Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

S. Korea's Air Force to welcome arrival of 2 F-35A stealth fighters

SEOUL --- The [Republic of Korea] Air Force received two U.S.-made F-35A fighter jets at a key base in South Korea on Friday, to join the ranks of Asia's few radar-evading warplane operators, Seoul's arms procurement agency said.

They arrived at an air base in Cheongju, 140 kilometers south of Seoul, at 2:35 p.m. today, after several stopovers for refueling following their departure from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona last Friday, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.

The date for their full operational deployment has yet to be decided, but a ceremony to publicize their introduction is expected to take place next month or in May, DAPA said. The two fighters are among the six F-35As that the Air Force had received in the U.S. until last year.

A total of 10 F-35A fighters, manufactured by the U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin, are set to arrive in South Korea by the end of this year. In 2014, Seoul decided to purchase 40 F-35As for deployment through 2021 at a cost of 7.4 trillion won (US$6.5 billion).

"We expect (the F-35As) to enhance the Air Force's operational capabilities in response to the neighboring countries' introduction of stealth fighters, and to strengthen the readiness posture against threats from all directions," DAPA chief Wang Jung-hong said.

In 2017, South Korean Air Force pilots began receiving training on the operation of the fifth-generation warplane.

The F-35A fighter is expected to serve as a centerpiece of South Korea's strategic targeting scheme against potential enemy forces. It can fly at a top speed of Mach 1.8 and carry top-of-the line weapons systems, such as joint direct attack munitions.

The F-35A is the fighter's air force variant, while the F-35B and F-35C are for marine and aircraft carrier-based operations, respectively.

Amid diplomatic efforts to denuclearize North Korea and foster lasting peace on the peninsula, Pyongyang has responded sensitively to Seoul's new fighter deployment plan.

In January, the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, warned that the introduction of the F-35As could spoil the atmosphere of efforts to improve inter-Korean military ties.
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Source
 
sferrin said:
SpudmanWP said:
On the clip vs real-back-in, they are clipped now but IIRC there is talk of developing a retractable version.
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Other than cost, why would you want to? Seems like it would limit one's maneuverability. Not something I'd think you'd want to do with a missile inbound.
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You'd clip it if a missile hit the decoy, but the idea there is that if the enemy doesn't launch a missile you can just utilise the decoy basically as a towed jammer, retracting it and using it multiple times throughout a mission (so long as it has the battery / power delivery system to enable such a thing).
 
I think the Mach 1.8 top speed of the F-35 noted here is interesting. Wouldn't be different than a loaded F-16.
 
S-400 or F-35? Turkey’s Erdogan Must Choose
By Bradley Bowman and Andrew Gabel on April 01, 2019 at 3:15 PM

Source:
https://breakingdefense.com/2019/04/s-400-or-f-35-turkeys-erdogan-must-choose/
 
"Japan Air Self Defense Force Stands Up First F-35A Lightning II Fighter Squadron"
By Franz-Stefan Gady
April 01, 2019

Source:
https://thediplomat.com/2019/04/japan-air-self-defense-force-stands-up-first-f-35a-lightning-ii-fighter-squadron/
 
kitnut617 said:
Just read this on MSN

https://a.msn.com/r/2/BBVycFe?m=en-ca&referrerID=InAppShare
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https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/04/02/china_is_testing_the_united_states_114303.html

mentions the f-35 carting Wasp.
 
U.S. Considers Extending F-35 Jet Sales to Romania, Poland: Report
(Source: Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty; posted April 05, 2019)
Reuters is reporting that the United States is considering expanding sales of Lockheed Martin-made F-35 fighter jets to five new countries, including Romania, Poland, and Greece.

The news agency reported on April 4 that Vice Admiral Mathias Winter, who is chief of the military’s F-35 office, said that "future potential Foreign Military Sales customers include Singapore, Greece, Romania, Spain, and Poland.

The comments came in written testimony by Winter submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives and seen by the news agency.
https://armedservices.house.gov/_cache/files/2/4/246f864f-c4dd-47b7-863c-850d24d13173/9CB09E104F296E4B32DE2DBC8642F289.hhrg-116-as25-bio-winterm-20190404.pdf

Belgium in 2018 was the first new customer for the F-35 in several years, deciding on the U.S.-made warplane in a $4.55 billion deal over the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Nine other countries have signed up to buy the fighter-jets -- Britain, Australia, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey.

However, Washington has suspended Turkey's participation in the F-35 program over Ankara’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 missile defense systems against U.S. and NATO opposition.

Other U.S. allies, including Finland, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates, have also considered purchasing F-35 jets.

-ends-
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Guess they consider that their chances in Germany are ****ed anyway.

http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pages/2019/April%202019/Fick-Tapped-to-Replace-Winter-as-Director-of-Joint-Strike-Fighter-Program-Office.aspx
 
Air Force's F-35A Deploys to Middle East for First Time

15 Apr 2019
Military.com | By Oriana Pawlyk
The U.S. Air Force's F-35A variant has officially deployed to the Middle East.

Air Forces Central Command announced Monday that F-35 fifth-generation fighters from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, have deployed to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates to keep watch in the region.

It's the first time Air Force F-35s have deployed to the Middle East.
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More at the JUMP
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/04/15/air-forces-f-35a-deploys-middle-east-first-time.html

Official Press release:
https://www.afcent.af.mil/News/Article/1813833/us-air-forces-f-35a-lightning-ii-arrives-for-first-middle-east-deployment/
 
FlightGlobal article : Greece eyes F-35s as F-16 replacement

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/greece-eyes-f-35s-as-f-16-replacement-457481/
 
Hmmm, can't help wondering how much China and/or Russia would pay for a working F-35? Shades of Viktor Belenko maybe?
 
sublight is back said:
Flyaway said:
USA and Japan confident China won’t find missing F-35A wreckage
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But not Russia.....
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That's the emphasis of the headline writer, not the actual remarks. If you look at what was actually asked and answered in the press conference, it was whether the US and Japan have concerns that "either Russia or China" could recover the aircraft, and the response from the US and Japanese secretaries was that they are confident that "we" will recover it.
 
They have been doing quite well since the rebaseline of 2012.

The core issue is that LM is trying to plan out many years into the future (along with all of the subs) but the USAF & Congress keep messing with the schedule. Then LMis blamed for not meeting cost targets based on those same previous build rates.
 
The F-35A stealth fighter that crashed off the coast of Japan has been found, and recovery efforts are underway, a U.S. Air Force commander said Monday.
"The aircraft's been located. ... It's now in the recovery aspect," said Charles Brown, four-star general and commander of the Pacific Air Forces, in a briefing for reporters in New York.
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Crashed-F-35A-fighter-jet-located-US-says

... maybe not

But later in the day, Colonel John Hutcheson, the director of public affairs at U.S. Forces Japan, contacted the Nikkei Asian Review and said "the aircraft has not been located at the bottom of the sea. The U.S. military is still working with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to locate the wreckage."
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First F-35A Combat Op.

SOUTHWEST ASIA --
Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft conducted an air strike at Wadi Ashai, Iraq, in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve on April 30.

This strike marked the F-35A’s first combat employment.

The F-35As conducted the airstrike using a Joint Direct Attack Munition to strike an entrenched Daesh tunnel network and weapons cache deep in the Hamrin Mountains, a location able to threaten friendly forces.

“We have the ability to gather, fuse and pass so much information, that we make every friendly aircraft more survivable and lethal,” said Lt. Col. Yosef Morris, 4th Fighter Squadron commander and F-35A pilot. “That, combined with low-observable technology, allows us to really complement any combined force package and be ready to support AOR contingencies.”

The F-35As, recently deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, joined the Combined Forces Air Component team in the U.S. Central Command area of operations on April 15. This marks the F-35A’s third deployment and first to the CENTCOM AOR. In preparation for deployment, crews prepared and trained on the aircraft for the AFCENT mission.

“We have been successful in two Red Flag exercises, and we’ve deployed to Europe and Asia,” said Morris. “Our Airmen are ready and we’re excited to be here.” Red Flag is the U.S. Air Force’s premier air-to-air combat training exercise which includes U.S. and allied nations’ combat air forces.

There are many Airmen ensuring the planes are ready for their combat missions.

“This jet is smarter, a lot smarter, and so it can do more, and it helps you out more when loading munitions,” said Staff Sgt. Karl Tesch, 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons technician.

A central tenant to the F-35A’s design is its ability to enhance other battlefield assets. In this case, the aircraft joins the Combined Joint airpower team already in place to maintain air superiority and deliver war-winning airpower.

“The F-35A has sensors everywhere, it has advanced radar, and it is gathering and fusing all this information from the battlespace in real time,” said Morris. “Now it has the ability to take that information and share it with other F-35s or even other fourth generation aircraft in the same package that can also see the integrated picture.”
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www.afcent.af.mil

U.S. Air Force F-35As conduct first combat employment

Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft conducted an air strike at Wadi Ashai, Iraq, in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve on April 30.
www.afcent.af.mil
 
Lockheed Develops Rack to Make F-35A/C a Six-Shooter

ARLINGTON, Va. — The builder of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter has designed a new weapons rack to enable the aircraft to carry two more missiles internally.

The new rack, called Sidekick, enables each of the two weapons bays of the Air Force F-35A and Navy carrier-capable F-35C to carry three AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) instead of the current two, for a total of six internally carried AMRAAMs.

Speaking May 1 to reporters at a Lockheed Martin media briefing, a company F-35 test pilot, Tony ‘Brick’ Wilson, said the rack was developed entirely with company internal research and development funds.

The rack is not compatible with the vertical lift Marine Corps F-35B version, which has smaller weapons bay.

The F-35 can carry more AMRAAMs on external pylons, but Wilson pointed out that carrying two more internally preserves the stealth characteristics of the F-35.

“The extra missiles add a little weight but are not adding extra drag,” Wilson said.

Wilson also said the company is working on integrating hypersonic weapons capability on the F-35.

He also said the company, working with the Air Force Research Lab, has developed and installed on the F-35A — six years ahead of schedule — the Auto Ground Collision Avoidance System (AGCAS).

The AGCAS has “saved eight pilots’ lives,” Wilson said. He said the AGCAS will be installed later on the F-35B and on the F-35C in 2021.
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https://seapowermagazine.org/lockheed-develops-rack-to-make-f-35a-c-a-six-shooter/
 
Good news. Yet for the B variant I the weapon bay was just reduced in length and not in width or height? If that's the case shouldn't a similar setup be possible for the F-35B?
 
The two AMRAAMs would need to be staggered, one in front of the other. This extra length would likely be the reason why the B (in its current config) cannot use the Sidekick rack.
 
From AW&ST:

“What we’ve done is essentially completed trade studies, design and development” of Sidekick, a Lockheed spokesman added. “What is left to be fielded would be things like software integration, weapons separation testing, flight testing and airworthiness testing.”

So, all that's left to do to fulfill this 12-year-old promise is just the expensive, difficult and risky stuff, which LM has so far failed to sell to the JPO or the customer at large.
 
More money is spent on the design & development than than software & drop tests.

It's not up to LM to "sell" the JPO on the need of Sidekick. Since it was not part of 3F, it would obviously have to wait till Block 4 to implement and has been labeled as such for over 10 years. That's why the quote that started the latest talk about it came and a Block 4 briefing.
 
"NORTH PACIFIC – A U.S. Navy salvage team aboard a contracted vessel completed its mission supporting search and recovery operations with the Japan Self-Defense Forces after locating debris from the downed JASDF F-35A off the coast of Japan, May 8.
Working closely with JSDF forces, the salvage team deployed a U.S. Navy remotely operated vehicle, CURV 21, to survey the area where debris was located.
Prior to the salvage team mission, guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) and multiple P-8A Poseidon aircraft joined JSDF-led search efforts from Apr. 9-17, covering more than 5,000 square nautical miles.
The aircraft first went missing 85 miles east of Misawa Air Base, Apr. 9.
The U.S. Navy’s thoughts continue to be with the pilot's family, friends and colleagues.
The close coordination and cooperation between the U.S. military and JSDF during this operation serves as a reflection of a strong Alliance, forged over decades of mutual support and friendship."

https://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News...df-led-search-and-recovery-efforts-for-f-35a/
 
Canada Blinked...

The Canadian government will allow a “flexible approach” in determining industrial benefits for the new fighter jet program, making way for Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government to bid on the project.
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More at the JUMP
ottawacitizen.com

Canada changes fighter jet rules to allow F-35 bid

The Canadian government will allow a “flexible approach” in determining industrial benefits for the new fighter jet program, making way for Lockheed Martin and the …
ottawacitizen.com ottawacitizen.com
 
The USAF is standing up an Aggressor Unit manned with 11x F-35s. They will arrive in 2022 at Nellis AFB (Hello Red Flag)

www.nellis.af.mil

Air Force to reactivate aggressor squadron for F-35 training

The action came after Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command commander, recommended training for fifth generation fighter tactics development and close-air support would be improved by adding F-35s to
www.nellis.af.mil

They are going to use early Lot jets from Eglin AFB.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson states:

"This move will allow us to repurpose {9} early production F-35s to help train Airmen for the high end fight."
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9 jets would cover most of Lots 2 & 3 (6 & 7 F-35As respectively) plus an additional 2 from an unknown source gets to the 11.
 
Congress wants to improve the parts issue by.. withholding half the funds
stupid.png
614289

The House panel that approves defense spending intends to withhold half of next years funding for F-35 spare parts until the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin Corp. agree on the sale of technical data for spare parts to improve the tracking of items and allow purchases from other suppliers.
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More at the JUMP
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ks-data-rights
 
John Venable writes a well done status report, from the perspective of experienced pilots and maintainers, of the F-35 and its strengths & challenges. It is long but well worth the read.

The U.S. Air Force’s first F-35A fighter wing is now fully operational. The road to this point has been filled with insights on the aircraft, simulator, maintenance and logistical support, and operations that will apply to any service or nation flying the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). This assessment is based on interviews with 30 F-35A combat pilots as well as senior operations and maintenance leaders at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. It follows a similar assessment from 2016 of 31 other highly experienced former fourth-generation fighter pilots, who were then flying the F-35A at two other Air Force locations. The collective perspectives confirm that, while the JSF is still several years away from realizing its full potential, even now, the F-35A is the most dominant and lethal multi-role aircraft in the world.
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Web: https://www.heritage.org/defense/re...nd-lethal-multi-role-weapons-system-the-world
PDF: https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2019-05/BG3406.pdf

BG-F35-2019-CHARTS-page1[1].gif

BG-F35-2019-TABLES-page2[1].gif
 
Except that LM was projecting an $80 mil FY2020 pricetag before the F-15EX was a thing.

tglv7jo[1].png

chart3_lmt-jan-2017-conf-call-webcharts-web[1].jpg
 
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