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

[GTX]

Air Force will not develop new F-35 engine, keeping Pratt as sole contractor - Breaking Defense

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said that if the development cost was lower, the Air Force may have found the space in its budget to fund the engine for its jets alone, “but at the level of several billion dollars to do that [engineering and manufacturing development], we couldn't get there.”

breakingdefense.com

 

[X-39]

Air Force will not develop new F-35 engine, keeping Pratt as sole contractor - Breaking Defense

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said that if the development cost was lower, the Air Force may have found the space in its budget to fund the engine for its jets alone, “but at the level of several billion dollars to do that [engineering and manufacturing development], we couldn't get there.”

breakingdefense.com

 

[helmutkohl]

boo, so no XA100 or 101

 

[GTX]

Marine Leads by Example as Test Pilot in First F-35A: Meet Lt. Col. Ty “O.D.” Bachmann

On March 19, 2009, then-Maj. Ty "O.D." Bachmann, a young naval aviator, climbed into the cockpit of AA-1, the first F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, and became the first Marine to fly the F-35A while also paving the way for the F-35B variant. The F-35 Joint Program Office is the Department of...

www.dvidshub.net

 

[GTX]

2000th F-35 pilot fitted with custom flight ensemble - CONTACT magazine

Share the post "2000th F-35 pilot fitted with custom flight ensemble" FacebookLinkedInPinterestTwitterShare…Email In a significant milestone for the Joint Strike Fighter

www.contactairlandandsea.com

 

[aonestudio]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1639247836519993346

View: https://twitter.com/GalloVOA/status/1639247836519993346

https://twitter.com/x/status/1638602724974514177

View: https://twitter.com/DogutCem/status/1638602724974514177

 

[GTX]

F-35 Closer To Carrying Six AIM-120 Missiles Internally

Known as Sidekick, the upgrade will give F-35As and Cs the ability to go from four to six AIM-120 missiles in their internal bays.

www.thedrive.com

 

[jeffb]

Spotted the following that isn't news but is pretty interesting anyway:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1640008187293351937

View: https://twitter.com/SR_Planespotter/status/1640008187293351937?t=NZquwbjofL0n2-Ge9b3Clw&s=19

 

[aonestudio]

In Utah, one airman’s trashed F-35 is another’s training aid

“It’s a neat opportunity for us to get nice, new toys — even if they’re garbage.”

www.airforcetimes.com

 

[GTX]

 

[Colonial-Marine]

F-35 Closer To Carrying Six AIM-120 Missiles Internally

Known as Sidekick, the upgrade will give F-35As and Cs the ability to go from four to six AIM-120 missiles in their internal bays.

www.thedrive.com

Hmm I thought I saw at least one "official" CGI image that suggested that six internal AMRAAM could be made to work on the F-35B. Maybe that isn't worth the cost though.

Even more important I think is getting the AIM-260 or at least some significantly improved AMRAAM into service.

 

[VTOLicious]

F-35 Closer To Carrying Six AIM-120 Missiles Internally

Known as Sidekick, the upgrade will give F-35As and Cs the ability to go from four to six AIM-120 missiles in their internal bays.

www.thedrive.com

Hmm I thought I saw at least one "official" CGI image that suggested that six internal AMRAAM could be made to work on the F-35B. Maybe that isn't worth the cost though.

Even more important I think is getting the AIM-260 or at least some significantly improved AMRAAM into service.

What's different on the B's IWB?

 

[Manuducati]

F-35B weapons bays are smaller (and can't carry as much weight) mainly because of the lift fan.

 

[Moose]

F-35 Engine Running Too Hot Due To 'Under-Speccing,' Upgrade Now Vital (Updated)

The F-35's engine is having to work harder to cool and power the aircraft's systems, leading to a logistical mess.

www.thedrive.com

 

[rooster]

F-35 Engine Running Too Hot Due To 'Under-Speccing,' Upgrade Now Vital (Updated)

The F-35's engine is having to work harder to cool and power the aircraft's systems, leading to a logistical mess.

www.thedrive.com

Wonder if the engines will now be rated for fewer thermal cycles

 

[sferrin]

F-35 Engine Running Too Hot Due To 'Under-Speccing,' Upgrade Now Vital (Updated)

The F-35's engine is having to work harder to cool and power the aircraft's systems, leading to a logistical mess.

www.thedrive.com

Wonder if the engines will now be rated for fewer thermal cycles

If only we had a solution to the problem.

 

[F119Doctor]

F-35 Engine Running Too Hot Due To 'Under-Speccing,' Upgrade Now Vital (Updated)

The F-35's engine is having to work harder to cool and power the aircraft's systems, leading to a logistical mess.

www.thedrive.com

Wonder if the engines will now be rated for fewer thermal cycles

The F-135 actual mission usage is downloaded into the ALIS system after each flight and run through a structural thermal model that calculates life usage on each tracked component for that flight. It is no longer just hours or the number of cycles through rotor speed gates. However, running a higher average Turbine Inlet Temperature will debit the life of the hot section parts quicker than originally expected when the engine usage was specified in the contract.

 

[TomcatViP]

My dear @F119Doctor, I fear @sferrin comment was ironical, following the cancelation of the AETP upgrade

 

[F119Doctor]

My dear @F119Doctor, I fear @sferrin comment was ironical, following the cancelation of the AETP upgrade

and I thought he was referring to the F135 ECU path chosen by the F-35 Program Office….

But my response was specifically to Moose’s question regarding reduced thermal cycles

 

[sferrin]

My dear @F119Doctor, I fear @sferrin comment was ironical, following the cancelation of the AETP upgrade

and I thought he was referring to the F135 ECU path chosen by the F-35 Program Office….

But my response was specifically to Moose’s question regarding reduced thermal cycles

Either works I suppose. I'd have preferred they went with the AETP engine but they wouldn't have been able to use it on the B anyway. I'm surprised the USN didn't want it on the F-35C but then I get the impression the USN still doesn't know what stealth is for so. . .

 

[bobbymike]

Pentagon Says Only Half of Its F-35 Jet Fleet Is Mission-Ready

Only about half of the Pentagon’s fleet of F-35 fighter jets are considered mission-capable, well below the target of 65% and a state of readiness the program manager terms “unacceptable.”

www.bloomberg.com

 

[TomcatViP]

Taking defense sourcing abroad: How to successfully harness international partners - Breaking Defense

"For the first time in the recent past US and allied policymakers and industry appear truly aligned on the need to look beyond established domestic supply chains to cross-border sourcing and collaboration," writes Aleksandar Jovovic of Oliver Wyman.

breakingdefense.com

 

[GTX]

US Confirms ‘Highly Classified’ Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite For F-35 Stealth Fighter’s Block 4 Upgrade

F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, manufactured by US defense giant Lockheed Martin, is poised to receive a highly-classified Block 4 upgrade, making it a much more powerful aircraft.

world-defence.com

 

[GTX]

Something amusing

 

[TomcatViP]

@GTX : the image in your former post is from 2011 and does not describe Block 4 upgrade

 

[GTX]

@GTX : the image in your former post is from 2011 and does not describe Block 4 upgrade

It's the image from the article

 

[VTOLicious]

F-35B weapons bays are smaller (and can't carry as much weight) mainly because of the lift fan.

How does the lift fan affect the size of the bays?

The lift fan is on the centerline and clearly in front of the two laterally arranged IWBs. I also don't see that the lift fan doors at the bottom have an impact and couldn't find any picture that support this theory.

 

[timmymagic]

F-35B weapons bays are smaller (and can't carry as much weight) mainly because of the lift fan.

How does the lift fan affect the size of the bays?

The lift fan is on the centerline and clearly in front of the two laterally arranged IWBs. I also don't see that the lift fan doors at the bottom have an impact and couldn't find any picture that support this theory.

The LiftSystem also has gearing that runs through to the engine. F-35B internally will only take up to 1,000lb JDAM. No 2,000lb munition will fit, unlike the A and C variants. Internal carriage of weapons like JSM is also not possible.

 

[totallyaverage]

F-35B weapons bays are smaller (and can't carry as much weight) mainly because of the lift fan.

How does the lift fan affect the size of the bays?

The lift fan is on the centerline and clearly in front of the two laterally arranged IWBs. I also don't see that the lift fan doors at the bottom have an impact and couldn't find any picture that support this theory.

It doesn't, not directly anyway. The Marines only required internal carriage of 1,000 lb munitions, while the other services required larger munitions. Originally LM intended all three variants to use a common weapon bay capable of holding 2,500 lb weapons. That plan however was ruined by rapid weight growth in 2003-04. Weight growth was particularly bad on the B model, which unlike the others had a hard physical limit due to the requirement for vertical flight. This required a major effort (called SWAT) across the program to remedy with design changes to all variants, ultimately reducing parts commonality and certain capabilities, the most visible being reducing the B variant's weapons bay back to the original USMC requirement. This was accomplished by shortening the aft end of the bays, the front portion of the bays is in pretty much the same spot as on the other variants.

 

[VTOLicious]

That makes perfect sense to me. Thx for the info @totallyaverage

 

[aonestudio]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1642981107544064000

View: https://twitter.com/gwjphantom/status/1642981107544064000

BAE Systems to Produce Upgraded Electronic Warfare Suites for F-35 | Air & Space Forces Magazine

BAE systems got a contract to produce electronic warfare suites for the F-35, while the JPO says the key Tech Refresh 3 will be ready by 2024.

www.airandspaceforces.com

Lockheed Martin Signs Contract for F-35 UK Fleet Support

Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office have signed the LANCE 23-27 contract to support the United Kingdom’s F-35 fleet.

www.f35.com

‘Just in time’ F-35 supply chain too risky for next war, general says

“When you have that mentality, a hiccup in the supply chain … becomes your single point of failure," the F-35's program executive officer said Monday.

www.defensenews.com

 

[GTX]

https://www.defense-aerospace.com/bae-wins-491m-to-develop-block-4-ew-system-for-f-35-fighter/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=les-newslettertotal-derniers-articles-de-notre-blog-11

 

[GTX]

Latest update

 

[GTX]

Potentially interesting commentary from U.S. House Armed Services Committee

20230329 TAL : FY24 Budget Request of DoD for Fixed-Wing Tactical & Training Aircraft Programs

Learn more: https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings/tactical-air-and-land-forces-subcommittee-hearing-fy24-budget-request-department-defense

www.youtube.com

 

[X-39]

Kendall: F135 Upgrade The Only Option For All F-35 Variants | Aviation Week Network

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has decided not to proceed with replacing the F-35’s F135 powerplant with either of two alternatives.

aviationweek.com

Wholehearteadly agree with him on this! I know i'll probably get some flak, but in a way i'm happy that cool heads prevailed and decided not to go with the uber-expensive AETP reengine route. With the current budget realities, it was a matter of time before being forced to choose which aircaft do you want new engines to go in: F-35, or NGAD. And siding with the F-35 would have meant no NGAP. Aka: A repeat of the YF-119 vs YF-120 saga, except this time propitiated by lack of cash.
For starters, besides the integration troubles with the B and C variants, is it worth the hassle when it's combat range isn't that great to begin with ?(for the Pacific) Yes, the XA-100 would have provided a 30% increase, but how much is that?

Hastily made comparison of what a 30% increase would look like without taking other factors into account.

F-35A​	F-35B/STOVL​	F-35C​
669nmi, 6.69*30+669=869nmi	505nmi, 5.05*30+505=656.5nmi	670nmi: 6.7*30+670=871nmi

I mean it's good, but not that much of an improvement, measly 200nmi, with only 150 for the B. The MQ-25, set to enter service in 2026, and adding couple of LO EFT's under each wing could extend it to 1400-1700nmi and i feel still wouldn't be enough for the distances of the Pacific and/or to safely operate outside the Chinese A2/AD bubble. For an engine upgrade to be effective, an obligatory combat radius of at least 1000nmi on internal fuel would be ideal.

Now let's see how a mix of historical, current and proposed planes would fare with ACEs , again a very simplistic calculation, without payload, altitude, speed or weight considered.

CAC J-20​	Convair B-58​	GD F-11B​	LM FB-22(Concept)​
Combat radius: 1100nmi 11.0*38+1100=1518nmi	Combat radius: 1740nmi 17.4*38+1740=2401.2nmi	Combat radius: 1830nmi 18.3*38+1830=2525.4nmi	Combat radius: 1800nmi 18*38+1800=2484nmi

30% vs 38% increase in radius! That's insane! NGAD is supposed to be BIG, so how far it could go, compared to all F-35 versions, would increase exponentially the more fuel the plane carries. It is obvious the bearing costs of a retrofit wouldn't have been worthy, and a larger plane with deeper fuel tanks capable of crossing vast distances from the start will see itself more beneffited than a small airframe.

(Meanwhile, in an AU, those in charge are pulling their hairs after the NGAP effort stalls in favor of developing a conventional turbofan engine, resulting in a 6th gen with Ok-ish reach and watered down capabilities, since the funds that otherwise would've been allocated to its development were eaten giving F-35s new shiny engines! Buy hey, that's what mattered, right?)

(Everything written above is entirely subjective and just my 2 Cents opinion)

 

[La-Fuente Technologies]

US Air Force plans to request 72 fighters every year

Top Air Force leaders have said for years that it needs to buy at least 72 new fighters each year to both modernize its fighter fleet and lower its age.

www.defensenews.com

The fiscal 2024 budget proposal released in March broke that trend by directly asking for money to buy 48 new F-35As and 24 F-15EX Eagle IIs.

 

[Archibald]

Sweet geez... 72 fighters a year... that's 2/3rd of the entire French AF Rafale inventory, build painstakingly since... 2004.

 

[Archibald]

Just in time’ F-35 supply chain​

"Just in time" is the worst idiocy ever happened to logistics in the last half-century. Toyota, how we hate you.

One day some asshole awoke and said "stocks are too expensive ! Let's cut them to the bone to save precious storage area". So no more stock, or very few spares. If you need it, just procures / buys it on the spot - because no more stock.

I've been working in logistics since 2015 and I saw the level of absurdness triggered by that concept.

Such as one low cost airline stretched across Europe if not north africa, with a fast growing fleet of Airbus, yet only two spares at... someplace in Europe.

Bottom line: if that peculiar aircraft part breaks and the FAA or EASA grounds the plane, the whole company across Europe erupts in mayhem and chaos just to get the one or two spare... someplace, to the aircraft (and angry passengers) stranded... someplace else, usually half a continent away.

We saw the logical end of that idiocy during the COVID crisis with the masks...

 

[TomcatViP]

I think the problems lies also that people like key words. Aside of Rolex, Gucci or BMW, some professionals like to have them embedded in their work attires. Hence using tools that aren't relevant to actual needs.

Certainly, you are absolutely right, Maintenance isn't something that should comply with lean manufacturing.

 

[Deino]

What a most impressive image made & posted by "Finn Aviation Photography" on Facebook. Looks almost like a F-35 delta-canard!

See: https://facebook.com/finnaviationphotography