F-35 Lightning II developments

[Richard from Rotterdam]

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.asp ... 666863.xml

Bogdan Warns Of Possible Six-Month F-35 Slip After Development Ends
By Amy Butler abutler@aviationweek.com
Source: AWIN First

February 26, 2014

F-35 activities planned to take place after the program’s development phase ends in 2016 could slip by up to six months, according to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, program executive officer for the stealthy fighter.

Work leading up to completion of development of the multinational, $398 billion program is largely on track, he told an audience hosted by Credit Suisse/McAleese & Associates Feb. 25. “I’m measuring the days I’m off in those milestones by days and weeks,” he said.

The Marines are slated to declare initial operational capability with the F-35B, optimized for short-takeoff and vertical landing, as early as June 2015, with the U.S. Air Force to follow as early as August 2016. Both require the 2B software while only the Air Force is awaiting delivery of new processing hardware with the 3i package for its declaration. Thus, if such a delay does take place, it will have the most dramatic effect on the Navy, which is slated to declare IOC as early as August 2018.

Bogdan’s warning is twofold. A potential choke point in testing the software is what is concerning him. In the 3F package, Lockheed Martin is required to deliver an unprecedented level of fusion among various data feeds for the aircraft. Among them are inputs from offboard sensors, including other aircraft and satellites.

Even if the 2B/3i work is finished as planned, Bogdan is worried that the time it takes to outfit the test aircraft, labs and simulators with the new 3F software will eat into time needed to actually test it. This was a concern pointed out in the fiscal 2013 testing report provided to Congress by Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s chief tester.

But it is the “complexity of the software that worries us the most,” Bogdan says. “Software development is always really, really tricky,” he says. “We are going to try and do things in the final block of this capability that are really hard to do.” Among them is forming software that can share the same threat picture among multiple ships across the battlefield, allowing for more coordinated attacks.

Meanwhile, Bogdan says the latest software release for the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) has addressed some of the data shortfalls of the earlier version; these forced maintainers to handle too much information manually, resulting in excessive time to turn around sorties of the single-engine jet.

Previous adds to ALIS were taking “one step forward and two steps back,” he said. “This time we took a step forward and didn’t take a step back.”

However, shortcomings with ALIS are prompting Bogdan to consider overturning an earlier decision that restricts maintainers from releasing a jet for duty without concurrence from ALIS, which handles all parts, system diagnostics and mission planning for the fleet. The feature is at times allowing for errant holds on sorties. “It is not the font of all knowledge about the airplane” as expected, Bogdan says.

“Do we need to start doing that [and allowing maintainers an override]? Yeah, we have to start thinking about doing that … in a measured way,” he says. This is possible because the maintainers have been training with the aircraft for three years, giving them a level of expertise needed for such a measure.

[sdamico]

Possible F-35 delivery flight as 'Lightning 21' noted on 27 February around 09:30 local, with aircraft departing eastbound.

SD

[Coati]

Turkey is on track again for F-35 purchases, after postponing an initial order of two aircraft one or two years ago.


UPDATE 2-Turkey likely to order Lockheed F-35 fighters in 2015

By Tulay Karadeniz

ANKARA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Turkey is likely to start ordering F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp from 2015 onwards and it will start with two orders initially, Turkey's undersecretary for state-run defence industries Murad Bayar said on Thursday.

"We will start F-35 orders either this year or the next. Right now, it is likely to be next year," Bayar told reporters. "We will initially order two. The delivery time will be, depending on the orders, probably in 2017-2018."

Turkey had already announced it plans to buy 100 F-35 jets for $16 billion. Bayar said he expected the deliveries of 100 aircraft to be completed within 10 years.

The F-35, considered to be the world's most expensive weapons programme at $396 billion so far, was designed to be the next-generation fighter jet for the U.S. forces.

It is being built by the United States, Britain and seven other co-development partners - Italy, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/ ... FV20140227

[Coati]

First note on the first RAAF F-35 squadron, it will be 3sq.

RAAF names first F-35 pilots

Squadron Leaders Andrew Jackson and David Bell have been named as the RAAF’s first two pilots selected to fly the F-35A Lightning.

SQNLDR Jackson is currently executive officer with 2OCU at Williamtown and is a Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI) course graduate, while SQNLDR Bell is a qualified test pilot who has served with the Aircraft Research and Development Unit, and is currently a planning officer with Headquarters Air Combat Group.

SQNLDR Jackson will commence conversion training on the F-35A at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in early 2015, while SQNLDR Bell will begin F-35A training at Luke AFB, Nevada, in mid-2015. Both will then be assigned to Luke, which is nominated to be the US Air Force’s major F-35 pilot training base.

Australia’s first two F-35As are scheduled to be delivered to Luke in early 2015 where they will initially join an F-35A pilot training aircraft pool there. Subsequently, Australia’s first F-35A squadron (slated to be 3SQN) will transition onto the jet at Luke once further RAAF aircraft are delivered later in the decade.

The pilots’ selection to fly the F-35 was announced at the Centenary of Military Aviation Airshow at Point Cook on Saturday.

“It is fitting to announce the future of this capability here at Point Cook, where military aviation in Australia was born. Our history is important, and our first two pilots will make history as they become our first pilots to fly this fifth generation aircraft,” said Deputy Chief of Air Force AVM Leo Davies.

“Not only do they represent the future of RAAF, they will have an important leadership and training role as future instructors for the F-35A.

http://australianaviation.com.au/2014/0 ... 35-pilots/

[Coati]

And finally: in the Pentagon plans the F-35 comes out as winner. Defense stays fully commited to the program for all three services. Next week we'll see how congress reacts.

As the Pentagon outlined its proposed budget Monday afternoon, some clear winners and losers emerged.

Winners: Companies and communities around big defense programs such as the F-35 multi-role fighter.

Losers: Companies and communities around military bases, especially those that may face closure.

The Pentagon remains committed to Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive defense program in history. Hagel also wants to stay on track with a new bomber program for which Lockheed and Boeing may submit bids, as well as the new air refueling tanker, built by Boeing.



http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/milita ... get-n37626

[tally]

Possible F-35 delivery flight as 'Lightning 21' noted on 27 February around 09:30 local, with aircraft departing eastbound.

SD

Lightning 21 was a first flight for F-35B 168840 and returned back to NAS Ft Worth. This 35 was still in primer.
In addition the following 35'S flew on Feb 27 as well:
F-35C 168843/NJ-105 and flew as Strike 11.
F-35A 11-5034 as lightning 41. I believe first flight for this was Feb 21, 2014. It still flew in green primer as well.
F-35A 11-5031/LF as Strike 51. LMTAS has been trying to deliver this one together with its sister (11-5030/LF) to Luke the last two weeks. Hopefully they succeed prior to the Luke air show.

Cheers,


Seb.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Coati]

AF-46 made its first flight 26 feb 2014 according to this news article:

TORONTO, March 3, 2014 /CNW/ – Magellan Aerospace Corporation (“Magellan” or the “Corporation”) announced today that the first Magellan-manufactured horizontal tail assembly installed on an F-35A Lightning II aircraft was successfully flown for the first time on Wednesday, 26 February 2014. The Magellan tail assembly flew on aircraft AF-46, an F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) variant, from Lockheed Martin’s final assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas. The first flight of this Canadian-manufactured tail assembly marks an important milestone for Magellan as a major Canadian supplier to the international F-35 program.

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2014/03/ ... hievement/

[Coati]

Today to be confirmed, but already released yesterday:

F-35A: 4 less for FY15, but next 4 years as planned (total 238 for 5 yrs)
F-35B: 69 jet exactly as planned for next 5 yrs, plus additional order of 3 in april/may from war funding if authorized
F-35C: from 69 to 36 (33 less) in the next 5 years

total orders for the next 5 years (FY2015-2019) will be for 343 jets (plus maybe 3 more from the war budget)

Total amount 2443 jets stays as planned

Also new: apparently the South Korea order will be placed March 12.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/ ... 6420140304

(Reuters) - The U.S. Navy is set to order 33 fewer Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets than originally planned over the five years starting in fiscal 2015 due to budgetary pressures, a defense official said Monday.

In a move that will sharply slow work on the F-35 model built to land on aircraft carriers, the Navy will ask Congress to fund 36 F-35Cs instead of 69, said the official, who could not speak publicly ahead of Tuesday's release of the 2015 budget request.

The Air Force is also deferring orders for four conventional landing F-35 A-models in fiscal 2015, but is expected to resume its planned orders for the jet in 2016 and beyond, said a second source familiar with the plans. It plans to order 238 in total.

The Marine Corps, which expects to start using its F-35 B-model jets in combat from mid-2015, is sticking to its projected orders of 69 jets for the period, the sources said.

That adds up to 343 F-35s to be funded by the U.S. military through fiscal 2019, excluding three Marine Corps jets that could be added to the Pentagon's war funding request, which will be submitted in April or May.

Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale told a conference last week that the department's decision to buy eight fewer F-35s in fiscal 2015 was based on affordability, not the aircraft's performance. Defense officials say they remain committed to the program, and still plan to buy a total of 2,443 F-35s over the coming years for all three military services.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last week said the total number to be funded over the next five years could be scaled back further unless Congress revokes automatic budget cuts that are due to resume in fiscal 2016 and beyond.

Lockheed is building three models of the aircraft for the U.S. military and eight international partners that helped fund its development: Britain, Canada, Norway, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.

Israel and Japan have also ordered F-35 jets, and South Korea is expected to announce orders for 40 F-35s on March 12.

Lockheed and the Pentagon's F-35 program office had hoped that foreign orders would comprise half or more of the total number of F-35s in a ninth batch of jets, which are funded in fiscal 2015.

However some foreign orders have now been delayed as well and the combined number is expected to be around 57, far short of 73 jets that had been seen as possible at one time, said a third source familiar with the program. The total number will be finalized in the coming months.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

[tally]

11-5033/EG (AF-44) made its first flight as Lightning 21 from NAS Fort Worth Mar 6, 2014.

Tally.

[tally]

11-5030/LF delivered to Luke AFB as Strike 11 today, mar 10.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Starfighter_F-104G]

any info for delivery flight for these birds?
AF-28
AF-30
AF-31
AF-32
AF-38
BF-24
BF-28
BF-29
BF-32
CF-09

MTIA

[Coati]

Tony Abbott to approve Australia’s biggest ever military purchase of stealth fighter jets

THE Abbott Government is set to give the green light to the nation’s biggest ever military purchase allowing Defence to order up to 86 American made stealth fighter jets for the RAAF.
The planes will cost about $90 million each when they roll off the assembly line between 2018 and 2020 and the overall project will cost some $14 billion during the 30-year life of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

It is understood that a submission to buy will be presented to Cabinet’s National Security Committee for approval within weeks.

The head of the Pentagon’s largest ever defence project to buy 2400 of the “fifth generation’’ fighters has assured Australia that the controversial project was “back on track’’ and that Australian jets would be delivered on time and on cost.

US Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan told News Corp Australia in Sydney that apart from some “trust and credibility’’ issues with the prime contractor Lockheed Martin and engine maker Pratt and Whitney, the JSF program was hitting all of its milestones.

“The leadership of Lockheed Martin doing a much better job of listening to the customer, which is us,’’ he said.

Edit: presumably it will not be for 86 jets but 72-14=58. 14 jets are already approved, of which 2 are ordered and build. Plans are for a total of 72 jets, with on the long term maybe a follow onorder for 28 =(100)


http://www.news.com.au/national/tony-ab ... 6851684344

[tally]

11-5036 (AF-47) possibly made its first flight from NAS Fort Worth Mar 13, 2014. I say possibly as I am not certain it was indeed its first flight.

Tally.

[sdamico]

F-35 'Lightning 41' departed to Eglin (VPS) today (March 20).

SD

[Piet Luijken]

REPUBLIC OF KOREA SELECTS
LOCKHEED MARTIN F-35A LIGHTNING II

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 24, 2014 – The Republic of Korea has formally announced its decision to procure the Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) F-35 Lightning II aircraft for its F-X fighter acquisition program.

“We are honored by and appreciate the trust and confidence the Republic of Korea has placed in the 5th Generation F-35 to meet its demanding security requirements. We look forward to supporting the discussions between the Republic of Korea and U.S. governments in support of a final agreement this year,” said Orlando Carvalho, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics executive vice president. “This decision strengthens and extends our long-standing security partnership while enhancing regional stability across the greater Asia Pacific theater.”

Following a comprehensive evaluation process for their F-X program, the Republic of Korea becomes the third Foreign Military Sales country to procure the F-35, joining Israel and Japan who selected the F-35A in 2010 and 2011, respectively.