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F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sharpey
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There is a lot of Big Boy games happening in the US wrt the budget issues going forward - the budget deal yesterday removes Sequestration and the compulsory across the board cuts  are off the table.  Both Boeing and LockMart are in Warp Speed Lobbying mode.  This item is indicative of the background battles going on to keep jobs in Congressional Districts particularly acute battles in mid-term election years.

"The Navy plans to buy the last F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers, a radar-jamming variant, in the fiscal year 2014 budget now very much up in the air on Capitol Hill. “If nothing is done, the last order closes around 2016,” Aboulafia told me. The Saint Louis factory still has some guaranteed work through 2018, building F-15 Eagles for Saudi Arabia, though further F-15 sales are much in doubt. The Hornet/Growler production line shuts down in 2016, however, and the supplier base starts withering well before: Boeing told me they’ll have to make key decisions on long-lead items in early 2014. “When you lose a line,” said Aboulafia, “you almost never get it back.”


http://breakingdefense.com/2013/12/forbes-champions-buying-super-hornets-f-18-vs-f-35-round-two/


Up here, the government has done a decent job of putting the deal on the  back burner until the news storm dies down and the JSF Program matures past the point of the hysterical fear mongering orchestrated by our Glorious National Press and the Peace at any Price as Long as they Do Not Have to Pay folks over at the Rideau Institute et al.

By the time all the reviews etc are done and the public relations ground prepared the JSF will likely have more good news and success stories than last go around.  It was just too easy to take some minor and normal aircraft development issue and torque that into a "JSF Program Fail".  This time I expect they will have multiple good news stories from multiple nations and glowing reports from aircrew about capabilities and getting home alive.  Price will be competitive with a Super Hornet and far less than a Rafale or a Eurofighter while delivering performance and capabilities that no other aircraft can match.


Interesting that the emphasis in the US is leaving the whole Stealth thingy behind and expanding the F-35 story to be about the Sensor capabilities:


"The F-35 is the finest sensor-enabled aircraft ever built. The F-35 is orders of magnitude better than the F-22 (which is the greatest air to air fighter ever built) as an electronic warfare enabled sensor-rich aircraft. We already are working synergy between F-22s and fourth generation aircraft to provide greater fidelity of the information shaping air combat operations. With the F-22 and F-35 combination and the folding in of on-orbit information and surveillance systems, we will be able to generate more synergy across the fleet,” the general told us.

The other advantage of the F-35 is its commonality across the services. “We are already working on greater synergy among the air power services; with the F-35 and deploying common assets in a dispersed fleet, the efforts we are making now for today’s conditions will only lead to more effective capabilities for tomorrow’s crises as well"

http://breakingdefense.com/2013/11/the-re-shaping-of-pacific-defense-an-interview-with-general-hawk-carlisle/


DND/PMO etc still need to up there game and get ready to sell the benefits as well as the capabilities. The Opposition will use this acquisition as a hammer to beat on the government, regardless if it damages CF capabilities.
 
Some local news:

- F-35B aircraft from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma are expected to be flying at Luke AFB from approximately 10:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Senior defense officials from Singapore are visiting the base as part of Forging Sabre, a Singapore armed forces exercise taking place at Luke and at the Barry M. Goldwater training range. Singapore is considering purchasing F-35s in the future.

- Luke AFB will host Luke Days 2014, an open house and air show, March 15-16. The U.S. Air Force’s premier aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, will headline the weekend’s activities with performances both days.A static display of Luke’s newest aircraft, the F-35A Lightning II, should also be available for viewing.

- See video: http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/20131211new-fighter-jets-luke-texas-plant.html?nclick_check=1

1st F-35 fighter jet destined for Luke air base unveiled in Texas

FLYING INTO THE FUTURE

By Paul Giblin - The Republic | azcentral.com 14 Dec 13

FORT WORTH, Texas — The first F-35A Lightning II fighter jet des­tined for Luke Air Force Base rolled out of a Lockheed Martin assembly plant here Friday amid cheers and whoops from military and political leaders and a blaring rendition of rock legend AC/DC’s “Thunder­struck.”

Dozens more of the twin-tail planes will follow.

In all, 144 of the new supersonic stealth fighters are expected to make the short flight from Texas to Arizona as Luke becomes the largest F-35 base worldwide by 2023 or 2024, according to the U.S. Air Force.

The Glendale base will serve as the Air Force’s primary training site for pilots assigned to operate the multi­million- dollar jets that defense ana­lysts say will be crucial to U.S. mili­tary operations for 40 years.

Luke commander Brig. Gen. Mi­chael Rothstein and other Luke offi­cials inspected the gray single-seat, single-engine jet at the massive as­sembly plant, but they left the plane in Texas — for now.

The jet, with tail number LF 5030, still must undergo a series of check­out flights before it thunders to Luke. Its arrival is scheduled for sometime next month.

A team of mechanics finished most of the plane’s construction in late Sep­tember, said Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Laura Siebert. Then they took two weeks to coat its exteri­or with material designed to cloak it from enemy radar.

The rollout, which attracted more than 1,000 people including military brass and political figures, was sig­nificant in that it provided an opportu­nity for state and local officials to pre­view the plane that they successfully lobbied Department of Defense offi­cials to send to Glendale, Rothstein said.

“We are one step closer to having F-35s on the ramp at Luke. Certainly when you have an airplane sitting right next to us, we know it’s ready,” Roth­stein said as he stood next to the plane during a light rain. “The other big take­away is the amazing work that the em­ployees here at Lockheed do to put this together. It’s phenomenal.”

The assembly plant is more than a mile long, and each plane takes about two years to build. Employees use golf carts and bicycles to get around inside the plant.

About 1,300 mechanics work at the facility, though not every mechanic touches every plane. In addition, anoth­er 1,300 support personnel work here.

Luke’s first F-35s cost approximate­ly $98 million each, excluding the en­gine, which was produced by another company and added about $10 million to $15 million to the total bill, said Lock­heed Martin spokesman Mike Rein.

Earlier versions of the plane cost about $220 million, and later versions are projected to cost $75million to $85 million as the company realizes sav­ings through efficiencies, Rein said.

Pentagon decision-makers selected Luke last year from among four bases. The announcement capped months of public meetings and letter-writing cam­paigns by Arizona elected officials, business leaders and residents in sup­port of the F-35 training program at Luke.

Nearly 10,000 people attended meet­ings and sent e-mails and letters, and approximately 21,000 supporters added their names to an electronic petition co­ordinated by a booster group called Luke Forward.

The fighter-jet training program un­derscores the importance of the mili­tary and the defense industry to the state’s economy, Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers said.

“It not only ensures our future, but helps make certain that we’re as healthy as we can be. Can you imagine what it would be like if we didn’t get that?” Weiers said before the event.

“It sends a great message to every­body: We’re here. We’re going to keep growing. Luke’s strong, and its military mission is here to stay,” he said.

Weiers was among several West Val­ley mayors at the event Friday.

The transition at Luke from its F-16 pilot-training program to the F-35 pilot ­training program will increase the base’s personnel by about 2,300 — to 9,200, according to the Air Force.

Furthermore, 14 supplier companies that provide a combined 1,250 direct and indirect jobs are based in Arizona, according to Lockheed Martin.

The plane on display in Texas will be the inaugural F-35 assigned to the new­ly reactivated 61st Fighter Squadron at Luke.

Additional F-35s are expected to be delivered in groups of one to four until the squadron reaches its full comple­ment of 24 planes in about two years.

The 61st Squadron, which goes by the nickname “Top Dogs,” is the first of six F-35 squadrons planned at Luke. Future F-35 squadrons there have yet to be des­ignated, but the second is expected to start in early 2015.

As the new fighter jets arrive, most of the base’s stable of older F-16 Falcon fighter jets will transition elsewhere. Air Force officials plan to eventually phase out the F-16 program altogether.

Luke’s first F-35 also marks another important milestone for the entire F-35 program, Siebert said. The plane is the 100th to be built.

The planes feature traditional fight­er jet speed and agility, plus radar­ avoiding stealth technology, a combina­tion Lockheed Martin touts in a promo­tional video as “lethal and survivable.”

They can be equipped with guided air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground bombs that can be launched while the plane flies at full throttle, which is Mach 1.6, or approximately 1,200 mph, according to the manufacturer.

Lockheed Martin is producing vari­ants of the F-35 for the Air Force, Navy and Marines. Current projections call for 1,763 jets for the Air Force, 260 for the Navy and 420 for the Marines, ac­cording to the company.

In addition, plans call for 721 more to be built for 10 other countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel and Turkey, among others.

The Air Force version of the plane, the F-35A, is outfitted with a 25-millime­ter cannon and can fly 1,200 miles with­out refueling, according to the manu­facturer.

Luke is attractive for training in part because of its year-round clear skies and its proximity to southwestern Ari­zona’s expansive and desolate Barry M. Goldwater Range, where pilots fly training missions.

The first order of business for the 61st Squadron will be to train F-35 in­structors and test pilots, said Lt. Col. Michael Ebner, its newly installed com­mander.

The Air Force is pulling from its ranks experienced fighter pilots, which will allow it to build its cadre of F-35 pi­lots fairly quickly, he said.

“They’re coming from an F-15, an F-16, perhaps an A-10, so they’re experi­enced guys. The minimum criteria for guys coming into the F-35 right now are 750 hours in a fighter type of aircraft,” Ebner said in October when the 61st Squadron was revived.

By 2015, the newly certified instruc­tors will begin training pilots who will be deployed to combat units around the world as Lockheed Martin produces more of the advanced planes.

The F-35 is a multi-role aircraft, Eb­ner said. It can be used to strike techno­logically advanced opponents with stealthy elusiveness, and it can provide sudden firepower to assist ground­based troops engaged in close combat, he said.

The standard weapons package is two air-to-air missiles and two internal air-to-surface bombs, which are carried internally to preserve the jets’ stealth capabilities, Ebner said. The planes can be equipped with additional weapons that hang from their wings, but at the expense of their stealthiness.

The specific weapons configurations will vary depending on the mission, he said.

“The role of a technological fighter in our current counterinsurgency type of fight is that we bring firepower rap­idly. We cover a huge distance, and we support our boots on the ground,” said Ebner, who flew F-16s in Afghanistan.

“Sometimes that additional firepow­er is just a show of force, because the bad guys don’t like fighting when there’s airplanes overhead, because if they keep fighting, a bomb is going to come flying at them,” he said.


 
Looks like the Japanese have decided the recent expansionist Chinese foreign policy actions and the instability of a nuclear armed North Korea require some military insurance.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/japan-to-hike-mid-term-defense-spending-by-5

They  have 42  F-35s on order and this is an additional 28.

"Further spending will include 28 F-35 Lightning fighter jets for the Air Self-Defense Force"


Don't they know there are Canadian experts who have determined this aircraft is a dud?
 
Noted left-wing think tank RAND is underwhelmed, and posits that individual service fighters would have presented lower life cycle costs.

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/MG1200/MG1225/RAND_MG1225.pdf
 
dapaterson said:
Noted left-wing think tank RAND is underwhelmed, and posits that individual service fighters would have presented lower life cycle costs.

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/MG1200/MG1225/RAND_MG1225.pdf


Ooooo, just had to wake up this thread again, didn't you >:D
 
dapaterson said:
Noted left-wing think tank RAND is underwhelmed, and posits that individual service fighters would have presented lower life cycle costs.

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/MG1200/MG1225/RAND_MG1225.pdf

More programs, more money, more cost overruns and higher chance of cancellation. Brilliant. Their data is from 2011 and they have no other joint programs to compare to. Future programs for the Navy or Air Force with the latest tech will come in smaller airframe numbers. It will be easier to get funding for one joint program than one for every branch.
 
In the context of the RCAF buying Super Hornets as follow on from our present F-18s the Rand thinking looks great.  :D










 
Baden Guy said:
In the context of the RCAF buying Super Hornets as follow on from our present F-18s the Rand thinking looks great.  :D

Unfortunately the Super Hornet line will likely shut down in 2014 without any additional orders. They should focus on the next generation fighter rather than decorating old airframes for the international market - something that no one is buying. With the F-15 line also in question they are quickly losing their place in the fighter market. We aren't likely to make any purchases for another year and with the Super Hornet out, that only leaves the F35.
 
Congressional Research Service, p, 64 PDF:

...
Both the House and Senate bills also would add to the amount requested $75.0 million for long lead-time components that would support the purchase in FY2015 of 22 F/A-18E/F Navy fighters, the type of plane the F-35 is slated eventually to replace on Navy carriers. In its report, the Senate Appropriations Committee opposed DOD’s decision to end F/A-18E/F production, noting that the plane would be the “backbone” of the Navy’s carrier air wings for the next 25 years. Keeping the F/A-18E/F in production would maintain the U.S. fighter production base and would hedge against the risk that the F-35 might be delayed, the committee said…
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R43323.pdf

But that blow for Boeing in Brazil:

Brazil Selects Gripen For F-X2 Requirement
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_12_18_2013_p0-648720.xml

Plus:

Swedish Government Looks to Add Value to Gripen-E Sale Talks [possible production in Brazil for Latam, African exports]
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131224/DEFREG01/312240006/Swedish-Government-Looks-Add-Value-Gripen-E-Sale-Talks

Mark
Ottawa
 
The Hornet was an excellent aircraft in its day.

But the 1990's are ancient history in aviation technology terms.
 
[irony alert]
...that darned 90's technology -- and even not as aged as a plane commissioned in the 70's, designed in the 80's and powered with but a single engine of the type powering the original Hornets...
[/irony alert]

Darn those sweeping statements...
 
Well, unless we plan on air battles with the US, France, Briton, Germany and other first world countries air forces', why is the Hornet/super Hornet so bad?
 
GAP said:
Well, unless we plan on air battles with the US, France, Briton, Germany and other first world countries air forces', why is the Hornet/super Hornet so bad?

Because apparently stealth is the only way to evade SAMs.. [sarcasm] It's not like they've been doing it a different way for the past 50+ years... [/sarcasm] I have a feeling this thing was designed by non-pilots who can't grasp the concept of what a fighter jet is supposed to do.
 
It's a time of tight and tightening defence budgets. It's time for Canada to define what is a "good enough" solution for our military requirements.
Until another answer comes along to my mind presently the Super Hornet is the answer.
 
Baden Guy,

This is a very short sighted decision to go with the SH.  I have doubts the SH is cheaper than the JSF, but even if it is, in the long term (and I mean 40 years long term), we need to go with something that is going to be supported for the life of the aircraft and that will be operable in 40 years (so we don't end up like we did in Kosovo and spend Billions to upgrade our aircraft). 

That alone is good enough to get the JSF, and that is not taking into consideration all the added capabilities we get with the JSF.
 
SupersonicMax said:
Baden Guy,

This is a very short sighted decision to go with the SH.  I have doubts the SH is cheaper than the JSF, but even if it is, in the long term (and I mean 40 years long term), we need to go with something that is going to be supported for the life of the aircraft and that will be operable in 40 years (so we don't end up like we did in Kosovo and spend Billions to upgrade our aircraft). 

That alone is good enough to get the JSF, and that is not taking into consideration all the added capabilities we get with the JSF.

I couldn't agree with you more and that is speaking as one who spent his career working on aged out 104s and Voodoos.  :(
But looking at the history of government political decision making 4 years not 40 is the norm. 
 
Supersonic Max,

Just out of curiosity and interest, does a load placed on the wing (bombs, missiles, fuel tanks) affect the turn performance and handling qualities of a fighter differently than loads placed internally? (Like the F-35)
 
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