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tally wrote:Could be that AN-1 (F-001), the first Dutch F-35, made its first flight from NAS Fort Worth, Monday, Aug 6.
Tally
Coati wrote:First flight of the first Dutch F-35A with serial F-001 has taken place yesterday.
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Probably because of the political sensitivies about the JSF at the moment (Minister unwilling to obey the Parliament that has told him to bug out of the project).tally wrote:Not sure why this has not been advertised in the media.
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Piccies:Coati wrote:The JSF is getting its teeth:
F-35 completes first airborne weapons separation 08 August 2012
"NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The F-35 Lightning II accomplished a significant test milestone Aug. 8 when the aircraft successfully released a weapon in flight.
BF-3, a short take-off and vertical landing F-35 variant, released an inert 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) separation weapon over water in an Atlantic test range while traveling at 400 knots at an altitude of 4,200 feet.
The release was the first time for any version of the F-35 to conduct an airborne weapon separation, as well as the first from an internal weapons bay for a fighter aircraft designated for the U.S. Marine Corps, the United Kingdom and Italy.
An aerial weapons separation test checks for proper release of the weapon from its carriage system and trajectory away from the aircraft. It is the culmination of a significant number of prerequisite tests, including ground fit checks, ground pit drops and aerial captive carriage and environment flights to ensure the system is working properly before expanding the test envelope in the air.
Aircraft and land-based test monitoring systems collected data from the successful separation, which is in review at the F-35 integrated test force at Naval Air Station Patuxent River."
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=68893 Thursday, Sep. 6, 2012
U.S. stealth jets may cost 50% more
Kyodo
Each F-35 stealth jet that Japan buys from the United States in fiscal 2013 will be 50 percent more expensive than in the current year, according to Defense Ministry officials.
The ministry cited lower production efficiency for the price hike
— which will see the acquisition cost soar to ¥15.4 billion from ¥10.2 billion per aircraft —
and plans to buy two F-35s in the next fiscal year, the officials said Tuesday.
To this end, the ministry will seek ¥30.8 billion to cover the acquisition costs in the fiscal 2013 budget request it must submit by Friday, they added.
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http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... is-376590/Senior F-35 official warns on software breakdowns, relationship crisis
Washington DC 16 hours ago
The future of the Lockheed Martin F-35 programme is at risk over software concerns
and a breakdown in the relationships between the contractor and the government,
says the deputy chief of the F-35 joint programme office (JPO).
"There is no more money and no more time on this programme," Maj Gen Christopher Bogdan told reporters at the Air Force Association convention.
"We will not go back and ask for more, simple as that."
Bogdan's comments covered a wide range of concerns, but he focused on the status of software development.
In particular, he warned that the autonomic logistics information system (ALIS) - the nerve centre for F-35 maintenance and sustainment all over the world - is falling dangerously behind schedule.
While ALIS has been in works for several years, security issues with software have required a new approach. The new system, version 1.03, is currently in testing that is expected to be completed in November.
The US Marine Corps, one of the primary customers of the aircraft,
is planning to deploy short take-off and vertical landing F-35Bs to its training base in Yuma, Arizona,
but without a certified and functional ALIS system, the aircraft are essentially inoperable.
Some F-35s have been fully constructed by Lockheed,
but the US Air Force has not accepted them for delivery "because there's no point unless ALIS works," says Bogdan.
"If we don't get ALIS right, we are not flying aircraft."
Software is another sticking point.
The aircraft has over 10 million lines of code that it requires to function. While Lockheed has "made some tactical progress" on fixing software issues, installing and operating the complex Block 3 software remains the largest hurdle,
and one that Bogdan says has greatest risk of causing programme delay.
Though technical problems put a crimp in the programme,
Bogdan says that the relationship between Lockheed, the JPO and stakeholders is "the worst I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of bad ones.
It should not take 10, 11, 12 months to negotiate a contract we've been working with for 10 years," he adds.
"I think that's the biggest threat to the programme today. If we do not improve the day-to-day relationship, this will not work."
Bogdan stressed the complexity of developing, testing, building and flying the aircraft at the same time, citing competing priorities from each stakeholder.
"I am seeing some glimmers of hope in Lockheed Martin's production," he says.
However, the company "should be, but [isn't], ahead of the learning curve,"
and production efficiencies are not being translated into lower cost to the government. Bogdan says he expects Lockheed to pass savings on.
Lockheed had no immediate comment, but says it will release a statement soon.
In Dutch:FNV en Fokker sluiten convenant over F-35
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