F-35 Lightning II developments

[Piet Luijken]

AF-27 and AF-29.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Piet Luijken]

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The largest fleet of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft grew to 25 aircraft as the F-35 Integrated Training Center here welcomed two new Air Force F-35A variants of the multi-role fighter to the Emerald Coast yesterday.
What this means for the 58th Fighter Squadron is the ability to fly an expanded schedule and more readily be able to put student pilots through the F-35 training course, according to Maj. Jay Spohn, assistant director of operations at the 58th Fighter Squadron.
“We’ll have the ability to fly a ‘four-turn-four’ or ‘six-turn-four’,” he said. The numbers indicate how many training sortie flights are accomplished in the morning schedule, then maintained and serviced to be turned back out to be flown for the afternoon schedule.
Currently, the Air Force team at the 33rd Fighter Wing is in the latter part of F-35A Pilot Class Number 4 and has started Class 5. The Marine Corps pilots here are in F-35B Class Number 4 and the Navy has completed one F-35C course and started a second this week. More than 30 pilots from all three variants have been trained at the F-35 Integrated Training Center.
The world class training devices, full mission simulators and comprehensive curriculum are preparing them for the challenges of working on the 21st century battlefield.
The Air Force expects to declare F-35A Lightning II initial operating capability by December 2016. For the Marines, the target date for F-35B IOC is in late 2015 and the Navy is looking at F-35C IOC in February 2019.
For now, the steps taken each day at Eglin assist in moving the F-35 program forward enterprise-wide as the team trains more people on the unprecedented, technologically-advanced 5th generation fighter.
About 72 pilots from the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy are slated to graduate F-35 transition pilot training this year. This is made possible by a fleet of well-maintained aircraft to meet the training needs.
One such maintainer paving the way for F-35 success is Tech. Sgt. Lance Murphy, 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit here. He received one of the two new F-35s and has been tapped to be the dedicated crew chief for that aircraft.
“This is awesome knowing the jet belongs to you,” he said. “It’s my responsibility to know the overall maintenance of this particular jet bearing my name on the side.”
Murphy likened his F-35 maintenance experience to that of auto racing. “Each NASCAR has its own chief and each jet has its own crew chief. There is that same excitement when the jet is maintained and then goes out for a successful flight just like a successful race.”
(Continued on page 3)

And so the accomplishments continue each day with the Eglin-based F-35 team be it maintainer efforts or pilot efforts.
“It’s an accomplishment that in less than six months since we started pilot training, we have been able to produce a course as good as any fighter course created in the last twenty years,” said Spohn.
Murphy agreed about the progress. “Each day is something new and it’s awesome to be a part of this.”
At Eglin, the Air Force has 12 F-35A joint strike fighters, the Marine Corps has 11 and the United Kingdom embedded with the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 has two F-35Bs. The Navy is slated to get its first two F-35C variants in the next coming weeks.
In the out years, when operating at full capacity, the Eglin fleet will grow to 59 aircraft with about 100 pilots and 2,100 maintainers graduating yearly.
--end—

Image 130605-F-XC501-002: Maintainers from the 33rd Fighter Wing put the chalks on one of two new F-35A Lightning II fighters received at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., June 5, 2013. Including the Marine Corps variant of the F-35 based here, the training fleet grew to 25 F-35A and F-35B joint strike fighters. The Navy F-35C variant is slated to arrive in the coming weeks. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Nicholas Egebrecht)

Image 130605-F-XC501-001: Two new Air Force variants of the F-35 Lightning II taxi in to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for the first time June 5, 2013. The 33rd Fighter Wing received the F-35A Lightning II jets bringing the total to 12 Air Force joint strike fighters. Including the Marine Corps variant of the F-35 based here, the training fleet grew to 25 F-35A and F-35B joint strike fighters. The Navy F-35C variant is slated to arrive in the coming weeks. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Nicholas Egebrecht)

[tally]

AF-27 and AF-29.

That is my understanding as well Piet.

In addition AN-1 flew on Wednesday again. It is scheduled to be delivered soon. Although news has it she will be stored at Edwards I have also heard she may go to Hill and become an ground instructional airframe until the Dutch decide how to proceed with their next fighter program.

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/ ... 23-001.jpg is a LARGE photo....

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123351580

An F-35A conventional take-off and landing aircraft completed the first in-flight missile launch of an AIM-120 over the Point Mugu Sea test range on June 5, 2013.

It was the first launch where the F-35 and AIM-120 demonstrated a successful launch-to-eject communications sequence and fired the rocket motor after launch
-- paving the way for targeted launches in support of the Block 2B fleet release capability later this year.

[tally]

Today we had first flight of BF-28 as 168726/VK-08 in VMFA-121 titles. She flew around North Texas as Lightning 11 with F-16D 90-0848 as lightning 12 as chase.

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/images/n ... 4_1137.jpg

An update I suppose...

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/f35_news ... em_id=1073

"F-35C CF-3 was used for a heavyweight ground tow test at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division test facility at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, on 6 June 2013.
The aircraft was fitted with four 2,000-pound GBU-31 guided bombs on the aircraft’s external pylons. US Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tony Wilson was in the cockpit during the test."

[Piet Luijken]

Tuesday 18 june 2013
Flight of unknown F35A tailcode EG
In first LMTAS hangar from the roaf we saw dutch F-001 next to unknown F-35 with tailcode 05.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Coati]

First flight of AF-28, 10-5016/EG on the 19th of June. (being the 66th F-35 to fly, not counting AA-1)

[raameagle]

Isn't AF-28 serial 10-5016?

Regards

Mark

[Piet Luijken]

On 18 June flight of F-35A 10-5014/EG.

On 19 June flight of F-35A 10-5016/EG and delivery flight of F-35B 168725/VK-07 to Yuma

[Piet Luijken]

Fokker Secures Next Order for F-35 Aircraft Valued at 40 Million Euros
Paris, France // June 19, 2013



Fokker strengthens Dutch industrial footprint for employment and turnover in F-35 aircraft program through additional agreements with Lockheed Martin for the F-35’s electrical systems.



Fokker Elmo has secured an additional contract from Lockheed Martin for the delivery of additional Electrical Wiring & Interconnection Systems, valued at 40 million euros. Under this contract, Fokker Elmo will be responsible for the manufacturing of electrical systems for the next batch of aircraft. Fokker Elmo’s production of the F-35 electrical wiring systems involves employment for 150 specialists at Fokker Elmo. The company has been working with Lockheed Martin for the F-35 since 2002.

Hans Büthker, COO of Fokker Technologies and President of Fokker Elmo is ‘very pleased to sign this contract during the Paris Airshow, following the recent milestone of the delivery of the 100th shipset to Lockheed Martin, this underscores the value of the Dutch industrial participation in the F-35 in terms of employment, knowledge and innovation”. The contract was signed in the presence of Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Mr. Henk Kamp.

[Piet Luijken]

Navy Receives First F-35C Lightning II
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. // June 22, 2013

The U.S. Navy's Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 received the Navy's first F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft from Lockheed Martin today at the squadron's home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

On photo it had code 101 so it was CF-6/168733/NJ-101.

[Coati]

Isn't AF-28 serial 10-5016?

Regards

Mark

You're right, corrected....

And another first flight:

Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti was at the controls for the first flight of F-35C CF-8 (US Navy Bureau Number 168735). The flight occurred on 20 June 2013 with takeoff and landing at NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas.

Code is ED-104. This aircraft will be added to the SDD program to excel testing and is the final test aircraft to fly.

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/news_ite ... em_id=1089

[Piet Luijken]

Log 24 june 2013 late afternoon
Parked outside:
F-35C 168735/ED-104
F-35A F-001
Four were parked inside hangars including VK-05.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Richard from Rotterdam]

Fokker Secures Next Order for F-35 Aircraft Valued at 40 Million Euros
Paris, France // June 19, 2013



Fokker strengthens Dutch industrial footprint for employment and turnover in F-35 aircraft program through additional agreements with Lockheed Martin for the F-35’s electrical systems.



Fokker Elmo has secured an additional contract from Lockheed Martin for the delivery of additional Electrical Wiring & Interconnection Systems, valued at 40 million euros. Under this contract, Fokker Elmo will be responsible for the manufacturing of electrical systems for the next batch of aircraft. Fokker Elmo’s production of the F-35 electrical wiring systems involves employment for 150 specialists at Fokker Elmo. The company has been working with Lockheed Martin for the F-35 since 2002.

Hans Büthker, COO of Fokker Technologies and President of Fokker Elmo is ‘very pleased to sign this contract during the Paris Airshow, following the recent milestone of the delivery of the 100th shipset to Lockheed Martin, this underscores the value of the Dutch industrial participation in the F-35 in terms of employment, knowledge and innovation”. The contract was signed in the presence of Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Mr. Henk Kamp.

Isn't this work being done by Fokker Elmo in Izmir, Turkey? That's where the work was done previously if I'm not mistaken.