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F-22 / F-35 5th Generation jets | News & Discussions.

Suteki da ne? Yes !!!

More important, They would certify the final assembly and finishing 42 of those in Japan.

I see your Japanese language skills is improving, buddy.

Tốt lắm! :-)

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And yes, it appears that the 42 units of F-35 will be available quite soon. Tho I think we will be increasing that number since we will need to phase out our F-15Js in the near future. We will nee to phase out some 220 or so units of F-15J. ;)

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Pardon my french, but, .... gawdaaaam she's a beauty.... ;)
 
First F-35A for Norway Takes First Flight | F-35 Lightning II

Tuesday 6 October, another milestone for the new Norwegian fighter F-35 was reached. For the first time a Norwegian F-35 took off at 5:05 p.m. Norwegian time from the factory in Fort Worth, Texas. This is the first of several test flights that will lead towards the formal delivery to Norway.

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The first Lockheed Martin F-35A aircraft for Norway takes off from Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base on Oct. 6, with Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti at the controls. The aircraft, designated AM-2, is scheduled to fly to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, later this year for pilot training.



Minister of Defense, Ine Eriksen Søreide is satisfied that the Armed Forces is one step closer to start training with the new aircraft.

- The first Norwegian aircraft will be delivered at both the right price and time. Yesterday's test flight shows that the program is on track, and it is an important confirmation to get before the Parliament now will decide on the next round of procurement of F-35, says the Minister of Defense.

It was the second Norwegian aircraft, AM-2 (serial number 5088) which had the honor of being first, and the pilot was Bill Gigliotti from Lockheed Martin. The flight lasted for 1 hour and 32 minutes and aimed to test the engine and control systems. Over the next few weeks, the two first Norwegian aircrafts will go through a series of test flights before they will be moved to Luke Air Force Base in November.

Major General Morten Klever is the program director of the Fighter program and is responsible for the Norwegian procurement of the F-35. He points out that the first flight with a Norwegian F-35 underlines the importance of the preparations currently underway before receiving the first aircraft in two years.

- Several of the other buyer countries of the F-35 envision a more gradual transition from the current aircraft to the F-35. We do not have that possibility because the current F-16 is about to reach its end of life. Although the Norwegian procurement of the F-35 will last for nearly ten years, it will happen in a shorter time than in other countries. We are entering an exciting new phase until the F-35 begins to solve missions here at home in 2019, says Klever.

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Lockheed F-35s finish at-sea test flights as U.S. Navy warms to new jet| Reuters


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Two Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets wrapped up a second round of successful test flights off the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier on Friday, a key milestone toward operational use of the jets by the U.S. Navy in coming years.

The flight tests took place about 100 miles off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, in crosswinds of about 40 knots, and included the first night flights at sea with a redesigned helmet made by Rockwell Collins Inc and Israel's Elbit Systems.

The high-risk flights also tested the jets' ability to take off with less airspeed, with after-burners and with heavier loads of simulated weapons. During normal F-35C launches, a jet goes from zero to 150 miles per hour, traveling the 310-foot length of the catapult in about two seconds.

The results will set the standards for fleetwide F-35C catapult launch settings for the service life of the aircraft, said Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the $391 billion weapons program, the Pentagon's most expensive arms project.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral John Haley, commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic, said developmental testing of the F-35C, the carrier variant of the new stealthy fighter jet, had been "pretty doggone good" compared with earlier aircraft.

“We’re basically two years from being operational,” Haley told reporters aboard the ship known as "Ike," which recently completed a nearly two-year period in dry dock maintenance.

Navy officials said developmental testing of the F-35C is about 80 percent complete, with a third round of even more difficult at-sea testing planned next summer.

The Navy will be the last of the U.S. services to start using the new jets, following the Marine Corps, which declared an initial squadron combat-ready in July, and the Air Force, which is slated to follow suit in August 2016. The Navy is expected to have a first combat-ready squadron in late 2018.

Haley said the F-35 C-model would provide a "huge benefit" to U.S. military commanders in coming years, working in tandem with Boeing Co F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets and EA-18G electronic attack planes for years to come.

He said the jets' ability to fuse data from a variety of radars and other sensors, and then share it with ships and other aircraft, would change the way the U.S. Navy fights wars.

"The F-35 is going to bring ... sensors and an ability to guide the fight, whether it's an air-to-ground fight or an air-to-air fight. They’re going to have an ability that’s going to change how we think about getting to the target, delivering weapons and getting out of the target," Haley said.

Navy Commander Tony Wilson, one of five test pilots involved in the tests on the Eisenhower, said he thought last year's first round of tests on the USS Nimitz, and the jets' participation in a recent integrated test with other aircraft, had helped reverse previous lukewarm support for the program.

He said it was also a huge advantage that the new aircraft could easily be upgraded since it is software-based.

"I think the Navy is going to be excited to see the tactical performance of the aircraft," he said.

 
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USAF wants a weapons-carrying unmanned wingman for F-35
Lt. Gen. Robert Otto, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance from the U.S. Air Force, has suggested the ideal of a weapons-carrying unmanned wingman that will help the F-35 overcome its limited internal weapons storage handicap.


By Matt Short, Lockheed Martin (bron: Ministerie van Defensie) [CC0 or Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons

Alert 5 » USAF wants a weapons-carrying unmanned wingman for F-35 - Military Aviation News

What are the implications for stealth of the aircraft in such a configuration??
 
USAF wants a weapons-carrying unmanned wingman for F-35
Lt. Gen. Robert Otto, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance from the U.S. Air Force, has suggested the ideal of a weapons-carrying unmanned wingman that will help the F-35 overcome its limited internal weapons storage handicap.


By Matt Short, Lockheed Martin (bron: Ministerie van Defensie) [CC0 or Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons

Alert 5 » USAF wants a weapons-carrying unmanned wingman for F-35 - Military Aviation News

What are the implications for stealth of the aircraft in such a configuration??

My thoughts...it's more like this:
Predator UCAV testing with Brimstone missiles.
 
F-35 Data Smuggler Sentenced to Jail
WASHINGTON — A former Connecticut resident has been sentenced to 97 months in jail for attempting to send sensitive technical data on the F-35 engine to Iran.

Mozaffar Khazaee, 61, was sentenced Oct. 23 to 97 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, according to a recent Pentagon Inspector General statement. Khazaee also was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.

Between 2009 and 2013, Khazaee tried to send secret U.S. defense technology to Iran, according to the release. Khazaee, a dual citizen of Iran and the United States, with a degree in mechanical engineering, was employed by three different defense contractors between 2001 and 2013.

Although the statement did not name his employers, engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has confirmed that Khazaee was an employee of theirs during this period. Pratt manufactures the engines for both the F-22 and F-35.

“Mozaffar Khazaee betrayed his defense contractor employers and the national security interests of the United States by stealing and attempting to send to Iran voluminous documents containing highly sensitive U.S. defense technology,” said Deirdre Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, according to the statement.

Beginning in 2009, Khazaee corresponded by email with an individual in Iran to whom he sent sensitive documents containing information about the Joint Strike Fighter program, according to the statement. Khazaee was apparently seeking a job back in Iran, frequently contacting state-controlled technical universities offering access to the data.

Federal agents began investigating Khazaee in 2013 when he attempted to send a large shipping container to Iran. When agents inspected the container, they found thousands of pages of documents, including diagrams, test results and blueprints of the F-35 and F-22 engines, according to the statement.

Khazaee was arrested Jan 9, 2014, at the Newark Liberty International Airport before boarding a flight to Iran, the report said. Agents found additional information related to U.S. military jet engines, as well as $59,945 in as-yet undeclared cash, in Khazaee’s checked and carry-on luggage.

In addition to the F-35 and F-22 materials, Khazaee also stole documents from numerous other U.S. military engine programs, including the V-22 Osprey, the C-130J Hercules and the Global Hawk engines, according to the statement.
 
F-35A Completes First Aerial Gun Test
November 02, 2015


The F-35A Lightning II completed the first three airborne gunfire bursts from its internal Gun Airborne Unit (GAU)-22/A 25mm Gatling gun system during a California test flight, Oct. 30. This milestone was the first in a series of test flights to functionally evaluate the in-flight operation of the F-35A’s internal 25mm gun throughout its employment envelope.

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Three bursts of one 30 rounds and two 60 rounds each were fired from the aircraft’s four-barrel, 25-millimeter Gatling gun. In integrating the weapon into the stealthy F 35A airframe, the gun must be kept hidden behind closed doors to reduce its radar cross section until the trigger is pulled.

F-35A test aircraft AF-2, a loads-instrumented jet, underwent an extensive structural modification at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. to a fully production representative internal gun configuration. The first phase of test execution consisted of 13 ground gunfire events over the course of three months to verify the integration of the gun into the F-35A. Once verified, the team was cleared to begin this second phase of testing, with the goal of evaluating the gun’s performance and integration with the airframe during airborne gunfire in various flight conditions and aircraft configurations.

“The successful aerial gun test sortie was a culmination of several years’ planning, which intensified in the first half of 2015 at the Edwards F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) Flight Test Squadron with a team of Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman personnel,“ said Mike Glass, Edwards ITF flight test director. “The results of this testing will be used in future blocks of testing, where the accuracy and mission effectiveness capabilities will be evaluated.”

The 25mm gun is embedded in the F-35A’s left wing and is designed to be integrated in a way to maintain the F-35’s very low observable criteria. It will provide pilots with the ability to engage air-to-ground and air-to-air targets. The first phase of F-35 gun testing started in June, when initial shots were fired from the ground at the Edwards Air Force Flight Test Center’s gun harmonizing range.

The gun system will be further tested with a production F-35A next year for integration with the jet’s full mission systems capabilities. The test team will demonstrate the gun’s effectiveness in both air-to-air and air-to-ground employment when integrated with the next generation fighter’s sensor fusion software, which will provide targeting information to the pilot through the helmet mounted display. At the end of the program’s system development and demonstration phase in 2017, the F-35 will have an operational gun.

F-35A Completes First Aerial Gun Test | F-35 Lightning II

 
Video of the first two Norwegian F-35 aircraft arriving at Luke AFB, AZ and the first Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35 student pilot’s initial flight.


These F-35s belong to LRIP-7. Next will be fully capable LRIP-8. With Japan and Israel reviving their first F-35s.

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Wing spar cracks found on USN F-35 variant
Marina Malenic, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
15 November 2015

Key Points
  • Pentagon testers have discovered cracks in a main structural element of the F-35C's wing
  • Government and prime contractor engineering teams are formulating a solution, and retrofits are planned on existing aircraft
Pentagon testers have discovered cracks in a main structural element of the wing on the C-model of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, a spokesman for the Pentagon's F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) confirmed on 13 November.

During a late October inspection of the F-35C durability testing ground article, a crack was found in one of its 13 wing spars, Joe DellaVedova told IHS Jane's . Government and prime contractor engineering teams are formulating a solution, he added.

"Initial estimates indicate a modification of approximately a half a pound to the aircraft will fix it," said DellaVedova. "Modifications to planes flying today will be incorporated to ensure full life operation."

The issue is not expected to affect flying operations for any of the three variants, nor will it alter the US Navy's (USN's) ability to meet its planned Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the C-model in August 2018, according to the JPO. The cost of the retrofits is not yet known.

The F-35C durability test article had already accumulated more than 13,700 test hours, which equates to 6,850 flight hours or more than 20 years of operational flying, according to DellaVedova. "All current F-35Cs flying today have less than 250 flight hours," he added. Durability testing intentionally stresses aircraft to its structural limits by applying cyclic loads to the airframe to simulate operational flying in order to identify weaknesses and potential corrective actions.

The F-35C variant is distinguished by its larger wings and more robust landing gear, designed for catapult launches and arrestments aboard naval aircraft carriers, and its wingtips fold to allow for easier storage aboard a carrier.
Wing spar cracks found on USN F-35 variant | IHS Jane's 360
 
Wing spar cracks found on USN F-35 variant
Marina Malenic, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
15 November 2015

Key Points
  • Pentagon testers have discovered cracks in a main structural element of the F-35C's wing
  • Government and prime contractor engineering teams are formulating a solution, and retrofits are planned on existing aircraft
Pentagon testers have discovered cracks in a main structural element of the wing on the C-model of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, a spokesman for the Pentagon's F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) confirmed on 13 November.

During a late October inspection of the F-35C durability testing ground article, a crack was found in one of its 13 wing spars, Joe DellaVedova told IHS Jane's . Government and prime contractor engineering teams are formulating a solution, he added.

"Initial estimates indicate a modification of approximately a half a pound to the aircraft will fix it," said DellaVedova. "Modifications to planes flying today will be incorporated to ensure full life operation."

The issue is not expected to affect flying operations for any of the three variants, nor will it alter the US Navy's (USN's) ability to meet its planned Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the C-model in August 2018, according to the JPO. The cost of the retrofits is not yet known.

The F-35C durability test article had already accumulated more than 13,700 test hours, which equates to 6,850 flight hours or more than 20 years of operational flying, according to DellaVedova. "All current F-35Cs flying today have less than 250 flight hours," he added. Durability testing intentionally stresses aircraft to its structural limits by applying cyclic loads to the airframe to simulate operational flying in order to identify weaknesses and potential corrective actions.

The F-35C variant is distinguished by its larger wings and more robust landing gear, designed for catapult launches and arrestments aboard naval aircraft carriers, and its wingtips fold to allow for easier storage aboard a carrier.
Wing spar cracks found on USN F-35 variant | IHS Jane's 360


Hi,

I am glad it happened on the F35----and not the JF17---otherwise the indians would be celebrating another holly----.
 
Northrop Grumman Delivers Center Fuselage for First Israeli F-35 Aircraft

PALMDALE, Calif., Nov. 18, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has delivered, on schedule, the center fuselage for the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to be purchased by Israel, an F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant designated AS-1.

A core structure of the F-35 aircraft, the center fuselage was produced on Northrop Grumman's F-35 Integrated Assembly Line at its Palmdale Aircraft Integration Center of Excellence.

"The delivery of the AS-1 center fuselage is a significant addition to the growing list of allied countries that have invested in owning and fielding the fifth generation F-35 aircraft," said Brian Chappel, vice president and F-35 program manager, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "It also adds momentum to the success of our highly automated Integrated Assembly Line, which is helping increase the production rate, quality and affordability of the F-35 program."

To date, Northrop Grumman has completed center fuselages for F-35 customers in eight countries including the U.S.

As a principal member of the Lockheed Martin-led F-35 industry team, Northrop Grumman designed and produces the center fuselage for all three F-35 variants: the F-35A; the F-35B short takeoff vertical landing variant; and the F-35C carrier variant.

The company produced the AS-1 center fuselage as part of the eighth low rate initial production lot of F-35s. AS-1 is the 39th center delivered by Northrop Grumman from Palmdale this year.

Israel has ordered 33 F-35As under the U.S. government's foreign military sales program. These jets are similar to the F-35As produced for F-35 international partner countries, except they will require minor software and hardware modifications to accommodate several Israel-provided avionics components.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics will perform final assembly and checkout of the F-35s in Fort Worth, Texas. The first Israeli F-35 is slated for delivery in 2016.

Northrop Grumman Delivers Center Fuselage for First Israeli F-35 Aircraft (NYSE:NOC)
 
Flying the F-35 – Experiences from the First Week

(Ed: On 10 November 2015 the first Norwegian F-35-pilot, Major Morten «Dolby» Hanche flew the F-35 for the first time at Luke Air Force Base. After one week and four flights in the F-35 Major Hanche has summarized his impression of the aircraft so far in this blog post. In order to make his post accessible to a wider audience, we have translated it into English. We have tried to remain as true as possible to Major Hanche’s original text, though some words are difficult to translate directly into English. For instance, the Norwegian word «sprek» which Hanche uses a few time to describe the aircraft, is commonly used to describe a person that is fast, fit and vigorous. Here we have translated it generally as «fast», even though that doesn’t cover the full meaning of the word. Still, we hope the general impression comes through.)


I am left with many impressions after a handful of flights with the F-35 over Arizona. In this post, I will try to describe the feeling and perception I have developed flying the F-35 so far.

First things first; the aircraft is easy to handle on the ground. The brakes are direct and powerful yet predictable, and the nose wheel steering is precise. The steering has two «gears» making the process of maneuvering the aircraft in and out of its parking spot under the sun screens that the aircraft are parked under. I hardly noticed the cross winds when I took off for the first time. It was easy to put the nose of the aircraft where I wanted it when I raised it for takeoff. The aircraft was stable in the air from the second it lifted it off the ground, and requires no manual «trimming» on my part.

An odd experience I want to mention is the feeling of bringing up the landing gear. In the F-16 I really don’t notice it that much. In the F-35, however, there is no doubt that the wheels are being retracted. As my American buddy «Nails» said after his first trip: «It felt like someone hit the airplane with a hammer!» A solid and noticeable «CLUNK» tells you that the gear is up. It could possibly have something to do with the fact that the landing gear is quite huge.

With wheels up I quickly noticed another peculiarity with F-35; the aircraft has a kind of continuous quivering sensation. A kind of weak high-frequency tremor. A bit like the feeling you get standing on the top deck of an old car ferry where you can sense a weak vibration from the engine. This trembling is fairly constant until I begin maneuvering the aircraft more aggressively. That increases the force of the trembling until it is like driving a car on a graveled cottage road. This kind of trembling is often referred by the technical term «buffeting».

Buffeting can be a problem if it is too violent. In the T-38 training aircraft I once had an engine instrument (the tachometer) that was shaken out of the instrument panel. That is problematic. Vigorous shaking can also make it difficult to read the instruments in the cockpit, and thus prevent the pilot doing his job. In that case it becomes critical.

A more positive side to buffeting however is that it acts as feedback to the pilot. In modern fighters computers decide which control surfaces are to be moved and how much – «fly-by-wire». That means the pilot misses out on important feedback through the rudder pedals and control stick. How much I move them is not directly linked to what is actually happening with the control surfaces. The F/A-18, for example, moves the ailerons gradually in the opposite direction during heavy maneuvering, without me as a pilot really noticing. The aircraft is however still doing what I am asking it to do. Most Norwegian F-16s have little or no buffeting when maneuvering. That means that in the F-16 I have to use the instruments to get an impression of just much lift I am really demanding from the aircraft. I might be flying fast or slow – maybe dangerous slow – and the only hint I get comes from the gauges. In the F-35 I can physically feel whether I am operating the aircraft in its «good-zone» when maneuvering, or whether I am demanding too much from it and losing energy. I can also physically feel whether I am flying too fast or, worse, if I am flying dangerously slow in the landing pattern.

Critics have argued that the F-35 by definition is a slow aircraft, based on the balance between thrust from the engine and overall weight. However, when interviewed after my first flight, I said that I was impressed with the engine power of the aircraft. How can that be true? Am I bought and paid for by Lockheed Martin, or is it the Ministry of Defence that threatens government reprisals if I don’t provide «the official story»? I know that many have doubts regarding the F-35 when it comes to both maneuverability and engine power.

When I was a kid, my buddy Håkon and I would sometimes play «car trumps». The idea was to do to pull the card with the best car on it. The «best» car was usually the car with A) the most horsepower, or B) the greatest top speed (according to the card). My experience with aircraft so far is that the world is not black or white. «It depends» is an eternal mantra among pilots, and it is usually not easy to measure one system against another. Another point to consider is what data we are actually comparing. The F-16 manual for instance says that the aircraft is capable of going more than twice the speed of sound. I have flown more than 2,000 hours in the F-16 and have never been able to get the aircraft to go that fast. Is it not correct that the F-16 can achieve twice the speed of sound? Are we overstating the facts by claiming that this is the real performance of the aircraft?

I still claim that the F-35 is fast compared to the F-16, an aircraft I know well. Can this be explained as nothing but lies? I believe it can. The F-35 has a huge engine. Another important factor is that the F-35 has low aerodynamic drag, because it carries all the systems and weapons internally. The F-16 is fast and agile when clean, but external stores steals performance. It is never relevant to discuss the performance of a stripped F-16. Therefore, this is never as simple as discussing the ratio of thrust and weight alone.

In any case, technical discussions aside, I was impressed by how steep the F-35 climbed after I did a «touch-and-go» on my first flight. Without using afterburner, and with more fuel on board than the F-16 can carry, I accelerated the aircraft to 300 knots in a continuous climb. Acceleration only stopped when I lifted the nose to more than 25 degrees above the horizon. I do not think our F-16 could have kept up with me without the use of afterburner. I was also impressed with how quickly the F-35 accelerates in afterburner. On my fourth flight I took off using full afterburner. The plane became airborne at 180 knots. At that point I had to immediately bring the engine back to minimum afterburner to avoid overspeed of the landing gear before it was fully retracted (speed limit is 300 knots).

Another first impression is how stable the aircraft is when flying in close formation. I have flown a handful of different fighter aircraft, and I have never had an easier job of maintaining close formation with another aircraft. The F-35 feels stable and predictable when making minor adjustments – much the same feeling I have driving a large American SUV. Still, when I move the stick or the throttle, the handling is both quick and precise (A SUV with a V8 – at least!). Overall, flying the F-35 reminds me a bit of flying the F/A-18 Hornet, but with an important difference: It has been fitted with a turbo.

The final point that I want to mention in this post is the experience of sitting in the cockpit. After reading about poor cooling and high noise levels in the cockpit, I was of course curious. I was pleasantly surprised. The «office space» was cool and comfortable, but above all, I was surprised by how quiet it was compared to what I’m used to. Is comfort important in a fighter jet? I believe it is. Not only during long missions that can last up to 10 hours, but also in daily exercises. It is obvious that a noise-insulated cockpit reduces hearing loss for pilots over time. I would also argue that it improves flight safety because it makes it easier to hear what is being transmitted on the radio and because noise becomes tiresome with time.

I’m saving a little for a later. Just the landing pattern is worth a small post in itself!

Å fly F-35 – erfaringer fra den første uka (Flying the F-35 – English translation below) |
 
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Gear down, flaps out, all bombed, missiled and gunned-up, in a steep bank and in burner—this has to be the best photo of an F-35 yet. Additionally, the navalized F-35C, shown here, with its larger wing, has to be the most photogenic out of the Joint Strike Fighter family. When you add in pair of AIM-9Xs, a quartet of GBU-12s, a center-line 25m gun podand some nice light, it just screams “futuristic war wagon” from this angle.

t Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35 student pilot’s initial flight.

This pilot to be specific:

Royal Norwegian AirForce Maj. Morten Hanche, 62nd Fighter Squadron training pilot, climbs in for his first F-35 Lightning ll flight Nov. 10, 2015 at Luke AirForce Base. His flight coincides with the arrival of the first Norwegian F-35 and the Norwegian AirForce 71st anniversary

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And a few more pics:

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Oh, it actually flies too:

A formation of U.S. and Norwegian F-35 Lightning II soar over Luke Air Force Base, Arizona November 10, 2015. Today was the scheduled arrival of two F-35s for the Royal Norwegian air force while simultaneously celebrating the Norwegian air force’s birthday

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Suck it haters:devil:.

We will need to phase out some 220 or so units of F-15J. ;)

What:o:? No:cry:!!! In know the airframe's seen a lot of miles, especially with China and Russia testing Japanese responses every so often - that and training exercises - but the F-15 is still a great asset. Put a new radar in it (the existing one is beast in its own right), update its avionics, maybe a new engine and especially new missiles... Boom, still great.

Don't worry I still love you, you handsome devil:smitten::

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The F-15J isn't too bad looking either:p:.
 
Legacy, 5th Gen. unite at Checkered Flag 16-1

Legacy, 5th Gen. unite at Checkered Flag 16-1

https://www.*********************.com/forums/attachments/151217-f-ih072-929-jpg.623/

Checkered Flag 16-1, a large-force exercise which gives a large number of legacy and fifth-generation aircraft the chance to practice combat training together, started Dec. 10 at Tyndall.

This week-and-a-half long exercise focuses on the involvement of the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II's and legacy aircraft training in a large-force exercise to enhance combat air power capabilities.

"This exercise is a building block," said Col. Joseph Kunkel, 325th Fighter Wing vice commander and Checkered Flag commander. "We are at the very beginning of the integration of F-22s, F-35s and fourth-generation aircraft. What this does is lead us to the next step and that next step is to be extremely lethal in combat."

F-22s, T-38 Talons and QF-16 aerial targets from Tyndall; F-35s, an F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15Cs Eagles and F-16 Falcons from Eglin AFB, Fla.; F-16s from Shaw AFB, S.C.; B-52s from Barksdale AFB, La.; an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) from Tinker AFB, Okla.; and F-16s from Eielson AFB, Ak. are supporting the exercise.

"It is amazing, and it warms my heart to see the number of airplanes. The fact that we are going to be able to integrate with them on a daily basis is incredible," said Kunkel.

Getting all the different aircraft to participate in this large-scale exercise was not easy.

A key challenge was successfully communicating to bring all that combat air power together at the same time, he said.

"The Air Force makes things like this look real easy, but the level of integration we are seeing here is really complex and requires years of training from a number of different people," said Kunkel. "There is going to be a lot of close coordination between fourth-and-fifth-generation aircraft during this exercise, and what you are seeing is the fulfillment of years of work."

Fifth-generation aircraft, like the F-35 and F-22, have stealth capabilities, advanced avionics, communication and sensory capabilities that augment the capabilities of fourth-generation aircraft, and the exercise also boasts the capabilities of the Airmen involved.

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"The biggest way that Checkered Flag helps the Airmen is through exposure," said Lt. Col. Matthew Bradley, 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron commander. "If you're an F-16 fighter pilot at Shaw, you don't see F-35s, F-22s, B-52s or the E-3 often. So to bring them all together to one place and mission plan together increases everybody's capabilities."

Bradley's role in the exercise is mixing tenses to co-host, alongside with the 325th Fighter Wing, the exercise that coincided with a Weapons System Evaluation Program in order to save the Air Force money.

"The biggest thing I am looking forward to is how the F-35 enhances the other aircraft and Airmen's capabilities," added Bradley. "We have yet to see the F-35 really interact with this many aircraft. So, the biggest lessons learned are: what it brings to the fight and how it increases everyone else's combat capability."

This combination of fourth-and-fifth-generation aircraft abilities during Checkered Flag brings better situational awareness to the Air Force.

"This exercise provides a lot of things for the Air Force. One of them is a proof of concept that we can integrate a large number of aircraft to include F-22s, F-35s and fourth-generation aircraft," said Kunkel. "It also proves to the world that we have the capability of unrivaled combat air power."

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