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 F-35 Said to Be Cut by 13 Planes in Pentagon’s Budget


The Pentagon will propose spending about $9.2 billion to buy 29 Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) F-35 jets in its fiscal 2013 budget, 13 fewer than previously planned, U.S. officials said.

The reduction is part of a decision to delay purchasing 179 of the Joint Strike Fighters beyond 2017 to continue development, testing and correction of deficiencies, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday in advance of a Defense Department announcement.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is scheduled to outline the Department of Defense budget proposal today at the Pentagon, part of an effort to cut $488 billion, or 8.5 percent, from $5.62 trillion in spending that had been planned for 2012-2021.

Beyond the next budget year, the Pentagon’s previous plan to purchase 62 F-35s in fiscal 2014 is being reduced to 29, according to budget data. The request for 2015 is dropping to 44 from 81, and the planned purchase for 2016 will decline to 61 from 108.

The delay marks the third consecutive year the Pentagon has reduced its annual requests for F-35s in the $382 billion program. The number of planes sought was cut by 122 in February 2010 and 124 last year. Even with the latest cuts, Panetta still plans the eventual purchase of 2,443 production aircraft, according to the officials.

While Lockheed Martin won’t “speculate on what Secretary Panetta will announce,” the company understands “the challenge our customers face in balancing national security priorities with the fiscal reality,” Jennifer Whitlow, a spokeswoman for Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, said in an e-mail.

Working Closely


“We will continue to work closely with the DoD to implement any changes to the F-35 production plan” as cost- effectively as possible, she said.

Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense company, fell 51 cents to $81.73 yesterday in New York trading and has risen 3.4 percent in the past year.

“My department is committed to the development of the F-35,” Panetta said during a Jan. 20 visit to the F-35 test facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent in Maryland. He said the aircraft is “absolutely vital to maintaining our air superiority.”

The F-35 delays are consistent with the Nov. 29 conclusions of a team of defense test, systems engineering and structural experts. It said Pentagon officials should give “serious reconsideration” to the purchase rate because the aircraft’s basic design has proved more unstable during testing than anticipated.

‘Lack of Confidence’


The group identified 13 current or likely test issues of varying severity, which together result “in a lack of confidence” in the aircraft’s “design stability.” The issues include the Navy version’s tailhook for carrier landings, the system for dumping extra fuel on landing approach and excessive aircraft shaking during flight.

The instability has already resulted in more retrofits and changes than planned with “the most challenging portions of flight tests ahead,” according to the 20-page report prepared for acting Pentagon weapons buyer Frank Kendall. A stable aircraft design is less likely to require costly changes as test issues emerge.

Still, the team said that it found “no fundamental design risks sufficient to preclude further production” of aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

Tester View


Separately, the Pentagon’s top weapons program found this month the F-35 had “mixed results” in tests last year of its flight characteristics and combat systems.

Director of Operation Test and Evaluation Michael Gilmore wrote in his annual report that the three aircraft versions matched or exceeded the program’s restructured plan for tests designed to evaluate flying qualities.

Flights designed to accomplish discrete events to demonstrate the aircraft’s war-fighting systems, such as navigation, enemy identification and targeting, fell behind 11 percent for the Air Force and 9 percent for the Marine Corps versions. The Navy’s aircraft-carrier version is 32 percent ahead of schedule, according to the report.

“Development, integration and flight testing of the most complex elements of mission systems lie ahead,” Gilmore wrote.

bloomberg

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Australia reviews timetable for buying 12 F-35s


Australia is reviewing its timetable for buying 12 troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, the Defence Minister said on Monday after the United States announced a rethink of its purchase schedule for the futuristic warplanes.

Australia is a funding partner in developing the JSF, which the U.S. Defence Department describes as the largest fighter aircraft program in history. The Lockheed Martin Corp. JSF program has been troubled by repeated blowouts in cost as well as delivery schedules.

Most of the funding for the fighter comes from the United States, while Canada, Turkey, Britain, Italy, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands are also funding partners.

Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith said on Monday that Canberra is only contractually obligated to take delivery of two of the warplanes. They will be based in the United States and be available from 2014 for training Australian pilots.

Mr. Smith said Australia is reconsidering its schedule of buying another 12 during the following three years.

“We will now give consideration to whether the timetable for the purchase of those 12 Joint Strike Fighters should occur on the same timetable,” Mr. Smith told reporters.

Mr. Smith is concerned that any decision by the U.S. to reduce the number of jets it produces for its own forces would create another cost blowout.

Mr. Smith said in August last year that he would announce in 2012 whether Australia will invest in an alternative fighter such as the Boeing Co. Super Hornet to ensure that schedule delays do not compromise Australia’s air force capabilities.

Lockheed Martin, in conjunction with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, is building 2,400 of the next generation fighter jets for the U.S. as well as the partner nations. But the cost of the program has jumped from $233 billion to $385 billion. Some estimates suggest that it could top out at $1 trillion over 50 years.

Australia had planned to buy as many as 100 of the fighters for 16 billion Australian dollars ($17 billion).

But the government will announce this year whether any more than 14 will be bought for about AU$3 billion.

Australia has 71 standard F/A-18 Hornets that are due to retire around 2020.

Australia last year took delivery of the last four of 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets for AU$6 billion. The Super Hornets, built by Boeing in conjunction with Northrup Grumman, GE Aircraft Engines and Raytheon, were ordered in 2007 to maintain Australia’s air force capabilities during the transition to the JSF over the next decade.

thehindu

Déjà 23 appareils livrés au pentagon

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Ejection seat problems ground 15 F-35 jets

Fifteen of the 23 F-35 jets delivered to the Pentagon by Lockheed Martin have been grounded because ejection seat parachutes were improperly installed.
The Pentagon's Joint Strike Fighter program office confirmed Monday that the jets were grounded last Thursday.
The six F-35A planes at Edwards Air Force Base in California were conducting developmental test flights.
The planes at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, six F-35As and three F-35Bs, were already restricted to ground testing in preparation for pilot training. That activity can continue.
Five F-35B and three F-35C test aircraft at Patuxent River Naval Air Station have a different model ejection seat and are not affected.
F-35 flights cannot resume until new ejection seats are shipped by the British manufacturer, Martin Baker Aircraft Corp.
The first seats with repacked parachutes will arrive in about 10 days.
Parachutes in the affected ejection seats were packed backward from the design specifications, the program office said in a statement, and would not have deployed properly if a pilot had been forced to eject.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/30/3698876/ejection-seat-problems-ground.html#storylink=cpy

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General Dynamics Awarded $24 Million F-35 Lightning II Gun System Contract


January 31, 2012


CHARLOTTE, N.C. – General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), was awarded a $23.6 million contract by Lockheed Martin Corp. for production of more than two dozen GAU-22/A gun systems for the F-35 Lightning II.

The GAU-22/A is a derivative of General Dynamics’ proven GAU-12/U 25mm Gatling gun, which the company has produced for more than 40 years. The GAU-22/A is a lighter-weight, four-barrel version with improved accuracy over the GAU-12/U. General Dynamics has been manufacturing GAU-22/A guns for F-35 aircraft since 2009.

"The GAU-22/A’s reliability lends a significant advantage in lower aircraft maintenance costs, while the gun’s high rate of fire and increased range bring air superiority in tactical air-to-air and air-to-ground combat situations," said Steve Elgin, vice president and general manager of armament systems for General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products.

The F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, is a fifth-generation multirole fighter used by all branches of the U.S. military and U.S. allies. An internally mounted GAU-22/A gun system will arm the conventional take-off and landing variant (F-35A), while externally mounted gun systems will be used by the short take-off and vertical landing variant (F-35B) and carrier version (F-35C) of the aircraft.

Production will begin in 2012 at General Dynamics’ facility in Saco, Maine, which employs more than 400 people. Program management and engineering will be performed at the General Dynamics Technology Center in Williston, Vt. In addition to producing the GAU-22/A, General Dynamics’ facility in Marion, Va., supplies advanced, lightweight composite radomes for the F-35 aircraft. General Dynamics Marion facility employs over 450 people.

gdatp

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Canada : Questions embarrassantes autour du F-35

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Parachute Problems Fixed on 3 Grounded F-35s


Three of the 15 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters grounded for having their ejection seat parachutes packed backwards will resume flying on Tuesday.

The aircraft were grounded on Jan. 26.

Six of the aircraft are at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and the remaining nine are undergoing ground testing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Another three aircraft in production at Fort Worth, Texas, also need to have their parachutes repacked.

Three of the aircraft at Edwards now have their chutes repacked, but the first Monday of each month is designated a “no fly” training day, so they won’t return to the air until tomorrow, said Cmdr. Kyra P. Hawn, a spokeswoman for the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office.

The remaining aircraft at Edwards should have their parachutes repacked by the end of the week.

“The priority for installing repacked chutes are those jets actively engaged in flight tests,” Hawn said in an email. “For that reason, following Edwards installations this week, chutes delivered next week will address jets in flight tests at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Fort Worth.”

The remaining nine aircraft should have their parachutes repacked the week of Feb. 20, Hawn said.

defensenews.com

Elle est trés bien cette dame et elle a tout a fait raison sur le programme F35 .......
Bon allez ,tréve de plaisanterie ,a quand les Rafale aux couleurs Canadienne...............

Edwards F-35A Conducts First External Weapons Test Mission

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On Feb. 16, 2012, the first external weapons test mission was flown by an F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

normalement les missiles/bombe /pod ne sont pas caché ? si non la furtivité sera affecté non?

certes,mais le loading externe est aussi programmé,aussi bien pour le JSF comme le F22,dans des missions ne necessitant pas furtivité,les weapons bay internes sont pas suffisants.
les tests internes ont ete effectués je crois..l´optique c´est le EOTS integré

oui je comprend très bien mon général , mais mon petit doigt me dit que ces joujoux vont resté coulé au sol comme leurs grande soeurs a chaque fois et ils vont finir par envoié du bon vieux F16 et F15 encore et toujours a cause du budget l'entretiens chère et tout sa enfin on connais la chanson

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F-35 naval variants commence weapons testing




Marine Corps Maj. C. R. “Jimi” Clift flies F-35B Joint Strike Fighter test aircraft BF-3 Dec. 19, 2011 with a 1,000-lb inert test GBU-32 in an open internal weapons bay for loads testing. Significant weapons testing for the F-35B and F-35C variants is scheduled for 2012, including fit checks, captive carriage, pit drop and aerial drop tests.

The F-35B is the variant of the Joint Strike Fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps, capable of short take-offs and vertical landings for use on amphibious ships or expeditionary airfields to provide air power to the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. The F-35B is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to delivery to the fleet. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

aviationnews

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On Feb. 16, 2012, the first external weapons test mission was flown by an F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.






On Feb. 16, 2012, the first external weapons test mission was flown by an F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

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Lockheed Martin F-35 Flight Test And Production Progress Report




FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 23, 2012 — Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] F-35 program continues to build on its 2011 flight test success. For 2012, the baseline F-35 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) flight test plan calls for the accumulation of 1,001 test flights and 7,873 test points. However, growth in test point requirements throughout the year is anticipated, and the plan will be adjusted as needed.
As of Feb. 20, the F-35 Lightning II 5th Generation multirole fighter had conducted 114 flight tests and achieved 773 test points. A portion of the earned test points came from work added to the flight test baseline plan. Lockheed Martin has delivered three F-35s to the Department of Defense (DOD) year to date.
Since Jan. 1, the F-35 program accomplished several flight test and production milestones:

• On Jan. 9, AF-4, an F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) test aircraft, reached the highest altitude to date in an F-35; 43,000 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL).
  
• Lockheed Martin ferried the first two production model F-35B Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps on Jan. 11. The aircraft, known as BF-6 and BF-8, are now assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing’s Marine Fighter/Attack Training Squadron 501 residing with the host 33d Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Fla.
  
• Demonstrating the ongoing maturation of the F-35 integrated sensor suite, AF-3, an F-35A CTOL test jet, completed the first low Distributed Aperture System (DAS) approach on Jan. 17.
  
• On Jan. 18, the first night flight in the history of the Lockheed Martin F-35 program was completed at Edwards AFB, Calif. Piloted by Lockheed Martin test pilot Mark Ward, AF-6, an F-35A CTOL test jet, took off at 5:05 p.m. PST and landed after sunset at 6:22 p.m.
  
• With the ferry flight of BF-7, an F-35B STOVL, Eglin AFB, Fla., became home of the largest F-35 fleet in the DOD on Jan. 19. BF-7 was the 23rd F-35 Lightning II delivered to the DOD.
  
• On Jan. 20, citing the tremendous progress the F-35B STOVL variant made in 2011, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta rescinded probation for the F-35B, almost a full year ahead of schedule.
  
• The F-35 SDD fleet including AA-1, the original test aircraft, crossed the 2,500 flight hour threshold on Jan. 25.
  
• On Feb. 16 at Edwards AFB, Calif., AF-1, an F-35A CTOL test jet, flew the first external weapons test mission in program history.
  

Cumulative flight test activity totals for 2012 through Feb. 20 are provided below:

• F-35A CTOL jets have flown 46 times.
  
• F-35B STOVL aircraft have completed 45 flights.
  
• F-35C Carrier Variant (CV) jets have flown 23 times.
  

From the start of flight testing in December 2006, F-35s have flown 1,704 times, including the production-model flights and AA-1, the original flight test aircraft. For video highlights of the F-35 program, click here.
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.

Source and photo: Lockheed Martin

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Hi-Res


The first F-35B test flight with external weapons was carried out on 22 February 2012 at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division test facility at NAS Patuxent River Maryland. The test mission, flown by Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan Levin, measured flying qualities with external pylons, inert AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and the removable centerline 25mm gun pod. The four-barrel GAU-22/A Gatlin-type gun, built by General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, is a derivative of the currently fielded GAU-12/U Equalizer. The missionized gun system designed for the F-35B and F-35C includes the F-35A-common GAU-22/A gun, a gun system control unit, and drive assembly. A helical linear linkless ammunition feed system is also contained in the pod. (Photo by Michael D. Jackson)

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Japan says may cancel Lockheed F-35 if price rises


(Reuters) - Japan may cancel orders for Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets in the case of a price rise or delivery delay, Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said on Wednesday, putting Tokyo's choice of next-generation combat aircraft in doubt.

Tokyo has warned Washington against increasing the price, but this was the first time Tanaka had raised the possibility of cancelling the order in public.

The Pentagon this month confirmed plans to put off orders for 179 F-35s over the next five years to save $15.1 billion, a move that a Lockheed executive said would increase the price of the radar-evading warplane.

Japan is due to pay 9.9 billion yen ($122.96 million) per fighter for an initial batch of four that are scheduled for delivery by March 2017. Japan plans to buy 42 in total.

"As for the first four planes, I expect an official contract to be concluded by this summer. If it turns out they cannot meet what they have proposed by that time, that would raise concerns about our defense capability," Tanaka told parliament.

"I believe we would need to consider as a potential option matters like cancelling our orders and starting a new selection process if that is the case."

Continued schedule delays and talk of lingering technical issues have prompted the eight countries that are helping to fund Lockheed's development of the new plane -- Britain, Australia, Turkey, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Italy and the Netherlands -- to rethink their own near- and long-term plans.

Japan, which is concerned about China's rapid military buildup and constant threats from impoverished North Korea, in December chose the F-35 over combat-proven but less stealthy rivals.

The F-35 competed against Boeing's F/A-18 and the Eurofighter Typhoon, made by a consortium of European companies including BAE Systems.

Lockheed Martin has said it is committed to providing F-35s that meet the cost, schedule and industrial requirements of the Japanese government, but added that F-35 pricing is determined by talks between the Japanese and U.S. governments.

Japan's defense budget has been under pressure with the country saddled by a public debt twice the size of its economy.

Stealth technology has drawn much attention in Japan since China, which has a long-running territorial dispute with Japan, confirmed last year it had held its first test flight of the J-20 stealth fighter jet. ($1 = 80.5150 Japanese yen)

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F-35s at NAS Patuxent River



High res.












F-35 test aircraft at Naval Air Station Patuxent Aircraft, Md., include F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing and F-35C carrier variant aircraft.

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Pentagon Slackens Difficult-To-Achieve JSF Performance Requirements

The Pentagon last month relaxed the performance requirements for the Joint Strike Fighter, allowing the Air Force F-35A variant to exceed its previous combat radius -- a benchmark it previously missed -- and granting the Marine Corps F-35B nearly 10 percent additional runway length for short take-offs, according to Defense Department sources.

On Feb. 14, the Joint Requirements Oversight Council -- in a previously unreported development -- agreed to loosen select key performance parameters (KPPs) for the JSF during a review of the program convened in advance of a high-level Feb. 21 Defense Acquisition Board meeting last month, at which the Pentagon aimed to reset many dimensions of the program, including cost and schedule.

Pentagon sources said a memorandum codifying the JROC decisions has not yet been signed by Adm. James Winnefeld, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the JROC chair.

Sources familiar with the changes, however, said the JROC -- which also includes the service vice chiefs of staff -- agreed to adjust the "ground rules and assumptions" underlying the F-35A's 590-nautical-mile, combat-radius KPP.

Last April, the Pentagon reported to Congress in a selected acquisition report that "based on updated estimate of engine bleed," the F-35A would have a combat radius of 584 nautical miles, below its threshold -- set in 2002 -- of 590 nautical miles.

To extend the F-35A's combat radius, the JROC agreed to a less-demanding flight profile that assumes near-ideal cruise altitude and airspeed, factors that permit more efficient fuel consumption. This would allow the estimate to be extended to 613 nautical miles, according to sources familiar with the revised requirement.

The estimated combat radius of the short-take-off variant, which is being developed for the Marine Corps, is 15 percent lower than the original JSF program goal even though the aircraft is slated to carry fewer weapons than originally intended, according to the April report.

The short-take-off-and-landing KPP before the JROC review last month was 550 feet. In April 2011, the Pentagon estimated that the STOVL variant could execute a short take-off in 544 feet while carrying two Joint Direct Attack Munitions and two AIM-120 missiles internally, as well as enough fuel to fly 450 nautical miles. By last month, that take-off distance estimate grew to 568 feet, according to DOD sources.

The JROC, accordingly, agreed to extend the required take-off distance to 600 feet, according to DOD officials.

The JROC review of the F-35 program last month was held in accordance with a policy adopted by the council in June 2010, which requires a reassessment of requirements for all programs with cost growth exceeding 25 percent of the original program baseline. One goal of the policy is to determine whether a decision to relax requirements should be made to improve acquisition cost and schedule estimates. -- Jason Sherman

insidedefense.com

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Security experts admit China stole secret fighter jet plans




CHINESE spies hacked into computers belonging to BAE Systems, Britain's biggest defence company, to steal details about the design, performance and electronic systems of the West's latest fighter jet, senior security figures have disclosed.

theaustralian

MAATAWI a écrit:

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Security experts admit China stole secret fighter jet plans




CHINESE spies hacked into computers belonging to BAE Systems, Britain's biggest defence company, to steal details about the design, performance and electronic systems of the West's latest fighter jet, senior security figures have disclosed.

theaustralian

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EXTENDED F-35 MILITARY JET MANUFACTURING FACILITY OPENED AT BAE SYSTEMS FACILITY SAMLESBURY IN LANCASHIRE




As part of the company’s £150m investment in the F-35 programme at Samlesbury, the facility when fully completed will enable workers to produce one F-35 aft fuselage set every day, compared to the current rate of one set per week. The extension is the second part of a three phase expansion plan to the facility as the programme gears up for peak rate production by 2016.
Today’s ceremony, watched by MP’s and members of the F-35 supply chain, saw Nigel Evans, MP for the Ribble Valley and Deputy Chairman Ways & Means, officially open the new facility.
Chris Allam, Senior Vice President on the F-35 programme said “The facility opening is an exciting development in the F-35 story at Samlesbury. F-35 is an important programme for BAE Systems and the capabilities that this facility provides are equal to anywhere in the world. We’re using state of the art machines and manufacturing techniques to ensure we can meet the rates of production that the F-35 programme demands. It’s fair to say that this facility is proof that we’re standing up to that challenge and we’re keeping ourselves at the forefront of UK manufacturing.”
Martin Wright, Chief Executive for the North West Aerospace Alliance added: “The F-35 programme is the largest defence project in the world and, through BAE Systems, will be the backbone of stability to our regional industry through those companies successful in winning F-35 contracts. This facility is somewhere in which our young people will want to work, to build knowledge, create jobs and secure the future of this magnificent industry of ours.”
BAE Systems brings military aircraft expertise that is key to the development and manufacture of the F-35 Lightning II. Along with being responsible for the design and delivery of the aft fuselage and empennage for each of the three F-35 variants, BAE Systems also plays a key role in other areas including vehicle and mission systems, life support system and prognostics health management integration. The Company also has significant work share in autonomic logistics and has a role in the Integrated Test Force in America including two BAE Systems pilots flight testing the F-35 as part of Team JSF.
Over the past ten years BAE Systems has made significant investment in the F-35 programme, including a new titanium machining facility which opened in 2010, a new office building and now the newly extended manufacturing facility. BAE Systems employs almost 2000 employees on the F-35 programme.

Source and photo BAE Systems