CX747 wrote:

Ozair wrote:

Hey, Siri, How Do You Fly An F-35?

As the U.S. Air Force faces a growing pilot shortage, a small team of airmen is looking to revolutionize pilot training by substituting virtual reality for flying time and supplementing human instructors with artificial intelligence (AI). Starting in February, a class of 20 students—15 officers and five enlisted airmen—will begin an experimental pilot training course developed by Lt. Col. Eric Frahm and a small team at the Air Force’s Strategic Development Planning and ...

http://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraft/hey-siri-how-do-you-fly-f-35

The article is more about VR training of aircrew and the potential to replace some components of the flight training syllabus than about the F-35.

Talk to any relevant fighter guy and that idea is laughed out of the room. Actually, the line from Full Metal Jacket is relevant here...."Choke yourself".

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has said the country intends to buy additional F-35 jets from Lockheed Martin and P-8 maritime surveillance planes from Boeing, FOX Business reported Wednesday.

The first three of the 52 ordered F-35 units were delivered in November 2017.

A Lockheed representative said to FOX that Norway has supported the F-35 effort since developmental phases.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that the economic relationship between the Norway and the U.S. is being strengthened, the report noted.

The F-35 integrates stealth, speed and network-linking capacities to participate in modern aerial combat.

The P-8 is a naval aircraft designed to perform anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance and intelligence operations.

An F-35 squadron can carry inherent within it an electronic attack force, a missile defense tracking capability, a mapping capability for the ground forces, ISR and C2 capabilities for the deployed force and do so in a compact deployment package.

In addition, an F-35 fleet can empower Air Defense Artillery (ADA), whether Aegis afloat or Patriots and THAAD Batteries, the concept of establishing air dominance is moving in a synergistic direction.

An F-35 EW capability along with it’s AA and AG capability will introduce innovate tactics in the SEAD mission.

Concurrently, the F-35 will empower U.S. and Allied ADA situational awareness. The current engagement of the IDF employment of their Irion Dome in conjunction with aviation attacks is a demonstration of this type of emerging partnership being forged in battle.

To get a similar capability today into the Area of Interest would require a diversified and complex aerial fleet, whose very size would create a political statement, which one might really not want to make.

With an F-35 enabled ground insertion force, a smaller force with significant lethality and flexibility could be deployed until it is no longer needed for it is about air-enabled ground forces. A tiltrotar enabled assault force with top cover from a 360 degree operational F-35 fleet, whether USMC, USN, USAF or allied can allow for the kind of flexibility necessary for 21st century warfare and operational realities.

Ozair wrote:

Norway to Procure F-35, P-8 Aircraft From Lockheed, Boeing

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has said the country intends to buy additional F-35 jets from Lockheed Martin and P-8 maritime surveillance planes from Boeing, FOX Business reported Wednesday.

The first three of the 52 ordered F-35 units were delivered in November 2017.

A Lockheed representative said to FOX that Norway has supported the F-35 effort since developmental phases.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that the economic relationship between the Norway and the U.S. is being strengthened, the report noted.

The F-35 integrates stealth, speed and network-linking capacities to participate in modern aerial combat.

The P-8 is a naval aircraft designed to perform anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance and intelligence operations.

https://blog.executivebiz.com/2018/01/norway-to-purchase-f-35-p-8-aircraft-from-boeing-lockheed-martin/

Mortyman wrote:

Ozair wrote:

Norway to Procure F-35, P-8 Aircraft From Lockheed, Boeing

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg has said the country intends to buy additional F-35 jets from Lockheed Martin and P-8 maritime surveillance planes from Boeing, FOX Business reported Wednesday.

The first three of the 52 ordered F-35 units were delivered in November 2017.

A Lockheed representative said to FOX that Norway has supported the F-35 effort since developmental phases.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that the economic relationship between the Norway and the U.S. is being strengthened, the report noted.

The F-35 integrates stealth, speed and network-linking capacities to participate in modern aerial combat.

The P-8 is a naval aircraft designed to perform anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance and intelligence operations.

https://blog.executivebiz.com/2018/01/norway-to-purchase-f-35-p-8-aircraft-from-boeing-lockheed-martin/

Just to be clear, Norway has no plans of buying more than the 52 F-35's and 5 P-8,s already ordered. Fox is just late to the table here

Ozair wrote:

CX747 wrote:

Ozair wrote:

Hey, Siri, How Do You Fly An F-35?


http://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraft/hey-siri-how-do-you-fly-f-35

The article is more about VR training of aircrew and the potential to replace some components of the flight training syllabus than about the F-35.

Talk to any relevant fighter guy and that idea is laughed out of the room. Actually, the line from Full Metal Jacket is relevant here...."Choke yourself".

I see no reason the USAF shouldn't look to include greater and better fidelity simulators within their training syllabus and in the end that is what the article is talking about. Sure it doesn't replace flight experience but we are clearly at a point now where the simulators are available that match reality close enough that this can be done. For example the first time any pilot flies an F-35 they do so solo, than is vastly different to a generation ago and is possible because of the technology level of the simulators.

CX747 wrote:

Ozair wrote:

CX747 wrote:

Talk to any relevant fighter guy and that idea is laughed out of the room. Actually, the line from Full Metal Jacket is relevant here...."Choke yourself".

I see no reason the USAF shouldn't look to include greater and better fidelity simulators within their training syllabus and in the end that is what the article is talking about. Sure it doesn't replace flight experience but we are clearly at a point now where the simulators are available that match reality close enough that this can be done. For example the first time any pilot flies an F-35 they do so solo, than is vastly different to a generation ago and is possible because of the technology level of the simulators.

I can't agree with that and neither can those that teach others how to fly fighters. This is a bad idea and will get people killed.

Ozair wrote:

CX747 wrote:

Ozair wrote:

I see no reason the USAF shouldn't look to include greater and better fidelity simulators within their training syllabus and in the end that is what the article is talking about. Sure it doesn't replace flight experience but we are clearly at a point now where the simulators are available that match reality close enough that this can be done. For example the first time any pilot flies an F-35 they do so solo, than is vastly different to a generation ago and is possible because of the technology level of the simulators.

I can't agree with that and neither can those that teach others how to fly fighters. This is a bad idea and will get people killed.

Which part don't you agree with, more and enhanced simulator time or F-35 solo flights?

The Lockheed F-35 Lightning has been drawing a lot of press – and orders from across the world. According to a Lockheed website, 14 countries either have orders in or are looking at buying the Lightning. But another cheaper jet is making waves.

In his paper, Lt. Col. Hoeben looks at the co-evolution of C2, ISR and the coming of the F-35 as a fleet air combat asset.

“The goal of 5th Generation Air C2 and ISR is to adjust military actions better as the situation unfolds and thus reach better and quicker effects and objectives…..”

CX747 wrote:

We could argue semantics but any F-14 or A-10 guy going for his first ride in 1981 was "solo". Simulators are fine, any massive usage in lieu of flight time at that level (F-35 etc) is watering down abilities and in the end puts greater pressure on frontline squadrons who have guys show up incapable of performing and potentially making smoking holes in the ground.

CX747 wrote:

Ozair wrote:

Tugger wrote:

Well this idea at least has been around for years:

And I do believe it is in it's design parameters.

Correct, another image which is from 2011. The Drive is pretty low on editorial credibility though, the site is very focused on click bait articles, so I don't put a lot of stock in their info but I am trying to post all articles here in the thread, not just positive ones or those from credible sites.



and this one which shows the plan for Blk 4 weapons integration. The below is old and has changed though the JPO appears to have received permission to start Blk 4 work immediately and not wait for formal OT&E certification. Much of the weapon integration work can be done now and it seems pointless to wait until a formal Blk 4 window opens.

Tugger wrote:

And just for fun, I found this and think it is interesting enough to post here, others who know more than I can tell me if it is useful or useless.
http://www.dept.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/F35ASpr11.pdf

Tugg

A decent overview although some stuff in there that is now outdated, I'm also not a fan of drag calculations like that, too many assumptions.

Time marches on but the F-35 has yet to prove itself in real world scenarios. I'd love to see how the F-35 would compare to an updated F-14D or the Tomcat 21. Or what it will truly bring to the fight when called upon to haul iron 6+ hours one way. I fear a reality that we saw in 2001 when F-14As were leading the fight into Astan, not the F/A-18Cs.

The surface Navy is looking to capitalize on recent successes increasing ships’ offensive range and lethality, with the next task being added sensing and targeting capabilities to support its new weaponry.


Rear Adm. Ronald Boxall, the Navy’s director of surface warfare (N96), said the Navy is looking for ways to do long-range intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting (ISR-T) as a next step following recent advances in implementing the distributed lethality concept — where surface ships are better armed and conduct disaggregated operations to complicate the enemy’s targeting.

“We used to be able to say, ‘hey, we’d target out to the range of our helicopters,’” Boxall said at last week’s Surface Navy Association annual symposium.
“Now we’re looking, as our weapons’ range gets very long, the next order of effect is how do we target out to those very long ranges?”

Combinations of surface ships, unmanned systems, submarines, and aircraft are all being tried to determine how best expand range, Boxall’s counterpart, director of expeditionary warfare Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Coffman (OPNAV N95) said, citing recent technology improvements such as the SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and maritime strike Tomahawk missiles as enablers of this new range.

Boxall cited as examples the Littoral Combat Ship, which has already tested an over-the-horizon missile that the service plans to field “over the summer,” and the Maritime Strike Tomahawk, which “we’re going to continue to field that going forward. Everybody who has vertical cell, if you have that you can field this.”

A key enabler going forward will be the Marine Corps’ Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters (JSF), which will be integrated into amphibious ready group (ARG) operations this year. Amphibious assault ships’ flight decks have already been upgraded to support F-35B operations, Coffman said, and now the operators will learn to use the planes to help the Navy and Marine Corps team fight farther inland.

Coffman said he wants to get away from the idea Navy ships are just busses that transport Marines. Instead, he wants Marines embarked on the ships to be an integrated part of the what he said was the “fight to get to the fight.”

He cited the new USS America (LHA-6), an amphibious assault ship that does not have a well deck to deliver Marines ashore via surface connector. Instead, the ship can carry more F-35B aircraft and the offensive firepower and computing power they bring, and more rotary wing aircraft to bring Marines ashore from further distances away from threats in the sea or on land.

“No one else on the planet can do what we can do in scope and scale in the littoral battlespace or in warfighting from the sea,” Coffman said. “That’s just the facts.”

Luke AFB, Arizona. Last week during a short ceremony, Maggiore Salvatore L., an Italian instructor pilot at the 62nd Fighter Squadron, was awarded the "AETC Safety Award 2017". The AETC (Air Education and Training Command) is the Command of the US Air Force that deals with the training of all personnel, both navigating and technical-logistic.

The "Safety Award" is awarded every year to the pilot who, in real situations, has been more distinguished in flight safety for having demonstrated expertise, technical skills, knowledge of the procedures and, last but not least, cold blood in avoiding a flight problem potentially serious. Specifically, Maggiore L., during one of the training flights, was essential in providing timely assistance to its leader during an emergency, "guiding" him to the landing that took place in complete safety.

The same ceremony was also awarded to Major Luca V. as the best instructor, with the rank of Senior Officer, for the fourth quarter of 2017: "Instructor Pilot of the Quarter (Field Grade Officer)".

The two awards are a confirmation of the human and professional skills expressed by Italian pilots at the American base: last year, in fact, the then Captain Giuseppe A., today Maggiore, received the same recognition among the Lower Officials, "Instructor Pilot of the Quarter (Company Grade Officer) ", qualifying later, unique among the Italians," instructor instructor ".

The detachment of Luke (Arizona), where the Italian personnel operates, is headed by the Italian Military Representation based in Eglin (Florida), an inter-agency reality reporting directly to the JSF Program Management of the General Secretariat of Defense.

It is Eglin's RMI that deals with the training of all Italian military personnel (pilots, technicians and maintenance personnel of the Italian Air Force and the Navy) destined to operate on the F-35 aircraft, in its two versions: "A" conventional take-off and "B" with a short take-off and vertical landing, of which Italy has decided to equip itself.

The Finnish Defense Ministry is preparing to send an invitation to five different fighter dispensers in the so-called HX project. Finland is not in Europe alone with its slicers.
Belgium is preparing to make a decision this year and Germany at the same time as Finland, ie by 2021 at the latest. Poland and Switzerland are also launching acquisitions.

In recent years, Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway and Denmark have already reached the American machine Lockheed Martin F-35, which has been offered to Finland as well.

-If the new F-35 project has joined the new countries and also the Nordic countries, then it certainly will influence the thinking. It is likely to lower the price of machinery even if production volumes increase, according to Matti Pesu, visiting researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, in a New Finland interview.

There have been accusations of political games in the context of European fighter disputes. Washing, however, believes that in Finland, the solution will mainly be done with regard to performance and price, and not, for example, with political partnerships.

The HX project can somewhat reflect on this Hornet acquisition of the 1990s. However, in my opinion I went to more technical performance than above, says Washing.

The decree of the 1992 decision on encrypted documents has already been published after 25 years of confidentiality. A summary of the acquisitions was provided to the Esko Aho (central) government, which shows that the various options were scored accurately in different areas. The Hornet fighter was a clear winner of the comparison.


Washing stresses that the biggest political solution in the Finnish HX project has actually been made. To consider when no Russian machine emerged, unlike the 1990s fighter competition.

Now, the HX project has five different types of aircraft, two of which are F18 Superhornet and F35 Lightning II - American. Gripen E is a machine made in Sweden. In addition, there is the French Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon born in English as a co-operation.


And even if it was a performance-friendly Russian machine, this would not be a Russian machine. The parties involved are politically acceptable.

While the fighter auctioning emphasizes military performance and price, it is openly provided by the Ministry of Defense on its web site that they are not the only decisive factors. The horizontal issue also emphasizes the involvement of domestic industry, security of supply and security policy implications.

As far as policy is concerned, Wash believes that the French are Dassault and BAE Systems in English.

-This is where Sweden and the United States are going over European competitors. Cooperation with both Sweden and the United States has the highest political weight. It weighs a bit. But I do believe that here is considered the price and the total package.

Other European fighter bullets have been accused of louder political gameplay. One year ago, Super Hornet, Boeing, challenged the Danish state for its fighter solution. In the view of the company, the assessment of the various fighters was not fair and Denmark did not open the final documents.

In Belgium, the conditions of the tender have been estimated to have been specifically designed for F-35 selection. That is why Boeing pulled the Super Hornets early in the Belgian race. The Swedish government, on the other hand, decided to withdraw the Saab Gripen fighters from the competition last July. It argues that Belgium required such "operational aid" that could not be given a political mandate. Sweden did not specify what it meant.

Belgium is part of the NATO Nuclear Sharing Program and there are American nuclear bombs in the country, even though the country is not really a nuclear weapon. Its fighters are prepared to carry nuclear bombs and Belgium wants to retain this capability in the future. Impact on Gripen has been considered by the Defense Aerospace.

The Belgian fighter game was re-launched by France's last September proposal for the Rafale offered to Finland. France and Dassault propose, in addition to trade, a "comprehensive partnership" with reference to Dassault's Belgian subcontractors and defense co-operation.

The US F-35 fighter has also emerged in Germany. In November last year, the country became a little shaky when the Air Force Commander Karl Müllner was interpreted for the flagrant fighter. According to him, Germany needs a machine equipped with abrasive properties that is ready to be "drawn directly from the shelf" in 2025.

Germany wants to launch 115 Panavia Tornado fighters, the first of which was launched in 1979. The Air Force is also using the Eurofighter Typhoons offered to Finland. Both machines have emerged as a European co-operation and manufactured in England and Germany. The German Defense Defense Minister rush to say, after Müllner's comments, that the primary option for Germany is still Eurofighter.

Germany and France announced last summer that countries are planning to design a new European fighter.

-German's current Tornado machines are so old and in poor condition that the country has a bit of a hurry in purchases. When the F-35 has been developed for a long time, it looks like a pre-packaged package than a joint planning between Germany and France, which does not yet know anything, Pesu says

The fighter jet F-35 is the most expensive and controversial armament project in the world. Its stealth function causes it to be barely visible on the radar. In addition, the expensive machine can drop nuclear weapons.

The British engineering and expertise that's helped develop F-35 B Lightning II aircraft was celebrated in London today.

The F35 may be an American airframe, but when it is delivered to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force later this year, inside will be a huge host of British developed kit.

Today, the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson tried his hand at flying and landing the brand-new F-35 fighter jet- via a simulator.

At an event held at the Institute for Engineering and Technology, the cockpit demonstrator gave the Mr Williamson a feel for flying the new aircraft.

He practiced landing and taking off from the nation’s flagship to be, the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

After flying the jet demonstrator, Mr Williamson said: “The F-35 is the most advanced and dynamic fighter aircraft in our history, and will defend this country from terrorists, collect crucial intelligence, and safeguard our national interests from those who seek to do us harm.”

MPs, lords and the US ambassador have all tried their hand at flying one of Britain’s new multi-million pound stealth fighter jets by climbing into the cockpit of a flight simulator.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was among those who experienced the cutting-edge technology, even practising landing and taking off from a computer-generated HMS Queen Elizabeth.

He was guided through the process on Wednesday by Squadron Leader Andy Edgell and Lieutenant Commander Adam Hogg, two of the UK’s F-35 pilots putting the jet through its paces in the US.

Speaking after flying in the simulator, at an event at the Institute for Engineering and Technology in London, Mr Williamson said: “These pioneering stealth jets will protect British lives as we face intensifying and evolving threats at home and abroad.

“The F-35 is the most advanced and dynamic fighter aircraft in our history, and will defend this country from terrorists, collect crucial intelligence, and safeguard our national interests from those who seek to do us harm.”

The UK’s £9.1 billion programme to buy 48 of the F-35’s, the world’s most advanced fighter jet, over the next decade, has come under fire over capability and expense.

Excessive expectations have also arisen in terms of the strategic gains that Athens can secure in return. There is talk about buying a small number of F-35 fighter jets or the acquisition of secondhand F-15s.

Greek-American lobby officials with knowledge of Congress’s and the Pentagon’s intentions say that expectations of this magnitude are unlikely to be matched, while adding that “Greece cannot be a new Israel for the United States. They are two completely different cases.”

Nevertheless, relations between the two countries in the area of defense are at a very good point.

Interview What's it like to fly an F-35 fighter jet? We interviewed the chief British test pilot on a uniquely British flying technique – and then had a play with a full cockpit simulator to find out for ourselves.

Squadron Leader Andy Edgell is the Royal Air Force's top test pilot for the F-35 flight trials programme. A former Harrier pilot with sea time on both of the UK's previous aircraft carriers, Her Majesty's Ships Ark Royal and Illustrious, as well as operational deployments to Kandahar, Afghanistan, he is now based at the US Navy's test base at Patuxent River. He spoke to The Register in London yesterday at an F-35 press event.

In his view the F-35 and the Harrier, despite broadly doing the same thing (landing vertically) are "almost incomparable" in flying terms: "The design principle of the F-35 is 'low effort' while the Harrier is a challenge to fly."

Andy explained: "The human brain has a finite capacity and we don't want to use that on flying... we want to concentrate on being an operator of sensors."

British businesses have said playing a vital role in the production of the F-35 stealth fighter jet has had a positive impact on their companies. With more than 3,000 of the cutting-edge warplanes set to be produced over the coming decades, 15% of each aircraft will be UK made. Lockheed Martin, the American aviation giant manufacturing the multimillion-pound supersonic planes, said the programme has generated 12.9 billion dollars in contracts for British suppliers.
It comes despite the decommissioning of the UK-built Harrier jump jet which the F-35 replaced, and British job losses linked to a slow down in orders of the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft - assembled in the UK.

Family-owned business R E Thompson, which was founded in 1948 and specialises in precision engineering, is one of the smallest companies involved in the F-35 project.
Business development manager Richard Elvins told the Press Association that they employ 40 people and have been involved in the Joint Strike Force programme for two decades.
"This has really developed our company over those 20 years," he said, revealing their workforce has increased by 10 people during that time.


"We have sold about £8 million worth, but are a £6 million business," he said. "And over the next 20 years we think that is probably going to be an additional £35 million.
He also said that due to the length of the programme it has allowed them to invest in the capital equipment that the company needs, people and apprentices.
Producing casings for batteries on board the jets, Mr Elvins said so far their Hampshire-based company have manufactured more than 500,000 parts and they are "immensely proud" of their role.
"Every Joint Strike Force (jet) ever flown, including the demos, we have parts in them," he said.
"We know if we see one, or the girls or the guys see one of these, they know they have probably handled a part that is in that plane."
Harrison Smith a marketing executive from Martin-Baker which manufactures the ejection seat, said the Mark 16 US16E variant will be in all three types of the stealth fighter jet.
The company which is based in Middlesex said their involvement with the programme will sustain approximately 700 jobs.
With each seat costing between £100,000 to £200,000, Mr Harrison said it is a big deal for their creation to be in the warplanes.
"It is huge for British industry, it is huge for us as company - it is a big programme. It is ultimately going to be about 3000 aircraft towards the end - that is that many seats for us to manufacture," he added.

Chris Pugh-Bevan the F-35 contract manager at Survitec Group said they design custom-fit pilot flight equipment - including cooling under-clothing, chemical and biological protective layers and anti-G garments.
He said the Birkenhead-based company are providing these for every pilot across the world who will be flying the F-35, and that their involvement is "key" for them as a business.
"We were selected in competition, so we had to go out and compete for this business - and for a UK company it was very significant," Mr Pugh-Bevan added.
"It was the first time a UK company had got involved in a US programme for the supply of life-saving equipment. We were against the best of the American market."
The company also produce the life-rafts which sit in the back of the Martin-Baker ejection seat - manufactured in Northern Ireland, they are deployed if the pilot has to eject over water.
Some of the other UK companies with contracts to produce parts of jets includes Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Ultra Electronics, SELEX, Cobham and GE Aviation.

A helmet which allows pilots to "look through" the F-35, the world's most advanced fighter jet, is "absolutely" worth the money, an engineer has said.

The F-35 Gen III Helmet Mounted Display System comes with a price tag of between £216,000 to £288,000.

A bubble of carbon fibre, the helmet provides the pilot flying the multimillion pound jets information on airspeed, altitude, targeting information and warnings inside the visor.

When pressed on whether the futuristic headgear was worth the hefty price tag, Rockwell Collins engineer Jeff Crow said "absolutely".

"This is replacing multiple systems on the aircraft."

"There is no heads-up display that has to be purchased, there is [sic] no night vision goggles the pilots have to interchange, and it can also be used in the simulator, so they don't have to purchase a separate one."

Mr Crow, who is based at the company's headquarters in Iowa, in the US, said the helmet was designed specifically for use in the warplane.

The helmet can also utilise the six infrared cameras on the jet, with the feed displayed to the pilot inside the visor allowing them to "look through the bottom of the cockpit", Mr Crow said.

"It gives the pilot unparalleled situational awareness by taking out the aircraft as they are looking around."

Mr Crow said the helmet was also custom-fit to each pilot so it "fits their head like a glove", keeping its place even during manoeuvres, and also features noise cancellation technology.

"It has to stay very tight on their head because under G-force we cannot have that symbology moving around, it has to stay very accurate," he added.

Last year Air Commodore Lincoln Taylor, the RAF assistant chief of staff, told the House of Commons Defence Committee he "did not recognise" reports that the F-35 pilot's helmets would cost £309,000 each.

He also said issues with the helmet's night vision which reportedly left a test pilot unsighted had been "resolved".

The nominee for the Air Force’s next head of acquisition has set his sights on lowering sustainment costs for the service’s biggest procurement priority: the F-35 joint strike fighter.

Speaking to lawmakers during his Thursday confirmation hearing, Will Roper, currently the head of the Strategic Capabilities Office, said he intends to embark on a F-35 deep dive that will focus on how emerging technologies can help decrease sustainment costs over the life of the program.

“I am deeply concerned about the sustainment issues of the F-35. If I get confirmed, one of the first things I want to look at is the sustainment plan to make sure that there are not optimistic assumptions for this confluence of events that all happen together to get the price down,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The 62d Fighter Squadron proudly graduated its first ever F-35 B-Course this past Saturday 13 January 2018. Class 17-BBL was the second ever F-35 B-Course and the first all lieutenant class, making them the Air Force’s youngest F-35 wingmen.

The 62d FS has played important role throughout history developing and training fighter pilots dating back to WWII. Within two years of its constitution on 20 November 1940, the 62d Pursuit Squadron had shot down 357 enemy aircraft and produced 8 fighter Aces. After WWII the Spikes returned to the states and flew 13 different aircraft in a number of conflicts.

Fast forward, in 2015 the Spikes received their first F-35 Lightning II at a price tag just over 90 Million dollars in the pursuit of training a new era of 5th generation fighter pilots.

Since that day, the Spikes have been making history and consistently setting records for F-35 operations. Across the F-35 community, the 62nd has set records for sorties in one day (28), one week (112), and one month (371). At Luke, the 62nd was also the first F-35 squadron to drop GBU-31 JDAMs, employ flares, and utilize a 3-go turn schedule to maximize Pilot Formal Training.

One critical component to the success that the squadron has enjoyed during its initial foray into 5th-generation pilot training has been the tri-national structure of the squadron itself. The 62nd is comprised of three Nations, the United States of America, Norway and Italy, to provide world class flying instruction from a variety of different backgrounds and knowledge bases. The mixed knowledge and different takes on airmanship provided by the instructors is critical to the success of the mission here at the 62nd, ensuring that the Spikes will be able to continue setting records and executing at the highest level for years to come.

In May 2017, the 62nd welcomed its first ever initial qualification class, or B-Course. Over these past 9 months the perseverance and hard work of its instructor pilots and support personnel, along with the support from family, friends, and loved resulted in the first ever Spike Lightning Driver B-Course.

“Contrary to what you may read or see on the internet, news, or social media accounts, the F-35 has taken our class by surprise in a good way,” said new graduate Buck “Reno” Horn. “ Being in on a program this new has allowed us to discover new capabilities on each sortie right alongside our instructors and partner nations. We find every day that the jet is good at what it does, far better than most expected. The situational awareness alone, gives F-35 pilots a huge leg up against its competition, especially when they don’t even know you’re there.”

These 6 LT’s will go onto follow on training and eventually find themselves at Hill AFB to join the two newest F-35 fully combat capable squadrons.

Failure to deliver the UK's aircraft carrier and jet programme on budget will put other defence projects at risk, ministers have been warned.

A Public Accounts Committee report said defence budgets are "very strained".

The programme - two aircraft carriers, F-35 Lightning II jets and a new radar system - leaves the Ministry of Defence "financially exposed," MPs said.

The MoD said that it was committed to keeping costs down.

It said in a statement: "This is a crucial investment that will revolutionise our ability to defend our nation as we face intensifying threats."

The approved cost for both carriers is £6.212bn, according to the MoD, which added that the carriers would have an expected service life of up to 50 years and be used for both humanitarian relief and war-fighting, representing "tremendous" value for money.

But it's not just the cost of the two aircraft carriers that concerns MPs, said the BBC's defence correspondent Jonathan Beale, but the new jets that will fly off them and the other warships needed to protect them.

The availability of ships to protect the carriers may also limit how they can be used and there are still technical and cost challenges for the new F-35 jets, he added.

Lockheed Martin has received a $7.47 million contract to move an F-35 support center for three partner nations from Fort Worth, Texas, to Eglin Air Force Base in northwest Florida.

The contract, announced by the Department of Defense on Wednesday, is for the relocation of the F-35 Australia, Canada, United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory, or ACURL, which handles packing, shipping, installation, integration and testing of the aircraft for Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The move is expected to be completed by March 2019.

On Jan. 18, the first Italian F-35B, the first short-take and vertical landing Lightning II aircraft assembled outside the US, designated BL-1, carried out a test flight in STOVL mode at Cameri airfield, home of the Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility, in northwestern Italy, sporting full Italian Navy markings for the very first time.

Aviation photographer and friend Franco Gualdoni was there and took the photographs of the F-35B flying in the early afternoon sun.

The aircraft, serialled MM7451/4-01, will be taken on charge by the Marina Militare with a ceremony scheduled at the FACO on Jan. 25, 2018. After delivery, the aircraft will be transferred to the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, to obtain the Electromagnetic Environmental Effects certification, before moving (most probably) to MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina home of U.S. Marine Corps F-35B pilot training.

The aircraft, that had successfully completed its maiden flight on Oct. 24, 2017, sports a livery quite similar to the one of the Italian Navy’s AV-8B+ Harrier II of the Gruppo Aerei Imbarcati: it features the wolf’s head insignia on the tail, the wolf’s paw prints on the rudder, the Italian Navy roundel and the MARINA text.

Italy plans to procure 90 F-35s: 60 F-35As for the Air Force and 30 F-35Bs for both the ItAF and Italian Navy. The Navy’s STOVL aircraft will replace the ageing Harrier jump jets at Grottaglie airbase, in southeastern Italy, and aboard the Cavour aircraft carrier.

For the first time, an American National Security Strategy (NSS) explicitly mentions Taiwan. The NSS includes a commitment to “maintain our strong ties with Taiwan in accordance with our ‘One China’ policy, including our commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide for Taiwan’s legitimate defense needs and deter coercion.”

The NSS language on Taiwan parallels Congress’s increased interest in strengthening ties with Taipei. Last summer, Senators Tom Cotton and Corey Gardner introduced the Taiwan Security Act. Although that bill did not become law, its ideas on bilateral exchanges, training, and port visits were eventually incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act, which President Trump signed late in 2017.

These developments stem from an appreciation that the island’s de facto independence is a key element in American and allied security in East Asia. Taiwan’s location makes it either a roadblock or potential Chinese pathway to the wider Pacific and is of especial relevance to the defense of Japan and the Philippines, American allies that are located directly north and south of the island.

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Japan's Air Self-Defense Force says it will deploy an F-35 stealth fighter later this month at its Misawa base in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan.

It is the first of 42 F-35s to be delivered to the country. The advanced aircraft is Japan's next-generation mainstay fighter under a Defense Ministry plan.

The F-35 was jointly developed by the United States and 8 other countries. Its stealth capabilities make it difficult to detect by radar.

Each aircraft costs about 135 million dollars.
The Defense Ministry plans to deploy 9 more F-35s at Misawa by the end of fiscal 2018 that starts in April.

The ministry says it will fit the jets with the Norwegian-made Joint Strike Missile, or JSM, long-range cruise missile.

With a range of 500 kilometers, the missile will enable Japan to target enemy bases from within Japanese airspace.

Opponents of the deployment say the possession of cruise missiles runs counter to the nation's defense-oriented policy.

The CEO of the French group Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, has called the US-based Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter a "machine to kill the European industry" in an interview published Friday by the weekly magazine 'Air & Cosmos' .
Mr. Trappier insisted on the need for French industry to develop "demonstrators" - like that of the European combat drone nEUROn, of which Dassault is the prime contractor - which, according to him, "to validate cheaper technologies and concepts before the launch of new programs ", as the concept of the future European combat system is emerging.

France and Germany have decided together to develop a "new generation of fighter planes", with a common "roadmap" on this issue to be defined "by mid-2018", according to French President Emmanuel Macron. Paris has proposed to Belgium to join in the framework of a "strategic and economic partnership" around the combat aircraft "omnirole" Rafale Dassault in the context of the replacement of the F-16 of the Belgian army .

"We will see if we will one day make a European fighter," said Trappier, who is also president of the Group of French industries aerospace (Gifas).

And to add: "What is certain is that the alternative not to do is to choose an American device.I wish a lot of pleasure to those who bought or will buy F-35 d 'be able to not be integrated into the US military because the F-35 is a machine to kill European industry, but also a machine to integrate you into the US armies.

American aerospace and defence major Lockheed Martin has proposed to manufacture custom-built F-35 fighter jets in India, which its officials say will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem.

"We plan to introduce two new words into the lexicon of international fighter aircraft manufacturing: 'India' and 'exclusive'," Vivek Lall, vice president, strategy and business development, at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics said in an interview.

"India-specific state-of-the-art fighter production in India will be exclusive, something that has never before been presented by any other fighter aircraft manufacturer, past or present. There will also be a significant export market available for Indian-made fighters," Lall said

BOGUE — The U.S. Marine Corps has begun flight test operations on its newest generation fighter, the F-35B Lightning II, at the Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue.
Testing at MCALF Bogue, which media were invited to observe Friday, focuses on the landing capabilities of the F-35B on sloped surfaces. Maj. Mike Lippert with the VX-23 aviation unit in Patuxent, Md., said the goal of testing is to “expand the vertical landing envelope.” Test landings at MCALF Bogue will be conducted on sloped landing pads of various gradients constructed at the airfield. The F-35B, produced by aerospace company Lockheed Martin, is the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the fifth generation F-35 Lighting II line of aircraft.

Bob Nantz, technical specialist for the F-35 Integrated Test Force based in Patuxent, Md., said the F-35B is designed to operate from austere bases and air-capable ships near combat zones. Because the plane lands vertically and requires only a short runway for takeoff, it is ideal for amphibious ship decks.Testing at MCALF Bogue is part of a larger series of extensive tests for the aircraft. Maj. Lippert said they are conducting about 200 test points for the F-35B. Test points use different combinations of environmental and takeoff/landing conditions to discover the plane’s range of capabilities.
Maj. Lippert called the testing operations an “airborne science project.”

The F-35B is capable of taking off and landing from expeditionary runway matting, which Marines can use to construct airfields virtually anywhere in the world. The entire airfield at MCALF Bogue is just such an expeditionary runway, constructed of aluminum panels that can be disassembled and reconstructed at different locations.Maj. Lippert said the airfield at MCALF Bogue is a unique testing location because the expeditionary landing field and the landing pads were constructed entirely by Marines. He said everyone involved in the testing operation has gained valuable experience that can be applied to the field.

Gunnery Sgt. Julio Silva led the effort in constructing the sloped landing pads used in the F-35B testing. The pads are constructed of the same aluminum panels as the rest of the runway. He said it was laborious process that included stabilizing and grading the soil and laying down each panel by hand. Testing at MCALF Bogue is expected to last through the end of February. Residents nearby in Bogue and Emerald Isle can expect to increased noise from takeoffs and landings of the F-35B.

It is a matter of time before the Spanish Navy finishes acquiring units of the F-35 vertical takeoff fighter.

Last week, the Chief of Staff of the Navy held a meeting with journalists in which he again insisted on the F-35B as the only option to replace the AV-8B Harrier II of the 9th Squadron.

As El Chivato has learned, in the Navy the purchase is considered made once the retirement of the Harrier takes place, whose last units could remain operative until the horizon of 2030.

However, it is considered a "very complex" project economically. The cost of each device is around 200 million dollars and the investment is difficult to fit into the Defense accounts. It is a challenge.

But not only 'scares' the price of each aircraft. The military remember these days that the American fighter carries a multitude of expenses coupled: the cost of one hour of flight is over $ 40,000 - against, for example, the 11,000 of an F-18.

The last comment circulating among the military is quite graphic: the British Navy will pay 325,000 euros for each pilot helmet.

Ozair wrote:

But not only 'scares' the price of each aircraft. The military remember these days that the American fighter carries a multitude of expenses coupled: the cost of one hour of flight is over $ 40,000 - against, for example, the 11,000 of an F-18.

The last comment circulating among the military is quite graphic: the British Navy will pay 325,000 euros for each pilot helmet.

Ozair wrote:

Six Lieutenants Graduate From F-35 Training To Become USAF’s Youngest Lightning II Wingmen

mxaxai wrote:

TBH 325,000 € for the helmet is acceptable. It is, after all, a very sophisticated and (hopefully) reliable piece of equipment equipped with electronics, not just a piece of cardboard on your head. But how does the super-cheap F-35 cost 4 times more per flight hour than the twin-engined, older F-18?

The F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force team brings the U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35B one step closer to initial operational test and evaluation as they wrap up testing of the F-35B STOVL envelope with sloped surface vertical landing tests January and February at Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field (MCALF) Bogue, N.C.

Lockheed Martin aims to knock 14 per cent off the cost of Britain's F-35B fighter jets over the next couple of years, the firm's director of business development told The Register.

At a press event in London last week, Steve Over told us: "We're currently negotiating [production] lots 12, 13 and 14 to get costs down. Lot 10 [the batch currently being delivered] each aircraft is about $122m, which I think is about £90m at current rates. This is not the low point."

F-35s are ordered by a US government agency, the F-35 Joint Project Office, which formally places the orders with the company on behalf of both the American armed forces and foreign customers including the UK.

While production lots 12-14 have already been awarded to Lockheed Martin, officials are still haggling over the price of each supersonic stealth fighter. The F-35B will be the only fighter jet capable of flying from Britain's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

Designed as part of the developmental trajectory for the emerging F-35, the test-firing facilities further development of an ability to fire the weapon “off-boresight,” described as an ability to target and destroy air to air targets that are not in front of the aircraft with a direct or immediate line of sight, Pentagon officials explained. The AIM-9X, he described, incorporates an agile thrust vector controlled airframe and the missile’s high off-boresight capability can be used with an advanced helmet (or a helmet-mounted sight) for a wider attack envelope.

The Air Force F-35 is using “open air” ranges and computer simulation to practice combat missions against the best Chinese and Russian-made air-defense technologies – as a way to prepare to enemy threats anticipated in the mid-2020s and beyond.

The testing is aimed at addressing the most current air defense system threats such as Russian-made systems and also focused on potential next-generation or yet-to-exist threats, Air Force officials said.

DOZENS of jobs will be created in a deal to build the tails of Australia’s F-35 fighter jets in Melbourne.

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne will today open defence manufacturer Marand Precision ­Engineering’s new factory in Moorabbin. The factory will provide work for 44 extra staff building the tail of the stealth strike fighters.

Mr Pyne said Marand had received a grant from the ­Department of Defence to support its expansion program.

“Expected to generate a total of more than $1 billion in revenue over 20 years, Marand is a great example of the success Australian industry is experiencing through the global F-35 program,” Mr Pyne said.

“Marand currently employ around 240 people around Australia, 180 of who are at the Moorabbin site, and 33 in the vertical tail team.”

The expansion of Marand’s engineering work on the F-35 is also expected to benefit other local businesses. Australia’s third F-35 aircraft received its Marand-made tail last August.

Local businesses have secured about $800 million in production contracts for work on the ­global F-35 program.

Turkey’s defense procurement agency has named four local bidders for a critical contract that aims to combine all information systems on the country’s planned F-35 Lightning II jets to the Turkish Air Force’s system network.

The Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM in its Turkish acronym) says the four are: military software specialists Altay Yazilim, Aydin Yazilim, Havelsan and Milsoft Yazilim.

Of the bidders, all but Havelsan are privately owned companies. Havelsan is a state-controlled entity.

“The local interest in the program is an indication of the government’s intention to make the combined system as indigenous as possible,” a procurement official said.

SSM dubs the program F-35/Air Force Information System Integration Project.

Under the program, the successful contender will connect the information systems installed on the F-35 fighter aircraft with the Air Force’s information systems network, otherwise known as HvBS.

In fact, in the case of the F-22, the Air Force is very careful about knowing exactly how well the jets’ coating are performing and where exactly they can send the Raptors as a result. “We can give them very good information for what they’re going into, but if their jet isn’t performing the way they expect it to, them knowing that information doesn’t necessarily do them any good,” said Tech. Sgt. William, 1st Operations Support Squadron NCO in charge of intelligence analysis in the Air Force release.

While pilots of advanced fifth-generation fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor or the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter often claim the spotlight, it is the ground crews who maintain those jets’ pristine surfaces that are often the real heroes. Without proper maintenance of their skin, the signature of those advance stealth jets degrade over time—rendering them vulnerable to enemy radar.

“If the pilot’s seen by radar, he can be shot down,” said Senior Airman Joshua Moon, a 192nd Fighter Wing low observables (LO) aircraft structures technician, in an Air Force release issued during the service’s Red Flag exercise in Nevada. “If he isn’t, he can do his mission, go behind enemy lines, and they’ll never even know he was there until it’s too late. Without us, he’s going to get spotted, or shot down, so lives are at risk when it comes to our job.”

While regular maintainers are able to replace part or make other fixes to the aircraft, LO maintainers have the difficult job of even ensuring a fifth-generation fighter remains stealthy after repairs are completed.

Ozair wrote:

Lockheed Martin Proposes Making Custom-built F-35 Fighter Jets in India

American aerospace and defence major Lockheed Martin has proposed to manufacture custom-built F-35 fighter jets in India, which its officials say will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem.

"We plan to introduce two new words into the lexicon of international fighter aircraft manufacturing: 'India' and 'exclusive'," Vivek Lall, vice president, strategy and business development, at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics said in an interview.

"India-specific state-of-the-art fighter production in India will be exclusive, something that has never before been presented by any other fighter aircraft manufacturer, past or present. There will also be a significant export market available for Indian-made fighters," Lall said

http://www.news18.com/news/india/lockhe ... 37427.html

The above article is a mess. I don't believe this is a proposal for India to locally manufacture a variant of the F-35, I think what the LM VP Lall is talking about is F-16 manufacture for India with the potential to plug into the supply chain for the F-35 but I'm open to others opinions. The full article is at the link.

Efforts to improve the reliability of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 are “stagnant,” undercut by problems such as aircraft sitting idle over the last year awaiting spare parts from the contractor, according to the Pentagon’s testing office.

The availability of the fighter jet for missions when needed -- a key metric -- remains “around 50 percent, a condition that has existed with no significant improvement since October 2014, despite the increasing number of aircraft,” Robert Behler, the Defense Department’s new director of operational testing, said in an annual report delivered Tuesday to senior Pentagon leaders and congressional committees.

The F-35 section, obtained by Bloomberg News, outlined the status of the costliest U.S. weapons system as it’s scheduled to end its 16-year-old development phase this year. Starting in September, the program is supposed to proceed to intense combat testing that’s likely to take a year, an exercise that’s at least 12 months late already. Combat testing is necessary before the plane is approved for full-rate production -- the most profitable phase for Lockheed.

Pentagon officials including Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and chief weapons buyer Ellen Lord have highlighted the need to reduce the F-35’s $406.5 billion projected acquisition cost and its estimated $1.2 trillion price tag for long-term operations and support through 2070. Still, the Defense Department is moving to accelerate contracting and production for the fighter despite the persistence of technical and reliability issues disclosed in the current phase of development testing.

Lockheed Martin defended the progress of its F-35, the costliest U.S. weapons system, after the head of the Pentagon's testing office issued a critical report saying efforts to improve the fighter jet's reliability are "stagnant."

"We are confident in the F-35's transformational capability that continues to be demonstrated through the steady progress in development, production and sustainment operations," Lockheed spokeswoman Carolyn Nelson said in a statement. She said the company is working with the Pentagon's F-35 program office to improve repair capability and the ordering of spare parts.

In the testing office's annual report to Congress on major weapons systems, director Robert Behler said the availability of the F-35 for missions when needed -- a key metric -- remains "around 50 percent, a condition that has existed with no significant improvement since October 2014, despite the increasing number of aircraft."

Two British pilots have become the first in their services to fly the F-35, the world's most advanced fighter jet, straight from training.

Known as Ab Initio pilots, both Flight Lieutenant Liam and Lieutenant Chris had never flown a frontline aircraft solo before they took to the skies in the multimillion-pound warplanes.

Flt Lt Liam said his first flight was a "sensational experience" and the highlight of his RAF career so far:

"I was astonished at the jet's performance and at how well the simulator had prepared me for taking the F-35 flying."

"Much of the first flight is about exploring the aircraft's performance envelope, and breaking the sound barrier was a particular highlight.

"It is easy to see why every pilot here loves flying the aircraft and I am eager to press on and get stuck in to operating the Lightning and exploring its potential."

With only one seat in the cutting-edge aircraft, Lt Chris said flying an F-35 for the first time was "almost indescribable".

It’s been a while since we checked in with the project that put the DOG in “boondoggle"—the F-35 Flying Swiss Army Knife. (“It’s a fighter! It’s an fighter-bomber! It’s a floor wax!”). The folks at Fortune tell us that things are pretty much proceeding as they always have.

The availability of the fighter jet for missions when needed — a key metric — remains “around 50 percent, a condition that has existed with no significant improvement since October 2014, despite the increasing number of aircraft,” Robert Behler, the Defense Department’s new director of operational testing, said in an annual report delivered Tuesday to senior Pentagon leaders and congressional committees.

To my untrained mind, the “availability of the fighter jet for missions when needed” sounds like more than merely a “key metric” to measuring its effectiveness for, you know, flying needed missions. Isn’t an aircraft that can’t do that what we usually call a “sculpture”?

The U.S. Navy has hired Orbital ATK, now part of Northrop Grumman, to begin formal development of a new missile that can suppress and destroy enemy air defense emitters, known as the the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range, or AARGM-ER. The new weapon will give the service’s carrier air wings more freedom to operate in areas full of integrated defense networks and will be an essential capability for its future F-35C Joint Strike Fighters, as well as one that will almost certainly find its way onto the USAF's F-35A fleet, and even on other platforms.

OrbitalATK announced it had secured the deal, without disclosing the value of the contract, in a press release on Jan. 24, 2018. The Navy describes the weapon as an update of the existing AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) and asked for more than $180 million for the “modification” program in its budget request for the 2018 fiscal year. The service has been actively working on developing requirements for the follow-on AARGM-ER since at least 2015.

Chosen in 2001, the F-35 went on to become the largest Pentagon procurement project of all time, and one of the most beset by trouble. The X-32 escaped all of the most significant challenges to the F-35. The X-32 never faced decades of testing and redesign; it never saw massive cost overruns; it was never subjected to an endless series of articles about how it couldn’t out-dogfight an F-16A. Nostalgia for what might have been is common in aircraft competitions, and it’s impossible to say whether the X-32 would have run into the same difficulties of the F-35. Given the complex nature of advanced fighter projects, the answer is almost certainly “yes.”