Australian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Lethe

Lethe

Captain
Fremm_1A4DD940-C594-11E6-B6CC4AF2C3D73C2A.jpg


Blargh, even when starting with an attractive design like FREMM we manage to make it ugly.
 
Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
now I read (dated December 21, 2016)
RAAF F-35A carries out first weapons release
A Royal Australian Air Force F-35A has dropped a weapon for the first time after the aircraft was upgraded with its initial combat-capable software load.

Images dated December 13 and released on the Department of Defence’s
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
show F-35A A35-002 carrying a GBU-12 laser-guided bomb in its starboard side internal weapons bay.

“The 500lb Paveway II laser-guided bomb, the GBU-12, was the first weapon certified for release on Australian F-35A aircraft, following the recent upgrade of the aircraft with initial warfighting capability software,” caption information for the photos read, suggesting the aircraft has now been upgraded with the final Block 3i software load.

Squadron Leader Andrew Jackson, Australia’s first qualified F-35A pilot, flew the sortie which saw the laser-guided bomb released over the Barry M Goldwater range in southwest Arizona.

A35-002 is one of the first two RAAF F-35As that are currently based at Luke Air Force Base, west of Phoenix. The aircraft were built with an earlier Block 3i software load which restricted them to an interim training and warfighting capability.

“Block 2B and 3i Final software development was completed in May 2016 with all fielded aircraft, including Australia’s two aircraft with 3i software, planned to be upgraded by the end this year,” F-35 Program Deputy Director Air Force Transition Office, Wing Commander Scott Woodland, said in May when the Block 3i Final software load was finalised.

“We are now one significant step closer to seeing our aircraft arrive in Australia with the next increment of software, the Block 3F capability,” WGCDR Woodland said in the May 16 statement.
Click to expand...
source:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

also contains this interesting view:
161213-f-bz180-003_30801293214_o.jpg

A35-002 with its weapons bay open during the loading of the 500-pound Paveway II laser-guided bomb. (Lockheed Martin)
Click to expand...
 
Jeff Head

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
SouthernSky said:
And Trump asks Boeing for the sticker price on a souped up F/A-18F..............
Click to expand...
Trump is playing the Art of the Deal with the Defene Contractors...and that's good.

The F-35 is too far along and too wrapped up with allies to cancel...and quite frankly, if they continue to drop the price through large orders as they are doing and promised to do...it should do fine. But Trump is going to try and hurry that along and maximize the savings...and that's a good thing.

If Lokheed can make it happen a little faster and a little more...with the buildup Trump is talking about, they will get more orders in other places, so it is likely he may be successful.

This is the good thing about a President who knows business dealings being in the white house.

Now, he has to listen to the advisors he picked and has spoken so highly of as well.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top