F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

[Cdn Blackshirt]

how about the fact they only need a year to run a fair and open competition? take note government of canada, this is how you dont play politics

I think the sad reality is all parties like the fact that military procurement takes so long as it defers actual expenditures which allows more money to be spent on higher optic projects like Healthcare and Urban Transportation.

Until you get an O'Leary-type reformer  (and I don'the like the guy at all) who will try to fix it on principle due to wasted administrative costs, I just don'the see anything changing....dammit.

[

 

[MarkOttawa]

Boeing pushing Super Super Hornet hard for USN vice some F-35Cs:

Inside Boeing’s F-18 Pitch To White House; Fewer F-35Cs Means Shorter Fight

If the Navy would buy one squadron of new F-18s (known as the XT, Block 3 or Advanced Super Hornet) instead of the carrier version of the F-35 it “actually improves overall mission capability, while substantially reducing cost.”

But the Navy could go even one better and buy two squadrons of the new F-18, which would give the Navy “the best capability affordably.” Buying 120 Super Hornets and 200 of the Advanced Super Hornets (which is what their plan would work out to) would save $8 billion in procurement costs each year plus $1.4 billion in operations and maintenance costs each year, the report claims.

That’s the essence of the story that Boeing is telling the Pentagon and the White House, according to a Boeing document I obtained that was presented to White House officials. The document marks a shift in Boeing’s efforts. In years past the pitch was, essentially, buy more Super Hornets. Now the company wants to convince the Pentagon to shift the balance between the F-18 and the F-35 in favor of their plane. That push has gained much momentum since President Trump’s famous tweets about the F-35’s high costs, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ordering a review of the costs and capabilities of the F-35C and F-18 and the news that the Navy fighter fleet is in what analysts are calling a death spiral.

As the headline for Sydney’s story about Navy Department readiness notes, 62 percent of F-18 Hornets are unfit to fly and the number for the Marines is up to 74 percent.

Boeing has been offering some version of the argument that the F-18 is cheaper, ready to fly and almost as good as the F-35C for years. They’ve been eager to keep their production line open and saw the chance to cut into Lockheed Martin’s fighter business. For its part, Lockheed Martin has known for years its F-35C sales were the most in peril because of Navy concerns about the F-35’s ever-rising costs and its uncertain life cycle costs.

This new document goes much further. It includes a chart — “Analysis of Future A2/AD PACOM Scenario” (can you say China?) — claiming that shifting the balance of F-18s and F-35Cs would “reduce campaign duration” substantially. Keeping the planned Navy buy of three F/A-18 Super Hornet squadrons and two F-35C squadrons would result in a longer fight, it says.

Another chart at the bottom ticks off the characteristics of the two planes. It grants they both have “advanced radar” and “survivability.” But it claims the advanced F-18 would outpace the F-35C in maneuverability, acceleration, combat radius and weapons load.

On costs, the paper says the advanced Hornet would cost $79 million all up — including government gear [e.g. engines--SEEMS CONSIDERABLy LESS THAN RCAF WILL PAY FOR REGULAR SUPERS] — while Boeing pegs the F-35C’s total weapon cost at $120 million.

A source familiar with the F-35 program says F-35C costs should be around $100 million by 2021. The source concedes that cost per flying hour is a bit higher for the C but it is, of course, a truly stealthy aircraft while the F-18 is not...
http://breakingdefense.com/2017/03/inside-boeings-f-18-pitch-to-white-house-fewer-f-35cs-means-shorter-fight/

Scroll down here for details on Super Super possible upgrades (which RCAF won't get):

Clear the Decks: Super Hornet to Challenge F-35 (UPDATED)
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2017/March/Pages/CleartheDecksSuperHornettoChallengeF35.aspx

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Longish article is good summary of F-35 development and current status--Lockheed Martin may be only real winner along with USMC, smallest service:

Is the F-35 a Trillion-Dollar Mistake?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-04-04/is-the-f-35-a-trillion-dollar-mistake

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Worth RCAF note?  Hmm-US Marines to replace legacy Hornets with F-35Bs faster than Harrier IIs:

Marines: Troubled F/A-18 Hornet jet fleet has got to go

The Marine Corps will replace its aging fleet of F/A-18 Hornet aircraft with F-35 Lighting IIs more quickly than initially planned because of continued struggles to keep the legacy fighter jets airworthy, service leaders said Wednesday.

The Marine Corps initially planned to field F-35s to squadrons now flying Hornets and AV-8B Harrier aircraft on similar timetables, but instead it will focus on replacing just its F/A-18s, William E. Taylor, the assistant deputy commandant for aviation, told members of the House Armed Services’ Readiness subcommittee.

“The real answer is to get out of legacy Hornet business as fast as possible and transition to the F-35,” Taylor said.

Three squadrons now flying Hornets will transition to F-35s during the next three years. It will be at least four years before a Harrier squadron receives the fifth-generation fighters, though it could be even longer.

Taylor said the Marine Corps is considering a transition of at least five Hornet squadrons to F-35s before replacing any Harrier units. There are 12 tactical fighter squadrons flying Hornets, five flying Harriers and two flying F-35s.

The Hornets troubles have been well documented. The Marines lost five of the aircraft to crashes last year that killed three pilots -- Maj. Richard Norton, 36, Capt. Jake Frederick, 32, and Capt. Jeff Kuss, 32. Nearly two dozen previously retired Hornets have been pulled from the Boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona to be returned to the fleet.
https://www.stripes.com/news/marines-troubled-f-a-18-hornet-jet-fleet-has-got-to-go-1.462173#.WOZV16K1vwp

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Kirkhill]

So, Obama's DOTE declared the F35 was not ready to replace the Hornets but the Hornets are falling out of the sky faster than the F35s.  About that Operational Capability thingee.....

 

[MarkOttawa]

Want Sublime Erdogan the Magnificent (with Putin lurking) looking after your planes?

Plan to service UK F-35 jets in Turkey sparks security concerns

Security concerns have been raised about plans to carry out major servicing work on the UK's new F-35 fighter jets in Turkey.

SNP MP George Kerevan is to call for an inquiry into the policy in the light of last year's attempted coup in Turkey and tensions with its Nato partners.

Major repairs to RAF combat jets have previously been carried out in the UK.

The Ministry of Defence said the F-35 was an international project with a global support network.

Turkey was selected by the US department of defence's joint programme office, based near the Pentagon, to provide "deep maintenance" and repair of engines for all F-35 aircraft based in Europe.

There will also be engine repair facilities in Australia and North America.

But Mr Kerevan said the UK should consider setting up back-up facilities.

"The UK should have options in the event of a diplomatic crisis with Turkey," he told BBC News...
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-39501299

No kidding.  Poor NATO.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

New batch F-35As below $80M each?

Pentagon seeks at least 5 pct savings on Lockheed F-35 jet, sources

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin Corp could shave at least 5 percent off the price of stealthy F-35 fighter jets in their upcoming annual purchase contract as the standard version of the plane heads toward a price of below $80 million [emphasis added], people familiar with the talks told Reuters.

The Pentagon, under the direction of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, has been exploring how to cut the costs of its most expensive weapons program.

The deal for last year's annual purchase contract, struck this February, put the standard takeoff and landing version of the jet at the lowest price ever, $94.6 million [emphasis added], a 7.3 percent reduction from the previous annual purchase price of $102 million.

The current negotiations are for a batch of about 130 planes. The talks could shave 5-7 percent, or $660 million, from the approximately 100 standard takeoff and landing "A-model" jets for the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. allies, the people said...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-lockheed-pentagon-idUSKBN17C1V3

Mark
Ottawa

 

[QV]

Isn't the SH supposed to be no less than 88M USD?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fighter-jet-purchase-super-hornets-1.3956306

What a mess. 

 

[MarkOttawa]

QV: Earlier posts on current USN costs, official figures (not proposed Block III Super Hornet):

Further to this post,

Quote

    ...
    Note p. 9: Super Hornet cost about US$ 100M each--24 for dollars 2,320M...
    http://milnet.ca/forums/threads/120786/post-1480554.html#msg1480554

USN cost still looks around US$ 100M each all in--no bargain for RCAF:

Quote

    U.S. Navy Wants 130 More Super Hornets Over Next Five Years

    The U.S. Navy wants to buy 130 additional Super Hornets over the next five years at a price of $13.6 billion...
    http://aviationweek.com/awindefense/us-navy-wants-130-more-super-hornets-over-next-five-years

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

USAF announces F-35As arrive at Lakenheath, Suffolk, England:

F-35 deploys to Europe for the first time

F-35A Lightning IIs, Airmen and accompanying equipment arrived at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, today, marking the aircraft’s first overseas training deployment to Europe.

The F-35As are from the 34th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing and the Air Force Reserve’s 466th Fighter Squadron, 419th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and will conduct air training over the next several weeks with other Europe-based aircraft in support of the European Reassurance Initiative.

“This is an incredible opportunity for USAFE Airmen and our NATO allies to host this first overseas training deployment of the F-35A aircraft,” said Gen. Tod D. Wolters, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Air Forces Africa commander. “As we and our joint F-35 partners bring this aircraft into our inventories, it’s important that we train together to integrate into a seamless team capable of defending the sovereignty of allied nations.

As part of the natural progression of the F-35 program, an overseas training deployment has been part of the Air Force’s plan since the F-35A was declared combat capable last year.

“RAF Lakenheath will be the first overseas beddown location for the F-35A, this deployment allows our pilots and maintainers to learn more about the European operating environment and will improve our interoperability with partners in the region” Wolters added.

As part of the training deployment, the aircraft will forward deploy to NATO nations to maximize training opportunities, build partnerships with allied air forces and gain a broad familiarity of Europe’s diverse operating conditions. The introduction of the premier fifth-generation fighter to the European area of responsibility brings with it state-of-the-arts sensors, interoperability, and a broad array of advanced air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions that will help maintain the fundamental sovereignty rights of all nations.

The transatlantic flight for this training deployment was supported by Air Mobility Command and the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England [emphasis added]. Multiple air refueling aircraft from four different bases offloaded more than 400,000 pounds of fuel during the "tanker bridge" from the United States to Europe. Additionally, C-17 and C-5 aircraft moved airlift support, moving maintenance equipment and personnel.

Photos and videos of the deployment are available at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/usafef35a

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/230494/f-35-deploys-europe-first-time

RAF Lakenheath (have a look):
http://www.lakenheath.af.mil/

RAF Mildenhall (ditto):
http://www.mildenhall.af.mil/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Meanwhile--start of longish piece:

Air Force F-35 Trains Against Russian, Chinese Air Defenses
The Air Force wants the F-35 to be able to elude the best enemy air defenses well into the 2030s and 2040s

The Air Force F-35 is using “open air” ranges and computer simulation to practice combat missions against the best Chinese and Russian-made air-defense technologies – as a way to prepare to enemy threats anticipated in the mid-2020s and beyond.

The testing is aimed at addressing the most current air defense system threats such as Russian-made systems and also focused on potential next-generation or yet-to-exist threats, Air Force officials said.

Air Force officials have explained that, looking back to 2001 when the JSF threat started, the threats were mostly European centric – Russian made SA-10s or SA-20s. Now the future threats are looking at both Russian and Chinese-made and Asian made threats, they said.

“They have got these digital SAMS (surface-to-air-missile-systems) out there that can change frequencies and they are very agile in how they operate. being able to replicate that is not easy,” Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, former Director of the F-35 Integration Office, told Scout Warrior in an interview. (Harrigian now leads the air war in the Middle East)

Surface threats from air defenses is a tough problem because emerging threats right now can see aircraft hundreds of miles away, service officials explained.

Furthermore, emerging and future Integrated Air Defense Systems use faster computer processors, are better networked to one-another and detect on a wider range of frequencies. These attributes, coupled with an ability to detect aircraft at further distances, make air defenses increasingly able to at times detect even stealth aircraft, in some instances, with surveillance radar.

Russian media reports have recently claimed that stealth technology is useless against their air defenses. Russian built S-300 and S-400 air defenses are believed to be among the best in the world; in addition, The National Interest has reported that Russia is now working on an S-500 system able to destroy even stealthy targets at distances up to 125 miles.

While the Air Force aims to prepare for the unlikely contingency of a potential engagement with near-peer rivals such as Russia or China, Harrigian explained that there is much more concern about having to confront an adversary which has purchased air-defense technology from the Russians or Chinese. Harrigian emphasized that, while there is no particular conflict expected with any given specific country, the service wants to be ready for any contingency.

Harrigian explained that the F-35 is engineered with what developers call “open architecture,” meaning it is designed to quickly integrate new weapons, software and avionics technology as new threats emerge...
http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/story/1656513-f-35-stealth-tech-vs-russian-air-defenses

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Rifleman62]

Another clip. Note that the USMC Pilot says the F-35 is the best he has flown including the Super Hornet.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/5399136554001/?#sp=show-clips

Inside the technologically advanced F-35 fighter jet

Apr. 14, 2017 - 2:37 - The F-35 is the most expensive military weapons system in history

A older clip, May 15 re the helmet: http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/05/12/lea-gabrielle-goes-inside-cockpit-futuristic-f-35-stealth-fighter

 

[tomahawk6]

Israel now has 5 F35's and may have used them against air defenses in Syria.The targets were an S300 site and a Pantsir system according to French sources.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/israels-f-35s-may-already-184545408.html

Israel received three F-35s from the US on Tuesday, bringing its total inventory of the revolutionary fighter up to five, but according to a French journalist citing French intelligence reports, Israeli F-35s have already carried out combat missions in Syria.

In Air Forces Monthly, Thomas Newdick summarized a report from Georges Malbrunot at the French newspaper Le Figaro that said Israel took its F-35s out on a combat mission one month after getting them from the US.

Malbrunot reported that on January 12, Israeli F-35s took out a Russian-made S-300 air defense system around Syrian President Bashar Assad's palace in Damascus and a Russian-made Pantsir-S1 mobile surface-to-air missile system set for delivery to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel has repeatedly and firmly asserted that its goal to make sure weapons cannot reach Hezbollah, a terror group that has sworn to seek the destruction of Israel.

In March, Israel said it had conducted an airstrike in Syria.

"When we know about an attempt to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah, we do whatever we can to prevent this from happening, provided we have sufficient information and capabilities to react," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, according to Russian state-run media.

 

[jmt18325]

Israel now has 5 F35's and may have used them against air defenses in Syria.The targets were an S300 site and a Pantsir system according to French sources.

That would certainly change my opinion of it.

 

[NavyShooter]

Found a link of the new 25mm gun being tested....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nMFvzZKKmk

Different airframe, similar principle?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

that would be the Canadianized version  [lol:

 

[MilEME09]

That would certainly change my opinion of it.

Mine as well, if it can get past a S300 thats a game changer.

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

 

[suffolkowner]

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/feature/184049/unit-cost-of-f_35s-delivered-this-year-still-exceeds-%24206m.html

I wish they were able to break the extra contracts down to the A,B,C level as I'm sure that the B and C bear a disproportionate amount of the concurrency costs

 

[MarkOttawa]

1) Japanese front:

Japan rolls out first domestically built [assembled actually] F-35

As well as assembling F-35As, the FACO will also provide maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade services to F-35s based in the North Asia-Pacific region from about 2018. Source: Lockheed Martin

The first Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to be built in Japan was rolled out on 5 June.

The conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A for the Japan Air Self-Defense force (JASDF) was unveiled at the site of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) F-35 Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility in Nagoya in central Japan.

Japan is one of only two F-35 customers outside of the United States to have a FACO production facility, with Italy being the other. The JASDF is to receive 42 F-35As, of which 38 will be built by MHI at its FACO (the first four aircraft are being built by Lockheed Martin at its Fort Worth facility in Texas) [emphasis added]. Designated AX-5, work on this first Japanese-produced aircraft began in December 2015.

As well as assembling aircraft, the FACO will also provide maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade services to F-35s based in the North Asia-Pacific region from about 2018. The FACO at Nagoya is part of a wider industrial F-35A package for Japan that includes airframe parts manufacture for MHI, engine assembly for the IHI Corporation, and the production of electrical components by Mitsubishi Electric...
http://www.janes.com/article/71125/japan-rolls-out-first-domestically-built-f-35

2) F-35B for Spanish navy and air force?

Spain’s Air Force and Navy have sights set on new American fighter aircraft
Despite its price tag, officials prefer the F-35 Lightning II to the alternative of more Eurofighters

After investing €10.6 billion on the European fighter plane, it turns out that Spain’s future military aircraft will in all likelihood be American-made. The Spanish Air Force and Navy have their sights set on the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter, made by Lockheed Martin, to replace the F-18s and vertical take-off Harriers that will be decommissioned halfway through the next decade.

An estimated 45 to 50 aircraft will be required for the Spanish Air Force and another 12 to 15 for the Navy. The program could represent spending of over €6 billion, and more than double that considering the logistical support required to keep the aircraft operational.

There is no alternative for the Navy, if it wants to maintain its naval aviation capacity – the ability to launch air power from a ship. The Navy will have to gradually decommission its remaining AV-8B Harrier II Plus aircraft, and the only planes available on the market capable of Vertical/Short Take Off and Landing (V/STOL) are the F-35s. Without them, the Navy’s flagship Juan Carlos I would be reduced to the category of helicopter carrier.

After investing €10.6 billion on the European fighter plane, it turns out that Spain’s future military aircraft will in all likelihood be American-made. The Spanish Air Force and Navy have their sights set on the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter, made by Lockheed Martin, to replace the F-18s and vertical take-off Harriers that will be decommissioned halfway through the next decade.

Navy officials are aware that the F-35 is too expensive (between €90 and €130 million a unit, not counting the engine) and that their order of 12 to 15 planes would be too small for any meaningful negotiating margin. But things would be different if the Air Force decided to order the same model, said high-ranking Navy officials.

The future fighter aircraft is one of the priorities of the new Armed Forces Capacity Objective slated for approval before the end of this year, said General Fernando Alejandre, the new chief of the defense staff. The goal is to replace the F-18 fighters, which, together with the Eurofighter and the EF2000, are at the forefront of the Spanish Air Force’s aircraft program...

Air Force sources said that, even with improvements, the Eurofighter cannot compare with the F-35, a fifth-generation fighter that has integrated sensors on the pilot’s helmet, granting 360-degree vision. They also allege that relying on a single model could make the Air Force vulnerable in the event of a structural problem with the Eurofighters...
http://elpais.com/elpais/2017/06/05/inenglish/1496652196_078384.html

From Nov. 2016:

...
Speaking under the Chatham House Rule, the official said that the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) will comprise three parts, made up of about 50 legacy Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Eurofighter Typhoons that have been upgraded to network with a fifth-generation aircraft; a new fifth-generation aircraft (type and numbers to be decided); and an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (type and numbers to be decided)...
http://www.janes.com/article/65514/spain-to-develop-fcas-system-of-systems-to-replace-hornet-fighters

The EdAE's current Typhoon force is comprised of 17 Tranche 1, and 33 Tranche 2 aircraft, with deliveries of 20 Tranche 3 aircraft to begin shortly...

So in future maybe 50 Typhoons and some 60 F-35Bs.  And we have been planning for 65 fighters (how many now with that "capability gap"?) with a vastly greater air space to defend and a more likely Russkie cruise missile threat.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

F-35 hypoxia issues at Luke AFB.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/air-force-base-halts-flights-35s-pilots-report/story?id=47947236&yptr=yahoo

Luke Air Force Base in Arizona halted flights of its F-35 fighter jets on Friday after an increase in the number of pilots experiencing "hypoxia-like symptoms."

Five pilots have reported the symptoms since May 2, leading the base to cancel flying operations and review the concerns with pilots, the Air Force said. In each of the five instances, the pilots were able to use the aircraft's back-up oxygen system and land safely.

Hypoxia is a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the body's tissues.

"Wing officials will educate U.S. and international pilots today on the situation and increase their awareness of hypoxia symptoms," Capt. Mark Graff, Air Force spokesman, said in a statement on Friday. "Pilots will also be briefed on all the incidents that have occurred and the successful actions taken by the pilots to safely recover their aircraft.

He continued: "Flight medicine will brief physiological event symptoms and also the extensive measures that are being taken to analyze data collected from the incidents."

The base will also hold an open forum for pilots to discuss concerns, he added.

No other bases with F-35 aircraft canceled operations on Friday. An Air Combat Command spokesperson told ABC News that a similar trend has not been seen with F-35 pilots on other bases.

Recently, the Navy has experienced hypoxia-related issues with its T-45 training jet. Flights of that aircraft were grounded across three bases in April for about a week due to protests by pilots that the oxygen system wasn't functioning properly.