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

[DavidSling]

U.S., seven allies map joint F-35 jet operations in Europe


A U.S. soldier stands guard as a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft is moved, on the eve of the 52nd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France June 18, 2017.Pascal Rossignol


3 MIN READ

BERLIN (Reuters) - The United States and seven allies have held their first meeting to map out plans for joint operations of the new Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth jet fighter in Europe in coming years.

The two-day gathering in Germany this week included officials from Denmark, Israel, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey and Britain - all of which are buying the F-35, according to U.S. Air Force and Pentagon officials.

Several other European countries, including Belgium, Finland and Switzerland, are looking at possible orders of the aircraft at a time when tensions between NATO and Russia have increased.

Officials from Lockheed, the largest U.S. weapons maker, gave officials an update on the $379 billion program, the Pentagon's costliest arms project, as allies in Europe move toward increased use of the jets in coming years, they said.

"We've come together as a team of allies and partners to begin to set the conditions on ... operating the F-35 in the European theater," Major General Timothy Fay, deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said in a statement.

Italy, which participated in the meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, was the first nation to fly the new fighter outside the United States, and already has three jets in Italy.

Norway will have jets in country by the end of the year, Israel already has five on hand, and Britain will have jets flying in Europe next year, according to a Pentagon spokesman for the F-35 program. Several Dutch jets are participating in testing in the United States, he said.

Turkey's first aircraft is still being built, and Denmark last year decided to buy 27 jets in coming years.

Air Force General Tod Wolters, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said the F-35 was a "force multiplier" and "game changer for missile defense".


Wolters urged military leaders to codify common tactics, techniques and procedures to prepare for joint use of the aircraft in Europe, which will mark the first time that U.S. allies are flying stealth aircraft.

Officials will meet again in October to address issues such as operations, maintenance, logistics and intelligence.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-lockheed-fighter-europe-idUSKBN1A62B8

 

[DavidSling]

Low Observeability of the F-135 engine

http://www.f-16.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=52566&sid=fe799553b486e0ce6bcbc3e80eef5181

 

[500]

Fully combat capable block 3F F-35A will enter the service in September, earlier than planned:


The U.S. Air Force’s first operational F-35 squadron is slated to receive the first fully combat-capable aircraft in September, as the service contemplates sending the stealth fighter to the Pacific. The 34th Fighter Squadron, known as the “Rude Rams,” of Hill AFB, Utah, is set to receive aircraft equipped with the final Block 3F software next month, which most critically will allow the fighter to employ its full suite of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Luke AFB, ...

http://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraft/first-f-35a-squadrons-get-full-combat-capability-september

F-35B too:

BREAKING: @mccs_iwakuni F-35Bs will also get full combat capability in September, @USMC confirms - story TK @AviationWeek #F35

Old estimates for block 3F:

• F-35A: October 2017 (w/o AIM-9X) November 2017 (w/ AIM-9X)
• F-35B: November 2017 (1.3 Mach) May 2018 (1.6 Mach)
• F-35C: January 2018 (1.3 Mach) February 2018 (1.6 Mach)

 

[F-7]

 

[Endurance]

https://twitter.com/x/status/928517570696744961

 

[500]

On Friday, December 15, Lockheed Martin delivered the 66th F-35 aircraft for the year, meeting the joint government and industry delivery target for 2017. To date, more than 265 F-35 aircraft have been delivered to U.S. and international customers. More than 530 pilots and nearly 5,000 maintainers have been trained and the F-35 fleet has surpassed more than 115,000 cumulative flight hours.

 

[Gomig-21]

On Friday, December 15, Lockheed Martin delivered the 66th F-35 aircraft for the year, meeting the joint government and industry delivery target for 2017. To date, more than 265 F-35 aircraft have been delivered to U.S. and international customers. More than 530 pilots and nearly 5,000 maintainers have been trained and the F-35 fleet has surpassed more than 115,000 cumulative flight hours.

US industrial giant. Some of the most sophisticated, automated, precision machinery that is fabricating, pressing, cutting, fitting and assembling that aircraft. Add all the highly sophisticated computer technology with the electrical aspect of that platform along with the human intellect and know-how level and there really is no other match in the world. A few, less than a handful, might come close, but don't attain the same level.

 

[bidonv]

Source

 

[Dr. Fox]

New photos of Norwegian Air Force F-35s.

 

[Gomig-21]

^^ Very nice. Is there any country out there that would refuse the F-35 if it was offered to them for the current price that they seem to be going for?

 

[Dr. Fox]

Some other recent pictures of the "F-52s" of the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

Before anyone asks about their availability, the plan for the 52 Norwegian Air Force F-16s is to scrap them, not sell them.

The drag chute is thus far unique on Norwegian Air Force F-35s, but will be made available to other nations as well.

^^ Very nice.

Thank you. Glad you liked them.

Is there any country out there that would refuse the F-35 if it was offered to them for the current price that they seem to be going for?

I'd wager that neither France nor Sweden would be too keen on the F-35 because it would threaten their domestic manufacturers. Since the F-35's developmental work is basically finished, these two nations couldn't really latch onto any element of the F-35's contract work unless they wanted to develop weapons for the F-35 and market them as export options (France will sell to anyone, but Sweden's always been more restrictive with offensive weapons) as Kongsberg has done with the Naval Strike Missile. Kongsberg also has other contracting work on the F-35 beyond weapons development. Other then that there's not much left to do on the F-35 and at best I think that the F-35 consortium would only offer either country local manufacturing, but again that'd threaten their own arms industries.

A US-Canada trade dust-up also threatened the Canadian purchase of the F-35, and Switzerland's penchant for referendums threatens basically every military tender they put forth, so these two are also iffy propositions.

 

[Gomig-21]

I'd wager that neither France nor Sweden would be too keen on the F-35 because it would threaten their domestic manufacturers. Since the F-35's developmental work is basically finish, these two nations couldn't really latch onto any element of the F-35's contractor work unless they wanted to develop weapons for the F-35 and market them as export options (France will sell to anyone, but Sweden's always been more restrictive with offensive weapons) as Kongsberg has done with the Naval Strike Missile. Kongsberg also has other contracting work on the F-35 beyond weapons development. Other then that there's not much left to do on the F-35 and at best I think that the F-35 consortium would only offer either country local manufacturing, but again that'd threaten their own arms industries.

I think you nailed it. It will be really interesting to see what France does moving forward. They've taken the high/low mix doctrine to a completely new method by essentially using the Rafale for both roles (despite still employing the Mirage 2K) and have basically skipped the -- not necessarily the stealth concept or doctrine -- new generation aircraft design and have stuck to making the most out of the Rafale moving forward. It will be super interesting to see what this 5th generation aircraft the French and German are supposedly co-developing.

A US-Canada trade dust-up also threatened the Canadian purchase of the F-35, and Switzerland's penchant for referendums threatens basically every military tender they put forth, so these two are also iffy propositions.

Despite the "stop-gap" purchase of the ex-RAAF F/A-18 Hornets, I think the Canadians will most definitely end up in the F-35 club. It's only a matter of time before they opt and sign a contract for the F-35A. It only makes sense with their involvement in NORAD and participation with the USAF in paroling the north Pacific. When the US will be operating the F-35 almost exclusively between California, Alaska and Japan while the latter will also be operating the F-35, there is nothing more suitable for Canada in that case, especially with the F-35's range.

In the meantime:

Tail number 5017 is the first F-35A to reach 1,000 flight hours outside of the aircraft test community. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Emily Smallwood/Released)

 

[500]

F-35 Finally Can Use All Its Weapons In Combat
05 Mar 2018 Lara Seligman

"The newest U.S. Air Force F-35s, both stateside at Hill AFB, Utah, and overseas in the Pacific, finally can employ the stealth fighter’s full suite of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons in combat. The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) has delivered the flight clearances, simulators, threat information, and logistics system required for the Air Force’s F-35As equipped with the latest software load to employ all of its weapons throughout the full flight envelope, according to the JPO, Lockheed Martin and Air Force officials.

This milestone gives the Block 3F-configured F-35As assigned to the 34th Fighter Squadron stationed at Hill and those forward-deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan—on North Korea’s doorstep—some lethal capabilities. The aircraft now can fire Raytheon’s short-range AIM-9X Sidewinder missile, the GAU-22 25mm gun, and Boeing’s precision-guided Small Diameter Bomb, all while flying up to 9Gs at 1.6 Mach.

The F-35A touched down in Kadena for its first operational deployment to the Pacific in November, a highly anticipated milestone that underlines the U.S. military’s commitment to allies in the region amid tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

The “Rude Rams” F-35As join the “Green Knights” F-35Bs of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, which is permanently stationed at Iwakuni, Japan, significantly increasing the number of stealth F-35s in the region. The 12 F-35As from Hill will be deployed to Kadena until May, a six-month rotation, as part of U.S. Pacific Command’s theater security package.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Marine Corps short takeoff, vertical-landing F-35B and U.S. Navy F-35C carrier variant configured with the 3F software will be able to deploy with their full operational capability in May and June, respectively, F-35 Program Executive Officer (PEO) Vice Adm. Mat Winter said during a Feb. 28 media roundtable. For the F-35Cs, this means the aircraft will be able to deploy Raytheon’s AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) in combat and fly to 1.3 [?] Mach.

There is one caveat—the final 3F simulator capability has been broken into two releases, Lockheed’s Executive Vice President for Aeronautics Orlando Carvalho said in a March 5 interview. The first release has been delivered for the 3F F-35As, he said. Even though the F-35’s long development phase finally is drawing to a close, the JPO and Lockheed will continue working to modernize the aircraft with an updated threat library, logistics system and simulators, Winter said...."

http://www.f-16.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=53942&p=390229

 

[Fighter jets world]

TOP US fighter jets F-22 and F-35 are Unable to do Mid-air Communication
F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II are US most advanced sophisticated, maneuverable and stealthy fighter jets in the World but Unfortunately, they have a difficult time communicating with each other.

The Raptor’s Intra-Flight Data Link (IFDL) is compatible with F-15 Eagles and other older aircraft, but the F-35’s Tactical 16 Link communication system is not fully interoperable with IFDL .Raptor’s communications set up can accept data from the F-35, F-16, and Eurofighter, but it cannot relay a single bit of the swaths of situational data back to the other aircraft.

For now, the pilots have adopted a secure voice link as a temporary measure, but the F-22 is not slated to get the Tactical Link 16 upgrade until 2023. According to Billie Flynn, a former Royal Canadian Air Force squadron commander who now works as an F-35 test pilot for Lockheed Martin, the temporary solution has been adequate during training and simulated combat.

Last year, Northrop Grumman proposed flying RQ-4 Global Hawk drones alongside Raptors and F-35s to facilitate data transmission between the aircraft

“The thing that’s great about having Link 16 and MADL onboard and the sensor fusion is the amount of situational awareness the pilot has,” Lt. Col. George Watkins, a squadron commander, said in an Air Force statement last year. “I can see the whole war, and where all the other players are, from a god’s-eye view. That makes me a lot more effective.”

“We don’t have data anymore,” said Flynn, a former squadron commander for the Royal Canadian Air Force. “We have knowledge.”

“We’re always working on ways to improve connectivity wherever the mission requires additional information sharing,” an Air Force spokesman, Major Ken Scholz, said in an email. “As well, the F-35A and F-22 are very complementary assets, particularly in highly contested areas.”



While these two fighters have a ways to go until they share the same communications and sensor systems, there’s at least one thing they already have in common: they’re budget busters. The Raptor is the most expensive aircraft in the U.S. arsenal, in terms of cost per flight hour; the program ended up costing taxpayers more than $330 million per unit.

Operating and maintenance costs have grown daunting for the F-35 as well. The Air Force may need to cut almost 600 from its planned order of 1,763 if upkeep costs can’t be lowered by more than a third. It also faces annual maintenance costs of almost $4 billion for a fighter fleet that’s likely to top $1 trillion in sustainment through 2070 across the three service branches.

 

[Gomig-21]

That's where you're supposed to deploy the drag chute, but here's something you don't see too often, lol.