JSF F-35 Lightning II

Sujet: JSF F-35 Lightning II Mer 17 Oct 2007 - 17:25

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

Citation :: A mannequin is ejected from a full scale front section of an F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft travelling down a test track at speeds in excess of 600 mph, in Samlesbury, Lancashire.

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MAATAWI a écrit:

Citation :: F-35 Tests Proceed, Revealing F/A-18-Like Performance
...
The tests are filling in details about the plane's flight characteristics, which are turning out to be quite similar to the F/A-18 Hornet
....
Operational pilots should be thrilled with the F-35's performance, Kelly said. The F-35 Energy-Management diagrams, which display an aircraft's energy and maneuvering performance within its airspeed range and for different load factors, are similar to the F/A-18 but the F-35 offers better acceleration at certain points of the flight envelope.
"The E-M diagrams are very similar between the F-35B, F-35C and the F/A-18. There are some subtle differences in maximum turn rates and some slight differences in where corner airspeeds are exactly," Kelly said.

defensenews

ca ne doit pas etre la foudre donc,si semblable en E-M au F/A18.
le F-16blk52 est bien au dessus dans cette enveloppe,mais je crois qu´ils s´attendaient au pire que ca vu la comparaison..

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Citation :: U.S. may scrap F35, set to be Israel's fighter jet of the future

The warplane, with stealth capabilities, was slated to replace an entire generation of jet fighters in the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps
Senior members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee last week instructed the Pentagon to come up with alternatives to the jet fighter of the future, the F-35, with the project facing massive cost overruns.
The plane has been selected as the future of the Israel Air Force, and for now there are no plans for an alternative if the American project is shelved.
U.S. Defense Department officials presented the latest data last Thursday to the senate committee on the F-35s test flights and costs.
The plane, with stealth capabilities, is slated to replace an entire generation of jet fighters in the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.
But after hearing the data, committee chairman Senator Carl Levin and committee member Senator John McCain said it seemed time to consider alternatives.
The remarks at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, a forum that has historically supported military spending, seems to be the most serious threat the F-35 has faced so far.
"We cannot sacrifice other important acquisitions in the Department of Defense investment portfolio to pay for this capability," Levin said.
The sense in Washington is that after years in which there was strong political backing for the American defense industries' banner project, senior politicians are having to scale back support in the face of a mounting budget deficit.
Last November, the bi-partisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform called for a complete halt in the purchase of one model of the F-35, slated for operation on aircraft carriers, and to halve the purchase of the rest of the models.
At the moment, a purchase of 2,443 planes is planned for the U.S. Air Force, the Navy and the Marines, with foreign countries, including Israel, purchasing another approximately 600 jets.
However, some of these countries are already cutting back on their orders. The cost of one F-35 was planned to have been $69 million, but according to the Pentagon's calculation, the cost has now risen to $103 million and according to Government Accountability Office calculations from last year, it could climb to $112 million.
Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisitions Ashton Carter told the Senate panel that the costs are "unacceptable," but pledged to find ways to reduce them.
Some of the cost of the aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed-Martin, stems from significant delays in the test program, in integrating its advanced systems and in a structural problem discovered during testing.
The planes are planned to begin entering into service in the U.S. Air Force in 2013, but it is now believed that only in 2015 will the plane's final software package be fully integrated and only in 2016 will the "Block 3" series, with full technological capabilities, be ready for operational flights.
Israel's Defense Ministry has so far ordered 20 F-35s, but the Israel Air Force has plans to outfit three of its operational squadrons with the aircraft, a total of between 60 and 75 planes.
The Israel Defense Forces is now concerned over the expected delay in delivery of the planes. A senior member of the IDF General Staff raised the possibility that to release older planes from service, the IAF lease from the Americans a squadron of used F-15s. However, in an interview with Haaretz two weeks ago, Defense Ministry Director General Udi Shani rejected the idea.
"On the last visit of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in Israel a month ago, we were told that the delay would be less than what we had thought," he said.
Shani said the delay could allow Israel to outfit the planes with its own systems. "I am in favor of getting a plane with ... as many systems as possible made in Israel ... According to the original schedule we were told there was no time for that. We have teams in the United States now and after the holiday we'll hear their conclusions and I imagine dialogue will start with the Americans over a new schedule and changes."

haaretz

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Citation :: Officials: Military may deploy F-35 early

The military may deploy the F-35 joint strike fighter before the tri-service combat jet formally achieves initial operational capability, top uniformed officials told Congress earlier this week.
While the Marine Corps has always maintained that it would declare IOC with interim Block 2B software, the Air Force and Navy require that the aircraft be fielded with Block 3 software.
However, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Air Force and Navy leaders said Tuesday they would consider deploying the fifth-generation stealth fighter into combat zones with interim Block 2B software, provided there were no safety concerns.
“If the combatant commander said, ‘Bring me this capability,’ then we clearly would provide it,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle, the service’s deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements.
The Navy’s director of warfare integration, Rear Adm. David Philman, concurred.
“I don’t see any reason we wouldn’t be able to be told to go into theater, assuming all the safety considerations have been taken care of,” he said.
Both the Navy and the Air Force would have some number of the aircraft prior to any IOC date, but the specifics of how many planes would be available is not yet known.
“We will have a number, probably on the order of 100 airplanes, delivered to operational units before we declare initial operational capability,” Carlisle said. “Clearly, although we may not declare IOC, we’ll be training, we’ll be doing the tactics, training and procedures with the Block 2.”
The maintenance and logistical systems would also be built during that period, he said.
Philman said the Navy would have some aircraft available, but not as many as the Air Force.
Marine Lt. Gen. Terry Robling, the Corps’ deputy commandant for aviation, testified alongside Carlisle and Philman that his service still plans to declare IOC with the interim Block 2B software and would have about 50 F-35s available near that time. He said IOC for the Marines is now estimated to fall between 2014 and 2015, a two-year slip.
Even with the interim software, the F-35 would be vastly more capable than existing warplanes, the three flag officers said.
“There is a lot of capability even in the Block 2 airplanes that looks very impressive,” Carlisle said.
However, the Air Force and the Navy will insist upon Block 3 hardware and software for their formal IOC declarations, Carlisle and Philman said.
Insisting on Block 3 will allow the Pentagon to keep the pressure on Lockheed Martin, the F-35’s prime contractor.
“I’ll be perfectly frank: In a lot of cases, if you delay an IOC, you can maintain pressure on a contractor,” Carlisle said.
IOC for the Air Force and Navy, like the Marines, will slip by about two years from 2016, Carlisle and Philman said.
None of the three services has set a fixed IOC date, but Philman said the 2016 date is no longer valid.

airforcetimes

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Citation :: Lockheed Martin: willing to outsource F-35 production to Japan

TOKYO (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) is willing to outsource some production of its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Japanese firms if the country's government decides to buy them as its next mainstay fighter aircraft, an executive at the U.S. company said on Friday.
Lockheed Martin is also confident it can complete operational tests by 2016 and meet delivery and technical requirements set by Japan's Ministry of Defense, said John Balderston, who heads Lockheed's F-35 campaign in Japan.
"We fully understand the importance of the Japanese defense industry as part of national security posture and we will work with Japanese industry to produce its next generation airplane," Balderston told Reuters in an interview in Tokyo.
"We are confident that we can fully meet the MOD's delivery and other requirements."
Japan has yet to decide how it will replace its current fleet of aging F-4 Phantom fighters, whose design dates back to the 1960s and which have become increasingly difficult to maintain. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T) is also set to end production of its F-2 aircraft in 2011, raising concerns over the future of Japan's fighter-jet industry.
Along with the F-35, Boeing Co's (BA.N) F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon have been short-listed for the final fighter jet selection, which Japan aims to make this year.
Japan, which plans to order 40 to 50 new fighter jets, wants delivery by March 2017, according to local media reports. The country has come under pressure to make a selection as the decision has already been delayed by at least three years.
BALLOONING COSTS
The development of the stealth, supersonic F-35, due to replace various aircraft in the military fleets of both the United States and its partners, has been hampered by delays and ballooning costs.
The fighters is the Pentagon's costliest arms purchase, most recently projected to total more than $380 billion over the coming two decades. U.S. lawmakers last month urged the Pentagon to think of alternatives to the F-35 program if costs cannot be brought down.
Balderston said, however, that the company would resolve development issues and that new F-35 testing programs are ahead of schedule.
The F-35 is expected to account for more than 20 percent of Lockheed's global sales when it enters full production.

reuters

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Citation :: Lockheed Martin F-35 Program Flight Test Update

FORT WORTH, Texas | Overall, the F-35 program remains ahead of the overall goals for test flights and test points year-to-date. Through May 31, the program accomplished 378 flights versus a plan of 297 and accomplished 3,342 test points against a plan of 2,217.

Several flight test and production key milestones were accomplished since the last report:

• The F-35B short takeoff /vertical landing (STOVL) jet BF-1 performed the 100th vertical landing for the test program on May 12. For 2011, 106 vertical landings have been performed.
• The F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) jet AF-1 flew to Mach 1.53, the fastest-to-date speed of the existing aircraft fleet. AF-7 completed the longest test mission to date lasting 4.1 hours.
• During the month of May, all three variants of the F-35 flew a combined total of 94 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) flights, the most achieved in a single month in program history.
• The F-35 program flew the most flights ever recorded on one day (May 25) when a combined total of 10 flights (includes SDD and LRIP) were completed at all three of its flight test locations at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), Calif.; Fort Worth, Texas; and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. (PAX).
• The U.S. Air Force accepted into its fleet, the second of a planned 1,763 production-model F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters when AF-6 was delivered to EAFB on May 13. AF-6 was the second aircraft in Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) lot one contractually delivered.
• One of the first two F-35A production aircraft that will be delivered to Eglin AFB, Fla., accomplished its first flight on May 13. Known as AF-9, the aircraft will be delivered to Eglin for pilot and maintainer training later this year. This jet is the second aircraft to fly from LRIP lot two.
• Two F-35C carrier variant (CV) aircraft, known as CF-2 and CF-3, were delivered to the F-35 test fleet at PAX. CF-2 was delivered May 16 and CF-3 delivered June 2.
• CF-2 successfully completed the first F-35 public fly by at the Andrews AFB, Md., Joint Services Open House Air Show during the opening ceremony for the event May 21.

The following statistics reflect the cumulative flight test activity totals for 2011:
• F-35A CTOL jets have flown 183 times.
• F-35B STOVL aircraft have completed 166 flights.
• F-35C CV jets have flown 62 times.
• From the start of flight testing in December 2006 through June 13, 2011, F-35s flew 971 times, including the production-model acceptance flights and AA-1.

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.

defpro

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Citation :: U.S. Navy JSFs Resume Flight Ops After Glitch

Flying operations for the U.S. Navy's Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) test program resumed June 23 after a six-day suspension to fix a software problem
The aircraft were grounded June 17 when engineers at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., discovered a "logic fault" that could have prevented the proper action of aircraft control surfaces - the flaps, rudders and other movable elements that maneuver the plane through the air.
The Navy stressedthat no actual fault took place on any aircraft in the air or on the ground.
The software problem affected the "safety mechanism that ensures the wings are folded properly," said Lt. Courtney Hillson, a Navy spokesperson at the Pentagon. "It's the mechanism that prevents the flaps from moving in flight."
The safety monitoring function for the folding mechanism should be turned off during flight, Hillson said, but the software was not properly turning off the function.
The problem has yet to be fully corrected, but the aircraft have resumed flying with certain restrictions, according to a statement from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) at Pax River.
"A software fix is in progress, and the team has structured temporary maneuvering limitations to ensure it is not a safety hazard," NAVAIR said in the statement.
"Finding issues such as this is the purpose of aircraft test and evaluation," Hillson said. "By finding and correcting such issues, the test team is delivering a better product to the fleet."
The first of three F-35Cs in the Navy flight test program began operating from the Pax River test center in November. The C model differs from the A model for the Air Force and the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing B version for the Marine Corps in that it has folding wings for storage aboard an aircraft carrier.
The Navy JSF team "is still on track to commence initial carrier suitability testing next week with jet blast deflector testing in Lakehurst, N.J.," NAVAIR said June 24 in its statement.
The deflector tests at the Navy's carrier aviation test facility in Lakehurst will be followed in late July or early August by catapult launch and arrested recovery tests, Hillson said.

defensenews

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Citation :

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska | While participating in Northern Edge for the second time, F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter sensor capabilities were tested in Alaska's premier multi-operational environment June 13-24.

Hosted by Alaskan Command, Northern Edge is a biennial U.S. Pacific Command exercise that prepares joint forces to respond to crises throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

This year provided an opportunity to observe the performance of the F-35 JSF systems in multiple robust electronic warfare scenarios. The AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array radar and AN/AAQ-37 distributed aperture system were mounted aboard Northrop Grumman's BAC 1-11 test aircraft. Making its debut, the AN/AAQ-37 DAS demonstrated spherical situational awareness and target tracking capabilities. The DAS is designed to simultaneously track multiple aircraft in every direction, which has never been seen in an air combat environment.

A return participant, the AN/APG-81 AESA demonstrated robust electronic protection, electronic attack, passive maritime and experimental modes, and data-linked air and surface tracks to improve legacy fighter situational awareness. It also searched the entire 50,000 square-mile Gulf of Alaska operating area for surface vessels, and accurately detected and tracked them in minimal time.

Navy Cmdr. Erik Etz, the deputy mission systems integrated product team lead from the F-35 JSF Program Office, said the rigorous testing of both sensors during Northern Edge 2011 served as a significant risk-reduction step for the F-35 JSF program.

"By putting these systems in this operationally rigorous environment, we have demonstrated key war fighting capabilities well in advance of scheduled operational testing," Commander Etz added.

Holding the exercise in June added seasonal weather challenges for system operators to adapt to and overcome. Inclement and cloudy weather hampered in-flight visibility. The DAS was significant in providing clear and discernable horizons, and views of ground features and nearby aircraft. It also wasn't dark enough for testing night-vision functions. A surrogate test visor was used for displaying DAS imagery to the operators.

"The implications of F-35 JSF sensor systems for air-land-sea battle are immense," said Peter Bartos, Northrop Grumman's test director. "The testing at Northern Edge 2011 provided the opportunity to confirm the maturity and operational utility of key capabilities, and to identify any areas that might need refinement before entering formal operational testing on the F-35 JSF airframe."

He said the idea is to take the guess work out of development and testing, and to minimize or avoid issues that have plagued other major development programs in the past.

Northern Edge 2011 gave more than 6,000 active duty, National Guard and Reserve component Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard military participants the opportunity to train together in Alaska's vast Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, including the Gulf of Alaska maritime training area.

defpro

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Citation :

F-35C starts carrier suitability testing

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- Flown by test pilot Lt. Cmdr. Eric "Magic" Buus, F-35C test aircraft CF-2 lands at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey June 25. CF-2 and the F-35 integrated test team from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. are at the NAVAIR facility in Lakehurst for the first jet blast deflector (JBD) testing, in preparation for carrier shipboard testing in 2013. The team is at the JBD test facility to evaluate deck heating, JBD panel cooling, and vibro-acoustic, thermal, and hot-gas ingestion environments. The F-35C is the carrier variant of the three-service Joint Strike Fighter, and has larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear to perform in the demanding carrier environment. The F-35C and F-35B are undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to eventual delivery to the fleet. (Lockheed Martin)

Spoiler:

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Citation :: Photo release: F-35B starts electromagnetic testing for ship trials

Published June 30, 2011 | By Marcel van Leeuwen

F-35B test aircraft BF-4 rests the evening of June 21 after a day of testing at the Naval Electromagnetic Radiation Facility. The NERF testing simulates the shipboard electromagnetic environment to identify any potential issues prior to initial ship trials this fall on board USS Wasp (LHD 1). The F-35B is the short take-off, vertical landing variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps and international partners, and is undergoing test and evaluation at Naval Air Station Patuxent River prior to delivery to the fleet.
NAVAIR press release

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Citation :: First Martin-Baker deliveries for JSF Partner Nations

Published July 5, 2011 | By Marcel van Leeuwen

Martin-Baker has completed the first production configuration US16E Ejection Seat for their F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft for the partner nations. The US16E is the only ejection Seat in the world that has demonstrated compliance to the entire range of accommodation, physiological and ejection performance requirements for the JSF programme.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the first JSF partner nation scheduled to receive a production configuration Lockheed Martin (LM) F-35 Lightning II aircraft; the first UK aircraft is known as BK-1.
To mark this occasion, Wg Cdr Willy Hackett RAF and Lt Cdr Uves Wood RN from the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) Integrated Product Team (IPT) at Abbeywood, visited Denham on the 24th May 2011. They are pictured below with James Martin, Joint Managing Director of Martin-Baker.
Wg Cdr Hackett explained “Next year RAF and RN pilots will begin flying our first 2 JSF aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base in the US in a pooled arrangement with the USMC, as part of the preparations to build a UK Test and Evaluation Squadron, which will allow UK participation in JSF Operational Test at Edwards Air Force Base. This will be key to ensuring the UK fully understands how this 5th Generation aircraft performs and operates so that we can eventually use F-35 at a time and place of our choosing. For a pilot flying a complex combat aircraft their Ejection Seat is, in the end, critical to their ability to safely exit a stricken aircraft and return home to their families. Martin-Baker, with decades of experience and a proven track record of saving over 7350 lives has been chosen on a best value basis, as the sole supplier of ejection seats for the JSF programme, ensuring that our pilots can fly with confidence knowing that in extremis they are in safe hands.”
The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) is the second JSF partner nation scheduled to receive the production configuration F-35 Lightning II aircraft; the first RNLAF aircraft is known as AN-1 and will also be operated at Eglin AFB. To mark the completion of the AN-1 Ejection Seat, Lt Col Jan Van Tilburg, the Military Air & Deputy Defence Attaché for the Netherlands visited Denham on 8th June 2011 and was joined by Jon Rambeau, LM VP International Programs and Peter Livingstone Managing Director of LM UK.
With the completion of BK-1 and AN-1 Seat deliveries, Martin-Baker will have completed the manufacture of all Low Rate of Initial Production (LRIP) Lot III Seat deliveries for delivery into LM Fort Worth.
Martin Baker press release

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Citation :: F-35 Jet Blast Deflector Testing Underway at Lakehurst

Published July 7, 2011 | By Marcel van Leeuwen

F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft CF-2 is performing Jet Blast Deflector (JBD) tests at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. The JBD, located behind the catapults aboard aircraft carriers, deflects high energy exhaust from the engine to prevent damage and injury to other aircraft and personnel located in close proximity. JBD testing is one portion of the tests required to ensure the F-35C is compatible aboard the aircraft carrier. Testing continues with varying distances between the aircraft and JBD, and at power settings up to and including maximum afterburner power. CF-2 arrived at Lakehurst on June 25 for JBD tests.
Lockheed Martin press release (Lockheed Martin photo by Andy Wolfe)

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Citation :: Fifth F-35 Marine Corps Variant Delivered To Navy Test Site

FORT WORTH, Texas | The fifth Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Short Take Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL) flight test aircraft delivered to the Marine Corps arrives at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Md., Saturday, July 16.

Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti flew the short takeoff/vertical landing aircraft, designated BF-5, for the 3.5-hour flight from NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base.

BF-5 is the seventh F-35 to be delivered in 2011 and the third aircraft delivered to NAS Patuxent River this year.

defpro

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Citation :: FORT WORTH, Texas, July 18, 2011 - The fifth Lockheed Martin F-35B
Lightning II Short Take Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL) flight test aircraft
delivered to the Marine Corps arrives at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent
River, Md., Saturday, July 16. Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti
flew the short takeoff/vertical landing aircraft, designated BF-5, for the
3.5-hour flight from NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base. BF-5 is the seventh F-35 delivered in 2011 and the third aircraft delivered to NAS Patuxent River this year. (Lockheed Martin photo by Liz Kaszynski)

The Defense Department's first U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft soars over Destin, Fla., before landing at its new home at Eglin Air Force Base, July 14, 2011. Its pilot, Lt. Col. Eric Smith, assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron, is the first Air Force qualified pilot for the aircraft. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago

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Invité

JSF F-35 Lightning II - Page 15 Main.php?g2_view=core

Citation :: The first F-35 Lightning II is unveiled at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 7. The stealth fighter was officially named at the ceremony, with the name Lightning evoking two historic fighter aircraft: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the English Electric Lightning. [LMTAS photo]

Citation :: U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England stands before the first F-35 Lightning II at its unveiling and naming ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 7. England said advanced military hardware, like the Lightning II, is essential to the preservation of freedom worldwide.

Citation :: U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley addresses an audience of dignitaries and industry officials at the unveiling of the F-35 at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. Moseley officially named the stealth jet Lightning II.

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Citation :: F-35 AA-1 engine tests at the start of the System Development and Demonstration phase

JSF F-35 Lightning II - Page 15 Photo-13

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Citation :: Le 14 juillet, la base aérienne d'Eglin (Floride) a accueilli le premier F-35 Lightning II JSF. La base servira de centre formation pour les futurs pilotes de F-35 appartenant à l'Air Force, la Navy et le corps des Marines.

À son arrivée, l'avion est devenu officiellement membre de la flotte de l'US Air Force au sein de la 33e escadrille de chasse.

L'appareil était piloté par le lieutenant-colonel Eric Smith, du 58e escadron de chasse, la première unité aérienne qualifiée sur F-35.

« Le roulage sur la piste fut une grande émotion », a déclaré le colonel après 40 minutes de vol. « Le jet s'est très bien comporté. Je suis tellement fière d'apporter le F-35 à la base d'Eglin. »

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Citation :: F-35C test aircraft validates catapult launch connections
(Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – Navy test pilot Cmdr. Eric “Magic” Buus brings F-35C test aircraft CF-3 into launch position on a test catapult July 19. The test demonstrated proper catapult hook up in preparation for the first launches at Lakehurst, N.J., scheduled for later this month. CF-3 is the designated carrier suitability test aircraft. The F-35C carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter 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. The F-35C is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to eventual delivery to the fleet. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

navair.navy.mil

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Un titre provocateur : http://supersonique.blogs.challenges.fr/archive/2011/07/19/f-35-jsf-chronique-d-un-echec-annonce.html

Une vision purement économique du F35, qui devrait être pondérée par la capacité opérationnelle de l'avion et l'avance qu'il devrait avoir sur les autres avions.

Citation :: Catapult launches F-35C for the first time

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Navy test pilot Lt. Christopher Tabert takes to the sky July 27 in an F-35C test aircraft launched by a steam catapult for the first time. CF-3 is the designated carrier suitability testing aircraft, and is in Lakehurst for catapult and jet blast deflector testing. The F-35C is the carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants. It has larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear for slower catapult launch and landing approach speeds and deck impacts associated with the demanding carrier take-off and landing environment. The F-35C is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to eventual delivery to the fleet.

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Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres JSF F-35 Lightning II - Page 15 Star3

Citation :: Pilots, maintainers trying out for JSF spots
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/07/air-force-eglin-choosing-f35-pilots-maintainers-073111w/

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JSF F-35 Lightning II - Page 15 4cdc5300-4889-4be3-9a10-1fb0c573da7d

"Les belles idées n'ont pas d'âge, elles ont seulement de l'avenir"

Citation :: Air force chief says plane meeting targets

Air force chief Air Marshal Geoff Brown is confident the new Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will be the RAAF'S principal combat aircraft, despite well publicised delays and cost increases.

Air Marshal Brown said that at this stage the plan was for the RAAF to have an all-JSF combat fleet by 2020, although there did need to be options if things changed.

"JSF has had a pretty good year as far hitting its test milestones are concerned and it is tracking pretty much to plan at the moment," he told AAP.

Air Marshal Brown said US Admiral David Venlet, the Pentagon's JSF program manager, had done a good job at re-baselining the JSF program.

He said Admiral Venlet had created a very realistic delivery schedule which allowed for it to remain on track even if something did go wrong.

"I have got a lot more confidence in the schedule than I had ... before it was baselined," he said.

"I am still comfortable with where we are sitting at the moment."

Air Marshal Brown said the USAF was set to introduce its first JSFs into training and operational testing over the next couple of months.

"It's now 2011. We have still got a few years up our sleeve the moment," he said.

The RAAF will acquire up to 100 JSF aircraft in a deal worth some $16 billion, with the first due for delivery in 2014-15 and entry to operational service in 2018. Australia has so far contracted to buy an initial 14 aircraft.

Air Marshal Brown said no JSF would be in Australia until 2017-18, although the RAAF will take delivery earlier in the US for initial aircrew training.

He said initial operational capability - a squadron able to undertake operations - would be achieved around 2018.

"There'll be variables on that from here," he said.

Air Marshal Brown said aircraft production would accelerate once the low rate initial production phase was concluded.

"I think we will see the costs continue to drive down as we get more aircraft on that production line," he said.

Considerable development still remains, particularly in the difficult area of integrating all the various electronic systems.

Air Marshal Brown said the advanced AESA radar was performing well on aircraft while individual systems were working to specification.

"The issue now is to knit it all together and that gives you the full capability. That's always a challenge on any sort of aeroplane, whether it's a (Boeing) 787 or a fighter," he said.

news.ninemsn.com.

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JSF F-35 Lightning II - Page 15 Star3

Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres JSF F-35 Lightning II - Page 15 Star3

Citation :: F-35s grounded after power package fails

By [email=dmajumdar@airforcetimes.com?subject=Question from NavyTimes.com reader]Dave Majumdar[/email] - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Aug 3, 2011 16:20:37 EDT

All 20 F-35 Lightning IIs have been grounded following a failure of the aircraft’s integrated power package (IPP).

The incident took place at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., during a ground maintenance run of aircraft AF-4, the fourth conventional takeoff and landing version of the triservice Joint Strike Fighter. Following the failure of the IPP — which combines the functions performed by an auxiliary power unit, emergency power system and environmental controls — the crew shut down the aircraft as per standard operating procedures, according to a press release by the JSF program office.

There were no injuries.

Government and contractor teams are reviewing the incident to find out what caused the IPP to fail. The program office suspended flight operations as “the prudent action to take at this time until the F-35 engineering, technical and system safety teams fully understand the cause of the incident,” according to the statement.

This is the second time the F-35 has been grounded this year due to electrical problems. In March, the F-35 fleet was briefly grounded after the same aircraft experienced a dual generator failure that was traced to faulty maintenance procedures.

The Navy’s F-35C was also grounded for six days in June due to a software problem with the wing-fold mechanism that might have caused the flight control surfaces to freeze in flight. The aircraft returned to flight June 23.

navytimes