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

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
sure :)
F-35As Score High Marks in First Red Flag
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Look at "F-35s were able to quarterback" or "call the plays" via link 16, debriefs were easy because everyone was on the same page, mission planning the same, no need to feed data to two separate systems, its all right there and unfolding as it is gathered!

In other words the airplanes are able to talk and uplink to one another, F-35s were feeding legacy aircraft a constant stream of updated data. that's my take, your's isn't far off??? LOL

but since I'm a fan-boy??? hey I am, they "TORE THEM UP!"
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
...and the beat goes on.

15:1 kill ratio, but a lot of focus on IADS and S-300 and S-400.

Now folks, tell me what they are making sure the F-35 is ready for,..and who.

It's not Russia, although they want the Russians to know these things. its someone Russia has sold these systems to...someone whose been making a lot of noise and saber rattling the last few years.

Anyhow, I though it interesting that they let this tid bit of information out like this.
 
... they "TORE THEM UP!"
LOLOL and you'll probably hear more:

"Although the final results are not in yet, F-35 operators and service officials said the jet’s performance actually got better in the last week of the exercise.
...
After about two weeks at Red Flag, the joint strike fighter brought down 15 aggressor aircraft for every one F-35A defeated. Its kill ratio has improved since then, but the data has not been finalized as of yet, he said."

and get more than "15:1" soon:
Red Flag may affect whether F-35s deploy overseas this year
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As Air Force leaders ponder whether to send F-35As overseas this year in what would be the jet’s first-ever operational deployment, officials could point to this year’s Red Flag exercise as a case study of how it can enhance both training and combat.

Red Flag 17-1 wrapped up Friday after three weeks of high-intensity air-to-air training at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Although the final results are not in yet, F-35 operators and service officials said the jet’s performance actually got better in the last week of the exercise.

During a Friday interview, Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, who heads the Air Force’s F-35 integration office, called Red Flag a “milestone event” that will help operational F-35A squadrons at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, determine whether they are ready for a “theater security package” — a deployment of six to eight aircraft and a small maintenance group to support training and exercises with partner nations.

Late last year, then-Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James hinted that F-35As would deploy to Europe this summer. But ultimately it will be up to combatant and major command heads to request that the joint strike fighter deploy to their area of responsibility.

Pleus demurred when asked about when a deployment is likely to take place, but he said all signs point to the F-35 being ready for the challenge.

“I think based on the data that we’re hearing right now for kill ratios, hit rates with bombs, maintenance effectiveness … those things tell me that the airplane itself is performing extremely well from a mechanical standpoint and … that the proficiency and skills of the pilots is at a level that would lead them into any combat situation as required,” he told Defense News.

The F-35A pilots and maintainers who participated in Red Flag 17-1 were similarly reluctant to talk about a potential theater security package, but said they would be prepared to deploy overseas when given the thumbs up.

“We’re ready to take these jets on the road when we’re called upon to do so. I would say that there are some exciting things to come, most of which I can’t really talk to,” Lt. Col. George Watkins, and F-35A pilot and commander of Hill AFB’s 34th Fighter Squadron, said during a Tuesday phone call with reporters.

One of the biggest advantages of the exercise — and one that could benefit F-35 operators if a theater security package is authorized later this year — was being able to integrate with allied countries participating in Red Flag. The Royal Australian Air Force brought E-7 Wedgetails, and the British Royal Air Force flew Eurofighter Typhoons.

“We got a lot of experience flying with our coalition partners," Watkins said. "That’s why when something kicks off and we have to work with coalition partners on a short notice, we would be unsuccessful in that endeavor if we didn’t have Red Flag to train together.”

After about two weeks at Red Flag, the joint strike fighter brought down 15 aggressor aircraft for every one F-35A defeated. Its kill ratio has improved since then, but the data has not been finalized as of yet, he said.

For a fighter jet in an air superiority role, a kill ratio that exceeds 10-to-1 is considered “very good,” Pleus said.

The F-35 also fared well in air-to-ground missions. Out of the 27 inert weapons dropped, 25 hit their intended targets. Watkins said the two missed targets were likely due to a failure of the weapon itself, not a problem with the aircraft's weapons delivery systems.

From a maintenance perspective, the F-35A achieved a mission capable rate of about 90 percent during Red Flag. The issues encountered by maintainers were mostly one-off problems, like a broken generator, and did not reveal any systemic flaws of the aircraft, said 1st Lt. Devin Ferguson, of the 388th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

"Did we have broken jets? Yes, but my maintenance team was solid and they were able to fix every single issue within 24 hours," he said.
 

FORBIN

Lieutenant General
Registered Member
...and the beat goes on.

15:1 kill ratio, but a lot of focus on IADS and S-300 and S-400.

Now folks, tell me what they are making sure the F-35 is ready for,..and who.

It's not Russia, although they want the Russians to know these things. its someone Russia has sold these systems to...someone whose been making a lot of noise and saber rattling the last few years.

Anyhow, I though it interesting that they let this tid bit of information out like this.
Completely ready not but look the boy

F-35B.jpg F-35.jpg
 
... they "TORE THEM UP!"
"15:1" not enough: "Although they don’t have an updated figure, the pilots told us that the F-35 kill ratio was higher than the 15-1 figure they initially reported."
will they make it 20 and revoke one "loss"? LOL
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All indications from the pilots and commanders
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are that
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performed far better than
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from the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation seemed to indicate.

The now-departed Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, Michael Gilmore,
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the Lockheed Martin-built aircraft is “not effective and not suitable across the required mission areas and against currently fielded threats” and detailed 64 pages of problems, many of them with to do with the aircraft’s software.

The view from Red Flag was quite different. The 13 F-35As maintained a 90 percent mission capable rate during the three-week exercise, respectable for any combat aircraft. Planes did have problems, including one that lost a generator, but every issue was dealt with inside of 24 hours, according to two Air Force officers talking to reporters today at the end of the exercises.

“We flew these jets hard. We flew a ton of missions in Red Flag during those four weeks. I would strongly disagree (with the proposition) that the jets are not ready. We are ready to take these jets on the road whenever we’re asked to,” Lt. Col. George Watkins, 34th Fighter Squadron commander, told us. And he said the 3i software that controls the plane, its weapons, and sensors performed extremely well.

And the mission systems, which enable most of the plane’s combat capabilities, performed beyond pilots’ expectations. “All our mission systems were up every time,” Watkins said, noting that he would often fly his F-16 with one or more of its mission systems down and just have to find work-arounds. “For the F-35 at this Red Flag, every mission system was up every time.”

While Boeing continues to press the Navy to
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and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has ordered a review of the carrier version of
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, the F-35C, there was no doubt expressed by the pilots at today’s roundtable about whether they would prefer to fly a fourth-generation plane — like the F-16 or F-18 — or a fifth-gen plane like the F-35 for the Air Force: “The capabilities we are bringing are better than a fourth-gen aircraft. I would not want to go back and take an F-16 back into Red Flag,” Watkins said.

By the way
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at this Red Flag, with an Australian Wedgetail aircraft, along with British Typhoons, F-16s and F-15Cs.

How did the F-35A fare at striking targets with bombs? They dropped 27 bombs and hit 25 targets “exactly within a foot of where it was supposed to hit.” The two weapons that missed were caused by weapon failures, not the jet, Watkins said.

Although they don’t have an updated figure, the pilots told us that the F-35 kill ratio was higher than the 15-1 figure they initially reported. While F-35A pilots continue to say that their
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and ability to bomb targets is at least as important as their ability to kill enemy fighters, the fact is that the kill ratio is a simple baseline against which
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can be judged.
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Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
"15:1" not enough: "Although they don’t have an updated figure, the pilots told us that the F-35 kill ratio was higher than the 15-1 figure they initially reported."
will they make it 20 and revoke one "loss"? LOL
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That's absolutely astounding, and Mikey Gilmore!, he's a loser! just like I've been telling you, this stuff takes lots of time and money, layers and layers and layers of Green, like a "Seven Layer Salad", lots of work, but worth it! LOL
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
Completely ready not but look the boy

View attachment 36370 View attachment 36371

Yes, its combat ready, now as this airplane "matures", it will become more and more capable, of going up against whatever threat is maturing along with it. The computer has "open architecture" unlike the F-22, which is nearly impossible to hack, and nearly as difficult to upgrade.....

The F-35 on the other hand is "plug and play", if you can hang it on there, or stuff it in the bay, we can launch it!

but the suggestion that anybody in their right mind will be opting for there "antique airplanes, ie, F=16s, F-18s or even F-15s is crazy, they will NOT live in the SAM laden battlespace of today, and most certainly not of the future, the airspace is becoming more treacherous with each S-300, S-400, S-500 fielded by the "bad guys"

Not saying those Growlers are a waste, they are not, but they won't do the job without a lot more help, fifth gen help, anybody, and I do mean anybody who is dreaming of staying with legacy aircraft is gonna die, period, as in deader than a "door hammer".
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
US Air Force must retrofit 108 F-35As

  • 16 FEBRUARY, 2017
  • SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM
  • BY: LEIGH GIANGRECO
  • WASHINGTON DC


The US Air Force’s number of F-35As in need of hardware or software retrofits has grown to 108 aircraft, and the service could deliver more fighters without Block 3F capabilities.

The air force is now facing a fleet of 108 F-35As that must be retrofitted from the Block 2B or 3i configuration, Lt Gen Jerry Harris, USAF deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, states in a 16 February testimony to Congress. The USAF and the F-35 Joint Programme Office are working together on a Block 3F upgrade plan.

When the USAF declared its F-35A variant ready for limited combat last August, the service’s chief of Air Combat Command noted the aircraft still needed significant and would gain greater capabilities with impending software and hardware upgrades. Block 3F and 4, which the USAF expects will be available in 2018 and 2021, will increase the F-35’s weapons capacity and improve targeting.

Twenty-six of those 108 aircraft will require a software-only upgrade, according to Harris. In addition to software modifications, 19 aircraft will also require new signal processor cards which the service says will take an average of three days to install and test. The service must install 18 aircraft with a newer helmet mounted display system, in addition to the processor cards and software, which will take 15 days to install.

“The remaining forty-five aircraft will require significant hardware modifications in the form of a Tech Refresh 2 modification,” Harris states. “This modification consists of twenty-six major components and takes approximately 30 days per aircraft to install and checkout.”

The USAF’s operational test aircraft also require Block 3F hardware modifications. But with availability of the full fleet of 23 aircraft projected in 2018, those modifications have fallen behind.

As the USAF plans its strategy to retrofit its existing fleet of the F-35As, the Pentagon’s top weapons tester warned in a recent report that future aircraft may be delivered without Block 3F. Given numerous issues on the F-35, including 270 high-priority deficiencies in Block 3F performance identified in a recent review, Michael Gilmore expects Lot 10 will be delivered without the full Block 3F capability.

Harris meanwhile, remained positive in his written testimony.

“Concerning the completion of the system development and demonstration phase, although delivery of the final Block 3F configured aircraft is later than expected, the air force remains optimistic that remaining fixes to known deficiencies for all systems except the AIM-9X will be implemented within the Joint Program Office estimated timeline of October, 2017,” he states.

It could be four more months until a full certified aircraft is delivered and any delay would push off operational test and evaluation, he adds. Still, the programme does not want to rush into IOT&E with an aircraft that has not been fully developed and tested, he says.
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... they "TORE THEM UP!"
next in the series is ("The USAF told reporters the F-35’s 15 to 1 kill ratio recorded during its Nellis exercises had improved, ...") F-35A premiers at Nellis AFB Red Flag
The F-35A premiered at Red Flag this month, marking the first time the US Air Force’s Lightning Strike variant participated in the training exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

The F-35s coordinated with EA-18G Growlers, F-15Cs, F-16s, F-22s, B-1 bombers, British Typhoons and Australian airborne early warning and control E-7A Wedgetails. Overall, the Joint Strike Fighter communicated with more than 60 aircraft including various intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms.

With the inclusion of the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) and Link 16, the F-35 was able to share one threat picture across 70 aircraft, Lt Col Dave DeAngelis, commander of the 419th operations group says. Where threats were communicated via radio on legacy aircraft, MADL saves time by communicating with the F-35’s wingman, he says.

The USAF told reporters the F-35’s 15 to 1 kill ratio recorded during its Nellis exercises had improved, but could not say by how much. The service does not yet have a tally of F-35s hit by integrated air defenses or surface to air missiles, but the action report with those details should release in about a month, the USAF adds.

“The F-35 mission was to get in undetected and hit targets, so we weren’t there specifically for air to air role,” Lt Col George Watkins, commander, 34th fighter squadron says. “Our ratio has gotten better but I don’t have the final numbers. We saw an improvement in our pilot’s proficiency throughout Red Flag and that number was just F-35 kills and depth.”

Since its last Red Flag exercise at Nellis two weeks prior, the USAF turned up the heat on its F-35As with more advanced SAMs. The service also leveraged some blue forces to fly on the red side to increase threat numbers, Lt Col John Wagemann, director of operations for 414th combat training squadron says. At its peak, more than 20 red aircraft flew against blue forces, he says.

The USAF at large has a need for more adversary forces in training environments and recently posted a request for proposals seeking out additional contracted red air. Until the air force gains that extra iron in the sky though, the service is making Red Flag more challenging for blue forces by improvising. Once red forces were killed during the Red Flag event at Hill, those same aircraft returned “alive” to the fight later, Wagemann says.
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I wonder what's the speed of MADL (can't find it quickly using google)? only recently Dec 23, 2016 I realized Link 16 does only around two hundred kilobit per second
 
US Air Force must retrofit 108 F-35As ...
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US Air Force 'must' retrofit so that LockMart makes even more profit out of all copies including the oldest, huh? that's ludicrous (but real world hahaha) and the US Air Force would be better off if it ditched the old Lots and used the resources on moving on in the program ... is what I think
 
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