JSF F-35 Lightning II

Rappel du premier message :

Bonjour à tous,

Le F-35 est l'avenir de beaucoup de forces aériennes, il remplacera les F-16, A-10, Harrier et autres. Je propose que soient postées ici, si vous êtres d'accord, toutes les infos au sujet du F-35. Merci de m'avoir lu.

Article (en anglais) fort intéressant sur l'avion qui comprend un pdf avec les différents armements que pourra emporter le F-35, tant en soutes, que sous les ailes. Furtif, moins furtif...

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/archives/2007/articles/apr_07/lightningstrike/index.html

Dans cet autre article, une image montre qu'il serait aussi possible de rajouter de l'armement en bout d'aile, info, intox?

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/archives/2002/articles/arp_02/jsf/index.html

Rafi

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Lockheed: One F-35B Problem Fixed


F-35B maker Lockheed Martin says it has a solution to at least one of the problems that has put the vertical-takeoff variant of the Joint Strike Fighter on a fix-it-or-die deadline.

The company says it has finished redesigning an aluminum bulkhead located where the aircraft's main landing gear attaches to the airframe.Related Topics

Cracks had been found in the bulkhead after ground tests.
"A redesign of the bulkhead is completed and an implementation plan has been developed. No cracking was found in any of the flight test aircraft, and flight testing has not been affected. Other locations of similar design are also being assessed," a company spokesman John Kent said in an e-mailed statement Jan. 11.
On Jan. 6, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the F-35B was "experiencing significant testing problems," and that the program had two years to "get it right" or face cancellation.
"These issues may lead to a redesign of the aircraft's structure and propulsion, changes that could add yet more weight and more cost to an aircraft that has little capacity to absorb more of either," he said.

defensenews

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New design changes raises pressure on future of F-35B variant




Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney have revealed the extent of design changes required to release the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B from a newly imposed "probationary" status within two years.

The Joint Strike Fighter programme is now cleared to spend another $4.6 billion partly to correct structural and propulsion design flaws in the F-35B. But patience is swiftly cooling with the specialised variant ordered by the US Marine Corps.

While the US Air Force's conventional take-off and landing F-35A and the US Navy's F-35C carrier variant are "proceeding satisfactorily" in tests, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says the Marine Corps' prized stealth fighter is "experiencing significant testing problems".

flightglobal

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5 vertical landings in 8 days for F-35B




By Dave Majumdar - Staff writer


A series of five vertical landings over eight days shows that the troubled F-35B Joint Strike Fighter is getting back on track, analysts said.
The tests, performed between Jan. 6 and 13, are among the 42 that must be completed before the aircraft can be tested at sea onboard an amphibious assault ship.
The 2011 schedule for F-35 flight testing has yet to be finalized, said John Kent, a spokesman for F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin.
Prior to Jan. 6, short take-off and vertical-landing operations had been suspended due to problems with doors located on the upper surface of the aircraft.
Analysts agreed that this series of vertical landings signals the problematic vertical landing variant is starting to recover from a series of technical glitches that resulted in schedule slips and the redesigns of some ancillary equipment and structural elements of the aircraft. These elements include components in the propulsion system, an insufficiently robust structural bulkhead and hinges on some doors on the top surface of the aircraft.
“I think it does [signal that the program is getting back on track]. This program has never been quite as troubled as many critics thought. I think it’s probably progressed more smoothly than other fighter development program with the possible exception of the F-16,” said Loren Thompson, an analyst at the Lexington Institute, Arlington, Va. The F-16’s development proceeded so smoothly because of the simple nature of the original version of that aircraft, he said.
Comparatively, the earlier development of Lockheed Martin’s other fifth-generation fighter, the F-22 Raptor, faced far greater difficulties, Thompson said. He said that the challenges faced by the F-35 are common teething problems encountered in most developmental programs.
“Lockheed Martin, they definitely learned from the F-22 experience. The Air Force is sort of vindicated in taking an F-35 design that based in large part on the F-22 system,” Thompson said.
Analyst Richard Aboulafia at the Teal Group, Fairfax, Va., said that the technical challenges facing the F-35 can be turned around within the two-year probationary span allotted by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to fix the program.
“The problem with this program, given two years of leeway, is not technological. It’s budgetary and political,” he said.
The Air Force conventional take-off version and Navy carrier variant are doing well in testing, both Aboulafia and Thompson said. Both variants are ahead of schedule in their flight tests.
“We started getting the F-35B back on track toward the end of last year, when we resolved some of the key component issues and began achieving flight rates similar to those of the [conventional take-off] jets, but the [vertical landings] this month certainly have moved the needle for us in terms of STOVL-mode flight. We are seeing excellent results,” said Lockheed’s Kent.

marinecorpstimes

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BF-2, an F-35B test aircraft, performing its first vertical landing.

Industry Effort to Solve Technical Problems is a Race Against Time

09:08 GMT, January 14, 2011 Last week, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, announced that he had placed the short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on “double secret probation.” The prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, has two years to fix problems with the air frame and engine. It is noteworthy that the Secretary said that the other two parts of the F-35 program for the Air Force and Navy are proceeding satisfactorily.

Building a STOVL aircraft is an extraordinarily challenging undertaking. The aircraft has to be able to operate in both vertical and horizontal dimensions, have a useful operational range and carry a meaningful payload. The same power plant engine must be used to power the aircraft in both flight modes. Only two STOVL systems have ever been deployed, the Harrier and the Yak-38 Forger, and the latter was a failure. The former was a notable success particularly in the Falklands war and Operation Iraqi Freedom. But the Harrier is based on 1960s technology. The Harrier production line closed in 1997 and remanufacture of older versions into the current Harrier II Plus configuration ended in 2003.

A new STOVL aircraft is needed. But to meet emerging threats and new mission requirements, it must have stealth characteristics, a supersonic speed and the kind of advanced avionics that can cope with the modern battlefield. This is particularly difficult when one is building a plane that can also land like a helicopter. This further complicates aircraft design. A hinge flap on an inlet door had to be redesigned when it compromised the F-35B’s stealth characteristics.

What exactly are the F-35B’s current problems? As the Secretary noted, they include both structural and engine issues. Apparently, a bulkhead cracked during testing. While it has been redesigned, additional testing of other structural elements to ensure against a repeat of the problem is ongoing. Lockheed has said that resolving structural issues will not require replacement of the aluminum structures, a move that could add cost and weight.

The engine problems are more challenging, which is to be expected given the nature of the power plant required by a STOVL aircraft. In vertical flight mode some of the components of the lifting portion of the power system have not operated as expected, creating mechanical and heating issues. These are not fundamental technical problems but questions of component design and subsystem integration. The engine manufacturer asserts that it can fix these problems without adding weight or cost.

It is likely that the Lockheed team will be able to resolve the issues that have delayed the STOVL portion of the F-35 program. The challenge is to do it while the clock is ticking.

defpro
http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/731/

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Report Reveals Undisclosed F-35 Problems
The F-35 Lightning II strike fighter has previously undisclosed problems with its handling, avionics, afterburner and helmet-mounted display, according to a report by the Pentagon's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.Both the U.S. Air Force F-35A variant and U.S. Marine Corps' F-35B model experienced "transonic wing roll-off, [and] greater than expected sideslip during medium angle-of-attack testing," the report said.
The report also says that various components are not as reliable as expected.

Additionally, the Pratt and Whitney F-135 engine has encountered an afterburner "screech," in which airflow disruptions cause severe vibrations, preventing the enginengine has encountered an afterburner "screech," in which airflow disruptions cause severe vibrations, preventing the engine from reaching maximum power. That problem has delayed some required testing.

According to the report, the program has already begun efforts to fix the problem. Pratt and Whitney officials were not immediately available for comment.

Further, the report indicates problems with the aircraft's helmet-mounted display (HMD). Unlike many previous aircraft, the F-35 does not have a cockpit-mounted head-up display; the pilot instead views critical data projected on the helmet visor.

The report does not elaborate on the nature of the problems, but says they must be solved before the Block 2 mission systems software can be tested. Currently, the program is testing preliminary Block 0.5 and Block 1 mission systems software. Block 2 would incrementally increase the aircraft's capabilities and would be followed by the fully mission-capable Block 3 software.

A Lockheed Martin official could not immediately describe the technical problems with the display.

"The F-35 air system advances Helmet Mounted Display technology to capabilities not flying today on any other tactical platform. With this advancement in technology come challenges that the program is actively managing. The challenges are being worked with the supplier," said Lockheed Martin spokesman John Kent.

"While there are no current plans to change suppliers, options are being considered in parallel that mitigate the most stressing issues. Flight testing is proceeding with the HMD installed and used with no safety of flight concerns."

The report also calls for the Block 3 mission system software to be tested on a simulated battlefield because existing test ranges are not adequate to test the F-35's sensor arrays.

"Open-air testing is constrained by range limitations that are incapable of providing realistic testing of many key capabilities provided by Block 3 aircraft," the report says.

The report also calls for the aircraft's On-Board Inert Gas Generations System, which generates inert gases to prevent oxygen building up inside the fuel tanks, to be redesigned.

"The OBIGGS system fails to inert the fuel tank ullage spaces throughout the combat flight envelopes evaluated," the report says.

The report recommends program officials redesign the OBIGGS system "to ensure that the fuel tank ullage volume oxygen concentrations are maintained below levels that sustain fire and/or explosion throughout the combat flight envelopes."

These issues are in addition to the known difficulties with the B-model aircraft's insufficiently strong structural bulkhead and problems with auxiliary air inlet doors on the aircraft's top surface.

defencenews : http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5484169&c=AME&s=AIR

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F-35 restructuring saves $6.9 bln over 5 years

WASHINGTON | Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:40pm EST

WASHINGTON Jan 25 (Reuters) - The Pentagon's decision to delay buying 124 Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N)
F-35 fighters until after fiscal year 2016 saved $6.9 billion over the coming five years, a Defense Department spokesman said on Tuesday.
On Jan. 6, Defense Secretary Robert Gates overhauled the Pentagon's largest weapons program for the second time in a year, slowing a planned ramp-up in production and adding $4.6 billion to the program's development phase.
At the time, Gates said the move would result in net savings of about $4 billion over the next five years -- after subtracting the money needed to buy 41 additional Boeing Co (BA.N) F/A-18 warplanes to offset slower F-35 production.
The Pentagon's biggest arms program, the new fighter is being developed with eight international partner countries at a total cost of $382 billion, but the program has run into schedule delays and massive cost overruns in recent years.
Joe DellaVedova, the Pentagon's F-35 spokesman, provided additional details, including the $6.9 billion savings figure on Tuesday.
He said the $4.6 billion added to the development phase would be used to improve the propulsion system of the Marine Corps variant of the F-35, including the lift fan that gives it short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) capability.
The system of doors used to operate the propulsion lift system would also likely need a redesign to improve its durability, he said.
He said some of the money would also be used for training and to upgrade the pilot-vehicle interface.
Some money had also been set aside to address "unknown items that may be discovered in developmental flight test," DellaVedova said in an emailed statement answering questions.
He said those estimates would be refined as part of an integrated baseline review to be conducted this fall.
The Pentagon estimated earlier this month that it would cost $13.8 billion to finish the development phase of the F-35 fighter, on top of the $37 billion spent to date.
DellaVedova said development of the Air Force and Navy versions of the F-35 would be extended by 10 months until the first quarter of 2016, while 20 months would be added to the development of the Marine Corps variant.
A detailed schedule laying out development and operational testing would be available later this year, he said. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Gary Hill)

www.reuters.com

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U.S. May Allow India to Join JSF Effort



The United States is open to Indian participation in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, and eventual purchase of its fifth generation F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, Pentagon acquisitions Chief Ashton Carter said Jan. 26.
"There is nothing on our side, no principle which bars that on our side, Indian participation in the Joint Strike Fighter. Right now, they're focused on these aircraft which are top-of-the-line fourth-gen fighters," Carter said. Related Topics

However, the decision to pursue the F-35 is India's alone.
In a follow-up email, Pentagon spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin said, "If, at some point down the road, India were interested in purchasing JSF from us, then we would engage the Indians in an open, transparent manner at that time. But this would obviously be something that the Indian government would have to decide it wanted or needed."
Carter was speaking at the release of a report by the Carnegie Endowment's Ashley Tellis on India's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program. The Indian contract calls for the purchase of 126 fighters and is valued at more than $10 billion, Carter said. Competitors include the Lockheed Martin F-16IN Super Viper, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Saab JAS-39 Gripen and the Mikoyan MiG-35.
Carter touted the American-built F-16 and F/A-18 as being the most technologically advanced aircraft in the competition.
"I think that, without saying anything disparaging about the other entrants, both F/A-18 and the F-16 offers include the best technology," he said.
Tellis echoed Carter's comments, saying the two U.S. competitors offered the best capability for the lowest price. Of particular interest to India are the American fighters' Active Electronically Scanned Array radars (AESA), he said. The European and Russian aircraft do not currently have operational AESA radars available. The U.S. military, meanwhile, is currently operating its second generation of AESA radars.
The most important factors in any Indian decision will likely be technology transfer and industrial participation, Carter said. Carter also stressed the importance of lifecycle costs because 70 percent of a weapon's total cost resides in not in the initial purchase price, but rather in sustainment. According to Tellis, both the F-16 and F/A-18 offer the lowest lifecycle costs out of the aircraft on offer.
Carter also stressed the importance of transparency.
"I'm committed to in our process, both with respect to India and in our own internal processes, an open and transparent process, and I think we can promise the Indian government that," he said.

defensenews

Citation :

SOURCE:Flight International
Lockheed’s F-35 considers goal of 872 flights in 2011
By Stephen Trimble

Lockheed Martin is currently in talks to more than double this year the number of flight tests for the F-35 programme compared to 2010.

During Lockheed's year-end earnings webcast with stock market analysts on 27 January, chief executive Robert Stevens said the test requirements for 2011 are still being discussed with the joint programme office.

"But we are currently looking at 872 flights in total," Stevens said, noting the F-35 test fleet has recorded 36 flights in the first 27 days of the year.

Until Stevens' statement, Lockheed and programme officials had not disclosed this year's flight test goal.

Last year, the F-35 completed 410 test flights during the calendar year, resulting in 547 flights since the first takeoff by the AA-1 flight test aircraft in December 2006.

If the F-35 programme sticks with the 872 flight test goal, the cumulative total of 1,455 flight tests would retire about 30% of the programme's total number of flight tests on schedule.

The number, however, reflects the slower pace of progress expected after two programme restructurings since 1 February last year caused by testing and manufacturing delays.

Last June, programme officials expected to complete about 1,000 flight tests in 2011, which was already lowered from the previous year's plan.

Lockheed has delivered 10 of the 13 flight test aircraft in the original programme.

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Last F-35B STOVL Test Jet Takes Flight





FORT WORTH, Texas, January 28th, 2011 -- The last Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B Lightning II assigned to developmental flight testing departs Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base on its first flight Thursday. Known as BF-5, the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) jet will ferry to NAS Patuxent River, Md., later this year, where it will join four F-35Bs and one F-35C carrier variant aircraft currently undergoing testing. (Lockheed Martin photo by Randy Crites)

lockheedmartin.com

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SOURCE:Flight International
Cost of F-35 engine production declines, but delays and upgrades raise development price
By Stephen Trimble

Pratt & Whitney has reached an informal agreement with government officials to slash 16% off the total price of the next batch of 37 engines to be ordered for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

At the same time, the company acknowledges the cost of the overall F135 engine development programme will grow by about $1 billion to support a three-year extension of flight tests and to improve the engine's performance and durability.

Company officials also confirm a debate exists within the programme over slightly boosting the thrust of the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant in order to meet a key performance target.

The pending contract award for the fourth lot of low rate initial production (LRIP) shows the company is making progress, says Warren Boley, president of Pratt & Whitney's military engines business.

Getting to a "handshake agreement" with the government on an LRIP price tag, however, took months longer than expected.

"I turned in my proposal on Sept 15, 2009, and I said it should be a 5min negotiation," Boley says. "It took 16 months."

In the extended discussions, P&W increased the cost savings about 2-3% compared to its original proposal, Boley says. P&W has committed to lowering the F135's price tag to $10 million per engine with the 250th unit, he says, although he declined to identify the F135's current unit recurring flyaway cost.

If P&W reaches its goal, the 250th F135 engine will cost the same as the F119 that powers the Lockheed F-22A Raptor, although the former weighs 680kg (1,500lb) more and produces 20% more thrust, Boley says.

Continuing to reduce the recurring cost of the F135 will not be affected by recent decisions that will increase the non-recurring cost of the engine's development.

The cost of the development programme has already increased by 50% to $7.5 billion, Boley says, adding that two-thirds of the cost increase was driven by requirements changes out of the company's control.

On 6 January, the F-35 flight test programme was extended by three more years to 2016, and the number of flight tests jumped from about 5,000 to 7,500.

The new delay will add about $600 million to the cost of the F135 development programme, Boley says.

Meanwhile, several performance improvements for the lift-fan system will increase the cost of development by another $400 million, he says. Those upgrades include increasing the temperature and performance margins in the design of the lift fan, clutch and roll-posts actuators, he says.

In addition to those improvements, P&W has offered to boost the overall thrust provided by the STOVL propulsion system by about 400lbf, or roughly 1%, Boley says.

"There are those who debate whether the STOVL has sufficient margin to always come back and land fully loaded," Boley says.

According to Boley, Larry Lawson, Lockheed's executive vice president leading the F-35 programme, told him last week that the STOVL variant currently has enough thrust to meet the "bring-back" requirement established by the US Marine Corps.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/politics/17-f-35-engine.html?hpw#

http://data.imagup.com/5/1112877240.JPG si vous voulez zoomer



J'arrive pas a les mettres droites dsl

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F-35B 100th Flight



Posted 3/2/2011

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (Feb. 26, 2011) An F-35B test aircraft completes its 100th flight with Lockheed Martin test pilot David "Doc" Nelson at the controls. The F-35B is the Marine Corps variant of the Joint Strike Fighter and is capable of short take offs and vertical landings. The aircraft is undergoing testing and evaluation at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin by Michael D Jackson)

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F-35C breaks sound barrier for the first time


PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The first F-35C test aircraft (CF-1) flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time over a test range near the Navy and Marine Corps F-35 integrated test facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River March 4.

During a test flight to expand the flutter envelope, CF-1 reached Mach 1.02 at 30,000 feet with U.S. Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. Matt Taylor at the controls.

“It’s great to be part of bringing stealth capability to the big-deck carriers,” said Taylor. “We accomplished a large number of test points, and CF-1 handled great going past Mach 1. It was a privilege for me to take the F-35C over that milestone for the first time.”

CF-1 gathered enough supersonic flutter data for the team to continue supersonic envelope expansion in the near future.

Flutter is an evaluation of structural loads on the aircraft experienced at various speeds and while performing prescribed maneuvers. The test and evaluation team at NAS Patuxent River will expand the flutter envelope to demonstrate the required durability and reliability of the aircraft in advance of delivery of the aircraft to the fleet.

The F-35C is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear for greater control in the demanding carrier take-off and landing environment. Carrier suitability testing for the F-35C variant is scheduled to begin later this year with land-based catapult and jet blast deflector testing.

The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program is in the system development and demonstration phase, focusing on delivering three different, new aircraft variants to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. The integrated test force at NAS Patuxent River is focused on testing and evaluation of the F-35B and F-35C.

navair.navy.mil/press_releases

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BAE, Marand partner on F-35


Australia, March 4 (UPI) -- BAE Systems Australia and Marand have signed a deal for the supply of vertical tails for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The long-term agreement is the largest, highest-value package of industrial work on the F-35 program in Australia and is another link in the Australia supply chain for the advanced fighter aircraft.
The agreement is worth $802 million of high-tech export business for the aerospace industry in Australia over the life of the program, with subsequent contracts being let yearly, BAE said.
Under the agreement BAE Systems Australia will machine the vertical tail titanium components in Adelaide. Marand, which has headquarters in Victoria, will be the in-country lead for the manufacture of the 722 vertical tail fins and will undertake final assembly of the titanium parts.
"The BAE Systems team and Marand have worked together successfully on the F-35 for the past four years including the last 18 months on the vertical tails," said BAE Systems Group Managing Director -- International Guy Griffiths.
"This long-term agreement will bring more work into Australia. It underscores not only our confidence in the F-35 program but also in our continuing relationship with Marand."

www.upiasia.com

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On March 7, 2011, the first F-35B Joint Strike
Fighter test aircraft (BF-1) completed its 100th flight with BAE test
pilot Peter Wilson at the controls. BF-1 flew in short take-off,
vertical landing (STOVL) mode to continue expansion of the STOVL flight
envelope to demonstrate design durability and in preparation for
shipboard testing scheduled for later this year. The F-35B is the first
JSF variant with two aircraft completing 100 flights and will be the
first stealth fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps and is undergoing test
and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.

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JSF Grounded For Generator Failure, Leak


The entire F-35 fleet has been grounded pending an investigation into what caused a dual generator failure and an oil leak during flight tests of AF-4 at Edwards Air Force Base.
“The jet returned safely to base. As a routine safety precaution, the Joint Program Office (JPO) has temporarily suspended F-35 flight operations until a team of JPO and LM technical experts determines the root cause of the generator failure and oil leak,” Lockheed Martin F-35 spokesman John Kent said in a press statement.
The aircraft in question arrived at Edwards in late January and was the fifth F-35A conventional takeoff and landing



The grounding appears to have occurred because of the potential for loss of control posed by such a combination. The F-35’s flight control surfaces are controlled by electro-hydrostatic actuators made by Moog. If they don’t have power then the pilot can lose control. In this case, the back-up power system — the Integrated Power Package which also serves as the starter and air conditioner — kicked in as designed, allowing the pilot to return to base.
Kent noted that the F-35 has now flown 657 flights and this appears to be the first time a flight has encountered this problem. “Once the cause is known, the appropriate repairs and improvements will be made before flight

dodbuzz

et comme un malheur ne vient pas seul..pauvres futurs clients

Citation :

DATE:10/03/11
SOURCE:Flight International
Canada F-35 cost estimate soars 66%: report
By Stephen Trimble

Canada's planned fleet of 65 F-35As will be at least 66% more expensive to buy and operate over a 30-year lifespan than government officials predicted, according to an independent cost analysis.

The report issued by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) on 10 March predicts the Lockheed Martin F-35A will cost Canadian taxpayers US$29.3 billion over 30 years, compared to the $17.3 billion estimate published in October by the Department of National Defence (DND).

Canada's opposition Liberal Party has seized on the F-35 as a key political issue ever since Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister Stephen Harper committed to buy 65 F-35As on 14 July.

Liberal's leaders have complained the DND cost estimates are too low and taxpayers could save money with a competitive bidding process, with the Boeing F/A-18E/F, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen among the interested bidders.

Although substantially higher than the DND estimate, the PBO considers the $29.3 billion overall price tag for the F-35 as probably too conservative.

The report is based on several key assumptions, including Lockheed will build 2,478 F-35As, 330 F-35As will be delivered before Canada receives its first aircraft in 2016 and the F-35A's basic empty weight remains 13,318kg (29,361lb).

With all 65 aircraft delivered from 2016 to 2022, the PBO report estimates that the average cost for Canada's F-35As will be $148.5 million in Fiscal 2009 dollars.

The report also forecasts that the DND will spend $8.4 million every year to operate and sustain each F-35A, as well as about $30.4 million per aircraft for an overhaul and upgrade event scheduled 10 years after delivery.

Those numbers add up to a total ownership cost of $450 million per aircraft, or $29.3 billion overall, according to the PBO report.

Those figures are sharply higher than even the most pessimistic forecasts by the US Department of Defense, which plans to buy 2,443 F-35s. Although originally billed as a $30-$45 million fighter, the DOD now estimates the average cost is $91 million.

The PBO report notes that Lockheed officials believe the cost of the F-35 will decline from the $91 million estimate, not increase.

"Unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary, it is difficult to see prices reducing to their original estimated level," the PBO report says.

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Some JSFs cleared to fly after fleet grounded




Seven test versions of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have been cleared to resume flight testing, but others remain grounded while investigators work to determine why one aircraft’s primary generators failed last week, the program’s top official told Congress on Tuesday.
The oldest Air Force F-35A, numbered AF-1, returned to the air Monday, Vice Adm. David Venlet, program executive officer for the JSF program, said at a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing. Two other F-35As and four F-35B short take-off or vertical landing test planes have also been given the go-ahead to resume flying.
The entire fleet of F-35 system development and demonstration aircraft was grounded March 9 after an F-35A suffered a dual generator failure and oil leak during a test flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Investigators from the Navy and Air Force, along with prime contractor Lockheed Martin, determined that the failure was from a “design artifact unique to a newer configuration of the generator,” the program office said in a statement released Tuesday.
The new generator configuration was introduced into the fourth Air Force test aircraft, AF-4; the fifth STOVL aircraft for the Marine Corps, BF-5, and the first F-35C carrier version for the Navy, CF-1.
Those aircraft and the aircraft delivered after them remained grounded while investigators continue to look into the problem, Venlet said.
Venlet was on Capitol Hill for a hearing on combat aircraft programs in which the subject of the second, or alternate, engine for the Air Force JSF was a constant topic.
The Pentagon has long urged Congress to stop funding the second engine, the F136 made by Rolls-Royce and General Electric, claiming that development of the primary Pratt and Whitney F135 engine is satisfactory.
Since 2007 Congress has continued funding for the engine, against Pentagon wishes.
The House of Representatives voted Feb. 16 to drop the second engine, and Senate Democrats have dropped the F136 from their proposed budget plan.
But Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., chairman of the House Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, remains convinced that funding for the F136 should be continued.
“There is no viable competition for this aircraft,” Bartlett said at the Tuesday hearing. “And I would also point out that if the Pentagon has its way, that is exactly the position we will be in for the engine for this aircraft, by giving a decades-long, $110 billion, sole-source contract to the primary engine manufacturer for the F-35.”
David Van Buren, the service acquisition executive for the Air Force, countered that the issue of the second engine “is clearly a case of constrained resources. We do not feel we have the resources to fund the alternate engine.”
But most subcommittee members asking questions at the hearing — particularly Republicans — joined Bartlett in questioning the Pentagon’s single-engine strategy.
“There so many benefits to having a competitive program,” observed Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa.
“Are we really saving money in the short term and spending more in the long term?” asked Rep. John Fleming, R-La.
“I fall on the side of being concerned about going to a single source, where we could have problems with price escalation, and devastating consequences to a fleet that has a single source,” said Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio.
Ohio is one of the states where the F136 is manufactured.
But Bartlett professed that “the interest in my district is in the Pratt and Whitney engine. I think they will do a better job if there is a F136.”
Bartlett also questioned why, if the Navy recommended buying two versions of its Littoral Combat Ship, the Pentagon claimed it didn’t need two engine suppliers for the JSF.
“I was supportive of buying both LCSs,” he said. “I’m still wondering why this is not a good procurement model for the alternate engine.”
Vice Adm. Mark Skinner, the senior Navy deputy in the service’s acquisition office, was unable to provide a succinct answer, and promised to supply more information

navytimes

http://www.corlobe.tk/article23346.html

Citation :

SOURCE:Flight International
Power failure investigation continues for F-35
By Stephen Trimble

US government officials cleared seven of 10 Lockheed Martin F-35 test aircraft to fly five days after a power outage and oil leak forced the AF-4 vehicle to land on 9 March.

But the full costs of the programme's most serious in-flight incident in nearly four years remain unclear. Six of the seven cleared test aircraft had returned to flight by 16 March. Three of the latest test aircraft to roll off Lockheed Martin's assembly line and both production aircraft delivered to date remain grounded indefinitely while the investigation of the incident continues.
The root cause of the generator malfunction remains under investigation within the programme, but officials decline to offer any clues of the failure or details about the difference between the older and newer generators.

It is also not clear if the AF-4 pilot was manoeuvring aggressively at the time of the power black-out.

Since the F-35 design relies on electricity instead of hydraulics to power flight-control surfaces, a dual-generator failure is a critical safety issue. By design, the F-35's electric system has a third back-up - Honeywell's integrated power pack - which kicked in and allowed the pilot to land safely.

For the test fleet, the difference between airworthy and grounded depends on a vital component weighing only 56.7kg (125lb) and occupying a volume of 0.04m³ (1.69ft³), according to US Navy acquisition documents.

Airworthy aircraft are powered by an older version of the F-35's dual-redundant Hamilton Sundstrand electric starter-generators.

The grounded aircraft, which include the conventional take-off and landing AF-4, short take-off and landing BF-5, carrier-based CF-1 and production models AF-6 and AF-7, are powered by an updated version made by Hamilton Sundstrand called the alternate electric starter generators.

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Joint Plan Improves U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Air Capabilities

The USMC will assign five air squadrons to the F-35C variant.

Navy and Marine Corps leaders sign agreement on purchase of fighter aircraft

09:40 GMT, March 15, 2011 WASHINGTON | U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders yesterday signed an agreement by which the Corps will join the Navy in buying the F-35 joint strike fighter variant designed for aircraft carriers, service leaders announced on Monday, March 14. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos signed a memorandum of agreement on Monday on the purchase of F/A-18E/F and F-35B/C fighter jets they say will improve air capabilities for both services.

Under the agreement, the two services will buy 680 F-35s. The Navy will buy 260 of the F-35C carrier variant, and the Marine Corps will buy 80 of the F-35Cs, along with 340 of the F-35Bs, a short-take off, vertical-landing variant. The Corps will assign five of its air squadrons to flying the F-35Cs in the Navy’s carrier air wing, the agreement says.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced in January that he was placing the F-35B on the equivalent of two years probation due to testing problems with the STOVL aircraft.

Monday’s agreement demonstrates the commitment of Gates, Mabus and Roughead to the purchase of the F-35B, Thomas E. Laux, the Navy’s deputy assistant secretary for air programs, said during a press briefing. “These quantities match the fiscal 2012 budget request,” he said.

The F-35Cs will be assigned to the Navy’s aircraft carriers, while the “B” variants are assigned to L-class ships, Laux said. “Our priority is to do testing of the F-35Cs on the carrier,” he said. “We will learn a lot about the F-35Bs on the L ships” to determine if the STOVLs may be used on carriers.

The agreement reflects the “enduring partnership” of Navy and Marine Corps aviation, Laux said. Training for the aircraft will be “completely integrated,” and there will be only one pipeline, he said.

The combination of F-35B and C variants, along with the F-18s, will improve the services’ advance air capabilities, service officials said.

“Together, the Navy and Marine Corps are stronger than they are alone,” Laux said. “Together, we are more formidable than we are apart.”

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Northrop Grumman Takes Delivery of First Production F-35 Air Inlet Duct From Key Turkish Supplier

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., March 22, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI), a major international F-35 Lightning II supplier to Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), has delivered its first production air inlet duct for the jet. A photo accompanying this release is available at [url=http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=8910]http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=8910[/url] The delivery of the all-composite duct, a major structural element of the F-35's center fuselage, will support Northrop Grumman's production of F-35 center fuselages for conventional takeoff and landing variants at its aerospace production facility in Palmdale, Calif. "This delivery reflects the growing maturity of TAI's composite fiber-placed manufacturing processes, and the steady evolution of its role as a second source supplier of center fuselages for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program," said Mark Tucker, vice president and F-35 program manager for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. Northrop Grumman is a principal subcontractor of the Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)-led F-35 industry team. TAI produced the air inlet duct at its composites manufacturing facility in Ankara, Turkey, as part of a five-year, $28.4 million contract awarded to the company in September 2009 by Northrop Grumman. "The delivery of this first production duct represents the successful culmination of a training process for TAI that began in El Segundo approximately two years ago," said David Dominguez, manufacturing engineering lead for international production for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "Over the course of that instruction, TAI's engineers and manufacturing specialists have grown from having limited knowledge of composites manufacturing processes to now being able to produce large, complex, high precision parts for one of the most advanced weapon systems in the world." According to Dominguez, the TAI training included rigorous classroom and hands-on work to teach its employees how to fabricate an F-35 inlet duct from start to finish. The training was conducted at Northrop Grumman's Advanced Composites Center in El Segundo. TAI is a second source supplier of F-35 air inlet ducts and center fuselages to Northrop Grumman. The company is slated to produce inlet ducts to support both the current production of center fuselages on Northrop Grumman's F-35 assembly line in Palmdale, Calif., and the 400 complete center fuselages that it will produce in Turkey. Deliveries of the TAI-produced center fuselages are scheduled to begin in 2013, as part the F-35 program's fifth phase of low rate initial production. Northrop Grumman is responsible for designing and producing the center fuselage for all three variants of the F-35. The company also designed and produces the aircraft's radar and other key avionics including electro-optical and communications subsystems; develops mission systems and mission-planning software; leads the team's development of pilot and maintenance training system courseware; and manages the team's use, support and maintenance of low-observable technologies.

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Rolls-Royce develops LiftSystem for the F35-B Joint Strike Fighter





When, in December, Britain’s Harrier jets landed at RAF Cottesmore for the final time, the sombre mood weighed on all those present. In a ritual known as the ’walk of honour’, the pilots disembarked from their aircraft and walked away without taking a single look back.

The walk marked the end of the Harriers’ 41-year career and closed an illustrious chapter in British aviation history. The iconic aircraft has become one of the country’s greatest technical achievements, being the only military jet that could hover above the ground and fly in areas other fighter aircraft were unable to reach.

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F-35 Testing Well Ahead Of Schedule For 2011

Flight tests of the tri-service F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are running well ahead of the plan for 2011, with 181 flights completed as of March 25 against a plan of 133. In addition, the productivity of each flight test is increasing, with an average of 7.7 unique test points achieved per flight. The combination of additional test flights above plan and greater-than-expected productivity per flight has enabled the overall test program to complete 1,310 test points -- far above the number of 899 planned for this stage in the testing cycle. All three variants of the F-35 are being tested, with the average aircraft performing six flights per month.

The test program might have been dealt a serious setback on March 9 when a conventional takeoff variant was forced to make an emergency landing due to a dual generator failure. Generators provide the electricity that starts the fighter's engine and powers flight controls. However, the cause of the failure was quickly traced to faulty maintenance procedures which have now been corrected, and the test fleet has returned to service. These kinds of anomalies are commonplace in tests of new aircraft.

Lockheed Martin officials are confident they can resolve problems identified in testing with several parts of the short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) version of the F-35 being developed for the Marine Corps. Among the fixes required are a strengthening of the doors above the mid-fuselage lift-fan, reinforcement of a bulkhead, and resolution of excessive heat deposition at one point near the engine exhaust. Defense secretary Robert Gates recently put the Marine variant on a two-year probationary period to make the necessary fixes, while stating the Air Force and Navy variants were progressing well.

The conventional-takeoff Air Force version will be the most heavily produced F-35, comprising over 70 percent of the domestic production run and almost all of the export sales. The Air Force plans to buy 1,763 conventional-takeoff F-35s, while the Navy and Marine Corps collectively will buy 680 of their two variants. Overseas allies are expected to buy thousands of the planes over the next three decades as they replace aging Cold War fighters and seek a low-cost solution to their requirement for a versatile and survivable tactical aircraft.

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