuing it at $6.53 billion.

“Alongside the economic and industrial benefits, the enhanced interoperability and transformational capabilities the F-35 brings to Belgium are unmatched,” says Lockheed.

“With stealth technology, advanced sensors, weapons capacity and range, the F-35 is the most capable, survivable and connected fighter aircraft ever built enabling pilots to perform their mission and return home safely.”

The decision sees the F-35 defeat the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon for the requirement. Saab withdrew its Gripen NG from the deal in mid-2017. Three months prior to this, Boeing withdrew its F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, stating that it did not “see an opportunity to compete on a truly level playing field,” due to a perceived preference for the F-35.

The export package includes 38 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, including four spares, plus the full suite of electronic warfare and command and control systems, along with Lockheed's "autonomic" sustainment and logistic services.

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that Belgium operates 52 F-16s, of which 44 are single-seat F-16As and nine are two-seat F-16Bs. The average age of the fleet is 31.2 years, with aircraft ages ranging from 27.1 to 36 years.
 
repeating my favorite Jul 19, 2017
...
LOL I wonder how a Military operating both F-35s and Triumphs would fit into the world of various Analysts
I'd be at a total loss

oops now I imagined an exercise which would pitch these weapons against each other
as now noticed both inside
Russian S-400 setup in Turkey to start in October 2019
Turkish defense minister calls NATO, US concerns on Russian S-400 missiles ‘irrelevant,’ as they operate independently
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Installation of a Russian-bought missile defense system in Turkey will begin a year from now, in October 2019, according to the Turkish defense minister.

“As of October 2019, installation operations will begin” for the Russian S-400 system, Hulusi Akar told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

“Currently, we are in process of selecting personnel.”

“The selected personnel will be sent for training in Russia from the beginning of 2019,” Akar said. “They will get the necessary training there and then they will come back for duty.”

Last December, Turkey announced it had concluded an agreement with Russia to buy two S-400 systems by early 2020. This April both parties agreed on early delivery of the systems.

The S-400 is Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system, with the ability to carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.

Akar gave no details about where the Russian system will be established, saying the decision is still ongoing by the Turkish Air Forces Command.

In June, the U.S. Senate passed a bill prohibiting sales to Turkey of F-35 jets, citing the S-400 purchase as well as Turkey’s detention of U.S. citizens.

Saying that the anti-aircraft missile system will be used independently from NATO systems, Akar said: “We find U.S. and NATO concerns [about the S-400] irrelevant.”

“We never allow any interference in U.S. or NATO systems,” he said, adding “this was not a matter of preference [but] it was a necessity.”

Akar said that Turkey wants to also be a producer, not just a buyer, of these systems, stressing that it will continue working on projects that incorporate Turkish collaboration in production.

US F-35 jets

On the delivery of the U.S. F-35 fighter jets, Akar said: “We do not expect any negativity on this issue.”

"Two F-35s were delivered to us in June,” at a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas, he said, telling how two Turkish pilots went to the U.S. to train on the new jets.

Akar said that when the F-35 jets are brought to Turkey, they will be deployed in the central Anatolian province of Malatya. “Extensive infrastructure work in the area is continuing,” he said.

“There are no bumps in the project, it continues as planned,” he said. “The third and fourth jets will be delivered next March.”

In the years to come, Ankara plans to acquire 100 F-35 fighter jets.

Earlier this month, U.S. Vice Admiral Mat Winter, executive officer for the F-35 program, addressed a legal provision banning F-35 sales to Turkey until a report on Turkish-American relations is issued.

“The Pentagon must submit a report to Congress within 90 days of the 2019 Defense Authorization Act being enacted," he said.

The F-35, a stealth jet built by Lockheed Martin, is considered one of the most expensive pieces of U.S. military equipment, with an average cost of around $100 million.

Turkey has been in the F-35 program since 1999. The Turkish defense industry has taken an active role in their production, including Alp Aviation, AYESAS, Kale Aviation, Kale Pratt & Whitney, and Turkish Aerospace Industries making parts for the first F-35 fighter jet.
 
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