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

[FORBIN]

IAF 2nd batch of three F-35Is (904, 905, & 907) arrived at Lajes Field, Portugal on delivery to Nevatim AB

Azores

They have yet 2 with it a flight but nah Brat have say 4 ship

 

[FORBIN]

 

[FORBIN]

I see it for F-35A to Lakenheath

Interesting to see most F-35s can take off without afterburner, while most Eagles use their A/Bs.

Air Force Brat
TerraN_EmpirE
You see, able to confirm ?

 

[Air Force Brat]

I see it for F-35A to Lakenheath


Air Force Brat
TerraN_EmpirE
You see, able to confirm ?

Yes they are staging out of Lakenheath,,, they will eventually have an organic squadron there, all there exercises will be in UK airspace to deconflict with the Russians so NO chance of anyone getting "shot"! They will be making a few fly-outs or day trips and those will likely be two ships...

now as to the three Israeli birds, that's a production delivery flight, so NON operational. I didn't say they wouldn't fly two ships, I said when they put the gloves on for real, it will be a 4 ship! When they git ready to dump a load of "SUGAR" on someone, it will be a 4 ship, unless there are operational considerations against that??

I would also suspect the Israeli's have been "bumped up" in the production que, as they are first in line of the "axis of EVIL!" Japan will likely get "bumped up" as well due to their little scary neighbor kid!

As Jerry Lee Lewis used to sing, "Theres a Whole Lot of Shakin Goin On"!

 

[FORBIN]

Arrived to Nevatim Sqn 140 now 5 in service, 33 oredered they have right now plans for 75

Israel took possession of three F-35 "Adir" stealth fighter planes on Sunday afternoon, joining the two other planes which landed in Israel in December.

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[FORBIN]

Yes they are staging out of Lakenheath,,, they will eventually have an organic squadron there, all there exercises will be in UK airspace to deconflict with the Russians so NO chance of anyone getting "shot"! They will be making a few fly-outs or day trips and those will likely be two ships...

As Jerry Lee Lewis used to sing, "Theres a Whole Lot of Shakin Goin On"!

Funny as always much too serious a bit bored like you yeaah

Yes planned 2 F-35A Sqns to Lakenheath starting from 2021 surely replace the F-15C Sqn after for the 2 on F-15E i think mimimum one remains but 2 doing a total of 4 Sqns no sure maybe do a too big Wing, Seymour Johnsson is the only and the more numerous fighter-bomber Wing - in the world - to have 4 F-15E Sqns, 94 birds !

Also i have see possible F-35A actually deployed going to Spangdhalem ?

 

[Jura The idiot]

Mar 21, 2017

Jan 30, 2017

... January 30, 2017 Reports: Trump Says He’s Cut $600 Million From F-35 Costs

source is DoDBuzz

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and now Lockheed CEO: Trump Accelerated F-35 Price Drop

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so
"F-35 Cost Savings: The President’s Negotiations On The F-35 Saved “More Than $700 Million...”
“Defense giant Lockheed Martin has agreed to sell 90 new F-35 fighter jets to the US Defense
Department for $8.5 billion -- a deal that amounts to more than $700 million in savings over the last
batch of aircraft delivered. Lockheed Martin credited President Donald Trump for helping to
‘accelerate negotiations’ and ‘drive down the price’ of what is already the most expensive weapons
program in history.”
(Zachary Cohen, “After Trump Attack, Lockheed Martin Slashes F-35 Cost,” CNN, 2/4/17)"

inside 100 Days Of Accomplishments

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[TerraN_EmpirE]

Israel welcomes latest trio of F-35s

• 
  

• 24 APRIL, 2017
  
• SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM
  
• BY: ARIE EGOZI
  
• TEL AVIV

Three additional Lockheed Martin F-35s landed at Nevatim air base in Israel on 23 April, taking the number of fifth-generation fighters to arrive in the nation to five. An initial pair of the conventional take-off and landing type touched down at the same site on 12 December 2016.

Israel Defence Forces

The Israeli air force's “Golden Eagle” squadron will use the new arrivals to intensify training operations, while the jets will also receive modifications unique to the service. According to the unit, its first two F-35I Adir aircraft have already amassed "dozens" of flight hours.

Israel's cabinet approved a deal last November to acquire a latest batch of 17 F-35s, taking the nation's current commitment to 50 units. Six of these are expected to arrive in Israel before year-end, when the air force also expects to declare initial operational capability with its Adir fleet.

Meanwhile, debate continues in Israel about whether to increase its F-35 order beyond a current 50-unit total, or to acquire a second squadron of advanced Boeing F-15s.

Israel's initial requirement was for 75 Adirs, but the need to replace its oldest F-15s has become a high priority. Its air force has operated the strike asset since 1976. No details have been revealed about the version of the twin-engined type that is the focus of evaluations, but sources indicate that it will be capable of carrying an increased load of weapons; similar to Boeing's previously proposed F-15 2040 upgrade configuration.

[/QUOTEhttps://

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And the beat goes on
Still moving strong on and on....

 

[Jura The idiot]

according to DefenseNews
In surprise, F-35s reportedly visiting Estonia

U.S. Air Force F-35s will reportedly arrive in Estonia on Tuesday, putting the service’s newest jet fighter even closer to Russia’s doorstep, according to

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An undisclosed number of F-35As are heading to Ämari Air Base in Estonia, and, after landing on Tuesday, will be in the country for “several weeks” to conduct training flights with aircraft from the U.S. and allied militaries, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR stated in a report Monday.

A spokesman for the Air Force declined to confirm the deployment to Defense News, stating that any information on the F-35s' movements will be available only after they have landed.

The Air Force’s version of the joint strike fighter is in the throes of its first international training deployment. Eight F-35As from the active-duty 34th Fighter Squadron and Reserve 466th Fighter Squadron have deployed from Hill Air Force Base in Utah to RAF Lakenheath since April 15.

The F-35’s trip to Europe is being conducted under the auspices of the European Reassurance Initiative — the Defense Department’s buzzword for a series of exercises and training opportunities with NATO allies meant to signal strength to Russia and improve interoperability.

If ERR’s report turns out to be accurate, the F-35’s trip to Estonia would come as a surprise to the public, and possibly to Russia as well.

In a conference call last week with reporters, Air Force officials disclosed that the A model’s first European deployment would take place predominantly in the United Kingdom, with exercises over U.K. airspace. However, officials noted that the service also planned several “out and back” flights to other NATO nations that would help familiarize pilots with the region.

Ämari Air Base is located in Harjumaa, a county in northwestern Estonia about a three-hour drive from the Russian border. The base has hosted squadrons of aircraft from NATO countries as well as F-22s, which visited the base in 2015 while conducting patrols of the Baltic states’ airspace.

Last week, Air Force officials said there were no plans for the aircraft to be involved in Baltic air policing missions meant to safeguard the skies above Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. However, the service has always maintained that the joint strike fighter is operational and could be called into combat or other operations if needed.

The Defense Department has made several major demonstrations of air power over the past month, including Tomahawk strikes in Syria and the use of the Massive Ordnance Air Blast for the first time in Afghanistan. The movement of F-35s to the Baltic nations would also doubtlessly be seen as a message to Russia about the U.S. military’s strength during a time when the countries’ relationship appears to be eroding.

source:

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[Jura The idiot]

now I read
GAO urges caution on economic order quantity buy for F-35 jet

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A

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released Monday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office warns lawmakers against authorizing the F-35 joint program office to procure bulk quantities of parts — a tool the Joint Program Office sees as critical for driving down the unit costs of the aircraft.

According to the GAO, the JPO could request more than $650 million in the fiscal 2018 budget to procure “economic order quantities,” allowing it to buy a larger number of parts at a time in order to drive down the price per unit as much as possible. Making an EOQ order requires permission from Congress, and the GAO has advised lawmakers to hold off on authorizing such a purchase until the Department of Defense finalizes its plan.

In order to facilitate an EOQ buy, F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney would have to make an upfront investment in lieu of the Pentagon's. The department would eventually pay back that money, but the GAO noted that terms were not set in stone as of January 2017, making it unclear how much the JPO stands to save from an EOQ order.

“Given the uncertainties around the level of contractor investment, it is not clear whether an investment of more than $650 million, if that is the final amount DOD requests in fiscal year 2018, will be enough to yield significant savings,” the report states.

“Regardless, with cost growth and schedule delays facing the F-35 baseline development program, it is unclear whether DOD can afford to fund this effort at this time.”

Economic order quantity and block buy purchases are seen as key by Lockheed officials for bringing down the cost of a conventional F-35A model from $94.6 million during the 10th production batch to $80 million by 2020. The JPO is currently pursuing block buy purchases for F-35 international customers in production lots running from fiscal 2018 to 2020.

“We’re continuing to work on taking costs out," Lockheed’s CEO Marillyn Hewson said in March. "We will, through volume, get reduced costs, and if we do smart buying — combining lots, multiyear buying or economic order quantity — we’ll get a better deal throughout our supply chain because people can plan and invest if they have more volume to work from.”

EOQ orders, block buys and multiyear purchases also were included in the menu of options provided by the JPO to Defense Secretary James Mattis as part of an affordability review ordered earlier this year, F-35 JPO head Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said last month.

As President Donald Trump continues his public fight to lower F-35 unit costs, lawmakers could encounter pressure from his administration to push forward with an EOQ buy, despite concerns from government oversight agencies. In an

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on April 21, the president claimed his intervention in F-35 Lot 10 negotiations helped save about $725 million.

In actuality, unit costs went down by $728 million between lots 9 and 10 due to a confluence of factors, including a spike in production and increased pressure from the JPO. About $455 million of those savings were for U.S. planes, while the remainder was spread between international customers.

That hasn’t stopped Trump from taking credit for the cost savings or using his standing as president to push for additional reductions.

“We went from a company that wanted more money for the planes to a company that cut. And the reason they cut — same planes, same everything — was because of me. I mean, because that's what I do,” Trump told AP.

“I'm gonna get more than that. This was a thing that was out of control and now it's great,” he added. “And the woman that runs Lockheed, Marillyn [Hewson], she was great. But all of a sudden it was a different kind of a thing.”

In its response to the GAO report, the Defense Department stated that it had cemented its EOQ plan, including investor details, since the writing of the report. It intends to submit a legislative proposal and brief Congress on the details, “including the costs and benefits of the finalized EOQ approach, as requested.”

Bogdan, in an additional statement, said the block buy/EOQ strategy would allow customers to save approximately $2 billion over 440 aircraft compared to estimated Lot 11 unit prices.