Over 10.000 flight hours now for the F-35:
F-35 Lightning II News
F-35 Lightning II Program Surpasses 10,000 Flight Hours
October 9, 2013 (by Laura Siebert) - The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program continues its operational maturation, surpassing 10,000 flight hours in September. More than half of the total hours were accumulated in just the past 11 months.
Through September, F-35s flew 6,492 times for a total of 10,077 flight hours. The new milestone effectively doubles the safe flight operations of the F-35 in a year, compared to reaching 5,000 flight hours in six years.
This milestone was achieved by operational production aircraft operating at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., where F-35 pilots and aircraft maintainers conduct training and the combined F-35 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) and Operational Test (OT) aircraft operating at Edwards AFB, Calif., Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and Nellis AFB, Nev. All three variants: the F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL), the F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL), and the F-35C Carrier Variant (CV) participated in the program milestone.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three distinct variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least 10 other countries.
http://www.f-16.net/news_article4791.html
F-35 Lightning II developments
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
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Joint Strike Fighter Total Cost Still Up in the Air
The Air Force general in charge of bailing out development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is in agreement with Lockheed Martin that the mistakes of the past are behind them and the first operational jets will be available on time and on budget in 2015.
But the Pentagon inspector general recently published a report that was familiar to those who have followed the long saga of designing and building a fifth-generation fighter. Juxtaposing the optimistic rhetoric from Lockheed and Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer, the IG found hundreds of incidents of mismanagement and lax oversight by the government that underscore continued ambiguity over how much more money the jet will consume.
No one can agree on how much the jet will have cost U.S. taxpayers — not to mention a coalition of international partners — after the F-35 enters service. Bogdan’s office insists the price over the 50-year lifecycle of the aircraft sits at $857 billion and is slowly falling as cost is driven from all aspects of development, operation and sustainment.
Bogdan said there is “no more time and no more money” for developmental delays of the jets. Everyone involved must make cost-reduction a priority or sacrifice future capabilities to pay the bills.
“By 2019, I’m looking for a fifth-generation airplane for a fourth-generation price,” Bogdan said. “If we can do that, I can guarantee our partners and the services will be happy campers.”
Lockheed, Pratt & Whitney, BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman — the four prime contractors involved with F-35 development — have given the Air Force assurances “at the CEO-level” that the F-35 will eventually be comparable in price to the aircraft they will replace, he said.
Frank Kendall, under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in late September that the official government estimate still rests at more than $1 trillion.
“That’s the big rhinoceros,” Bogdan said of the $1.1 trillion estimate at the Air Force Association’s annual conference in September. “That is the number that has been hanging around for three years now. That cost estimate has not changed for three years because they haven’t done a cost estimate in three years.”
“No matter what that number is, we know if we don’t start to drive cost out of the life cycle of this airplane, it may not be affordable in the future for all of our partners or all of the U.S. [military services],” he added.
Still, the Pentagon IG found 719 problems stemming from “inadequate oversight” of contractors and suppliers by the Air Force and procurement officials. F-35 development has already cost $400 billion, giving it the dubious distinction of costliest weapons system development ever undertaken by the Defense Department.
Lorraine Martin, who heads the F-35 program for Lockheed, was confident that a new government cost analysis launched by Kendall’s office will support her and Bogdan’s assertions that the aircraft will cost significantly less than $1 trillion over its life cycle. That analysis is due later this year.
“The costs are coming down,” she said. “We are understanding them better. We are working hand in hand with all the partners in the program to understand the assumptions that were built into the cost. Every time we work this hard, we are able to find places where we can bring down that projected cost.”
Operation and sustainment costs are projected out over the half-century life cycle of the F-35, and include fuel, basing structure and personnel who maintain the jet and oversee the service’s fleets. Capping more immediate development cost overruns has been Bogdan’s focus since taking the program’s yolk a year ago.
Bogdan said engineers are playing “whack-a-mole” with a list of parts and systems that repeatedly malfunction. His office maintains that many of the problems identified in the IG report have been corrected since the study was completed in July.
“There are pieces and parts of this airplane that are simply breaking too much,” Bogdan said.
“When they break and we take them off the airplane, getting them repaired takes too long. The good news is, now that we have 8,000 flight hours … we have a very good list of all those bad actors. So we are systematically going through and applying engineering discipline and money and work to try and bring that list down.”
Bogdan used the F-35B tires as an example. Because the Marine Corps version of the jet can land vertically but take off conventionally, its tires must cushion its landing and grip a ship’s deck during takeoff. Durability and cushion are at the opposite ends of the spectrum of tire construction, so the “float” that the softer tires have means they wear down quickly after repeatedly rocketing down the runway of a big-deck amphibious ship.
“It is a hard technical challenge,” he said. “Those tires today come off the airplane way, way, way too often. There is no way operations can be sustained.”
To counter that and similar issues that have plagued F-35 development from the start, Bogdan took a page that was used with success in developing the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Navy’s Virginia-class submarine.
The Air Force, Lockheed and Pratt have created a “cost war room” staffed by experts in manufacturing, supply chain management and development and procurement whose task it is to systematically parse the jet’s entire life cycle, looking for efficiencies.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that over the next year or two we will see some good results out of that,” Bogdan said.
The cost war room is at Lockheed’s private development center near Crystal City, Va., where half a floor was given over to the full-time effort.
“I have told Lockheed, and I have told Pratt … the expectation is that lot over lot, the airplane’s price and the engine price will and must keep coming down,” Bogdan said. “There is no scenario I see where that can’t happen. Not on my watch. I won’t let that happen. The price needs to keep coming down, no matter what.”
Other systems designed specifically to make operations and maintenance of the F-35 efficient and cost effective, like the automatic logistics information system (ALIS), are “just flat-out late,” Bogdan said.
ALIS is a globally distributed data collection and dissemination program that allows operators to plan ahead, maintain and sustain the F-35 throughout an individual plane’s life cycle. It integrates operations, maintenance, prognostics, supply chain, customer support and technical data and makes it available at a moment’s notice for pilots and maintenance staff worldwide.
“ALIS is going to be a wonderful system some day, but we started way too late in applying the systems engineering discipline that is needed,” Bogdan said. “We’re doing it now, but we are in catch-up mode, and we’ll be in catch-up mode for a while.”
Costs per aircraft have been coming down with each lot purchased, both Bogdan and Martin said. From low-rate initial production lots one to five, the cost has decreased 55 percent across all three variants, Martin said. That accounts for a $500 million reduction from lots one to five. The Air Force’s conventional takeoff and landing version now sits at $150 million per copy, she said.
The Defense Department plans to spend $327 billion on airframes and $64 billion on engines for a total 2,457 F-35s.
Negotiations for lots six and seven were finalized in early October for 71 jets worth a total $7.1 billion.
The sixth batch includes 23 conventional takeoff and landing aircraft for the Air Force for $103 million per jet, six of the Marine Corps’ short-takeoff, vertical-landing version for $109 million per copy and seven of the Navy’s variant that flies from aircraft carriers for $120 million each.
The price per jet was less for all three variants in the seventh batch, which calls for 35 total aircraft at $3.4 billion. The Air Force variant ran $98 million per copy while the Marine Corps and Navy versions cost $104 million and $116 million per aircraft in that lot.
All three services have announced the dates they intend to declare initial operational capability, beginning with the Marine Corps in 2015. The Air Force will follow in 2016 and the Navy plans to begin operational flights in 2019. IOC is the point at which the service declares its version of the aircraft ready for combat.
After this certification, the jets should be able to perform close-air support and enemy aircraft interdiction, among other missions, Martin said. The software needed to conduct those missions is included in the 2B software suite, which is coded and in flight-testing.
As the three deadlines draw nearer, Lockheed is able to adjust its long-term cost estimates as it learns how the aircraft will be used by military services, Martin said.
“We’re learning things about the aircraft that are allowing us to change those assumptions and help bring them down,” Martin said. “We also are learning how the different services will operate the aircraft. It’s going to take close coordination with all the services and partners in clarifying those assumptions.”
The Marine Corps’ F-35B is the most expensive to operate, especially in short-takeoff, vertical landing mode, which uses both rearward and downward facing engines to fly. “As Marine officials further understand how long they plan to operate in STOVL mode, those assumptions can be included in [operations and sustainment] projection models and produce a more realistic estimate,” Martin said.
Recent expansion of foreign military sales also should help drive down future development and production cost, Bogdan said.
The Netherlands announced Sept. 17 it would purchase 37 F-35s in a contract worth $6 billion. It will spend another $260 million per year thereafter for operations and maintenance.
In a surprise decision, South Korean military officials announced a reversal of their decision to buy F-15s in favor of a stealthier aircraft like the F-35. It is not certain that the Koreans will purchase the F-35, but the decision rocketed Lockheed to the front of the pack.
“Partnership is a crucial part of this program for a lot of different reasons,” Bogdan said. “One of the main reasons is together, as we buy more airplanes, the price of the airplane comes down.”
The current estimates for total program cost are for U.S. jets. No one yet knows how much partner nations will end up spending on operations and maintenance of the lifetime of their planes, Bogdan said.
“Our partners come to us and ask, ‘what is it going to cost to have an F-35?’ We couldn’t give them a good answer,” Bogdan said. “That’s not good enough now, because they are investing real money. We’re going to take each nation, sit down with them and go over the assumptions of how they’re going to use the airplane … to come up with a unique cost model and unique [operation and sustainment] cost for each of the partner countries.”
Source: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/ ... heAir.aspx
But the Pentagon inspector general recently published a report that was familiar to those who have followed the long saga of designing and building a fifth-generation fighter. Juxtaposing the optimistic rhetoric from Lockheed and Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer, the IG found hundreds of incidents of mismanagement and lax oversight by the government that underscore continued ambiguity over how much more money the jet will consume.
No one can agree on how much the jet will have cost U.S. taxpayers — not to mention a coalition of international partners — after the F-35 enters service. Bogdan’s office insists the price over the 50-year lifecycle of the aircraft sits at $857 billion and is slowly falling as cost is driven from all aspects of development, operation and sustainment.
Bogdan said there is “no more time and no more money” for developmental delays of the jets. Everyone involved must make cost-reduction a priority or sacrifice future capabilities to pay the bills.
“By 2019, I’m looking for a fifth-generation airplane for a fourth-generation price,” Bogdan said. “If we can do that, I can guarantee our partners and the services will be happy campers.”
Lockheed, Pratt & Whitney, BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman — the four prime contractors involved with F-35 development — have given the Air Force assurances “at the CEO-level” that the F-35 will eventually be comparable in price to the aircraft they will replace, he said.
Frank Kendall, under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in late September that the official government estimate still rests at more than $1 trillion.
“That’s the big rhinoceros,” Bogdan said of the $1.1 trillion estimate at the Air Force Association’s annual conference in September. “That is the number that has been hanging around for three years now. That cost estimate has not changed for three years because they haven’t done a cost estimate in three years.”
“No matter what that number is, we know if we don’t start to drive cost out of the life cycle of this airplane, it may not be affordable in the future for all of our partners or all of the U.S. [military services],” he added.
Still, the Pentagon IG found 719 problems stemming from “inadequate oversight” of contractors and suppliers by the Air Force and procurement officials. F-35 development has already cost $400 billion, giving it the dubious distinction of costliest weapons system development ever undertaken by the Defense Department.
Lorraine Martin, who heads the F-35 program for Lockheed, was confident that a new government cost analysis launched by Kendall’s office will support her and Bogdan’s assertions that the aircraft will cost significantly less than $1 trillion over its life cycle. That analysis is due later this year.
“The costs are coming down,” she said. “We are understanding them better. We are working hand in hand with all the partners in the program to understand the assumptions that were built into the cost. Every time we work this hard, we are able to find places where we can bring down that projected cost.”
Operation and sustainment costs are projected out over the half-century life cycle of the F-35, and include fuel, basing structure and personnel who maintain the jet and oversee the service’s fleets. Capping more immediate development cost overruns has been Bogdan’s focus since taking the program’s yolk a year ago.
Bogdan said engineers are playing “whack-a-mole” with a list of parts and systems that repeatedly malfunction. His office maintains that many of the problems identified in the IG report have been corrected since the study was completed in July.
“There are pieces and parts of this airplane that are simply breaking too much,” Bogdan said.
“When they break and we take them off the airplane, getting them repaired takes too long. The good news is, now that we have 8,000 flight hours … we have a very good list of all those bad actors. So we are systematically going through and applying engineering discipline and money and work to try and bring that list down.”
Bogdan used the F-35B tires as an example. Because the Marine Corps version of the jet can land vertically but take off conventionally, its tires must cushion its landing and grip a ship’s deck during takeoff. Durability and cushion are at the opposite ends of the spectrum of tire construction, so the “float” that the softer tires have means they wear down quickly after repeatedly rocketing down the runway of a big-deck amphibious ship.
“It is a hard technical challenge,” he said. “Those tires today come off the airplane way, way, way too often. There is no way operations can be sustained.”
To counter that and similar issues that have plagued F-35 development from the start, Bogdan took a page that was used with success in developing the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Navy’s Virginia-class submarine.
The Air Force, Lockheed and Pratt have created a “cost war room” staffed by experts in manufacturing, supply chain management and development and procurement whose task it is to systematically parse the jet’s entire life cycle, looking for efficiencies.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that over the next year or two we will see some good results out of that,” Bogdan said.
The cost war room is at Lockheed’s private development center near Crystal City, Va., where half a floor was given over to the full-time effort.
“I have told Lockheed, and I have told Pratt … the expectation is that lot over lot, the airplane’s price and the engine price will and must keep coming down,” Bogdan said. “There is no scenario I see where that can’t happen. Not on my watch. I won’t let that happen. The price needs to keep coming down, no matter what.”
Other systems designed specifically to make operations and maintenance of the F-35 efficient and cost effective, like the automatic logistics information system (ALIS), are “just flat-out late,” Bogdan said.
ALIS is a globally distributed data collection and dissemination program that allows operators to plan ahead, maintain and sustain the F-35 throughout an individual plane’s life cycle. It integrates operations, maintenance, prognostics, supply chain, customer support and technical data and makes it available at a moment’s notice for pilots and maintenance staff worldwide.
“ALIS is going to be a wonderful system some day, but we started way too late in applying the systems engineering discipline that is needed,” Bogdan said. “We’re doing it now, but we are in catch-up mode, and we’ll be in catch-up mode for a while.”
Costs per aircraft have been coming down with each lot purchased, both Bogdan and Martin said. From low-rate initial production lots one to five, the cost has decreased 55 percent across all three variants, Martin said. That accounts for a $500 million reduction from lots one to five. The Air Force’s conventional takeoff and landing version now sits at $150 million per copy, she said.
The Defense Department plans to spend $327 billion on airframes and $64 billion on engines for a total 2,457 F-35s.
Negotiations for lots six and seven were finalized in early October for 71 jets worth a total $7.1 billion.
The sixth batch includes 23 conventional takeoff and landing aircraft for the Air Force for $103 million per jet, six of the Marine Corps’ short-takeoff, vertical-landing version for $109 million per copy and seven of the Navy’s variant that flies from aircraft carriers for $120 million each.
The price per jet was less for all three variants in the seventh batch, which calls for 35 total aircraft at $3.4 billion. The Air Force variant ran $98 million per copy while the Marine Corps and Navy versions cost $104 million and $116 million per aircraft in that lot.
All three services have announced the dates they intend to declare initial operational capability, beginning with the Marine Corps in 2015. The Air Force will follow in 2016 and the Navy plans to begin operational flights in 2019. IOC is the point at which the service declares its version of the aircraft ready for combat.
After this certification, the jets should be able to perform close-air support and enemy aircraft interdiction, among other missions, Martin said. The software needed to conduct those missions is included in the 2B software suite, which is coded and in flight-testing.
As the three deadlines draw nearer, Lockheed is able to adjust its long-term cost estimates as it learns how the aircraft will be used by military services, Martin said.
“We’re learning things about the aircraft that are allowing us to change those assumptions and help bring them down,” Martin said. “We also are learning how the different services will operate the aircraft. It’s going to take close coordination with all the services and partners in clarifying those assumptions.”
The Marine Corps’ F-35B is the most expensive to operate, especially in short-takeoff, vertical landing mode, which uses both rearward and downward facing engines to fly. “As Marine officials further understand how long they plan to operate in STOVL mode, those assumptions can be included in [operations and sustainment] projection models and produce a more realistic estimate,” Martin said.
Recent expansion of foreign military sales also should help drive down future development and production cost, Bogdan said.
The Netherlands announced Sept. 17 it would purchase 37 F-35s in a contract worth $6 billion. It will spend another $260 million per year thereafter for operations and maintenance.
In a surprise decision, South Korean military officials announced a reversal of their decision to buy F-15s in favor of a stealthier aircraft like the F-35. It is not certain that the Koreans will purchase the F-35, but the decision rocketed Lockheed to the front of the pack.
“Partnership is a crucial part of this program for a lot of different reasons,” Bogdan said. “One of the main reasons is together, as we buy more airplanes, the price of the airplane comes down.”
The current estimates for total program cost are for U.S. jets. No one yet knows how much partner nations will end up spending on operations and maintenance of the lifetime of their planes, Bogdan said.
“Our partners come to us and ask, ‘what is it going to cost to have an F-35?’ We couldn’t give them a good answer,” Bogdan said. “That’s not good enough now, because they are investing real money. We’re going to take each nation, sit down with them and go over the assumptions of how they’re going to use the airplane … to come up with a unique cost model and unique [operation and sustainment] cost for each of the partner countries.”
Source: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/ ... heAir.aspx
Roelof-Jan Gort
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Coati
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
Japan will get two additional F-35A aircraft is LRIP-8, on top of the 4 already on the list. So the first batch for Japan will consist of 6 aircraft.
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
First flight for AF-39 (11-5028) in primer took place Saturday, October 19, 2013.
Tally.
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thebaseleg
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
My piece in The Diplomat on reports that Singapore has already selected the F-35B, but yet to place an order.
Also explains the reasons behind Singapore's interest in the B model, and a nugget of new information about Singapore's fleet of F-15SG Eagles.
Also explains the reasons behind Singapore's interest in the B model, and a nugget of new information about Singapore's fleet of F-15SG Eagles.
Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
Singapore has 32 F-15SGs in service although 028 has been operating from St Louis since it was built, probably for testing. It wouldn't surprise me if they got more.
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
NAVY F-35C COMPLETES FIRST WEAPONS SEPARATION TEST
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md, -- The Navy variant of the F-35 executed the first airborne separation test of an inert weapon on October 21.
Marine Corps test pilot Capt Justin Carlson flew the F-35C test aircraft, known as CF-2, over an Atlantic test range when he released the 500-pound
inert Guided Bomb Unit-12 (GBU-12) Paveway II laser-guided weapon from an internal weapons bay. With Monday's weapons separation, all three F-35 variants have released ordnance from their weapons bays.
The F-35C carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear to withstand catapult launches and deck landing impacts associated with the demanding aircraft carrier environment. Initial carrier trials for the F-35C are scheduled for 2014.
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md, -- The Navy variant of the F-35 executed the first airborne separation test of an inert weapon on October 21.
Marine Corps test pilot Capt Justin Carlson flew the F-35C test aircraft, known as CF-2, over an Atlantic test range when he released the 500-pound
inert Guided Bomb Unit-12 (GBU-12) Paveway II laser-guided weapon from an internal weapons bay. With Monday's weapons separation, all three F-35 variants have released ordnance from their weapons bays.
The F-35C carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear to withstand catapult launches and deck landing impacts associated with the demanding aircraft carrier environment. Initial carrier trials for the F-35C are scheduled for 2014.
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
First LRIP 5 F-35B is also noted at Fort Worth (TX), being 168839 which should be BF-36
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
You are correct on the tie up Melchior.
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
This shouldn’t be news with more than a 100 aircraft of the type in production, but it is: a USMC Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II for the first time ever dropped a laser-guided weapon right on target this week, confirmed a spokesperson of the US Marine Corps. http://airheadsfly.com/2013/10/31/f-35- ... on-target/
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
And the day after the first ground target was hit, the first live firing Air to Air test was performed by a F-35A with an AIM-120:
F-35A launches air-to-air missile in test
By: Jon Hemmerdinger Washington DC
Lockheed Martin’s F-35A Joint Strike Fighter has conducted its first live-fire test of an air-to-air missile, the company reports.
An aircraft piloted by Air Force Capt. Logan Lamping launched an AIM-120 advance medium range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) against an aerial drone while flying in a military test range off the California coast, says Lockheed in a media release.
The drone was identified and targeted using mission systems sensors and the target’s “track” information was passed to the radar-seeking missile, say Lockheed.
The weapon launched from the aircraft’s internal weapons bay, acquired the target and flew an “intercept flight profile,” says Lockheed.
Moments before impact the missile received a self-destruct signal, preserving the drone, says Lockheed.
"This successful missile launch marks the first live-fire weapons test and is an initial demonstration of the air-to-air combat capability the F-35 will bring to the US military and our international partners," says Charlie Wagner, weapons team lead for the F-35 Joint Program Office, in the release. "This test represents the culmination of many years of careful planning by combined government and contractor teams.”
The missile test comes the day after an F-35B, the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the fighter, successfully tested an air-to-ground laser-guided bomb.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... st-392434/
F-35A launches air-to-air missile in test
By: Jon Hemmerdinger Washington DC
Lockheed Martin’s F-35A Joint Strike Fighter has conducted its first live-fire test of an air-to-air missile, the company reports.
An aircraft piloted by Air Force Capt. Logan Lamping launched an AIM-120 advance medium range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) against an aerial drone while flying in a military test range off the California coast, says Lockheed in a media release.
The drone was identified and targeted using mission systems sensors and the target’s “track” information was passed to the radar-seeking missile, say Lockheed.
The weapon launched from the aircraft’s internal weapons bay, acquired the target and flew an “intercept flight profile,” says Lockheed.
Moments before impact the missile received a self-destruct signal, preserving the drone, says Lockheed.
"This successful missile launch marks the first live-fire weapons test and is an initial demonstration of the air-to-air combat capability the F-35 will bring to the US military and our international partners," says Charlie Wagner, weapons team lead for the F-35 Joint Program Office, in the release. "This test represents the culmination of many years of careful planning by combined government and contractor teams.”
The missile test comes the day after an F-35B, the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the fighter, successfully tested an air-to-ground laser-guided bomb.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... st-392434/
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
We should not disregard the F-35 news from our own soil. The decision to purchase F-35s for the Royal Netherlands Air Force is finally made by parliament.
Dutch Parliament Clears F-35 Purchase
Nov. 7, 2013 - 06:16PM | By AARON MEHTA
WASHINGTON — The Dutch Parliament has ratified the government’s choice of the F-35 as the Netherlands next-generation fighter, putting an end to a 15-year debate.
The vote on whether the stealthy plane will replace the Dutch fleet of F-16s occurred the evening of Nov. 7.
“This is a very important moment in history: Finally we can give clarity to our military and to our international partners,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Dutch minister of defense, said in a statement released by the government. “With this choice for the F-35, we provide the Dutch Armed Forces with the best aircraft available to deal with the challenges of our time and of the future.”
Both Lockheed Martin, prime contractor on the plane, and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney reacted positively to the news.
“Lockheed Martin is honored that the Netherlands Government has selected the F-35 as the F-16 replacement,” Lockheed Martin said in a company statement. “We are proud that for more than 30 years, the Royal Netherlands Air Force has owned and operated Lockheed Martin aircraft. Flying the F-35 will represent the next chapter of our partnering by providing the very best aircraft capabilities possible for Netherlands’ national security. Dutch Industry is currently involved in designing and manufacturing the F-35 and this program provides high technology jobs and long-term technology benefits to the Netherlands.”
“Pratt & Whitney is honored to be part of the Dutch government’s selection of the F135-powered F-35 Lightning II, and we look forward to supporting the Royal Netherlands Air Force and Dutch aerospace industry,” said Tyler Evans, director of international business development at Pratt & Whitney Military Engines.
“The Dutch are longtime partners in the program and we look forward to working with them in the future as we continue to deliver F-35s to the Royal Air Force,” Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office, said.
The Dutch government selected the fifth-generation fighter Sept. 17, releasing a statement calling the plane “a well-considered choice for a high-tech, future-oriented air force.’
The purchase will be for 37 of the F-35A conventional-take-off-and-landing variants, which will be the most widely produced model of the jet. The US Air Force intends to purchase more than 1,700 F-35As.
The Dutch have budgeted €4.5 billion (US $6 billion) for the F-35, which they believe will cover the 37 planes — a number the government’s statement says could grow.
“If, within the given financial parameters, there is room to purchase more aircraft in the coming years, the Netherlands will do so,” the statement read.
The Netherlands has already purchased two F-35A variants, while the first Dutch pilot is currently in training school at Eglin Air Force Base.
Nine countries are partner nations on the F-35 program, including the Netherlands. But countries that sign on as partners are not automatically guaranteed to purchase the planes. Other partner nations that have yet to commit to the jet include Denmark, which hopes to select a fighter by mid-2015, and Canada, whose decision to purchase the F-35 has been frozen due to a political scandal.
http://www.defensenews.com/article/2013 ... 311070015/
Dutch Parliament Clears F-35 Purchase
Nov. 7, 2013 - 06:16PM | By AARON MEHTA
WASHINGTON — The Dutch Parliament has ratified the government’s choice of the F-35 as the Netherlands next-generation fighter, putting an end to a 15-year debate.
The vote on whether the stealthy plane will replace the Dutch fleet of F-16s occurred the evening of Nov. 7.
“This is a very important moment in history: Finally we can give clarity to our military and to our international partners,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Dutch minister of defense, said in a statement released by the government. “With this choice for the F-35, we provide the Dutch Armed Forces with the best aircraft available to deal with the challenges of our time and of the future.”
Both Lockheed Martin, prime contractor on the plane, and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney reacted positively to the news.
“Lockheed Martin is honored that the Netherlands Government has selected the F-35 as the F-16 replacement,” Lockheed Martin said in a company statement. “We are proud that for more than 30 years, the Royal Netherlands Air Force has owned and operated Lockheed Martin aircraft. Flying the F-35 will represent the next chapter of our partnering by providing the very best aircraft capabilities possible for Netherlands’ national security. Dutch Industry is currently involved in designing and manufacturing the F-35 and this program provides high technology jobs and long-term technology benefits to the Netherlands.”
“Pratt & Whitney is honored to be part of the Dutch government’s selection of the F135-powered F-35 Lightning II, and we look forward to supporting the Royal Netherlands Air Force and Dutch aerospace industry,” said Tyler Evans, director of international business development at Pratt & Whitney Military Engines.
“The Dutch are longtime partners in the program and we look forward to working with them in the future as we continue to deliver F-35s to the Royal Air Force,” Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office, said.
The Dutch government selected the fifth-generation fighter Sept. 17, releasing a statement calling the plane “a well-considered choice for a high-tech, future-oriented air force.’
The purchase will be for 37 of the F-35A conventional-take-off-and-landing variants, which will be the most widely produced model of the jet. The US Air Force intends to purchase more than 1,700 F-35As.
The Dutch have budgeted €4.5 billion (US $6 billion) for the F-35, which they believe will cover the 37 planes — a number the government’s statement says could grow.
“If, within the given financial parameters, there is room to purchase more aircraft in the coming years, the Netherlands will do so,” the statement read.
The Netherlands has already purchased two F-35A variants, while the first Dutch pilot is currently in training school at Eglin Air Force Base.
Nine countries are partner nations on the F-35 program, including the Netherlands. But countries that sign on as partners are not automatically guaranteed to purchase the planes. Other partner nations that have yet to commit to the jet include Denmark, which hopes to select a fighter by mid-2015, and Canada, whose decision to purchase the F-35 has been frozen due to a political scandal.
http://www.defensenews.com/article/2013 ... 311070015/
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Piet Luijken
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
BELLEVILLE, Ontario, Nov. 7, 2013 – Lockheed Martin Vice President of F-35 Program Integration and Business Development Steve O’Bryan recently visited Airborne Systems Canada and presented Charles Matthewson, general manager, and employees an image of the F-35 Lightning II employing the drag chute.
Airborne Systems is currently providing technical assistance to Lockheed Martin during the F-35 drag chute development. Their experience and expertise have contributed to the drag chute concept development which has led to the baseline design currently being finalized for the F-35A. Airborne Systems plans to continue supporting the drag chute development, flight test, certification and eventual production for the F-35 fleet.
Airborne Systems is currently providing technical assistance to Lockheed Martin during the F-35 drag chute development. Their experience and expertise have contributed to the drag chute concept development which has led to the baseline design currently being finalized for the F-35A. Airborne Systems plans to continue supporting the drag chute development, flight test, certification and eventual production for the F-35 fleet.
Greetings,
Piet Luijken
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Piet Luijken
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Coati
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
It looks like South Korea will be the next F-35 operator for 60 aircraft, in a initial buy of 40 on the short term and 20 in a follow up order. Final decision expected before years end. If so, it would be the 10th Air Force to become a F-35 operator (after Australia, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Israel, Japan, Norway, US (Marines, USAF and USN) and Turkey. (Canada and Denmark still pending decision of Goverment).
Air Force leaning toward stealth fighter By Kang Seung-woo
The Air Force recently submitted an improved required operational capacity (ROC), with a greater emphasis on stealth capability for the next-generation fighter-jet program, to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), a military official said.
“The Air Force emphasized stealth capability in the ROC,” he said.
His remark indicates the F-35 stealth fighter is likely to be a standalone candidate in the fighter requirement program because two other possible bidders ― Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS)’s Eurofighter Typhoon ― are expected to have difficulty meeting the updated ROC that puts priority on stealth capability.
The low-observable technology played a key role in the nation’s September rejection of the less-stealthy F-15 as a replacement for the Air Force’s aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s.
In addition, 15 retired Air Force chiefs stepped up opposition to the purchase of the Boeing product, recommending the government acquire an “asymmetric air defense capability,” which prioritizes stealth jets such as the F-35, to protect against North Korea.
The defense ministry said that the JCS will hold a council later this month and evaluate the Air Force’s ROC before establishing an acquisition plan, including the size of the order.
A report by a local media outlet also gives boost to Lockheed Martin’s sale of the F-35 to Korea.
According to Naeil Shinmoon, multiple government officials were quoted as saying that the government is leaning toward purchasing 60 F-35s over a longer period of time due to budget constraints. It added that the present government will buy 40 F-35s and the remainder will be added under the next administration.
Korea’s move closer to a decision to buy the stealth warplanes is putting a damper on the other two competitors’ sales pitches, that stress a split purchase of fighter jets.
EADS says that stealth fighters cannot carry out entire missions alone and its Eurofighter will be able to complement their efforts, calling it an “interesting combination.”
“If Korea chooses us and decides also on some stealth fighters for specific missions in a split procurement, that could be a solution,” said Peter Maute, senior vice president of Eurofighter sales at EADS Cassidian.
Boeing also stresses that Korea will need the F-15’s combat capability as a bridge until the development of the F-35 software is complete.
“The current status of the F-35 program is, we believe, not sufficiently mature yet to be introduced into service,” said Howard Berry, Boeing’s F-X III campaign director.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/na ... 46012.html
Air Force leaning toward stealth fighter By Kang Seung-woo
The Air Force recently submitted an improved required operational capacity (ROC), with a greater emphasis on stealth capability for the next-generation fighter-jet program, to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), a military official said.
“The Air Force emphasized stealth capability in the ROC,” he said.
His remark indicates the F-35 stealth fighter is likely to be a standalone candidate in the fighter requirement program because two other possible bidders ― Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS)’s Eurofighter Typhoon ― are expected to have difficulty meeting the updated ROC that puts priority on stealth capability.
The low-observable technology played a key role in the nation’s September rejection of the less-stealthy F-15 as a replacement for the Air Force’s aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s.
In addition, 15 retired Air Force chiefs stepped up opposition to the purchase of the Boeing product, recommending the government acquire an “asymmetric air defense capability,” which prioritizes stealth jets such as the F-35, to protect against North Korea.
The defense ministry said that the JCS will hold a council later this month and evaluate the Air Force’s ROC before establishing an acquisition plan, including the size of the order.
A report by a local media outlet also gives boost to Lockheed Martin’s sale of the F-35 to Korea.
According to Naeil Shinmoon, multiple government officials were quoted as saying that the government is leaning toward purchasing 60 F-35s over a longer period of time due to budget constraints. It added that the present government will buy 40 F-35s and the remainder will be added under the next administration.
Korea’s move closer to a decision to buy the stealth warplanes is putting a damper on the other two competitors’ sales pitches, that stress a split purchase of fighter jets.
EADS says that stealth fighters cannot carry out entire missions alone and its Eurofighter will be able to complement their efforts, calling it an “interesting combination.”
“If Korea chooses us and decides also on some stealth fighters for specific missions in a split procurement, that could be a solution,” said Peter Maute, senior vice president of Eurofighter sales at EADS Cassidian.
Boeing also stresses that Korea will need the F-15’s combat capability as a bridge until the development of the F-35 software is complete.
“The current status of the F-35 program is, we believe, not sufficiently mature yet to be introduced into service,” said Howard Berry, Boeing’s F-X III campaign director.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/na ... 46012.html
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Coati
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Re: F-35 Lightning II JSF developments
Credit to Code one magazine:
After the 16 aircraft for VMFA-121, it is Eglins turn again to get additional aircraft. BF-35 has code VM-12 and is destined for VMFAT-501, which was previsiously worn by BF-17. BF-17 is now assigned to Edwards for testing, so apparently it lost its tail code as well.
F-35B BF-35 First Flight
Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti was at the controls for the first flight of F-35B BF-35 (US Navy Bureau Number 168838). The flight occurred on 12 November 2013 with takeoff and landing at NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas.
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/f35_news ... em_id=1207
After the 16 aircraft for VMFA-121, it is Eglins turn again to get additional aircraft. BF-35 has code VM-12 and is destined for VMFAT-501, which was previsiously worn by BF-17. BF-17 is now assigned to Edwards for testing, so apparently it lost its tail code as well.
F-35B BF-35 First Flight
Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti was at the controls for the first flight of F-35B BF-35 (US Navy Bureau Number 168838). The flight occurred on 12 November 2013 with takeoff and landing at NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas.
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/f35_news ... em_id=1207
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