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

Brumby

Major
@Air Force Brat @Jeff Head @Jura @Brumby and more.
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So the 65th Aggressor Squadron will be flying again. But in F35 Panthers.View attachment 52271 previously they operated from 2005-2014 flying F15 now they will by flying early model F35.
I love aggressor camo but this is likely the look near term I pulled it off the official Facebook page of the wing commander of the 57th View attachment 52272
Thems Black Panthers.
Clearly this was inspired by J31. And that is a F16 sporting some "Ruski" Style digital Shark.
The unit is said to get its birds in early 2022. When they are transferred from Elgin

Thanks for posting the news. About time they put some serious weight behind the aggressors. Initially nine early birds will be re-purposed. Maybe in the interim they can put some F-117s to fill the void to play the role of stealthy threats..
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Maybe in the interim they can put some F-117s to fill the void to play the role of stealthy threats..
F117 is pretty useless for this kind of mission.
The only thing it was designed to do is penetrate air defences and drop LGB. It can't dogfight. And it lacks a ton of sensors. A modern Low Observable Drone pretty much does everything it could better.
For aggressor training you need a VLO fighter that can maneuver and have fighter characteristics. Early F35 offer that.
F117 can only fly penitration bombing
 

Brumby

Major
F117 is pretty useless for this kind of mission.
The only thing it was designed to do is penetrate air defences and drop LGB. It can't dogfight. And it lacks a ton of sensors. A modern Low Observable Drone pretty much does everything it could better.
For aggressor training you need a VLO fighter that can maneuver and have fighter characteristics. Early F35 offer that.
F117 can only fly penitration bombing

I agree that the F-117 lacks certain features pertaining to counter air. I was thinking of a more narrow scope of using the F-117 as a penetrative asset to test and train the blue force for defensive counter air against stealthy penetration. We know that one of the role of the J-20 is to break the defensive line to go against supporting aerial assets like AWACs and tankers. One of the technology that the USAF and USN have been investing in counter stealth is via IRST. It is reported that F-18 Block II's IRST has a greater detection range than its radar and Block III through a 2 ship triangulation can acquire firing solution passively via IRST. Similarly, the current planned trial of the F-15C IRST upgrade can offer firing solution on a stand alone basis. The F-117 will be a good surrogate because it has IR suppression to test against passive sensors like IRST.
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
Nice video of an F-35A..honestly I don't see the aircraft doing anything I've not seen in the last 47 years...Jaw dropping? NOT!


Yeah, you're just old and jaded Pappy, LOL, that's kind of how it is when you think you've seen it all, so yes airplanes, beautiful airplanes, and I've prolly seen em all, but the first time I saw this F-35A model display with "Dojo" on the stick was at RIAT, most of this stuff you have seen, but that 9G break-out where Dojo pert near turns that bird inside out?? (its at about 1:05 on your video), that's still pretty amazing...

Now if you don't think it is, maybe we could "strap your butt" on a pylon for a "ride along", I can assure you, it will get your attention.. a 30 min show will "waste" our boy "Dojo"....

so yeah, the only thing I still find "jaw dropping", well hoping our wifeys don't see this post, but yeah! that's it,,, my wife is still gorgeous, my Grandsons teacher asked my wife is she was his MOM! yeah, she looks that good, and I really don't want to die, so I'm not gonna divulge were she's at on the time space continuum...

but when our Gracious Lord created the Fairer Sex, he went all out on accessories, "Praise the Lord"! and AMEN!
 
Apr 15, 2019
I've been wondering for some time how the F-35 supply chain is diversified;

for example (that's a quote from Jul 23, 2016)

Aselsan is developing manufacturing approaches for advanced optical components, which are part of the F-35 Electro Optical Targeting System.

so what if a credible information came these components (I repeat that's just an example, and I'm looking forward to hear from nitpickers)
wouldn't be available anymore? what happens next?
and now inside yesterday's article
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quote,

Around the same time, F-35 program manager Vice Adm. Mathias Winter told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that removing Turkey from the program would have a “50- and 75-airplane impact over a two-year period.”

That hit to production comes from the 6 percent to 7 percent of the aircraft’s parts that are made in Turkey, Winter said, and “we would see within 45 to 90 days an impact of the slowing down or stopping of those parts to the three production lines.”

Without divulging any specific numbers, Lord on Friday said “we see a potential slowing down of some deliveries over the next two years, some potential cost impacts, but right now we believe we can minimize both of those and are working on refining them.”

end quote
 
Sep 28, 2018
I'll press 'Like' above just to acknowledge
Timmymagic
was the first to post this important news; now checked and it's happened:
F-35B crashes near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina

1 hour ago
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Marine Corps F-35B Has Crashed Near MCAS Beaufort In South Carolina
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and
F-35's First Crash Was Caused by Manufacturing Defect
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May 11, 2019
  • Pentagon had to replace suspect component on 117 jets: report
  • Ruptured fuel tube caused engine failure in S. Carolina crash
The crash of a U.S. Marine Corps F-35 that temporarily
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the entire fleet of next-generation jets in 2018 was caused by a manufacturing defect in a fuel tube made by a United Technologies subcontractor, according to congressional investigators.

The defect “caused an engine fuel tube to rupture during flight, resulting in a loss of power to the engine,” the Government Accounting Office said this week in a
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on major weapons systems that referred to the September crash in South Carolina. The Pentagon told the watchdog that it identified 117 aircraft -- about 40 percent of the worldwide F-35 fleet at the time -- with the same type of fuel tubes that had to be replaced.

The disclosure was the first official information about the crash since the Pentagon program office in late October issued a status statement while the Marine Corps was still conducting its investigation.
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’s Pratt & Whitney unit “is fully responsible” for “the propulsion system and has the lead in working” the failure analyses, according to the statement at the time.

A spokeswoman for the Pentagon F-35 program office deferred comment to Pratt & Whitney, whose spokesman, John Thomas, said the company had no comment.

Ejected Safely
Marine Corps spokesman Captain Chris Harrison said in a statement that the crash probe is continuing, and that the results will be released once complete. The Corps has replaced all of the relevant fuel supply tubes and “we continue to strive each and every day to ensure the safety and readiness of our aircraft,” he added.

The Sept. 28 crash of the F-35B near Beaufort, South Carolina, was the first in the two-decade old program’s often-rocky history of delays, cost increases and technical glitches. Although the pilot safely ejected, the incident prompted concerns about the aircraft, which is being built by and sold to an international consortium of U.S. allies, including the U.K, Italy, Australia and Turkey.

The Pentagon program office last year said “more than 1,500 suppliers are on the F-35 program and this is an isolated incident which is quickly being addressed and fixed. Safety is our primary goal.”

The defective part identified in the report provides operating pressure to the engine and fuel to the engine combustor.

Engine Deliveries
Aside from the defect, Pratt & Whitney’s recent track record delivering engines on time has been spotty. Deliveries surged to 81 in 2018 from 48 in 2012,
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-- yet 86% of those were delivered late, up from 48% in late 2017. The delays were due in part to an increase in the “average number of quality issues per engine” -- 941 in 2018 against 777 a year earlier, the GAO said.

Pratt & Whitney told the GAO that “its late engine deliveries increased in 2018 partially due to a subcontractor that did not have all of the needed tooling in place to produce more F-35B engines,” according to the report.

The F-35 is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, at a projected cost of more than $428 billion. More recently, a Japanese F-35A
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in April, with only portions of the jet’s wreckage found since then despite a monthlong search. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The jet’s pilot hasn’t been found.
 
I would not know how robust is their program against non performers but as TE alluded some contingent measures would likely be built into their pipeline.
now
Pentagon Seeking Potential Replacements for Turkish F-35 Parts
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The Defense Department is seeking alternate suppliers for parts of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter currently provided by Turkish companies, as Turkey’s pursuit of a Russian air defense system threatens its continued participation in the jet program.

The Pentagon has made clear that it will not allow Turkey to buy F-35 jets if it also buys the S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft system. Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters today that Turkey would also not be allowed to remain involved in supplying parts for the jets, and that the program has “for some time” been looking elsewhere for potential suppliers.

“The U.S. continues to speak with Turkey on a routine basis. We have been very clear that the F-35 and the S-400 are incompatible. We have had Turkey as a NATO ally for many years, they’re also a very good supplier on the F-35 program. Those partners in the F-35 program are awarded supply chain contracts on the basis of value,” she said.
“We have for some time now been working to look at alternate sources of supply for the F-35 supply chain that is inside Turkey right now; that being said, we continue to work with Turkey and hope that they will use a NATO-compliant system for their air defense system.”

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, eight Turkish companies have contributed to the Lockheed Martin-built airframe and the Pratt & Whitney propulsion system. Turkey was given approval to build its own F135 engines and was also selected to have the first regional F135 engine depot overhaul facility in Europe. Turkish parts for the jets and their spares were set to be fielded globally, with these companies set to do $12 billion in work on the F-35 program over the life of the jet.

Lord said the Pentagon continues to seek alternate suppliers for the parts currently provided by Turkish companies, though she couldn’t say yet how quickly alternate providers could be put in place if Turkey were to buy the Russian S-400 system and therefore be kicked out of the F-35 program.

Lord noted that the U.S. and its F-35 partners are in agreement that Turkey cannot operate both the Joint Strike Fighter and the Russian S-400, and she said the U.S. and NATO are pushing Turkey to buy Raytheon’s Patriot air and missile defense system.

Regarding potential cost or schedule impacts to the rest of the global program if Turkey were to cancel its orders and leave the supply base, Lord said, “we are working on that right now, and we see a potential slowing down of some deliveries over the next two years. Some potential cost impacts, but right now we believe we can minimize both of those.”

Separately, despite the challenges the F-35 program is currently seeing, other military programs are seeking to increase their use of foreign suppliers to help make up for weaknesses or shortfalls in the U.S. defense industry. Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer said during an April 9 Senate Armed Services hearing that the Navy is working closely with its prime contractors to monitor the “underlying matrix of organizations providing parts” for its ship, aircraft and weapons programs. The added attention comes from both a desire to ensure that all companies are following good cybersecurity practices, as well as a need to gauge the health of the industrial base.

“You’re finding that, in the Navy/Marine Corps enterprise, the acquisition side is going deep – personally, themselves, alongside contractors – to ensure the health and the warning signs and friction points that we have in the supply chain and how we can rectify them,” Spencer said at the hearing.
“As an example, in certain areas we’re sitting there going, okay, if in fact Supplier A is industrial capacity limited, why don’t we go to our allies – if in fact it’s not a critical confidential part – and actually rely more on our allies. As you know, we’re legally allowed to, in many cases, include up to 50-percent foreign parts. We’re now flexing that muscle again to make sure we are exhausting the whole field of availability.”

Lord said during today’s press briefing that her office works closely with prime contractors like shipbuilders Huntington Ingalls Industries and General Dynamics to understand what the limiting factors are to production – personnel, space at facilities and so on – at both the prime and the supplier level. Where the Defense Department and prime contractors can help shore up U.S. industry capability, they do.

“That being said, we, in order to be responsible, need to have Plan B,” she said, which is where foreign suppliers come in.
“Richard (Spencer) and I have discussed that. I know we have talked to various individuals in the government in Italy about what can be done there as well. So I think we owe it to the taxpayers to look at best value, lowest risk, highest capability, so we wouldn’t rule anything out.”

Asked for what specific components the Navy is reaching out to foreign suppliers, Lord said her office is taking a data-driven approach to looking at where that is most appropriate and could not name specific areas just yet.

Naval Sea Systems Command spokesman Bill Couch told USNI News that “the Navy gives preferential status to American suppliers to maintain the health of the U.S. industrial base. Over 98 percent of material for U.S. submarine and aircraft carrier programs are domestically sourced. When used on a case basis, foreign vendors from allied nations further strengthen international relationships and support United States national security.”
 

Brumby

Major
now
Pentagon Seeking Potential Replacements for Turkish F-35 Parts
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Such a development would be a natural process to seek replacement part suppliers. When I mentioned robustness, the meaning is whether the program has been building up inventory as a contingent measure and/or whether they practice dual source supply chain for critical parts.
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
Such a development would be a natural process to seek replacement part suppliers. When I mentioned robustness, the meaning is whether the program has been building up inventory as a contingent measure and/or whether they practice dual source supply chain for critical parts.

It will have a critical impact initially Mr. Brumby, they are likely running on the "just in time" business model that has become popular in this modern world as a cost saving measure?? I was first exposed to this when our hospice had our Hospice Nurse's take all but one bottle of lotion from their "visit bags".. they all went back to the supply room...

This supposedly cut down on excess supply inventory, and was one response to cuts in reimbursement's for nursing, CNA, Chaplain visits etc... Chaplains were replaced by "spiritual counselors" with no church credentials and only college training...

So its a sad state of affairs, but continuous budgeting pressures bring out the "stooped" in layers, over and beyond smart business sense and practices... so though we have known about this nonsense for nearly two years, I can assure you that no real alternative sourcing has been sought out... sadly we don't seem to think that far ahead...

Knowing this however, I am absolutely convinced Turkey has NO business buying the F-35, given Erdogan's insistence on buying the S-400, looks like we made a poor choice of partners.... there is talk of rolling that business over to Italy?? in my opinion a very poor choice in light of their newly elected govt??
 

Brumby

Major
It will have a critical impact initially Mr. Brumby, they are likely running on the "just in time" business model that has become popular in this modern world as a cost saving measure?? I was first exposed to this when our hospice had our Hospice Nurse's take all but one bottle of lotion from their "visit bags".. they all went back to the supply room...

This supposedly cut down on excess supply inventory, and was one response to cuts in reimbursement's for nursing, CNA, Chaplain visits etc... Chaplains were replaced by "spiritual counselors" with no church credentials and only college training...

So its a sad state of affairs, but continuous budgeting pressures bring out the "stooped" in layers, over and beyond smart business sense and practices... so though we have known about this nonsense for nearly two years, I can assure you that no real alternative sourcing has been sought out... sadly we don't seem to think that far ahead...

Knowing this however, I am absolutely convinced Turkey has NO business buying the F-35, given Erdogan's insistence on buying the S-400, looks like we made a poor choice of partners.... there is talk of rolling that business over to Italy?? in my opinion a very poor choice in light of their newly elected govt??

The situation might well be as you described. This outcome could be causally aggravated by the concurrency nature of the program. We know from the recent GAO report that some spare parts are already facing obsolescence when paired against the newer built. This type of operating landscape might influence an even tighter inventory holding of parts to avoid excessive obsolescence and write-offs. That said, I think we should also distinguish between politics and economic interest of the different partners in the program. Even if there is a political fall out, there might not be an immediate decoupling of the economics. There are vested supply entities in Turkey that may be bound by contractual obligations of notice and supply commitments. They would also have an economic interest to exit the supply arrangement in a meaningful rather than abrupt manner. While there might be pain for the US, that type of pain is not necessarily one way.
 
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