F-35 Lightning II developments

[Coati]

Most probably the Italian Government will cut their already slashed order from 90 to 45. Originally they planned to order 131 aircraft. But they want to keep the industrial compensation, and privileged Cameri Maintenance center. Next week the government will try to bargain their compensation position while ordering less aircraft.

[Stratofreighter]

Not seen here yet:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... radar.html

[Richard from Rotterdam]

As the JSF-fanboys will point out to you: this article has been written by "hater" Bill Sweetman. Not a very popular guy at LM headquarters, but he is right about the inability to use stealth against VHF radars. This issue has been raised countless times already.

One question remains though: how many of the stealth beating VHF radars are actually in operation or in the process of being manufactured? And the ones in existence, are they connected to air defence systems?

[Melchior Timmers]

A new sighting was F-35C 168845/NJ-107 which is CF-14, the fifth LRIP 5 C-model.
No first flight reported yet.

[Flyboy]

As the JSF-fanboys will point out to you: this article has been written by "hater" Bill Sweetman. Not a very popular guy at LM headquarters, but he is right about the inability to use stealth against VHF radars. This issue has been raised countless times already.

One question remains though: how many of the stealth beating VHF radars are actually in operation or in the process of being manufactured? And the ones in existence, are they connected to air defence systems?

Maybe this is the wrong part of the forum for a question: Are the VHF radars capable of guiding missiles and guns towards the foo? I always understand that that is done by very short wavelength radar which is thus unusable due to stealth. If this is so than the F-35 would observable but less shootable...

[tally]

11-5038/LF (AF-49) made its first flight from NAS Fort Worth April 29, 2014. To my knowledge the only first flight this month.

I noted 11-5039/LF (AF-50) on the flight line on April 30th. Looked like it will be ready for first flight in the coming weeks.

Tally.

[Piet Luijken]

Dear Members of the Press,

After the evaluation of the current situation in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program, which Turkey joined as a consortium partner since Concept Demonstration Phase in 1999 in order to meet the Next Generation fighter requirement of Turkish Air Force and has been attending utilizing Turkish industry’s production and assembly capabilities to the maximum extent, The Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) has been tasked to order the first two F-35A aircraft with Block-3F configuration under Low Rate Initial Production-10 (LRIP-10).

SSM has been tasked to perform necessary activities for the establishment of the Final Assembly and Check-Out line and Depot Level Maintenance Center for F135 engine within Turkish local industry and Turkish Air Force structure. Turkey aims to provide service to all F-35 users around the region via these facilities to be established.

Up until now, JSF Program is being followed closely and our support to the program continues strong as ever. In this context, Turkey continues her forecast of the acquisition of 100 F-35A aircraft as planned and declared previously.

[Coati]

Few more details about Turkish purchase:

After a 15-month delay, Turkey has approved a decision to order an initial two Lockheed Martin F-35s, launching the acquisition phase of its next-generation fighter project.

According to the Turkish air force programme, a total of 100 conventional take-off and landing F-35As will enter service from 2018. The service's first two examples – to be manufactured in the Block 3F configuration during the tenth lot of low-rate initial production – will initially support training activities, and will be based in the USA for a year, before being deployed to Malatya air base.

Ankara plans to take delivery of its subsequent F-35s at a rate of 10 per year, with the total project cost having been budgeted at $16 billion, according to SSM sources. Turkey is also to establish a final assembly and check-out line and depot-level maintenance centre for the type's Pratt & Whitney F135 engine.

Turkey is a Level 3 partner on the Lockheed-led F-35 project, having invested $195 million since entering the concept demonstration phase in 1999.

http://www.recreationalflying.com/threa ... ns.117709/

[Starman]

....and not wishing to miss out on LMs sales promotion, whilst the Israeli Chief of Staff talks to the press of military cutbacks, the Defence Minister will shortly announce a further purchase of 20 F-35s to equip the second squadron.

[Coati]

16K+ Flight Hours For F-35

The F-35 Lightning II aircraft fleet surpassed 16,000 cumulative flight hours through 30 April 2014. Test pilots at three locations flew a monthly record high 282 flight hours and 153 flights in April. In April, operational F-35s fleet-wide flew 812 hours. Cumulative totals for 2014 include 420 hours on F-35A test aircraft, 281 hours on F-35B test aircraft, and 222 hours on F-35C test jets. Operational F-35 pilots in all three variants have flown 2,790 hours for the year. Block 2B software flight science testing on the F-35A fleet is now nearly complete, and Block 3 software testing is expected to begin in mid 2014. Block 2B testing for the F-35B is expected to be completed later this year.

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/f35_news ... em_id=1286

[Coati]

150th aircraft set for F35 fighter programme completed

The 150th aircraft set, known as AF070, is a Conventional Take Off and Landing variant destined for the US Air Force. AF070 will be married up with the rest of the aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s assembly facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

Jon Evans, Head of Production Delivery, F-35 at Samlesbury said: "AF070 is the 150th aircraft set to leave our production facility. The first 20 sets were development phase, the rest production aircraft. We are now producing aircraft sets at a rate of one every five days thanks to the multi-million pound investment we made in the Samlesbury site, so we’re well on the way to producing one set a day by 2018.




http://www.baesystems.com/article/BAES_ ... kg9fbx2_81

[Coati]

LRIP-10: long lead-time materials and multiple contract for as much as 96 aircraft


The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) intends to award multiple contract actions to Lockheed Martin Corporation, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Fort Worth, TX for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 10 requirements. The proposed contract actions will provide for eighty (80) Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft, fourteen (14) Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft, and two (2) Carrier Variant (CV) aircraft (or such other quantities as may be authorized and appropriated by the U.S. Congress or authorized by non-U.S. DoD Participants); as well as long lead-time materials;



https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity ... e&_cview=0

[Coati]

F-35 Achieves Three Major Flight Test Milestones On Same Day

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. and NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, Md, May 29, 2014 – In three separate flight tests on May 27, Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II aircraft demonstrated air-to-air combat capability, completed the first flight test with the next level software load and accomplished a landing at the maximum test speed and drop rate.

In the Point Mugu Sea Test Range airspace off the Central California coast, an F-35B demonstrated the jet’s air-to-air combat capability when it sequentially engaged two aerial targets with two AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) during a Weapon Delivery Accuracy mission.

Test pilot Lt. Col. Andrew ‘Growler’ Allen tracked two maneuvering drone targets, making the very first dual AMRAAM shot from any F-35 variant, and the first live AMRAAM shot from the F-35B Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant.

“The U.S. Marine Corps, which operates F-35Bs, will be the first military service branch to attain combat-ready Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 2015,” said J.D. McFarlan, Lockheed Martin's vice president for F-35 Test & Verification. “This Weapon Delivery Accuracy test highlighted the air combat capability that will give Marine aviators a decisive combat edge in contested airspace.”

The F-35’s internally-carried AIM-120 AMRAAMs are a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations and considered a “fire-and-forget” missile using active target radar guidance.

Flying from Edwards Air Force Base, an F-35A flew a 1.9 hour mission with the first-ever load of Block 3i hardware and software. Block 3i is the next level of capability and is planned to support U.S. Air Force F-35A IOC in 2016.

The F-35C, designed for aircraft carrier operations, completed a landing at its maximum sink speed to test the aircraft’s landing gear, airframe and arrestment system at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. “Five sorties were conducted, building up the maximum sink rate test condition of 21.4 feet per second, which represents the maximum sink speed planned for this test,” McFarlan said. During the tests, the F-35C did three arrestments, several touch and goes and one bolter. The landings were to demonstrate structural readiness for arrested landings on an aircraft carrier at sea.

Fleet-wide, the F-35 has, to date, amassed more than 17,000 flight hours, with all three variant aircraft at the F-35 Integrated Training Center at Eglin AFB, Florida, surpassing the 5,000 sorties milestone this week.


http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/p ... e-day.html

[Melchior Timmers]

F-35C 168848/NJ-110 has been noted. This should be CF-17, the first LRIP 6 F-35C

[Piet Luijken]

F35 flights:
2 jun F35A 11-5039/LF
3 jun F35A 11-5035/LF and 168846/NJ-110.

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