F-35A ..... la soddisfazione del CSM USAF generale Goldfein .....
As the Air Force wraps up its second year of operational service with the F-35, Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein says he “could not be happier” with the aircraft, and that it is living up to its billing as a “game-changer.”
Speaking with Air Force Magazine in his Pentagon office, Goldfein said the F-35 provides its pilot with all the information about the battlespace - even before takeoff - that an F-16 pilot like himself would only have seen after a mission, debriefed with data provided by range instrumentation and command and control aircraft.
Atterraggio di emergenza ..... ovvero ..... sono cose che càpitano .....
After a mid-air emergency forced an F-35A fighter jet to return to Eglin Air Force Base, the plane’s nose landing gear collapsed, leaving the fifth-generation fighter face down on the runway.
The incident happened around 12:50 p.m. Wednesday.
Fire crews responded immediately, and the pilot suffered no injuries, according to the Air Force (*).
The plane is assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron, and the service has launched an investigation into the incident.
A campaign is said to be underway to get the Lockheed Martin F-35’s European engine maintenance center moved from Turkey to Israel.
Turkey, a partner in the stealthy fighter program, has been in line to maintain the Pratt & Whitney F135 engines used by European F-35 operators.
But now Israeli defense sources say the recent deterioration of ties between Washington and Ankara creates “a completely new reality.”
Some Israeli companies have started unofficial talks with U.S. companies and “key figures” in the Trump administration in an attempt to change the original plan and move the European engine maintenance center to Israel.
Israel Aerospace Industries makes F-35 wings and has its own engine maintenance facility.
The Israeli Air Force has made it clear that it will not send its F-35 engines for overhaul in Turkey.
None of the related organizations in Israel were prepared to comment.
"Top Gun: Maverick" .....
Nel sequel di "Top Gun" potrebbero esserci anche gli F-35C .....
Hollywood’s latest take on naval aviation, Top Gun: Maverick, will likely pair the Navy’s new Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters alongside older Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, in the sequel to the 1986 blockbuster.
A film crew from Paramount Pictures was aboard aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) the same time the Navy began launching F-35C jets off the ship interchangeably with F/A-18E-F Super Hornets as an integrated air wing.
With six F-35Cs operating aboard Lincoln since Aug. 20th, USNI News understands, the film crew almost certainly got an up-close look at the Navy’s newest fighters – operating alongside the Super Hornets, the EA-18G Growlers, the E-2 Hawkeye and the C-2 Greyhound.
Asked what role the new jets may play in the movie, Michael Singer, vice president of marketing and publicity for Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Television, told USNI News “we are not providing any details about the production at this time.”
Ogni giorno una nuova .....
Ora emergono nuove 'magagne' .....
Officials in the F-35 Joint Program Office are making paper reclassifications of potentially life-threatening design flaws to make them appear less serious, likely in an attempt to prevent the $1.5 trillion program from blowing through another schedule deadline and budget cap.
The Center for Defense Information at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) obtained a document showing how F-35 officials are recategorizing - rather than fixing - major design flaws to be able to claim they have completed the program’s development phase without having to pay overruns for badly needed fixes.
Several of these flaws, like the lack of any means for a pilot to confirm a weapon’s target data before firing, and damage to the plane caused by the tailhook on the Air Force’s variant, have potentially serious implications for safety and combat effectiveness.
POGO also obtained a copy of the Pentagon’s previously unreleased plan to control costs that shows the proposed savings may quickly be overwhelmed by the program’s rising costs.
An F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter flying from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) was damaged during an aerial refueling exercise, in the first major flight mishap for the carrier version of the JSF.
The engine of an F-35C from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 was damaged while receiving fuel from an F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-103 on Aug. 22, Navy officials confirmed to USNI News.
Debris from an aerial refueling basket was ingested into the F-35C’s engine intake, resulting in the damage, Naval Air Forces Atlantic spokesman Cmdr. Dave Hecht said on Tuesday.
Both fighters were able to land safely – the Super Hornet flew to Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., while the F-35C returned to Lincoln.
No injuries were reported and the incident is currently under investigation, Hecht said. ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- Damage to the F-35C was reported as a Class A mishap – the most serious type for a military aircraft.
An incident is classified as Class A when an aircraft suffers more than $2 million in damage, is totally destroyed or involves a serious or fatal injury to the aircrew.
The damage to the F-35 was above the $2 million threshold, Hecht said.
A new F135 engine for the JSF costs about $14 million, according to the most recent contract award to engine builder Pratt & Whitney.
F-35s are operating within US Central Command for the first time.
The US Marine Corps F-35Bs, assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, are conducting a regularly scheduled deployment aboard the USS Essex.
The Essex Amphibious Ready Group and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting maritime security operations, crisis response, theater security cooperation, and forward naval presence operations in the US 5th Fleet area of operations, according to a US Navy release (*).
Before the deployment, the VMFA 211 F-35Bs were certified for deep air support, close air support, offensive air support, and electronic warfare, according to the release.
The aircraft “strengthens the amphibious force through new and increased multi-mission capabilities, making our team a more lethal and survivable crisis response force,” Col. Chandler Nelms, the commanding officer of the 13th MEU, said in the release.
F-35A ..... superate brillantemente le 'prove di tortura' ..... si prospetta ora la possibilità di un aumento della durata della vita operativa .....
After completing static, drop and durability testing on the F-35A, Lockheed Martin believes that early results indicate potential for an increased service life certification of the stealth fighter.
The F-35’s service lifetime is designed to be 8,000h, but each test airframe is required to successfully complete two lifetimes of testing, the equivalent of 16,000h.
The F-35A exceeded the requirement by completing three full lifetimes of testing, 24,000h, prompting Lockheed to moot the potential service-life extension.
Raytheon offre all' Air Force una versione ad hoc del 'JPALS' .....
After successfully integrating its Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) on F-35B fighters and a growing number of US Navy aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, Raytheon is pitching a modified version of the system to the US Air Force for auto-landing F-35A aircraft at expeditionary airfields.
The company is in talks with the USAF on how exactly the service would like a portable system configured to automatically land the Lockheed Martin F-35A on remote airfields without traditional instrument landing systems.
Such airfields may have difficult approaches due to surrounding mountains, bad weather or potential enemy fire.
Dall' Olanda ..... una notizia positiva .....
Altri 30 F-35A potrebbero essere prodotti in Italia .....
Dutch defense minister Ank Bijleveld has eliminated the country’s budget cap for F-35 purchases, opening the possibility of buying more planes in the future, a spokesman confirmed to Defense News.
The defense ministry spokesman described the move as “just a formality” that would not require parliamentary approval, as the Dutch objective of buying 37 copies of the Lockheed Martin-made jet for €4.7 billion remains in place.
But it means “we leave the option open to buy new planes” beyond those already envisioned in the budget, the spokesman said.
The development was first reported by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, which wrote that the air force was angling to eventually get 67 aircraft.
That amount would be enough to field four squadrons in the Netherlands, according to the newspaper.
“The time is now. It’s tonight. It’s not next year” .....
DOD's Shanahan: “Time Is Now” to Get F-35 Sustainment Right, Increase Productivity .....
Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Wednesday called the F-35 a “remarkable” achievement, “critical to the high-end fight” and “our future,” but urged program managers to get its sustainment costs down and production up as quickly as possible.
Speaking at ASC18, he expressed his “enormous respect” for F-35 leaders’ “talent and commitment” on such a complex program, but pointed out that “we’re at the front end” of F-35 service, “which means we can still set the bar high on sustainment.”
He added, “The time is now. It’s tonight. It’s not next year.”
He wants early and continuous improvement in combat mission capable rates, lower operating cost, and better “depot/supply chain performance.”
He also said it’s “vital” that time limits be set for achieving cost and performance goals on the joint strike fighter.
With years of production looming, a stable design, “talented workforce, and stable supply chain” conditions are right to “significantly increase productivity,” Shanahan intoned.
Based on his years of building airplanes at Boeing, he said “we have the environment” to have a “very, very long production run and achieve significant cost savings” on the F-35.
As for development, Shanahan warned that “we must improve our software development and hardware integration skills” so that the F-35 will “outpace and outperform our competitors.”
He said he’s “encouraged” by efforts to “collapse software development time lines,” but “we need a similar mindset and ambition for test and certification.”
No effort can be spared to ensure that the “lethality and affordability” of the F-35 continue to improve, he asserted.
Further insisting, “We owe it to the Air Force to do both.”
- John A. Tirpak
Fonte: il "Daily Report" dell'AFA del 21 Settembre 2018 ..... .
The US Marine Corps' stealth F-35B Lightning fighter jet could fly its first combat mission within days, according to several US defense officials, who told CNN that the fifth-generation aircraft are currently aboard the USS Essex amphibious assault ship and should soon be in a position to conduct airstrikes over Afghanistan.
The USS Essex has already sailed from the Gulf of Aden into the North Arabian Sea and is expected to move into the Persian Gulf in coming days, one official said.
richelieu ha scritto:USMC ..... pronti all' azione .....
The US Marine Corps' stealth F-35B Lightning fighter jet could fly its first combat mission within days, according to several US defense officials, who told CNN that the fifth-generation aircraft are currently aboard the USS Essex amphibious assault ship and should soon be in a position to conduct airstrikes over Afghanistan.
The USS Essex has already sailed from the Gulf of Aden into the North Arabian Sea and is expected to move into the Persian Gulf in coming days, one official said.
Un nuovo, potente processore, prodotto dalla Harris Corporation, verrà installato sugli F-35 .....
Lockheed Martin has selected Harris Corporation to develop and deliver the next generation Integrated Core Processor (ICP) for the F-35 fighter jet.
The Lockheed Martin-led competition within the F-35 supply chain will significantly reduce cost and enhance capability. The F-35’s ICP acts as the brains of the F-35, processing data for the aircraft’s communications, sensors, electronic warfare, guidance and control, cockpit and helmet displays.
11° lotto ..... il prezzo degli F-35A scende a meno di 90 milioni di Dollari .....
After drawn out negotiations with the Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin signed a contract to produce the eleventh lot of the F-35A for $89.2 million per unit.
The price for the US Air Force’s conventional-takeoff-and-landing variant of the stealth fighter is the lowest yet, a 5.4% reduction from the prior production lot.
HMS QE & F-35B ..... i primi appontaggi sono felicemente avvenuti .....
The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s £3 billion, 65,000-ton reentry into the world of carrier aviation, marked a historic moment Tuesday when Royal Navy Commander Nathan Gray and Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Andy Edgell touched down the first F-35B aircraft on her deck as she patrolled the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.
They were the first two British pilots to land on a British aircraft carrier in eight years and it marked the beginning of the Royal Navy’s developmental trials slated to last about two months.
The carrier, which was ordered in 2008 and commissioned late last year, and its first F-35B landing represent a new chapter in the United Kingdom naval history, one that in recent years has been marked by decline and false starts.
The F-35 production line, although meeting annual targets, is late on monthly deliveries, and the Joint Program Office has put Lockheed Martin on notice that it must step up quality or lose some incentive fees.
Program Executive Officer Vice Adm. Mat Winter also said the military services have decided to upgrade all their existing jets to the Block 3 standard, but have not yet decided if they will eventually mod all their jets to a Block 4 configuration.
Vola più veloce ..... risparmierai tempo e carburante .....
The Air Force's stealth fighters have been approved to fly faster during deployment missions in an effort to reduce the time it takes to complete the mission and the amount of fuel required.
The Air Force Operational Energy office determined that during Coronet missions — long-distance deployments in which the aircraft do not land — F-22s and F-35s can fly closer to their maximum-range airspeed though they must stay within boom limits, according to a USAF release.
Il Presidente Trump ha visitato, nei giorni scorsi, la Luke AFB ove gli è stato 'presentato' ufficialmente lo F-35.
E, udite udite, si è espresso favorevolmente nei confronti del velivolo .....
Al suo fianco la Congressista Martha McSally ..... già colonnello dell'USAF e pilota di A-10 .....
Additionally, Trump praised the F-35’s capabilities and the progression of its pilot training program under the guidance and direction of Brig. Gen. Todd Canterbury, 56th Fighter Wing commander.
“It is an honor and a privilege to lead the more than 5,600 men and women of Luke Air Force Base,” Canterbury said.
“Our mission is simple: We train the world’s greatest fighter pilots here. Luke Air Force Base is responsible for training about 95% of the United States Air Force’s fighter pilots.”
In attesa di capire gli esiti dello studio di rimodulazione condotto dal gabinetto del Ministero della Difesa, il programma F-35 procede per ora regolarmente e quest'anno riceve un finanziamento di 745 milioni di euro che saliranno a 766 milioni nel 2019 ed a 783 milioni nel 2020.
