F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

[jollyjacktar]

Wasn't the F22 also having troubles afew years back?  I would have thought this sort of thing would be something they would have sorted out long ago.

 

[tomahawk6]

Wasn't the F22 also having troubles afew years back?  I would have thought this sort of thing would be something they would have sorted out long ago.

The T-45 as well.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Of course, this isn't my area of expertise whatsoever but it's not like using oxygen is a new thing in fighters.  I would have thought the technology and equipment used would be common, proven designs with parts already in service?

 

[PuckChaser]

Super Hornet has issues as well. I believe it's due to onboard oxygen generation vice older a/c carrying liquid oxygen. SuperSonicMax had on a post on here somewhere explaining the actual issue.

 

[Gunner98]

This might be the post you are referring to:

Because O2, in OBOGS-equipped aircraft, comes from high pressure air from the engine compressor.  This complicate things a bit and conditions are different from aircraft to aircraft.  These are not the old Liquid O2 bottles.  This is relatively new.

 

[suffolkowner]

I think the F-22's problem was isolated to a faulty valve on the vest. They are not necessarily connected at all just other than by the overall system

 

[The Bread Guy]

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

(...)

On that, a bit of an example of how headlines, talking points and memes can evolve.

• "Luke AFB temporarily cancels F-35A local flying ops" (USAF info-machine)
• "US Air Force cancels F-35 flight operations at Luke AFB over hypoxia-like issues" (Jane's)
• "F-35 fighters grounded over oxygen problems" (CNN)
• "US Air Force’s F-35s Grounded Again Because Pilots Can’t Breathe" (RIA-Novosti, RUS state-funded media)

 

[MarkOttawa]

The big block buy at last?  Note costs:

Exclusive: Lockheed nears $37 billion-plus deal to sell F-35 jet to 11 countries

Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) is in the final stages of negotiating a deal worth more than $37 billion to sell a record 440 F-35 fighter jets to a group of 11 nations including the United States, two people familiar with the talks said.

This would be the biggest deal yet for the stealthy F-35 jet, set to make its Paris Airshow debut this week.

The sale represents a major shift in sales practices from annual purchases to more economic multi-year deals that lower the cost of each jet.

The pricing of the jets was still not final, although the average price of the 440 jets was expected to be $85 million, the people said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly.

The multi-year deal for the fighters will consist of three tranches over fiscal years 2018-2020.

A Lockheed representative said the U.S. company does not discuss negotiations on contracts and said any deal involving a "block buy" would be announced by the U.S. government. A representative for the customers including the United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Last week, representatives from 11 F-35 customer nations met in Baltimore, Maryland to discuss terms and toured a Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) facility in Maryland that provides equipment for the jet. Those nations included Australia, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, South Korea, Britain and the United States [Canada?].

The memorandum of understanding being negotiated between Lockheed and the customers aims to procure 135 or more jets in fiscal year 2018 for delivery in 2020 for about $88 million per jet, the people said.

In the subsequent fiscal years, 2019 and 2020, procurement would ramp up to 150 or more jets per year.

The average price in 2019 could be $85 million for the F-35 "A" variant and could drop below $80 million in 2020 [emphasis added, likely cheaper than Super Hornet], the people said. That would mark the lowest price ever paid for an F-35, making this deal an important step in reducing the overall cost of each jet...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-airshow-paris-f-idUSKBN1990S8?il=0

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Kirkhill]

11 F-35 customer nations

1 Australia, 2 Denmark, 3 Israel, 4 Italy, 5 Japan, 6 the Netherlands, 7 Norway, 8 Turkey, 9 South Korea, 10 Britain and 11 the United States [Canada?]

 

[tomahawk6]

Costs are climbing and the shortage of spare parts is a problem.

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/f-35-unreliability-risks-strain-on-pentagon-budget-tester-says-1.475661#.WVOkvEhtm70

Costs to operate and support Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35 will balloon unless the deteriorating reliability of the Pentagon's costliest program improves, according to an assessment from the Defense Department's own testing office.

The aircraft and its parts aren't as reliable as expected, and it's taking longer to repair them than planned, according to the presentation by the director of operational testing for defense officials and congressional aides. About 20 percent of the jets must await spares in depots because suppliers can't keep up with expanding production while fixing returned parts.

 

[MarkOttawa]

DoD signs contract for 74 LRIP 11 F-35s (74 USAF F-35As), likely deal for 50 foreign buyers soon:

Lockheed Martin Wins $5.5B For 74 F-35 Fighters, Anticipates $2.2B For 50 More

Lockheed Martin is being awarded a $5.5 billion modification F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 11 advance acquisition contract.

An undefinitized not-to-exceed contract modification to fund procurement of 50 F-35 Partner and FMS aircraft for $2.2 billion is anticipated within the month of July 2017, US department of defense said in a statement Friday.

The LRIP 11 contract contains requirements for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, international partner nations, and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. This modification provides for the procurement of 74 fiscal 2017 aircraft, comprised of 48 F-35A aircraft for the Air Force, 18 F-35B aircraft for the Marine Corps, and eight F-35C aircraft for the Navy and Marine Corps.

In addition, this modification adds funding to previously awarded fiscal 2015 and 2016 aircraft contract line item numbers for the U.S. Services. Work is expected to be completed in December 2020.

Fiscal 2015, 2016, and 2017 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $4,491,634,930 will be obligated at time of award, $275,641,724 of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year.

This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($3.4 billion); Navy ($1.4 billion); and the Marine Corps ($704 million).
http://www.defenseworld.net/news/19802/Lockheed_Martin_Wins__5_5B_For_74_F_35_Fighters__Anticipates__2_2B_For_50_More#.WWTqVumQyM8

More:
http://www.janes.com/article/72153/dod-awards-usd5-6-bn-f-35-lrip-11-contract

Mark
Ottawa

 

[PuckChaser]

Cheaper and cheaper everyday, and the Super Hornet keeps getting more expensive trying to play technological catchup.

 

[MarkOttawa]

As for F-35 costs, some details on latest DoD Selected Acquisition Report here:

...
The program’s acquisition costs rose to $406.5 billion from $379 billion in then-year dollars, a rise of 6.8 percent. But in base year fiscal 2012 dollars the costs rose to $324.6 billion from last year’s estimate of $313.3 billion, a rise of just 3.5 percent. Pick the dollars and then critique the program as you will.

The bottom line is, as the SAR notes, “actual negotiated prices continue to be below SAR estimates.”

Some of the acquisition cost increases come from the Air Force’s decision to whack the size of its maximum annual purchase of F-35As from 80 per year down to 60, stretching the service’s planned purchases by six years. The Total Program Cost Estimate rose by $11 billion, a substantial portion of the $27.5 billion acquisition cost increase. Lockheed Martin, the program’s prime contractor, will no doubt point out to Congress that increasing the rate of production would reduce those costs and help modernize the increasingly ailing Air Force...

...
http://breakingdefense.com/2017/07/marines-add-13-bs-to-f-35-buy-acquisition-costs-rise/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

F-35A in Luftwaffe's future (and note Super Hornet too at end)?  Would make Trump happy:

Pentagon officials brief Germany on F-35 fighter jet

Pentagon officials briefed German military on the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet this week but Berlin said no procurement decisions have been taken.

Germany, which is looking to replace its aging Tornado fighter jets, is due to decide in mid-2018 about whether to start a new fighter development program or buy an existing fighter.

A German Defence Ministry spokesman said the decision will hinge largely on assessments of how long the Tornados can stay in use.

"The F-35 is one of many options we are exploring," the spokesman said.

Any move to buy a U.S. warplane could run into political resistance in Germany, which has strong labor unions, and given a big push by Europe to develop its own military equipment.

The German Air Force asked the U.S. military in May for a classified briefing on the F-35 fighter jet as part of an "in-depth evaluation of market available solutions."

Germany's interest in the F-35 took some European defense industry officials by surprise, given a big push by European aerospace giant Airbus and other European defense companies to develop a next-generation European fighter.

Lockheed, which is already building the F-35 fighter for several other NATO allies - the United States, Britain, Italy, Turkey, Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark - also plans to provide the German defense ministry with information about opportunities for German industry to participate in the F-35 program, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

This week's briefings took place in Bonn, Germany, on Monday and Tuesday and involved a German one-star general, as well as working groups looking at specific weapons requirements and capabilities, according to another source briefed on the matter...

The German military plans to send Washington a formal "letter of request" for information about the F-35 and Boeing Co's F-15 and F/A-18E/F fighter jets later this summer, the ministry spokesman said [emphasis added]...
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-military-lockheed-fighter-idUSKBN19W16N

Mark
Ottawa

 

[a_majoor]

New weapons designed to interface with the F-35. These are essentially mini cruise missiles, and are based on an existing missile platform used by several navies.

https://strategypage.com/htmw/htairw/articles/20170712.aspx

Air Weapons: Norway Delivers Stealth And Surprise

July 12, 2017: Japan has become the latest F-35 user to order the Norwegian "Joint Strike Missile" (JSM). Kongsberg has been developing JSM since 2011 as an air-to-surface weapon that is not only stealthy but also designed to be launched from the internal bomb bay of the F-35 (where two can be carried). The half-ton JSM, with a 250 kilometer range, is based on the existing Kongsberg NSM (Naval Strike Missile). That means JSM added up with capabilities like two-way communication, image recognition for homing in on a specific target and the ability to fly very low and take advantage of local terrain to evade detection and interception. JSM is basically a small cruise missile using a small jet engine and pop-out wings to keep itself moving.

Adapting this weapon for air launch got American manufacturers and the U.S. Department of Defense involved and soon Kongsberg had made deals for integrating the JSM with the still evolving fire-control software of the F-35 as well as a U.S. partner to manufacture JSM for American users.

JSM uses the NSM guidance system to hit moving targets, like ships as well as very small targets on land. Japan wants JSM because that missile would be perfect for a Japanese F-35 making a surprise attack on North Korean missile or nuclear weapons facilities. Other nations see the JSM as more useful against naval targets or even specific vehicles moving along a distant road. The JSM thus becomes a very useful weapon for nations adopting the F-35. The JSM is also superior to the heavier Harpoon, which has become a standard anti-ship missile in many navies. The JSM has other competition, like the Harpoon variant, SLAM-ER, but at the moment no one weapon has a lock on future anti-ship missiles or the kind of versatile air-to-ground missile JSM has indeed evolved into. JSM is completing its final tests in 2017 and will be available adaptation (software mods) for F-35 users as they receive their aircraft. Each nation will have the F-35 fire control system (as well as some of the other electronics) modified to handle local preferences, especially when it comes to specific bombs and missiles and other unique bits of hardware.

The F-35 is armed with an internal 25mm cannon and four internal air-to-air missiles (or two missiles and two smart bombs) plus four external smart bombs and two missiles. A special bomb rack was developed which allowed the F-35 to carry eight SDBs (230 kg Small Diameter Bombs)s All sensors are carried internally and max weapon load is 6.8 tons. The aircraft is very stealthy when just carrying internal weapons. The more compact (it looks like a missile) SDB was designed with the internal bomb bays of the F-22 and F-35 in mind and has proved to be a very effective smart bomb.

JSM is based on the older, and quite successful, NSM. This is 410 kg (900 pound) missile is designed for use from ships or land based launchers (or trucks). NSM has a 125 kg (275 pound) warhead and a range of 185 kilometers. NSM uses GPS and inertial guidance systems, as well as heat imaging system (and a database of likely targets) for picking out and hitting the intended target. NSM entered service in 2007 and work on an air launched version led to the JSM. A major chore was the JSM's advanced electronics (especially the gear that defeats defensive jammers) and this stuff required a lot of tweaking and realistic testing. That was expected and the JSM was ready for service on schedule.

JSM is also being adapted for use on other aircraft, especially the F-16, F-15E and F-18, which would carry it externally. The F-35 can also carry JSM (and all other bombs and missiles) externally but sacrifices a lot of its stealth protection to do so. Japan may not consider this to be a major problem with North Korea, which has an antiquated air-defense system. The official reason for arming Japanese F-35s with JSM is to deal with the threat of ballistic missile attack by North Korea. JSM is well suited to find and destroy hidden North Korea missile launch sites. But JSM would also be an excellent weapon to use against Chinese warships, which Japan does not mention but is implied.

 

[MarkOttawa]

F-35As for RAF eventually?

Government suggest change to UK F-35 variant order after first 48 F-35Bs

Earl Howe, Minister of State for Defence and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, has suggested that a change in F-35 variant may be on the cards after the first 48 F-35Bs.

The information comes to light in answer to a written question in the House of Lords asked by the Marquess of Lothian:

“To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they remain committed to the purchase of 138 F-35B jump–jets for the Royal Navy.”

Answered by Earl Howe

“As part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015, we reaffirmed our commitment to procure 138 F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

The first tranche of 48 aircraft will be of the F-35B variant, which will be jointly operated by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and capable of operating from both land and the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. The decision on the variant of subsequent tranches of Lightning will be taken at the appropriate time.”

The structure of the Lightning force is now somewhat clear.

    17(R) Squadron is currently based at Edwards Air Force Base in the US and fills role of F-35B Operational Evaluation Unit.
    617 Squadron will be based at RAF Marham and will be the first operational British F-35 unit in 2019.
    809 Naval Air Squadron will also be based at RAF Marham.
    2 more unnamed frontline Squadrons are to be established.
    207 Squadron as the Operation Conversion Unit
...
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/government-suggest-change-uk-f-35-variant-order-first-48-f-35bs/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Sir Humphrey's blog Thin Pinstriped Line is back--start of a post, which may find some resonance here, on F-35 and Royal Navy (and RAF):

Which version of the Truth to believe?

The Times ran today with a story suggesting that the JSF is over budget, fails to work on a range of issues and that it is fundamentally not fit for its intended purpose. Is this fair, or is this the latest round of rumour mongering on a project that has long split opinions? More to the point, in an era of ‘fake news’, what version of the truth should we believe?

The problem with stories such as this is that they capture very specific snapshots of an issue, are roughly stapled together with some narrative to form a story, and in turn this can be spun as the author sees fit. It is clear that the Times has managed to unearth documents purporting to show big price rises, reduced capability and issues with testing, but does this mean the programme itself is at fault?

In truth the likelihood is that no one outside of a fairly tight circle really knows or understands. We have to be clear on what JSF is – it is by a significant margin probably the most complicated multi-national aviation project of all time, designed to deliver an aircraft that is as much an ISTAR platform as it is a strike and fighter aircraft, and to do so across three very different environments (carrier operations, STOVL operations and conventional). Designed in the mid 1990s it has been brought into service during an era of unprecedented technological change and capability growth.

The first thing we have to realise is that this makes for a very complicated project that in all likelihood will be in service for multiple decades to come. The pilot of the last F35 to be manufactured, let alone leave service, probably hasn’t been born yet. This in turn means there is a need for a complex testing programme to bring together the many capabilities it has to deliver.

Military aircraft testing to the uninitiated is a terrifying process – if you could see the faults encountered and experienced during the testing of a new aircraft then you’d probably never want to fly in one. But these tests exist to iron out bugs, to make sure aspiration links up to reality and more importantly fix them as they are encountered. It is by necessity a slow process, particularly when working with multiple variants of the same airframe.

If you look in isolation at documentation supporting the programme then of course it would be easy to look at tests and worry that it wasn’t working. But unless you sit inside the inner group, privy to all the data, all the tests and more importantly the planned solutions, it is difficult to make an objective assessment.

Similarly much of what F35 is capable of remains exceptionally highly classified – and rightly so. Therefore much of what goes on is known to few, and unlikely to ever be publicly discussed for fear of compromising capability. This creates a window of opportunity for naysayers without any real deep link to the project to say ‘X is broken because of Y and can’t do Z’, while those on the inside are frustratedly thinking ‘actually X isn’t broken, Y is just fine because of tweaks made to C,D and Q, and it can do Z and then some’ – but they can’t break this silence because of their obligations to various Secrecy laws across many countries.

What is clear from the twitter response today is that the article caused much frustration, and the responses boiled down to experienced operators who know the aircraft, know its capabilities (and limitations), and who know what is going on react with barely concealed frustration at the article. It was clear they felt it was not a 100% accurate interpretation of events, but their ability to comment knowledgeably was limited...
https://thinpinstripedline.blogspot.ca/2017/07/which-version-of-truth-to-believe.html

Read on.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

AMRAAM woes:

DoD slashes AMRAAM missile buy as Raytheon struggles with tech refresh

When an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet took down a Syrian Sukhoi Su-22 in June — the U.S. military’s first air-to-air kill in nearly 20 years — it launched an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, a mainstay of the Navy and Air Force’s weapons inventory since it came online in the early 1990s.

But after decades of continued production, the AMRAAM is facing obsolescence problems, and Raytheon, its manufacturer, has fallen behind on a technology refresh due to problems developing an integrated circuit.

The AMRAAM’s obsolescence upgrade, called Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R), affects 15 circuit cards that comprise about half of the missile’s guidance section, according to Air Force documents obtained by Defense News. The key component at fault for the delays is the application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a processor that will be used to execute the missile’s software, the Air Force confirmed in response to emailed questions.

The Air Force and Navy are hopeful that Raytheon can resolve design issues connected to ASIC, which has required more troubleshooting than expected to meet objectives. However, both services have cut their planned buy for fiscal year 2018 by hundreds of missiles, and a key test has been delayed by more than a year.

Raytheon is responsible for designing ASIC, which will eventually be fabricated by one of the company’s suppliers. No other alternatives for this component exist, the Air Force said.

“There was an issue with one component that was critical to the upgrade that delayed us a bit, and we had to re-plan elements of that,” Mike Jarrett, Raytheon’s vice president of air warfare systems, said during a June interview at Paris Air Show.

While Jarrett said the company had figured out a fix and that “everything is on track,” he declined to specify how Raytheon had solved the problem, citing customer sensitivities.

Raytheon is responsible for designing ASIC, which will eventually be fabricated by one of the company’s suppliers. No other alternatives for this component exist, the Air Force said.

“There was an issue with one component that was critical to the upgrade that delayed us a bit, and we had to re-plan elements of that,” Mike Jarrett, Raytheon’s vice president of air warfare systems, said during a June interview at Paris Air Show.

While Jarrett said the company had figured out a fix and that “everything is on track,” he declined to specify how Raytheon had solved the problem, citing customer sensitivities.

The Air Force was more loquacious. To bridge production in the short term, Raytheon will need to make modifications to the current navigation assembly, which contains obsolete parts that can no longer be purchased, the service said...

http://www.defensenews.com/smr/2017/07/27/dod-slashes-amraam-missile-buy-as-raytheon-struggles-with-tech-refresh/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Foreign orders coming in:

Lockheed Martin given $3.7 billion interim payment for 50 F-35s: Pentagon

Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) was awarded a $3.7 billion interim payment for fifty F-35 jet fighters that are earmarked for non-U.S. customers, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Lockheed and its partners have been producing the jets under a placeholder agreement known as an "undefinitized contract action."

The agreement announced on Friday allows Lockheed to continue production of the F-35 jets while it finalizes the terms of the 11th contract with the Pentagon. The contract provides funds for the procurement of 50 aircraft, comprised of one F-35B aircraft for Great Britain, one F-35A for Italy, eight F-35A aircraft for Australia, eight F-35A for the Netherlands, four F-35A for Turkey, six F-35A for Norway, and 22 F-35A aircraft for other foreign military sales customers, the Pentagon said in a statement...

Lockheed was awarded an interim payment on 7 July of $5.6 billion to help finance construction of the 11th batch of 141 F-35 jets for the U.S. military.

The F-35 Program office said the Department of Defense would continue to negotiate the 11th low rate initial production contract with Lockheed Martin and expected an agreement by the end of 2017.

The F-35 joint program office said it was “confident the final negotiated Lot 11 aircraft unit prices will be less than Lot 10.”

In February, the Pentagon agreed to a deal for the tenth batch of the fighter aircraft and agreed to pay below $95 million per F-35A model jet for the first time, compared with $102 million in the previous purchase, which was the lowest price up until that point...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-lockheed-pentagon-idUSKBN1AD2O3

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Stealthy together:

Future Battlespace Emerges as F-35 Variants, F-22 Train Together

The semi-annual Air Force exercise Red Flag marked a historic milestone in July when three different variations of U.S. fifth-generation fighter aircraft trained together, offering insights into what aerial warfare may look like in the not-so-distant future.

Held at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, the exercise featured for the first time both the Air Force and Marine Corps variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, with F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 and F-35As from the Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron converging to train with aircraft from more than 50 units across the Defense Department, including the Air Force’s other 5th-generation fighter, the F-22 Raptor.

In a media panel July 26, two days before the 18-day exercise wrapped up, squadron commanders and exercise planners described how the aircraft fell into roles that highlighted their operational strengths, simulating the way they would be used together in a real fight.

While officials have reported that previous Red Flag exercises demonstrated the F-35’s dominance in air-to-air kills — F-35As wrapped up an exercise at the beginning of this year with a 20:1 kill ratio — this Red Flag iteration kept the two squadrons of Joint Strike Fighters focused on other missions, including air interdiction, dynamic targeting, and suppression of enemy air defenses.

“What we found with the F-35 is, it is a very flexible platform and we were able to do a lot of different mission sets, although our primary mission is the air-to-ground focus,” said Lt. Col. John Snyder, commander of the 58th Fighter Squadron. “We can do the air-to-air escort role, but the F-22 specifically is designed to dominate in that arena. So when we have F-22s here, that’s how we’re going to try to employ them [emphasis added].”..

While communication and information-sharing did not present issues for the F-35s, officials said, frustrations remain with the F-22. Because the F-22 was built with a datalink system that is non-compatible with the F-35’s Multi-Function Advanced Datalink system, or MADL, it can receive data from the Joint Strike Fighter — as well as fourth-generation fighters — through its legacy Link 16 system, but cannot share data in kind.

For Red Flag, much of the communication was done the old-fashioned way: through voice comms.

It remains unclear when the issue between the aircraft will be fixed...
https://www.defensetech.org/2017/08/01/future-battlespace-emerges-f-35-variants-f-22-train-together/

Soundtrack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRCe5L1imxg

Mark
Ottawa