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

I'm not sure what number are at an FOC Block 3F configuration, but at least in terms of what jets are using Block 3F software, from memory, all F-35s from LRIP 8 onwards have had Tech Refresh 2 avionics which either come pre-installed with Block 3F or only require a software update to attain it. LRIP 8 through to LRIP 11 comprises 331 aircraft for the whole world (inc. US) and 192 aircraft for the US, though as mentioned in my last post, Lockheed has only reported "475+" of the 497 jets through to the end of LRIP 11 having been delivered so far.

It's worth remembering too that according to reports last year (2018), the US services have "fully funded" modifying all earlier F-35s to the Block 3F or Block 4 Tech Refresh 3 standard. Because those have been funded and modifications may (probably?) have begun already, the number of Block 3F configured F-35s may be higher than my ~331/~192 estimate.
 
All early LRIP F-35s save for a few dedicated to aggressor sqdns, are in the process of being upgraded to Block 3F. This process has been going on for a few years and is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2020.

Here is a chart that shows the budget line items that cover this program. Obviously this next year's budget (ie Feb 2020) will give more detail on the program.
 

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news.usni.org

Navy Weighing Costs, Timelines of Bringing F-35Cs to Carrier JFK - USNI News

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Navy is mulling how it will accelerate adding the capability for the next Ford-class aircraft carrier to launch, recover and maintain F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters, officials said earlier this month. Operating under a mandate from the Fiscal Year 2020 National...
news.usni.org news.usni.org
 
www.defensenews.com

Poland inks $4.6 billion contract for F-35 fighter jets

Poles expect a technological leap as a result of the purchase, the country's defense minister said.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1223265335698239494

With the delivery of the aircraft, which is scheduled to begin in 2024, Poland is to become the first user of the F-35s in the region, adding the aircraft to its fleet of 48 F-16 C/D Block 52+ fighters. Warsaw plans to replace the Air Force’s outdated Soviet-designed Sukhoi Su-22 and Mikoyan MiG-29 jets with its new fifth-generation jets.
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the Polish aircraft will be equipped with electronic warfare equipment, plus a braking parachute, to increase landing safety in poor weather conditions. Deliveries are scheduled for the 2024-2030 period, at an annual rate of between four and six examples.
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*

From Su-22 to F-35 what a giant leap!

*From FlightGlobal:
www.flightglobal.com

Poland signs F-35 contract worth $4.6bn

Poland has signed a $4.6 billion contract to purchase 32 Lockheed Martin F-35As, with deliveries to start in 2024.
www.flightglobal.com www.flightglobal.com
 
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Huh, initally I though that deliveries are to be comitted from 24 to 26, but whole 6 years for only 32 airframes?..
 
www.airforcemag.com

Lockheed Martin Potentially Mixed Up Structural Fasteners in Most F-35s | Air & Space Forces Magazine

Hundreds of F-35s could have the wrong fasteners in “critical areas,” according to the Defense Contract Management Agency.
www.airforcemag.com www.airforcemag.com

And at the bottom:
A Pentagon official familiar with aerospace structures said it’s possible the titanium or Inconel bolts could be incompatible with the materials they’re attached to, causing a possible corrosion issue if left uncorrected.
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It could be the worst of the problem they could face with this: contamination leading to crack and localized delamination.
 
I remember there were reports about excessive corrosion some months (years?) ago. Linked with this possibly?
 
That was a separate issue where in 2017 primer hadn't been applied to some of the holes for fasteners; fortunately the corrosion risk wasn't urgent, so it was just going to be addressed when the jets next went in for depot maintenance or upgrades. It's not a good look to have repeated quality control failures like this, but fortunately they should theoretically get reduced as the ramp-up of production flattens out again - I've heard stories about how Lockheed's rapid hiring of something like 500 new personnel at Fort Worth resulted in some people... not very experienced with sensitivities relating to aviation, being hired and causing minor mishaps on the plant floor (eg: cracking a composite flaperon by trying to move it via pulling hard on its trailing edge). As time goes on, the average experience of people on the floor should increase again.
 
Norway deploy's F-35s to Iceland for the NATO policing mission. It's the first time I've seen mentioned how the F-35 requires quite a lot more of resources to be deployed when compared to the F-16. Also, at the end of the video you get a good look at the drogue parachute system. I had thought it just tilted, but now I can see the entire fairing pops up.
 
Grey Havoc said:
www.defensenews.com

Sorry, Elon, fighter pilots will fly and fight for a long time

An executive at the Mitchell Institute pushes back after Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, said the era of fighter jets is coming to an end.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
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What an idiotic way to take a comment and run with it. I believe he specifically expanded on the comment that humans should pilot the drone from his/her desk and the drone is doing the navigating, avoiding defenses, hairy multi G manuevers, sensing, and firing, which makes a lot of sense. He is no way advocating total human out of the loop.
 
sublight is back said:
Grey Havoc said:
www.defensenews.com

Sorry, Elon, fighter pilots will fly and fight for a long time

An executive at the Mitchell Institute pushes back after Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, said the era of fighter jets is coming to an end.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
Click to expand...

What an idiotic way to take a comment and run with it. I believe he specifically expanded on the comment that humans should pilot the drone from his/her desk and the drone is doing the navigating, avoiding defenses, hairy multi G manuevers, sensing, and firing, which makes a lot of sense. He is no way advocating total human out of the loop.
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He opened with "local autonomous" which pretty clearly excludes man-in-the-loop piloting. He said he would want to keep MitL weapon release authority for killing any target that is itself not an autonomous drone. But I question if that is feasible in air combat, where engagement windows may be fleeting.
 
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TomS said:
He opened with "local autonomous" which pretty clearly excludes man-in-the-loop piloting. He said he would want to keep MitL weapon release authority for killing any target that is itself not an autonomous drone. But I question if that is feasible in air combat, where engagement windows may be fleeting.
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The problem with that route, particularly if it's in the context of replacing all or most manned combat aircraft with RPAs (with regards to the "era of the fighter jet" being over) is that you then run into the issue of having to figure out a solution to the denial of communications. In some situations, today's available levels of autonomy could be sufficient, but for others (eg: the circumstances that led to the 2017 Syrian Su-22 shootdown by a Super Hornet) I think we're a decade away at minimum.
 
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wow 500 delivered. thats pretty good.
I am estimating that is almost double of Rafale deliveries
and perhaps this year it will surpass total Eurofighter deliveries?
 
From the link above:

The actual cost of an F-35A in fiscal year (FY) 2021 is $79.2 million, and the cost will fall to $77.9 million in 2022 or $9.2 million cheaper than the government’s best estimate using current-year dollars. That’s the price of a new F/A-18 E/F, $9.8 million below the $87.7 million base price of an F-15EX, and $40 million less than the $118 million Eurofighter—jets that require additional equipment like multimillion-dollar targeting pods before they can employ in medium-threat combat environments. The F-15EX self-protection system is estimated to cost $7.5 million and the Sniper Targeting pod costs more than $1.7 million per jet, making the total cost for a combat-configured F-15EX $96.9 million—$19 million more than a combat-configured F-35A. And neither the FA-18E/F, the F-15E(X), nor the Eurofighter would survive in a modern high-threat environment.
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Grey Havoc said:
breakingdefense.com

AF To HASC: Space War Doctrine Near; SPACECOM HQ Pick Delayed - Breaking Defense

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said the Space Command basing decision is being reopened, with a choice delayed until the end of the year -- at the earliest.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com
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Even more so than their Senate counterparts yesterday, HASC members cracked the whip on the need to bring down maintenance costs of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

While not the only lawmaker to do so, Rep. John Garamendi was the most forceful on the issue — pointedly saying that the Air Force cannot solve the problem by giving the long-troubled Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) system a new name, referring to Lockheed Martin’s decision in January to reinvent its approach under an effort called Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN).

“Heads up, we’re not going to back off on this,” he warned. “The spurs are on and we’re gonna ride this hard until it’s resolved.”

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein assured him that “ALIS to ODIN is not just a name change,” adding that he has seen “more movement on the program over the last six months than in the last two years.”

Garamendi quipped back: “Well, I think Lockheed Martin is in the audience and they know they are in deep trouble, and so do you.” Hello, Fort Worth and Orlando!
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