U.S. Marines declare initial F-35 squadron ready for combat: sources

[500]

U.S. Marines declare initial F-35 squadron ready for combat: sources

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General Joseph Dunford has declared an initial squadron of 10 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35B fighter jets ready for combat, sources familiar with the decision said on Friday.

The decision, to be announced formally later Friday, is a key milestone for the $391 billion F-35 program after years of cost overruns and schedule delays. It also makes the Marines to first U.S. military service to declare an "initial operational capability" of the F-35.

The three models of the plane have been in development since 2001.

The F-35B model of the aircraft can take off from shorter runways and land like a helicopter.

Deputy Commandant for Aviation Lieutenant General Jon Davis told reporters on Monday that the squadron met all the requirements for the declaration during a recent review, and a decision was expected soon.

Dunford's nomination to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was approved this week.

The Marine Corps plans to send the first squadron of operational F-35B jets to Iwakuni, Japan, in January 2017, but Dunford's declaration means they could respond to a crisis anywhere in the world.

Davis said the jets performed well during an operational readiness review, both in targeting and "killing" enemy aircraft and providing close air support for troops on the ground.

He said the pilots were even able to carry out an armed reconnaissance mission in a "very high threat" environment to which older fourth-generation fighter jets like the Boeing Co F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier had not been subjected.

The Marine Corps opted to start using the F-35B jets with an early version of software called Block 2B. Software still being tested will allow the new warplanes to carry more weapons, including a gun, and integrate full night-vision capability.

No comment was immediately available from a Marine Corps spokesman or the Pentagon's F-35 program office.

The Marine Corps plans to buy a total of 420 F-35 B-model and C-model jets.

Admiral John Richardson, President Barack Obama's nominee for chief of naval operations, told lawmakers in prepared answers to questions on Thursday that he planned to take a hard look at the Navy's plans to buy 340 F-35 C-model fighter jets, which have longer wings and can land on aircraft carriers.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Alden Bentley and Lisa Von Ahn)

U.S. Marines declare initial F-35 squadron ready for combat: sources - Yahoo News

 

[F-22Raptor]

This is a great day for the F-35 program!

 

[AMDR]

For all the F-35 haters that said it was trash and would be cancelled before it was inducted, this ones for you:

The USS America is supposed to carry F-35Bs on her first deployment, so hopefully we see her make a quick detour to the middle east and give ISIS a little visit.

 

[P.K.]

The USS America is supposed to carry F-35Bs on her first deployment, so hopefully we see her make a quick detour to the middle east and give ISIS a little visit.

Thank God !!! We have ISIS around

Otherwise Uncle Sam would have to find an excuse to test these Deadly War Machines on some other ME Country

 

[Fenrir]

VMFA-121 will inaugurate the F-35's deployment with a rotation at Iwakuni, Japan

J-10B, F-35 Nearing In-Service Debuts | Defense content from Aviation Week

Coming to a shore near you:

 

[Superboy]

World's 3rd plane having DSI after JF-17 and J-10B. Not too shabby

 

[AMDR]

200th fuselage completed
This is only the beginning

Michael Fallon Marks Major Milestone For F-35 Project | Forces TV

 

[500]

Here the official confirmation:

U.S. Marines Corps declares the F-35B operational
By Courtesy Story, Headquarters Marine Corps

U.S. Marine Corps Begins F-35B Operational Trials
Two F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters complete vertical landings aboard the USS Wasp (LHD-1) during the opening day of the first session of operational testing, May 18, 2015. As the future of Marine Corps aviation, the F-35B will eventually replace all aircraft from three legacy Marine Corps platforms; th AV-8B Harrier, the F/A-18 Hornet, and the EA-6B Prowler. The aircraft are stationed with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, Marine Aircraft Group 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Beaufort, South Carolina and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Yuma, Arizona. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Remington Hall/Released)
Image 1 of 2 Download Hi-Res Photo Share Photo Details

U.S. Marine Corps Begins F-35B Operational Trials
Marines and sailors aboard the Uss Wasp (LHD-1) secure and refuel an F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter after its arrival for the first session of operational testing, May 18, 2015. Data and information gathered from OT-1 will lay the groundwork for F-35B deployments aboard Navy amphibious ships and the announcement of the Marine Corps' initial operating capacity of the F-35B in July. The aircraft are stationed with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, Marine Aircraft Group 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Beaufort, South Carolina and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Yuma, Arizona. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Remington Hall/Released)
Download Hi-Res Photo Share Photo Details
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Marine Corps' F-35B Lightning II aircraft reached initial operational capability July 31, 2015 with a squadron of 10 F-35Bs ready for world-wide deployment.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121), based in Yuma, Arizona, is the first squadron in military history to become operational with an F-35 variant, following a five-day Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI), which concluded July 17.

“I am pleased to announce that VMFA-121 has achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in the F-35B, as defined by requirements outlined in the June 2014 Joint Report to Congressional Defense Committees,” said Gen. Joseph Dunford, Commandant of the Marine Corps. “VMFA-121 has ten aircraft in the Block 2B configuration with the requisite performance envelope and weapons clearances, to include the training, sustainment capabilities, and infrastructure to deploy to an austere site or a ship. It is capable of conducting Close Air Support, Offensive and Defensive Counter Air, Air Interdiction, Assault Support Escort and Armed Reconnaissance as part of a Marine Air Ground Task Force, or in support of the Joint Force.”

Dunford stated that he has his full confidence in the F-35B’s ability to support Marines in combat, predicated on years of concurrent developmental testing and operational flying.

“Prior to declaring IOC, we have conducted flight operations for seven weeks at sea aboard an L-Class carrier, participated in multiple large force exercises, and executed a recent operational evaluation which included multiple live ordnance sorties, said Dunford.” The F-35B’s ability to conduct operations from expeditionary airstrips or sea-based carriers provides our Nation with its first 5th generation strike fighter, which will transform the way we fight and win.”

As the future of Marine Corps tactical aviation, the F-35 will eventually replace three legacy platforms: the AV-8B Harrier, the F/A-18 Hornet, and the EA-6B Prowler.

“The success of VMFA-121 is a reflection of the hard work and effort by the Marines in the squadron, those involved in the program over many years, and the support we have received from across the Department of the Navy, the Joint Program Office, our industry partners, and the Under Secretary of Defense. Achieving IOC has truly been a team effort,” concluded Dunford.

The U.S. Marine Corps has trained and qualified more than 50 Marine F-35B pilots and certified about 500 maintenance personnel to assume autonomous, organic-level maintenance support for the F-35B.

VMFA-121’s transition will be followed by Marine Attack Squadron 211 (VMA-211), an AV-8B squadron, which is scheduled to transition next to the F-35B in fiscal year 2016. In 2018, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122), an F-18 Hornet squadron, will conduct its transition.

U.S. Marines Corps declares the F-35B operational > The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website > News Display

World's 3rd plane having DSI after JF-17 and J-10B. Not too shabby

DSI is taking over the world

 

[F-22Raptor]

The Marine Corps declared initial operational capability on its variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), after a final assessment showed the plane and its crew are not only ready to fight overseas if needed but also maintain and sustain the plane during extended operations.

“I am pleased to announce that VMFA-121 has achieved initial operational capability in the F-35B, as defined by requirements outlined in the June 2014 Joint Report to Congressional Defense Committees,” Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford said in a statement.
“VMFA-121 has ten aircraft in the Block 2B configuration with the requisite performance envelope and weapons clearances, to include the training, sustainment capabilities, and infrastructure to deploy to an austere site or a ship. It is capable of conducting close air support, offensive and defensive counter air, air interdiction, assault support escort and armed reconnaissance as part of a Marine Air Ground Task Force, or in support of the Joint Force.”

The Marines’ fifth-generation fighter is the first of the three variants to reach IOC. The first squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, is scheduled to move to Japan in 2017, but technically now that IOC has been declared the squadron could be called upon for emergency operations at any time.

Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation Lt. Gen. Jon Davis told USNI News earlier this month that he’d like to see the jets wait until 2017 before going overseas, to allow more time for more units to be stood up and for the training and logistics pipelines to mature. But he made clear he would not recommend that Dunford declare IOC unless he was confident the planes could be successful overseas today.

“Just like the V-22, we declared IOC in 2007; a couple weeks later, we deployed to Iraq right away,” Davis told USNI News. Therefore, his threshold for recommending an IOC declaration was, “could we take this squadron and go over to the Middle East tomorrow after Gen. Dunford declares IOC, yes or no?”

The squadron went through operational testing aboard USS Wasp (LHD-1) in May, and in a first-ever step before declaring IOC for an American platform, Davis introduced an Operational Readiness Assessment as a final test to ensure the pilots, the maintainers and the logistics teams were ready to formally enter the fleet. Davis said his biggest concern was whether there were enough spare parts in the inventory to properly sustain the squadron’s 10 jets. He promised that, even though many people have assumed the Marines would declare IOC on time regardless of the planes’ performance in testing, he would not give his thumbs up until he was confident the spares were right.

“The performance of the VMFA-121 during the ORI in all evaluated maintenance, flight operations, and exams was exceptional,” Davis said in a statement Friday.
“The squadron’s aircraft performed well in all five IOC operational scenarios: Close Air Support, Air Interdiction, Armed Reconnaissance, Offensive Counter Air and Defensive Counter Air. This included live ordnance deliveries. The demonstrated capability of the squadron in the ORI, and in their run up to it, have given me the confidence that they meet our IOC criteria and, if required, could respond to a contingency, giving our nation its first sea-based 5th generation strike fighter capability. As such, the Commandant of the Marine Corps has decided to declare VMFA-121 initial operationally capable.”

Davis added in his statement that “as we field the F-35, we must remain vigilant in the forging of a sustainment system which supports readiness rates required to train for and conduct sustained combat operations. If I have any concern at this point, it is that the spare parts available to extract maximum value from this exceptional warfighting asset will be shy of what we will truly need. In our legacy fleet, we resource our sustainment accounts in order to achieve between 70 and 75% readiness. I think we have that wrong, and I want to see if we can do better with this new platform. The F-35B has so much potential. Per the Commandant’s guidance, I’ve asked my staff to see why we can’t resource this jet to achieve a significantly higher readiness rate.”

The following is the complete statement from the Marine Corps:

The U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35B Lightning II aircraft reached initial operational capability today with a squadron of 10 F-35Bs ready for world-wide deployment.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121), based in Yuma, Arizona, is the first squadron in military history to become operational with an F-35 variant, following a five-day Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI), which concluded July 17.

“I am pleased to announce that VMFA-121 has achieved initial operational capability in the F-35B, as defined by requirements outlined in the June 2014 Joint Report to Congressional Defense Committees,” said Gen. Joseph Dunford, Commandant of the Marine Corps. “VMFA-121 has ten aircraft in the Block 2B configuration with the requisite performance envelope and weapons clearances, to include the training, sustainment capabilities, and infrastructure to deploy to an austere site or a ship. It is capable of conducting close air support, offensive and defensive counter air, air interdiction, assault support escort and armed reconnaissance as part of a Marine Air Ground Task Force, or in support of the Joint Force.”

Dunford stated that he has his full confidence in the F-35B’s ability to support Marines in combat, predicated on years of concurrent developmental testing and operational flying.

“Prior to declaring IOC, we have conducted flight operations for seven weeks at sea aboard an L-Class carrier, participated in multiple large force exercises, and executed a recent operational evaluation which included multiple live ordnance sorties,” said Dunford. “The F-35B’s ability to conduct operations from expeditionary airstrips or sea-based carriers provides our Nation with its first 5th generation strike fighter, which will transform the way we fight and win.”

As the future of Marine Corps tactical aviation, the F-35 will eventually replace three legacy platforms: the AV-8B Harrier, the F/A-18 Hornet, and the EA-6B Prowler.

“The success of VMFA-121 is a reflection of the hard work and effort by the Marines in the squadron, those involved in the program over many years, and the support we have received from across the Department of the Navy, the Joint Program Office, our industry partners, and the Under Secretary of Defense. Achieving IOC has truly been a team effort,” concluded Dunford.

The U.S. Marine Corps has trained and qualified more than 50 Marine F-35B pilots and certified about 500 maintenance personnel to assume autonomous, organic-level maintenance support for the F-35B.

VMFA-121’s transition will be followed by Marine Attack Squadron 211 (VMA-211), an AV-8B squadron, which is scheduled to transition to the F-35B in fiscal year 2016. In 2018, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122), an F-18 Hornet squadron, will conduct its transition.

Marines Declare Initial Operational Capability on F-35B Joint Strike Fighter - USNI News

 

[Superboy]

Now let's see if air force F-35A can follow suit in 2017 as planned

 

[F-22Raptor]

Now let's see if air force F-35A can follow suit in 2017 as planned

The F-35A is set for IOC in August 2016.

 

[500]

F-35B is first supersonic and first stealth vertical take off fighter in history.

 

[Providence]

F35 after being operationalised would be the first of it's kind network intelligent fighter. The level of battlefield awareness the fighter has will be unsurpassed for a couple decades at least.

The next logical phase would be to develop doctrines around these capabilities and hammer out the last mile operational details for wartime deployments.

 

[F-22Raptor]

SAN DIEGO — With the U.S. Marine Corps achieving F-35B initial operating capability (IOC), the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) waveform developed by Northrop Grumman Corp. has been proven a key combat-ready capability of the F-35 Lightning II program.

MADL is a high-data-rate, directional communications link that allows fifth-generation aircraft to communicate and coordinate tactics covertly. During testing of the Lockheed Martin F-35, MADL exceeded 1,000 flight hours.

The Marine Corps declared the F-35B short takeoff and vertical-landing (STOVL) aircraft and the first squadron officially operational July 31.

“Northrop Grumman congratulates the Marine Corps on their achievement of this momentous F-35 milestone,” said Jeannie Hilger, vice president and general manager, communications division, Northrop Grumman Information Systems. “The successful completion of IOC also validates Northrop Grumman’s more than 10-year effort to advance communication among fifth-generation aircraft.”

MADL is part of Northrop Grumman’s F-35 integrated communications, navigation and identification (CNI) avionics and an important element of the F-35 Block 2 software release. Northrop Grumman has delivered 181 CNI systems to Lockheed Martin, the F-35 prime contractor.

Since August 2012, MADL has been used continuously to support a variety of developmental and operational objectives during testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Block 2B MADL testing culminated with four F-35s demonstrating that data passed among the aircraft via MADL could be correlated with data from other F-35 sensors and fused to form a unified situational awareness picture on cockpit displays.

“In addition to fifth-to-fifth, Northrop Grumman’s CNI system also provides a core capability for fifth-to-fourth generation networked data sharing and unparalleled interoperability,” Hilger said, citing a series of operational flight tests under the Jetpack Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program.

As part of the Jetpack JCTD program, Northrop Grumman developed the Freedom 550 software-defined radio that bridges fifth-to-fourth generation platform interoperability gaps. Jetpack JCTD, which concluded in 2014, was sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command, Pacific Command and OSD’s Defense Microelectronics Activity.

Northrop Grumman’s integrated CNI system provides to F-35 pilots the equivalent capability of over 27 avionics subsystems. By using its industry-leading software-defined radio technology, Northrop Grumman’s design allows the simultaneous operation of multiple critical functions while greatly reducing size, weight and power demands on the advanced fighter. These functions include Identification Friend or Foe, automatic acquisition of fly-to points, and various voice and data communications, including MADL, which was approved by the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Requirements Oversight Council for use on all low-observable platforms.

SEAPOWER Magazine Online

 

[Aepsilons]

A beautiful machine, an eloquent killer. Can't wait for these babies to arrive and join the Japanese Air Self Defense Force.