JSF

[richelieu]

La gru .....





"F-35: Aviogei consegna la prima gru di sollevamento" .....
http://www.analisidifesa.it/2016/01/avi ... per-lf-35/
.

[richelieu]

Novità dall' Italia ..... primo volo di AL-2 e primo volo di AL-1 con pilota italiano .....

"Vola il secondo F-35 italiano e non solo" .....
http://www.portaledifesa.it/index~phppag,3_id,1124.html

[richelieu]

Motori a gogò .....

The US defense department and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II engine supplier Pratt & Whitney have reached a “handshake agreement” in contract negotiations for production of 167 F135 turbofan engines, according to a joint statement released today.
The ninth and 10th low-rate initial production contracts buy 66 and 101 engines respectively, up from 36 and 48 in the previous two contracts.

Fonte ..... "F135 production to jump 110% as DOD and P&W reach agreement" .....
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... ag-420877/

P&W ..... "DOD and Pratt & Whitney Announce Principle Agreement on Purchase of 167 F135 Engines" .....
http://www.pw.utc.com/News/Story/20160115-1230

Anche qui ..... "DOD, Pratt & Whitney Reach ‘Handshake’ on F-35 Engine Deal" .....
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /78864118/
.

[richelieu]

Contrordine .....
..... per quanto riguarda la soluzione dei problemi relativi al sedile eiettabile, contrariamente a quanto riferito soltanto pochi giorni fa .....
..... ora ..... si accelera .....

The Pentagon has accelerated its projected timeline to implement a series of fixes to safety issues with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s ejection seat, Defense News has learned.
The US Air Force told Defense News last week that the three planned solutions to recent problems with the jet’s escape system would not be fully implemented until early 2018.
However, the Joint Program Office, which oversees all three service variants of the F-35, said this week the government and industry team is working hard to accelerate that schedule.

Fonte ..... "JPO Accelerates Timeline for F-35 Ejection Seat Fix" .....
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /78845102/
.

[giragyro]

video da difesa on line del volo dei primi due piloti italiani sull F35 e commenti post volo degli stessi .

[MatteF88]

La prima cosa che hanno sottolineato é che l'aereo non ha avuto problemi..

[giragyro]

se avessero detto il contrario l'unico aereo che avrebbero poi potuto pilotare sarebbe stato uno spargiconcime

[richelieu]

A moment of truth .....

In February or early March, a combat-coded F-35A from the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill AFB will release an inert, laser-guided bomb at the nearby Utah Test and Training Range.
What will seem ordinary and routine to the pilot will actually be a “monumental achievement” for the multinational F-35 programme, which has been building to this moment since Lockheed Martin won the Joint Strike Fighter contract in 2001.
A stealthy, jet-powered combat aircraft is nothing if it cannot put weapons on a target, and this GBU-12 Paveway II release will be a moment of truth for the conventional A-model, which until now only released weapons in development and operational testing.

Fonte ..... "Combat-coded F-35A to begin dropping bombs" .....
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... bs-420924/
.

[Lampo 13]

http://espresso.repubblica.it/attualita ... 5-1.247165

Joint Strike Fighter... mi sa che se ne sono fatti troppi di "joint"!

[richelieu]

http://espresso.repubblica.it/attualita ... 5-1.247165

Joint Strike Fighter... mi sa che se ne sono fatti troppi di "joint"!

Ennesimo articolo stile 'Al lupo, al lupo!' di una certa stampa generalista italiana (con relativa, ed opportuna, strizzatina d'occhio agli oppositori 'senza se & senza ma') su un problema che, a quanto pare, è già in fase di risoluzione ..... come era stato segnalato alcuni giorni fa .....

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... is-420812/

[Lampo 13]

Mi sembra il più grande spreco di soldi che l'Italia abbia fatto negli ultimi anni!
Alla fine stimano un costo totale di circa 200 mln per aereo!

[richelieu]

Mi sembra il più grande spreco di soldi che l'Italia abbia fatto negli ultimi anni!
Alla fine stimano un costo totale di circa 200 mln per aereo!

E la colpa di chi è ?
Dei politici o di qualche generalone dell' Aeronautica che, invaghitosi perdutamente della nuova meraviglia tecnologica, l' ha poi 'venduta' ai politici che hanno prontamente abboccato ?
E l' industria ..... anche lei esente da responsabilità ?

[Lampo 13]

Non so di chi sia la colpa, so chi paga il conto!

[Vultur]

Nelle foto ridono tutti meno il signore alla destra del generale. Perchè lui non ride?

[Lampo 13]

Nelle foto ridono tutti meno il signore alla destra del generale. Perchè lui non ride?

Deve essere uno di quelli che paga!

[richelieu]

Nelle foto ridono tutti meno il signore alla destra del generale.
Perchè lui non ride?

A quali foto ti riferisci ?

[richelieu]

EDIT .....

Messaggio spostato nella discusssione "IAF - Israeli Air Force" .....

[richelieu]

A rischio .....

A 52-aircraft requirement for the type, to replace the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s 56 Lockheed F-16A/Bs was seemingly a done deal for Norway last October, as defence chief Adm Haakon Bruun-Hanssen revealed a strategic defence review that committed to the full acquisition.
This was followed by a proposed 9.8% real-term defence budget increase for 2016, which would see a near doubling of funding for the conventional take-off and landing F-35A, plus an authorisation request for six more.
But local news sources are now claiming the continued low selling price of oil – a significant income for Norway – has laid pressure on spending, and a weak Krone versus the US dollar has made the price of the already expensive aircraft seem even higher.

Fonte ..... "Oil price, weak currency challenge Norwegian F-35 buy" .....
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... bu-421084/
.

[richelieu]

E' il momento dello AIM-9X .....

The US Air Force has for the first time successfully test fired a Raytheon AIM-9X passive infrared missile from a Lockheed Martin F-35A over the Pacific Sea Test Range.
According to a statement from Edwards AFB, the 461st Flight Test Squadron’s AF-1 flight sciences aircraft fired the short-range weapon on 12 January at an altitude of 6,000ft.

Fonte ..... "F-35 fires AIM-9X as Raytheon snags next-gen weapons contract" .....
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... ns-421133/

Edwards AFB ..... "F-35 fires first AIM-9X missile" .....
http://www.edwards.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123467335
.

[richelieu]

Nuovo parapiglia in vista .....

Although the Joint Program Office maintains the F-35 program remains on track, the Pentagon’s top weapons tester recently raised concerns that the fifth-generation fighter jet’s software development could fall behind.
In a Dec. 11 memo, Michael Gilmore, the Defense Department’s director of operational test and evaluation, described as being “not realistic” the JPO’s current plan to finish work on the F-35’s Block 3F software — the final software block required for full warfighting capability — by July 31, 2017.
Rushing the testing schedule and weapons deliveries in order to meet this deadline “constitutes a very high risk of failing” Initial Operational Test and Evaluation — the final phase of testing before a full-rate production decision, Gilmore said.

Fonte ..... "DoD Weapons Tester Concerned about F-35 Software Development" .....
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /79191890/

Questo è il memorandum che AW&ST ha pubblicato in allegato ad un articolo criptato scritto in merito da Bill Sweetman .....
http://aviationweek.com/site-files/avia ... 201%29.pdf
..... articolo che può essere comunque letto integralmente nell'ottavo post di questa discussione .....
"Software delays still plague F-35" ..... http://www.f-16.net/forum/viewtopic.php ... 8&p=313920
.

[Valerio Ricciardi]

Mi sembra il più grande spreco di soldi che l'Italia abbia fatto negli ultimi anni! Alla fine stimano un costo totale di circa 200 mln per aereo!

E la colpa di chi è ?
Dei politici o di qualche generalone dell' Aeronautica che, invaghitosi perdutamente della nuova meraviglia tecnologica, l' ha poi 'venduta' ai politici che hanno prontamente abboccato ?
E l' industria ..... anche lei esente da responsabilità ?

Quanto al politico, mi pare che il primo a farsi tentare dall'idea fu Beniamino Andreatta, che la Storia mediamente considera essere stato una persona molto per bene e improbabilmente affascinabile da ipotesi di corruttela. Avrà pensato ai ritorni industriali,m memore del tanto lavoro che l'Italia ebbe per gli Starfighter.
Poi il Tornado, anglotedesco

ma nel caso dei generali (categoria, mi dicono, parossisticamente troppo numerosa in Italia in rapporto agli altri gradi delle quattro Forze Armate) non mi riesce di essere troppo comprensivo.

E non per rinfacciar loro problemi di sviluppo la cui entità presumo che assolutamente alla Lockheed Martin non avrebbero essi stessi mai immaginato;

ma in generale sul concetto, sulla filosofia di impiego, sui limiti di un aviogetto molto basato su tecnologie stealth [che possono essere assai facilmente eluse aumentando le lunghezze d'onda e riducendo la frequenza impiegata nei radar... cosa che ovviamente riduce la precisione di localizzazione e di identificazione, ma se ciò fa la differenza fra vedere e non vedere... intanto ti hanno visto e sanno grossomodo che stai arrivando e dove tu sia...] e molto poco sulle qualità di volo, per giunta concepito per fare mestieri tanto diversi fra loro avendo tanta parte della piattaforma in comune...

...No, mi riesce difficile pensare solo a incompetenza e poca lungimiranza di vedute, onestamente come diceva Andreotti...

[richelieu]

Destinazione ..... Regno Unito .....

F-35s to Fly at Farnborough .....

Brian Everstine (1/27/2016)

Air Force F-35As will make their debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough Air Show in July, the service announced today.
F-35As from Luke AFB, Ariz., will join Marine Corps F-35Bs in both static displays and a heritage flight at the shows.
“We’re very excited about demonstrating this capability to the world,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said in a statement .....
http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/t ... shows.aspx
“The F-35 represents a new way of thinking about data integration, weapons, and tactics. We’re thrilled to highlight the program and the amazing airmen who support this cutting-edge fighter.”
The F-35A and F-35B appearances were announced separately on Jan. 26, with the Air Force announcing its involvement after the RIAT put out a news release announcing the F-35B’s appearance .....
http://www.airtattoo.com/news/2016/jan/ ... d-for-2016
“The plan for F-35 aircraft to take part in air shows here in the UK this summer is a significant milestone for our RAF and Royal Navy personnel training hard to fly the F-35; for British industry who are contributing an impressive 15 percent of every aircraft; and for the British public who will have their first opportunity to see this remarkable aircraft in action,” said British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon in the release.

Fonte ..... il 'Daily Report' dell' AFA .....
.

[Valerio Ricciardi]

Remarkable

Spell Syllables [ri-mahr-kuh-buh l]

adjective
1.
notably or conspicuously unusual; extraordinary:

i.e. a remarkable change.

2.
worthy of notice or attention.


....in fin dei conti mica hanno scritto che è bòno...

[richelieu]

Remarkable

Spell Syllables [ri-mahr-kuh-buh l]

adjective
1.
notably or conspicuously unusual; extraordinary:

i.e. a remarkable change.

2.
worthy of notice or attention.


.... in fin dei conti mica hanno scritto che è bòno ...

Ma nooo ..... hanno soltanto voluto dire che è .....
Eccezzziunale ... veramente .....
.

[richelieu]

Al RIAT e a Farnborough ce ne saranno almeno quattro .....

The US Air Force plans to send a pair of Lockheed Martin F-35As to two air shows in the United Kingdom this summer, the service confirmed Tuesday to Defense News.
The two F-35A conventional takeoff and landing jets will join a pair of US Marine Corps F-35Bs that are also slated to make an appearance at both shows.
The joint strike fighter's appearance at the two major European air shows will mark a critical milestone for the program after the jet was forced to skip its planned international debut at RIAT and Farnborough in 2014 due to an engine fire and subsequent fleet-wide grounding.

Fonte ..... "US Air Force, Marine Corps F-35s To Appear at UK Air Shows" .....
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /79355514/

Però ..... c'è la possibilità che qualcuno rompa loro le uova .....

While the Air Tattoo is hailing the plan as the F-35’s international debut, it may be trumped by the Netherlands, which plans to deploy one of its two F-35As during the summer for noise trials and to test whether the aircraft can be operated from hardened aircraft shelters.
The assessments will conclude with the appearance of the F-35 at the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Open Days event at Leeuwarden air base on June 10-11.
There is also a possibility of an Italian F-35 appearing at a show in Europe now that F-35s are being produced at the Cameri Final Assembly and Checkout facility in Italy.

E non solo .....

It is unclear whether a U.K. F-35 will make the journey.
Two of the U.K. aircraft are now ensconced at Edwards AFB, California, performing the test and evaluation of the F-35.
The third is based at MCAS Beaufort, North Carolina, for training.
A fourth U.K. aircraft that flew in December, BK-4, is due to be used for testing.

Fonte ..... AW&ST ..... "U.S. Marines Planning U.K. F-35 Debut" .....
http://aviationweek.com/defense/us-mari ... f-35-debut

Vi sarà dunque una folla multi-nazionale di F-35 nel cielo delle manifestazioni aeree che si terranno in Europa la prossima estate ?
.

[richelieu]

Secondo questo sito olandese ..... http://airheadsfly.com/ ..... che non conoscevo (ma apparentemente bene informato) ..... la prima trasvolata atlantica di un F-35 avverrebbe il 2 Febbraio prossimo .....

The first Italian-made F-35A Lightning II is all set to start the type’s first ever Transatlantic flight to the US on Tuesday 2 February, sources in Italy confirm.
A Boeing KC-767 tanker aircraft and a two seater Eurofighter Typhoon accompany the brand new fighter aircraft on its way, which includes a stop over at Lajes airbase in the Azores.

"First Atlantic crossing for F-35 on 2 February" ..... http://airheadsfly.com/2016/01/27/f-35- ... -february/
.

[MatteF88]

É in arrivo il rapporto annuale su sviluppo e test...dall'anticipazione di sweetman su avweek pare che la situazione non sia proprio "rosea"..ma ahimè l'articolo è al momento criptato..

http://aviationweek.com/defense/test-re ... t-limits-0

[richelieu]

É in arrivo il rapporto annuale su sviluppo e test ... dall'anticipazione di sweetman su avweek pare che la situazione non sia proprio "rosea" .. ma ahimè l'articolo è al momento criptato ..

http://aviationweek.com/defense/test-re ... t-limits-0

Ormai gli articoli di AW&ST sono, purtroppo, quasi tutti criptati .....

Beccatevi comunque la parte del rapporto dedicata al 'sarchiapone' .....

http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2 ... f35jsf.pdf
.

[richelieu]

DOT&E ..... cosa dice il 'Daily Report' dell' AFA .....

F-35A IOC at Risk .....

John A. Tirpak (2/2/2016)

The F-35A might not meet the criteria required to be declared operational in August, Pentagon Director of Operational Test & Evaluation J. Michael Gilmore said in an annual report released Monday.
The report, which covers all services, included a 70-page assessment of the F-35 program.
In it, Gilmore says USAF briefed the Joint Requirements Oversight Council in December that due to struggles with the 3i version of the F-35A software, the jet is “at risk” of not having the capability required to declare initial operational capability on time.
August is the threshold, or desired date, but December is the “objective” or must-do date for IOC, and that seems more likely, he said.
Developmental testing of the 3i software was eight months late.
Gilmore also asserted that it’s “unrealistic” to think completion of flight testing the objective mission systems software, version 3F, will wrap up as planned in May 2017.
He said the program office is “referencing” a date of July 31, 2017, and Gilmore said the more likely date will be January 2018.
Even to hit that late target, flight testers would have to keep up a pace of 6.8 flight tests a month - faster than the planned six flights per month - to burn down all the necessary test points, with discoveries of new issues only five percent of the time.
The program could, “as has been the case in testing previous software increments,” decide that some of that testing is unnecessary, but he’d want an explanation.
Go to the F-35 section of the DOT&E report ..... http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2 ... f35jsf.pdf

Joint Strike Fighter Block Buy Risky .....

John A. Tirpak (2/2/2016)

​The Pentagon’s director of operational test & evaluation wonders whether it’s a good idea for the F-35 program to push a “block buy” approach on the jet before operational testing is finished.
In his annual report, just released, J. Michael Gilmore said the block buy - a kind of international multiyear contract - is risky given that there are still “discoveries” occurring in flight test that have to be fixed before the jet’s objective 3F software block is cleared for combat.
Ramping up production would increase the number of jets that would have to be sent back for modification after going through the production line, he said, noting that Marine Corps operational jets have had to make two visits back for modification already, and that service only declared them operational last July.
Gilmore also wondered whether committing to the block buy would reduce Lockheed Martin’s incentives to fix the jets in a timely fashion.
Part of the Title 10 code stipulates the Pentagon adopt a “fly before you buy” approach, Gilmore noted.

F-35 Program Office: No Surprises in DOT&E Report .....

John A. Tirpak (2/2/2016)

​The F-35 program office, in a prepared statement regarding the release of the annual Director of Operational Test & Evaluation report, said the document contained “no surprises,” and that the issues in F-35 development and testing it identified are well understood and “manageable.”
“We are confident the program can continue to solve these” problems, the office said.
The program remains “fundamentally” on the baseline schedule set in 2011, and initial operational capability for the Air Force and Navy and for foreign users will be achieved on time, according to the statement.
Program director Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, in a separate statement (*), said DOT&E’s comments don’t “fully address program efforts to resolve known technical challenges.”
He noted that previous headline-grabbing problems - a tailhook issue for the carrier version, helmet latency and jitter, and engine “rubbing” - have all been resolved with little fanfare.
The government-industry team has “a proven track record of overcoming technical challenges,” Bogdan said.
He acknowledged, however, that missions systems software and the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), two key areas highlighted in the DOT&E report, “are the program’s top technical risks.”

(*) ..... 2015 DOT&E Report - Public Response Statement .....
https://www.f35.com/news/detail/2015-do ... -statement
.

[richelieu]

Tagliargli i fondi per finanziare altri programmi ..... in particolare il futuro bombardiere strategico .....

Robbing F-35 to Feed LRS-B .....

Jennifer Hlad (2/2/2016)

The Air Force is likely to trim funding for the F-35A to help make up the gap between the Fiscal 2017 base discretionary budget request and planned spending for the year, said Katherine Blakeley, of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, on Feb. 1 ..... http://csbaonline.org/about/people/kblakeley/
Right now, the F-35 program accounts for 42 percent of the Air Force’s total modernization budget for its top nine acquisition programs, Blakeley said, plus it has had software issues and has seen a flattened funding profile in recent years.
The F-35 “is just where the money is,” she said.
Cuts to the F-35 program also make sense because the Air Force will want to protect funding for the Long-Range Strike Bomber, KC-46 tanker, Compass Call, JSTARS, and investments for space and cyber, Blakeley said.
And, she said, while Congress is likely to resist cuts to acquisition programs, there may be less pushback on the F-35A.
“I think at this point it’s kind of a problem child, and so … you won’t have quite as much resistance in Congress to cutting it as with something like the A-10,” Blakeley said.
The Pentagon is expected to release its Fiscal 2017 budget proposal on Feb. 9.

Fonte ..... il 'Daily Report' dell' AFA .....
.

[richelieu]

Secondo talune fonti ..... la trasvolata atlantica del primo F-35 di produzione italiana che avrebbe dovuto aver luogo oggi ..... sarebbe stata rinviata causa maltempo .....
Ma non si tratta di fonti ufficiali .....




.

[MatteF88]

Curioso:

Testing to characterize the thermal environment of the weapons bays demonstrated that temperatures become excessive during ground operations in high ambient temperature conditions and in-flight under conditions
of high speed and at altitudes below 25,000 feet. As a result, during ground operations, fleet pilots are restricted from keeping the weapons bay doors closed for more than 10 cumulative minutes prior to take-off when internal stores are loaded and the outside air temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. In flight, the 10-minute restriction also applies when flying at airspeeds equal to or greater than 500 knots at altitudes below 5,000 feet; 550 knots at altitudes between 5,000 and 15,000 feet; and 600 knots at altitudes between 15,000 and 25,000 feet. Above 25,000 feet, there are no restrictions associated with the weapons bay doors being closed, regardless
of temperature. The time limits can be reset by flying
10 minutes outside of the restricted conditions (i.e., slower or at higher altitudes). This will require pilots to develop tactics to work around the restricted envelope; however, threat and/or weather conditions may make completing the mission difficult or impossible using the work around

Dal link che aveva postato richelieu http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2 ... f35jsf.pdf

PS: 90ºF sono circa 32ºC

[richelieu]

Tagliargli i fondi per finanziare altri programmi ..... in particolare il futuro bombardiere strategico .....

Robbing F-35 to Feed LRS-B .....

Jennifer Hlad (2/2/2016)

The Air Force is likely to trim funding for the F-35A to help make up the gap between the Fiscal 2017 base discretionary budget request and planned spending for the year, said Katherine Blakeley, of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, on Feb. 1 .....
.

Infatti .....

The US Air Force cut five F-35As from its fiscal year 2017 budget request while fully funding the Long Range Strike-Bomber and KC-46 tanker, sources said.
The Air Force reduced the F-35A buy in FY-17 from a planned 48 aircraft to just 43, according to one source.
It is not clear if the Air Force will reduce the overall planned buy of 1,763 aircraft.
These figures do not take into account the total F-35 buy across the US armed services or purchases by international partners.

Fonte ..... "US Air Force Cuts Five F-35 Fighter Jets From Budget Request" .....
http://www.defensenews.com/story/breaki ... /79769342/
.

[richelieu]

Uno stop agli acquisti 'in blocco' ?

The Pentagon has long discussed the possibility of a bulk order of F-35 joint strike fighters that would span several years and multiple international partners.
But now the Department of Defense’s top weapons tester is raising concerns about committing to the so-called “block buy” before testing of the aircraft is complete.
The program office has for the past year examined options for a buy that would combine procurement of several lots of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet, with the hope of lowering the price tag for US and international customers.
In September, Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, director of the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), hinted that the service was considering pursuing a block buy starting in fiscal 2018, but has not confirmed the plan.
Depending on the timing of the block buy, US and foreign partners might be expected to commit to purchasing large numbers of the aircraft before operational testing is complete, Michael Gilmore, director of the Pentagon’s office of test and evaluation, warned this week in his annual report.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Given the nature of operational testing, Gilmore warned it might not be a good idea to commit to buying large numbers of F-35s before all aircraft have the necessary modifications and are fully combat capable.

Fonte ..... "DoD Weapons Tester Raises Red Flags Over Possible F-35 Block Buy" .....
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /79760138/
.

[richelieu]

In viaggio .....

"Trasvolata atlantica per il primo F-35 italiano" .....
http://www.portaledifesa.it/index~phppag,3_id,1154.html

Inoltre ..... http://theaircraftspotting.blogspot.it/ ... ng-ii.html