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Subject: F-35 news thread III
jessmo_24    1/12/2011 7:23:24 AM
BF-2s 1st vertical landing. *ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS3ngl1GcaI&feature=player_embedded NAVAIRSYSCOM 10 Jan 2011 "F-35B test aircraft BF-2 accomplishes its first vertical landing and conversion back to normal flight mode at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The integrated test team is testing both the STOVL and carrier variants of the F-35 for delivery to the fleet. Video courtesy Lockheed Martin."
 
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warpig       4/3/2011 9:27:34 AM
the 4 trainers are going to be about 90m, the rest of the order post 2018 will be less, whether that is the 2010 yr dollars of 60m URF as stated by (us boss, forgot his name) I dont know



 
and if the F-35 ends up being more expencive then the Gripen, should Norway start over?



 
Yes, but only if the only factor that matters to the Norweigans is the cost per airframe delivered.
 
 
 
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jessmo_24       4/5/2011 5:37:03 PM
VL F-35 Makes Headway Towards Sea Trials by Graham Warwick at April/5/2011

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/de ... d=blogDest

"n numbers terms, the F-35B STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter has made rapid flight-test progress since the beginning of the year, racking up 61 vertical landings compared with just 10 in 2010. Improving mechanical reliability and adding aircraft to STOVL-mode flight testing appears to be paying off.

re is still work to be done to clear the F-35B for initial sea trials, now planned for late October or early November.ording to Lockheed, two more vertical-landing (aka VL) test points are required: a pirouette VL to test side loads on the landing gear; and a 20kt-crosswind VL (for which the weather will have to cooperate).

In addition, 17 more unique short take-offs in different conditions and a fuel-purge test are required before the aircraft can be cleared for sea trials. Ship operability is one of the key characteristics that will determine whether the STOVL F-35 survives the two-year probation period imposed by defense secretary Robert Gates earlier this year.

Probation does not affect testing, but limits F-35B procurement to six each in FY2012 and 2013. Other key characteristics that will drive the decision on whether the F-35B will exit probation near the end of 2012 include weight, and specifically vertical-lift bring-back payload - roughly 3,000lb of unused weapons and fuel. The F-35B is meeting the spec, Lockheed says, but margin is tight."


 
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jessmo_24       4/5/2011 5:37:44 PM
Here is an old story (thread elsewhere but worth repeating here) abou what is being done to USS Wasp and why:

Navy: Price tag to alter ships for JSF at least $70 million apiece
Ship will be available in 2012 Inside the Navy June 14, 2010 Dan Taylor and Jason Sherman

http://www.mikemooney.com/uploads/DMR_6-16-10.pdf (274Kb)

"The Navy estimates it will cost at least $70 million to modify each large-deck amphibious ship to accommodate the Marine Corps? F-35B variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, including infrastructure modifications and efforts to mitigate engine heat from the short-take-off, vertical-landing JSF variant, according to a senior Marine.

Required ship alterations are scheduled to be identified in order to support the first operational F-35B Marine Expeditionary Unit deployment in 2014, two years after the service?s goal to have its first JSF unit operational -- a previously unreported milestone. Lt. Gen. George Trautman, deputy commandant for aviation, detailed the schedule for JSF ship integration efforts in written responses delivered last month to the House Armed Services Committee following a March 24 hearing.

Should the Marine Corps? first JSF unit need to deploy before being fully integrated with other elements of the MEU, an L-class ship modified for JSF operations will be be available beginning in 2012, according to Trautman.

Naval Sea Systems Command, according to the three-star general, has identified $27 million worth of ?cornerstone? modifications necessary for the L-class ships to accommodate the F-35B, alterations that are funded in the fiscal year 2011 spending request or programmed in the Navy?s FY-11 to FY-15 investment plan, according to Trautman. Not yet funded, but estimated to require $43 million per hull, are additional alternations needed to account for external environmental impacts, according to Trautman.

The ?cornerstone alts,? according to a source familiar with NAVSEA plans, include carving out new areas on the ship to accommodate a Special Access Program Facility space, the Autonomic Logistics Information System infrastructure and a mission rehearsal trainer. In addition, alternations are required to integrate the F-35C, the Navy JSF variant, into Nimitz- and Ford-class aircraft carriers. Changes would include aircraft electrical servicing station modifications, ready room and aircraft intermediate maintenance department upgrades, space for battery storage and more.

The other category of ship modifications concerns what the Navy and Marine Corps designate ?external environmental impacts? caused by high temperatures from the F-35B?s engine exhaust plumes. These effects will be the focus of development testing set to begin this fall ?to assist in defining shipboard mitigation required to meet? the Marine Corps? goal of having its first JSF unit operational by 2012, ?such as relocating systems, material changes and shielding,? according to Trautman.

This fall, the Navy will proceed with a $1.4 million project that would cover the amphibious ship Wasp (LHD-1) with hundreds of sensors to accurately measure the effects of the fierce downwash from the Marine Corps? F-35B, according to the offices involved in the effort.

Crews will modify the Wasp from Sept. 30 through Feb. 3, 2011, by installing nearly 500 sensors to measure the thermal, pressure and acoustic environment on the flight deck caused by the JSF STOVL?s hot downwash, which some are concerned could warp the deck or damage essential equipment nearby, according to a June 8 statement issued in response to questions from Inside the Navy provided jointly by the Naval Sea Systems Command Surface Warfare Directorate and the JSF program office.

The JSF program will foot the bill for the instrumentation package, which will be installed in advance of at-sea developmental testing of the aircraft in mid-March of 2011, according to the statement.

?The testing is planned to be conducted with two aircraft, which will perform vertical landing operations to Spot 7 and 9, short take-off operations and work within NATOPS [Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization] operating procedures for establishing hovers and translations to the desired landing spots,? the statement reads. Spots 7 and 9 are the aft-most landing spots on the port side of LHD-class ships.

?The testing will be conducted in a build-up approach with pilot qualifications first and one aircraft in the pattern followed by two-aircraft operations, with most landings occurring at Spot 7, which is the primary landing spot,? the statement continues. ?The
 
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jessmo_24       4/5/2011 5:39:25 PM
USS Wasp Moves to BAE Shipyard for Modifications in Support of F-35 Testing January 18, 2011

http://defpro.com/news/details/21254/

"PORTSMOUTH, Va. | USS Wasp (LHD 1) made a "dead-stick" move down the Elizabeth River Jan. 13, to BAE Systems Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va., to begin the multipurpose amphibious assault ship's scheduled Phased Maintenance Availability (PMA).

"This is a $16 million CNO (chief of naval operations) availability primarily focused on critical work in the engineering department," said Capt. Brenda Holdener, USS Wasp commanding officer.

"In addition, we are doing $4.6 million of work for modifications to support the Joint Strike Fighter testing. It is much-needed work to improve the material condition of Wasp."

The PMA is a chief of naval operations maintenance period, less than six months in duration, for the accomplishment of labor-intensive industrial maintenance and modernization. During the availability, the ship will be in an extensive industrial environment with limited hotel services, with electricity and intermittent periods of potable water being available for use.

"While in the yards, Wasp will accomplish upgrades to both boilers and receive needed maintenance throughout the ship to sustain a high degree of condition readiness," said Cmdr. Stephen W. Connell, USS Wasp chief engineer.

The PMA is running concurrently with Wasp's Continuous Maintenance Availability (CMAV), which began in August 2010. While the PMA is specific to the JSF modifications and boiler upgrades, the CMAV is a more general maintenance period.

"There is a lot of work that needs to be done," said Lt. Cmdr. Arthur E. Harvey, USS Wasp maintenance officer. "Our plate is full, but with team work and coordination we will accomplish all of our objectives."

Because the ship will remain pier side for an extended period of time, many Wasp Sailors are using the time to attend schools and off-ship training. It is also a period where the crew can expect a regular schedule of drills to keep their skills sharp and to ensure continuity for when the ship leaves the yards.

"Operational readiness and success in the certification phase starts with effective training and drilling in the yards," said Cmdr. Howard B. Link, USS Wasp operations officer. "It is always a challenge to balance the demands of a heavy workload with a drill schedule, but it is necessary to make this extra effort to maintain readiness."

Wasp, the lead ship of its class, was commissioned July 29, 1989. Wasp is the tenth ship to bear the name Wasp. The 844-foot ship weighs 40,532 tons and carries a crew of approximately 1,000. Wasp was selected in 2010 to be the test platform for the F-35B Lightning II, the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the JSF.
----
From USS Wasp Public Affairs / NNS"
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jessmo_24       4/7/2011 5:18:41 PM
Pratt Advances On F135 Stovl Boost Plan Apr 6, 2011 By Guy Norris

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/ ... line=Pratt Advances On F135 Stovl Boost Plan

"Pratt & Whitney has updated progress on a four-point plan to help Lockheed Martin correct issues with the F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (Stovl) variant, development of which has been placed "on probation" by Pentagon leadership.

"If the mission is important, and I think the Harrier strikes in Libya are evidence of that, then it is very helpful to get off probation sooner [rather] than later," says Pratt & Whitney Military Engines President Warren Boley. Persistent issues with the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B replacement forced Defense Secretary Robert Gates to de-couple the Stovl version from the rest of the F-35 test effort and extend development by 20 months as part of a major restructuring announced earlier this year.

Describing additional details of the company's four-point plan for the F135-600 Stovl engine variant, Boley says first "we have to understand what role we have in any additional vertical lift bring back (VLBB). We can provide more thrust if that's desired." The overall VLBB requirement, which refers to returning for a vertical landing with an unused weapons load corresponding to two 1,000-lb. JDAMs and two Amraams, is around 3,000 lb.

Lockheed Martin "is not asking for more thrust, but if we did provide it, it will be 100 lb., which is easily accommodated," Boley says. The thrust delta, achieved through a scheduling change in the full authority digital engine control, is so small compared to the engine's overall max hover thrust capability that it could "almost be a production variability."

Thrust increase would necessarily have to be spread evenly throughout the system, which, in hover mode, diverts around 16,000 lb. through the engine's main nozzle, 20,000 lb. via the lift fan and an estimated 4,000 lb. through the roll posts. Pratt formerly indicated the main nozzle delivers 15,700 lb., the lift fan 20,000 lb. and roll posts some 3,700 lb., combining for a total of 39,400 lb. thrust. However, the company confirms total max hover thrust is now "greater" than 40,000 lb. In conventional up-and-away mode, the F135 is rated at 43,000 lb. thrust. Lockheed's "stack up" of items that will increase VLBB is mainly being tackled through further trimming of unspecified empty weight and other non-engine-related changes, Boley says.

Secondly, Boley says work is underway to complete a redesigned lift fan driveshaft, which he adds will also cost less than the current unit. The shaft is being redesigned with a new bellows coupling to accommodate variations in length resulting from build tolerances, thermal and pressure growth and maneuver deflection. "That's coming along well," Boley says. Shim-spacers are being fitted to shafts in the interim, and the production shaft with redesigned coupling will be available early in 2012.

Third, Pratt and lift-system partner Rolls-Royce are working to put extra insulation around the roll post actuators for improved thermal management. During flight tests it was discovered that hot engine air was leaking through nozzle roll-post seals and heating the actuator. Until retrofit of the insulation is complete the amount of time the aircraft spends in jetborne (Stovl) flight is being limited.

"Fourth, we need to address the issue of clutch drag and heating that occurs outside the Stovl envelope. We have solutions that should be in place in the third quarter," Boley says, referring to a passive cooling circuit that will provide cooling air to the clutch in up-and-away flight when the forced-cooling fan used in Stovl mode is turned off.

With Stovl test flight rates picking up slowly at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., Boley says, "I don't think any of this truly threatens Stovl. There have been more than 70 Stovl landings now, so the system works." Boley expects closure on all issues by the fourth quarter. "By the end of the year I want to be well over discussing these items," he adds."
 
 
Any Idea what they will strip from the plane?
 
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jessmo_24       5/2/2011 5:45:26 PM
SEXY F-22,F-35 pic
 
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/9656/2011f35af2211j002021061.jpg" /> 
 
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jessmo_24       5/2/2011 5:49:57 PM
I cant wait to see a mixed F-22 early bloc + F-35A Agressor squad. Maybe painted with Russian style cammo and Big red
Star rondels. Make the Old school F-15 guys pee there pants.
 
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jessmo_24       5/3/2011 4:58:00 AM
New SLD article.
Summary:

*Austere basing is not just about flyign sorties from a FOB. You can use the FOB  to swap air assets with the Ship. For instance have a all Helo force. or a heavier tac air force.
 
* Even though a dedicated Awacs is better Having the F-35 aboard gives you very good networked sensor capability and Jamming.

* You can now give a small helo carrier, EW, Dangerous A2A, 1st day penetrating strike, and other capabilities.
 
 

SLD: Let us look at the Libyan scenario and flash forward to the newly enabled ARG. Could you talk to that a little bit to that scenario?

General Davis: Currently we have C-130s flying in the Libyan situation. If I could pair those C-130s with the F-35Bs, I can provide multi-mission support and be available for other operations. You have an EW capability resident in the F-35 that no one else does that can actually help jam and support those platforms flying from point A to point B.  You put a Next Gen jammer on the F-35B, now you?ve got a very high end EW/jamming capability.  We can use it for self-protect ? but also to protect our assault support assets and grunts on the ground in a way we have never been able to in the past with organic MEU assets.  For many years our MEUs have not had an aviation EW capability.  With the introduction of the F-35B to the FMF, we will now have that capability and it will change the way we view those MEUs and open the aperture into a much wider range of missions, expanding the utility of what is already a very capable and utilitarian force ? the MEU.

You?ve also got a very high-end air defense capability with F-35Bs.   VLO, fantastic radar and SA, and state of the art air to air weaponry ? that?s a big difference than what we can offer today.  Add in that tethered KC-130J, and you have an even greater capability.

http://www.sldinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/bf-02sun-pic-500.jpg" alt="Flight of BF-3 (Credit: Lockheed Martin)" width="256" height="328" />

Flight of BF-3 (Credit: Lockheed Martin)

SLD: The ARG is a shaping function force.  How will adversaries look at this role in the future?

General Davis: I?m Muammar Gaddafi.  I?m whoever, and I?ve got an ARG with this new gear embarked ? and I can?t help but think its going to change the way I view that force.  That ARG can reach out and touch me from long range, landing high-end infantry forces deep inside my territory, and do so with a speed that twice as fast as anyone else can.   Our MEUs have never been used as effectively as they are today.  These new capabilities are going to make them exponentially more potent and useful to our nation?s leadership.

The F-35Bs give the new ARG a very high-end air superiority fighter, that?s low observable if I want it to be.  I can roll from Air to Air to Air to Ground quickly and be superior to all comers in both missions.  That?s bad news for our adversaries.  I can use the F-35s to escort the V-22s deep into enemy territory.  With those V-22s we can range out to a 400-500-mile radius from the ship without air refueling.  I can go deliver Marines deep in the enemy territory or wherever and do it at 250 miles an hour, so my speed of action, my agility is exponentially increased, and I think if you?re a bad guy, that would probably give you a reason to pause.  It?s a very different animal that?s out there.    We are good now, but will be even more so (by more than a factor of two in the future).

I also have significant mix and match capability.  And this capability can change the impact of the ARG on the evolving situation.  It is a forcing function enabled by variant mixes of capability. If I wanted to strip some V-22s off the deck, to accommodate more F-35s ? I could do so easily.  Their long legs allow them to lily pad for a limited period of time — off a much large array of shore FOBs ? while still supporting the MEU.   It?s much easier to do that in a V-22 than it is a traditional helicopter.
 
 
All around very good article
 
  *ttp://www.sldinfo.com/?p=17319

 
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jessmo_24       5/4/2011 2:07:47 PM
CF-2 1st flight
 
*ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaH844X-zIY&feature=youtu.be&hd=1
 
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Slim Pickinz    Latest cost per plane estimates?   5/7/2011 7:49:18 PM
Does anyone have a current RELIABLE estimate of what the flyaway cost of each of the variants of the F-35 will be?
 
In Canada we have our prime minister trying to scam the public by selling them on Parliament's absurd estimate of $70-75 million per plane for the F-35A variant to back up the decision to sole source the contract to LockMart to replace our badly aging CF-18s.
 
I know this is complete BS, so what are the latest estimates on the cost per plane over the span of the production run?
 
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