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

Citation :

Lockheed Martin F-35A Completes First Night Refueling Mission



FORT WORTH, Texas, March 26, 2012 – The first night refueling in the history of the Lockheed Martin F-35 program was completed Thursday at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Piloted by U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Peter Vitt, AF-4, an F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant, rendezvoused with an Air Force KC-135 tanker and successfully received fuel through the F-35’s boom receptacle. Vitt’s sortie lasted more than three hours. In addition to qualifying with the KC-135, the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards AFB will also conduct night refueling tests with the KC-10.

Spoiler:

lockheedmartin

Citation :

Exclusive - U.S. sees lifetime cost of F-35 fighter at $1.45 trillion
The U.S. government now projects that the total cost to develop, buy and operate the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be $1.45 trillion (911.34 billion pounds) over the next 50-plus years, according to a Pentagon document obtained by Reuters.
The Pentagon's latest, staggering estimate of the lifetime cost of the F-35 -- its most expensive weapons program -- is up from about $1 trillion a year ago, and includes inflation.

While inflation accounts for more than one-third of the projected F-35 operating costs, military officials and industry executives were quick to point out that it is nearly impossible to predict inflation over the next half-century, Reuters reports.

They also argue that no other weapons program's costs have been calculated over such a long period, and that even shorter-term cost projections for other aircraft do not include the cost of modernization programs and upgrades.

The new cost estimate reflects the Pentagon's proposal to postpone orders for 179 planes for five years, a move that U.S. official say will save $15.1 billion through 2017, and should avert costly retrofits if further problems arise during testing of the new fighter, which is only about 20 percent complete.

The Pentagon still plans to buy 2,443 of the new radar-evading, supersonic warplanes, plus 14 development aircraft, in the coming decades, although Air Force Secretary Michael Donley last week warned that further technical problems or cost increases could eat away at those numbers.

The new estimate, based on calculations made by the Cost Assessment Program Evaluation (CAPE) office, includes operating and maintenance costs of $1.11 trillion, including inflation, and development and procurement costs of $332 billion.

The Government Accountability Office last week projected it would cost $397 billion to develop and buy the planes, up from its earlier forecast of $382 billion.

The Pentagon office that runs the F-35 program office has a lower estimate for lifetime costs, although it is still around $1 trillion, according to two sources familiar with the estimates. Both industry and government have put a huge emphasis on reducing operating costs and keeping the plane affordable.

The new estimates are part of a revised F-35 baseline dated March 26 that will be sent to Congress on Thursday.

AVERAGE COST $135 MLN PER F-35

The new baseline forecasts the average cost of the F-35 fighter, including research and development (R&D) and inflation, at $135 million per plane, plus an additional $26 million for the F135 engine built by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp.

In 2012 dollars, the average cost of each single-seat, single-engine plane, including R&D, would be $112.5 million, plus $22 million for the engine.

This is the first year that the government has separated out the cost of the plane and the engine, and comparison figures were not immediately available. Lockheed Martin has said the average cost of the plane will be around $65 million to $70 million, based on 2010 dollars.

Lockheed Martin declined comment on the new estimate, saying it had not yet received the Pentagon's latest report.

Lockheed spokesman Joe LaMarca said the company still believed the new fighter jet would cost the same or less to operate and maintain than the seven legacy warplanes it will replace, while offering far greater capabilities.

INCREASES DUE TO GOVERNMENT CHANGES

Defence analyst Loren Thompson said three quarters of the cost increases on the F-35 program were linked to government changes in the scope of the program, and the way it was estimating costs.

For instance, he said, the Pentagon initially planned to station the plane at 33 bases, but later changed the number to 49. It initially calculated operating costs over 30 years, but then chose a longer timeframe of 50 years, he said.

"The program costs appear to be rising much faster than they actually are because the government keeps changing how it calculates things," Thompson said.

The Pentagon's proposal to postpone buying 179 planes for five years added $60 billion to the operations and support cost of the program, since those planes will now be delivered in later years when inflation is higher. The push also added two years to the duration of the program, according to an internal Lockheed calculation obtained by Reuters.

But Winslow Wheeler, a critic of the program, predicts cost growth on the program will be even greater than estimated by the Pentagon, given the complexity of the F-35 fighter.

Lockheed is developing three variants of the new plane for the U.S. military and eight partner countries: Britain, Australia, Canada, Italy, Turkey, Denmark, Norway, Australia and the Netherlands. They now plan to buy a combined total of 697 planes, down from 730 in the previous Pentagon estimate.

defenceweb

Citation :

F-35 : on souffle le chaud et le froid !

Dans le feuilleton du Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II, chaque semaines nous apportent son lot de nouvelles, souvent mauvaises et parfois bonnes. Le projet continue pourtant d’avancer inexorablement malgré de nombreuses critiques.

Si le dernier rapport mettait en évidences de nombreuses carences dont certaines ne sont de loin pas résolues, on assiste malgré tout à une certaine fidélité au programme malgré les nombreuses diminutions du nombre d’acquisitions.

Les clients confirment :

La Norvège, vient de dévoilé son nouveau «livre blanc de la Défense» (« Defense white paper »), pour la période 2013-2016 et confirme son choix en faveur du F-35 avec notamment une volonté de renforcer temporairement le budget de Défense de 7% sur la période, afin de pouvoir acheter sa nouvelle flotte de d’avion de combat F-35.

La Grande-Bretagne s’intéresse confirme son intérêt pour la version F-35B STOVL et délaisse l’idée provisoire de transiter sur un autre appareil comme le Rafale dans l’attente de l’avion américain. Mieux, l’idée d’abandonner le F-35B, jugé à l’époque trop cher et pas suffisamment au point, et d’acheter à la place des F-35C, la version navalisée de l’avion normalement destinée à l’US Navy et également mise de côté.

Le Canada dont les surcoûts agacent non seulement l’opposition mais également le gouvernement actuel vient pourtant de confirmer son maintien dans le projet. Afin de combler les retards, le gouvernement Harper prévoit de prolonger la durée de vie des CF-18 à 2020 voire 2023. Rappelons que le 13 février, le ministre associé de la Défense, Julian Fantino, a laissé entendre que le Canada pourrait revoir son engagement à acheter les 65 chasseurs furtifs F-35 au coût de 9 milliards de dollars.

Ce qui change aujourd’hui tient dans le fait que M. Fantino vient d’assuré devant le Comité permanent de la Défense que le Canada avait toujours l'intention d'acquérir les chasseurs furtifs F-35, tout en déclarant qu'il n'écartait pas la possibilité de réduire la taille de la commande et d’envisager d’acheter jusqu’à 6 drones armés «Reaper», qui, bien qu’ils ne se substituent pas à des avions de combat pilotés, pourrait être utilisés dans un rôle expéditionnaire et combler partiellement la dotation en F-35. Enfin de déclarer : «que le développement du F-35, qui comprend des technologies de pointe, était toujours en cours et que le gouvernement s'attend qu'en fin de compte, l'avion réponde à toutes les exigences du ministère de la Défense».

La situation:

En réalité, personne ne sait aujourd’hui combien coûteront les F-35, car le nombre d’avions à construire et le calendrier planent dans l’incertitude totale. Le prix de production unitaire est lui-même évolutif d’une année sur l’autre. Le Pentagone s’est engagé à acheter 2443 avions F-35. Les partenaires internationaux qui comprenaient à l’origine le Canada, l’Australie, le Danemark, l’Italie, les Pays-Bas, la Norvège, la Turquie et le Royaume-Uni avaient prévu d’acheter 700 unités. Mais les retards et les annulations ont engendré un prix ascensionnel, qui a créé du coup d’autres annulations de commande. Le Pentagone a lui-même récemment diminué ses commandes à 13 avions pour 2013, et reporté 179 achats entre l’année prochaine et 2017.

Après les réunions du consortium F-35 à Washington et à Sydney, le Pentagone a cherché à rassurer ses partenaires la semaine dernière (récemment rejoints par le Japon, qui s’est engagée à acheter 42 F-35, tant que les coûts n’augmentent pas et affirmé qu’il n’y aurait pas de retards supplémentaires.

Ravitaillement de nuit :

De son côté Lockheed-Martin vient d’achever le premier ravitaillement en vol de nuit depuis la base aérienne d’Edwards en Californie. Piloté par le lieutenant-colonel Peter Vitt, un F-35A avait rendez-vous avec un KC-135 pour un premier ravitaillement, cette sortie qui a duré plus de 3 heures de vol a été selon le constructeur un réel succès.

http://psk.blog.24heures.ch/archive/2012/03/28/f-35-on-souffle-le-chaud-et-le-froid.html

Citation :

Lockheed F-35 fighter costs rise 4.3 pct-Pentagon
http://www.lse.co.uk/FinanceNews.asp?ArticleCode=eb1plcbw1xaxgow&ArticleHeadline=UPDATE_1Lockheed_F35_fighter_costs_rise_43_pctPentagon

Citation :

Northrop Grumman Delivers First F-35 Center Fuselage Produced by Integrated Assembly Line

Northrop Grumman employees prepare the first F-35 center fuselage produced by the Integrated Assembly Line for delivery.
08:06 GMT, April 3, 2012 PALMDALE, Calif. | Northrop Grumman Corporation's first F-35 center fuselage produced by its Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) was delivered to Lockheed Martin on March 16, 2012. While the company has delivered 69 center fuselages since 2005, this is the first produced using the IAL. The IAL maximizes robotics and automation, providing additional capacity and assembly capability while meeting engineering tolerances that are not easily achieved using manual methods.

The IAL will be central in producing the F-35's center fuselage as well as increasing the program's affordability, quality and efficiency. The technologies deployed on the IAL have created more efficient and ergonomic process for assembly. The IAL was developed and designed with the help of the Detroit-based KUKA Robotics Aerospace Division, a commercial automation integrator, and was inspired by automation systems used by American automakers.

The IAL design uses a system-engineering approach to integrate tooling and structure transport, system automation, automated drilling cells and tooling mechanization coordinated across multiple build centers.

"The Integrated Assembly Line's approach to tool design and fabrication marks a transition into a new way of business for Northrop Grumman," said Michelle Scarpella, vice president of the F-35 program for Northrop Grumman. "Through the implementation of a much more efficient design-to-assembly process, the Integrated Assembly Line enables the team to simultaneously achieve higher quality, reduce costs and increase efficiency."

As a principal member of the Lockheed Martin-led F-35 industry team, Northrop Grumman performs a significant share of the work required to develop and produce the aircraft. In addition to producing the F-35 center fuselage, Northrop Grumman 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.

To date, the company has delivered every center fuselage on time and continues to meet its cost and schedule commitments. In 2011, the company delivered 22 center fuselages and it will make its 100th delivery in December 2012.

Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., site is a world-class facility that provides assembly, integration, testing and long-term maintenance capabilities for the F-35, and some of the world's most advanced aircraft, including B-2 Spirit and RQ-4 Global Hawk.

(Photo: Northrop Grumman)

defpro

Citation :

First F-35 For The Netherlands Rolls Out Of F-35 Production Facility

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 4, 2012 – The first F-35 Lightning II for The Netherlands rolled out of the F-35 production facility on April 1. This is the latest step in the production process leading to its eventual assignment to Eglin AFB, Fla., later this summer. The Netherlands will use the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) jet, known as AN-1, for training and operational tests for pilots and maintainers. AN-1 will undergo functional fuel system checks before being transported to the flight line for ground and flight tests in the coming weeks. The Royal Netherlands Air Force continues to be at the forefront of flight testing and pilot training and remains at the leading edge of advanced 5th Generation fighter technology.

lockheedmartin

photo du premier F-35 hollandais qui quitte la ligne d'assemblage

Je ne sais pas vous, mais je trouve que les USA ne savent plus comment faire pour éviter que leurs citoyens n'aient l'impression d'être pris pour des lapins...

j'ai fait deux articles sur le F35, dites moi ce que vous en pensez.

http://portail-aviation.blogspot.fr/2012/04/international-le-programme-f35-se.html

et l'autre

http://portail-aviation.blogspot.fr/2012/03/f35-de-la-mauvaise-gestion-de.html

Je travaillerai au sein du gouvernement US, je réfléchirai sérieusement à un plan B. Remettre à plat tout le programme et proposer deux cellules différentes, et plus simple; et éventuellement abandonner la furtivité (pas la discrétion).

je m'imagine les ingénieurs de chez lockeed martins comme des chefs cuisiniers. Le serveur arrive et leur fait, alors à la table US ils nous ont commandés une pizza chasseur personnalisée; ils veulent:

De la furtivité
des performances aérodynamiques intéressantes
du décollage vertical
une version pour porte avions
de la fusion de tous les capteurs qu'on va mettre dedans
et surtout... pas cher !

OK, c'est prêt dans 5 mn (vite, appellez Gordon Ramsey, c'est le cauchemar...)

Les citoyens, quelque soit le pays, sont toujours pris pour des lapins. Le F-35 n'inaugure rien de particulier en la matière, surtout au Etats-Unis où l'on peut dépenser des milliards de $ en recherche pour un avion qui n'a jamais vu le jour.

Perso ce n'est pas les citoyens Americains mais bel et bien Europeen que les Americains ont prit pour des quiches......
Il n'y a qu'a voir avec quel empressement l'Italie ,RU et autre se sont jeter dans se programme en ne recoltant que des miettes.
Mais bon si cela plait a ces pays de se faire en..........

Et les français ne sont-ils pas pris autant pour des quiches que les autres, y aurait-il aussi dans ce domaine une "exception française"? Bien évidemment, non.

non mais on va dire que dans ce domaine là, pour une fois il y a eu consensus politique, et les choses ont été moins mal faites que chez les voisins.

Et pas besoin d'acheter du F35 puisque le Rafale fait le boulot.......
Des frais considerables en moins pour la gestion de 2 flottes distinctes.

Pourtant le Rafale intéresse bien moins que le programme F-35. La plupart des état-major aujourd'hui, français y compris, sont pour avoir une flotte équipée d'au-moins deux type d'avions de combat, c'est même pour cela que la France aura des Rafale et des Mirage 2000 encore au delà de 2025.

Le F35 est un programme ,plus global, penser en interne (les USA) pour aspirer le financement et la souveraineté industriel d'un,des, pays qui ont accouru a l'abattoir.
Le Rafale remplacera ,a terme,la flotte de 2000,c'est inéluctable,l'armée de l'air version 2030 mettra en oeuvre uniquement des Rafale et en complement de drones armés.

Au delà de 2030, il est envisagé la mise en service de drones de combat pour remplacer les Mirage 2000DR en tout ou partie, de même que les Rafale les plus vieux, s'il y a de l'argent pour cela bien sûr et que ces drones apportent le plus espéré par les militaires par rapport à un avion piloté avec un humain dans le cockpit. Pour le F-35, la question est de savoir si les USA et ses affiliés réussiront le pari d'assurer à cette avion les capacités prévues pour lui pour un coût à l'acquisition et à l'entretien qui ne ruine pas tout le monde. Les sommes engagés sont énormes, les commandes (sur le papier), aussi.

Citation :

Lockheed Martin Brings F-35 Cockpit Demonstrator to Northrop Grumman in California F-35 Will Serve as a Cornerstone of Global Security and Create Jobs Across the U.S.

REDONDO BEACH, Calif., April 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) today showcased its F-35 Lightning II mobile cockpit demonstrator to state and local elected officials, local suppliers and employees at Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), a partner on the F-35 program. "We're pleased to demonstrate the capabilities of the F-35 Lightning II, the worlds' most advanced multirole fighter aircraft, to our California supplier companies, elected officials and other local stakeholders," said Danny Conroy, Director, USAF F-35 Program, Lockheed Martin Washington Operations. "These people are vital to the success of this program so it's important that they have an opportunity to experience, firsthand, the superior performance capabilities of this 5th Generation, multirole fighter. For more than a decade, the U.S. and our allies have invested in the development of the F-35, which will serve as a cornerstone of global security for many years to come. Additionally, the F-35 program will significantly impact the U.S. economy, directly and indirectly, generating over 130,000 jobs." With nearly 300 suppliers in California, the F-35 program will provide over 27,000 direct and indirect jobs and more than $6 billion in economic impact across the state. These employment figures and economic impact numbers are anticipated to increase as the program reaches full-rate production. "Northrop Grumman has been a member of the Southern California community for over 70 years," said Michelle Scarpella, vice president of the F-35 program for Northrop Grumman. "We employ more than 1,800 people here on the F-35 program alone, and our California supplier sales commitments in 2011 totaled more than $144 million. The F-35 program is a critical element to our success in this region, and we are proud to host the cockpit demonstrator here today." During today's event, executives and employees from Northrop Grumman and other F-35 supplier companies, elected officials and community leaders received an update on the status of the program as well as the opportunity to "fly" the F-35 cockpit demonstrator and experience firsthand, how advanced stealth, fighter agility and integrated information will enable pilots to survive and operate effectively in the projected threat environments of the future. The cockpit is visually and audibly interactive and provides a realistic look at the F-35's performance, air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, sophisticated sensor fusion and advanced computational capabilities.

irconnect

Citation :

F-35 team hits weapons testing mark




After ejecting a 500-pound bomb from F-35B test aircraft BF-3, the test team took a collective breath, and watched as it hurtled toward the concrete deck.

Coming to rest in the foam covering the pit floor, the March 29 “pit drop” marked the end of two weeks of testing nine different weapons combinations inside the Joint Strike Fighter’s two internal weapons bays.

“Completion of these weapons ejections into the pit gets us closer to in-flight release of weapons from the F-35,” said Navy Capt. Erik Etz, director of test and evaluation for F-35 naval variants. “It’s another step in expansion of the F-35’s warfighting capabilities.”

Weapons pit-drop testing collects data to measure stresses on the airframe and adjacent stores, ensures proper weapon and suspension equipment function, and validates the separation models for the munitions’ ejection characteristics, including trajectories and velocities.

“We pushed the team pretty hard on those runs to get everything done,” said John Fahnestock, lead government weapons engineer. “We’ll spend some time going through the data to validate our models, but so far it looks good.”

From the cockpit, the pit drops demonstrated minimal effects of weapons launches from the F-35B’s left and right internal bays.

“Having the test weapons on board isn’t really noticeable from the seat,” said Marine Corps test pilot Lt. Col. Matthew Taylor. “But what’s great about the team’s accomplishment is that we’re making progress toward delivering a warfighting aircraft to the fleet.”

Testing included inert versions of the GBU-12 Laser-Guided Bomb, the 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition and the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

More weapons testing on the F-35B and F-35C carrier variant is ongoing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Current test events including pit drops, captive carry and instrumented weapons environmental flights, lead up to flight separation testing scheduled for later this year.

The F-35B variant of the Joint Strike Fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps is 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.

NAVAIR press release

Quand on voit toute la complexité de la machinerie, on se demande quel serait le résultat d'une seule balle de petit calibre qui toucherai l'avion...

balle petit calibre?faut deja qu´elle atteint l´altitude ou volera cet avion,apres,je ne doute pas que les materiaux utilisés sur la carlinge auraient un minimum de blindage en prevision des explosions de proximité dont il sera cible..reste a voir

Faut pas oublier qu'il doit remplacer deux types d'avion destinés avant tout à des missions d'assistance aux troupes au sol (CAS), l'A10 et l'AV8B. Tous deux étaient des avions rustiques et solides, surtout pour le A10.

Remplacer le Warthog avec du F35 me dépasse, mais c'est bien ce qu'ils ont l'intention de faire... Même si il y a du drone qui va se méler dans l'espace aérien au dessus des champs de bataille, quand un bataillon de marines a besoin d'une assistance immédiate, c'est un avion qui fait du close air support qu'on envois darre-darre. Je ne m'imagine pas le F35 dans ce rôle, mais il va bien prendre le risque de s'aventurer à portée de Kalash et de canons anti-aériens de 20mm...

Produire en Turquie pour moins chère..

Citation :

Turkey proposes cost-cutting measure to US on F-35 project

With the cost of the US F-35 fighter jet project increasing on a daily basis, Turkey wants to be part of the manufacturing process, which could greatly cut costs.

The Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) has made an offer to the United States for greater Turkish involvement in the manufacturing of the Joint Strike Fighter F-35, which would cut the cost of the project by around $3.5 billion.

SSM Undersecretary Murad Bayar put forward the proposal to Michael Camunez, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce, when the two met in Ankara on April 5, the Hürriyet Daily News has learned.
It is widely speculated in the international media that the cost of the program is increasing day by day, even though the main contractor Lockheed Martin has announced precautions to cut it down.

TAI may complete 400 fuselages

Bayar said Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) could play a greater role in the program in such a way that would help reduce the cost. “As a program partner, TAI will complete 400 airplane central fuselages - the core structure around which the F-35 aircraft is built. TAI will get 4 billion dollars for the job. The investment has already been made. TAI could complete the central fuselage for 624 airplanes with no extra investment cost. It means that the process of the remaining airplanes’ central fuselage will cost $2 billion. Doing the job in Turkey could save $3.5 billion, since prices are higher in the U.S. and lower in Turkey,” a source said, on condition of anonymity.

Other industry sources, however, say there is a business plan for production and that revision is not easy. U.S. Company Northrop Grumman is currently responsible for the design and production of center fuselages for all three variants of the F-35 aircraft: CTOL, short takeoff, vertical landing (STOVL) and a carrier variant.

The total cost of the program is not yet known and the authorities have so far refrained from making a definite statement. Lockheed Martin’s Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Business Development, Patrick Dewar, has indicated that each F-35 will cost on average no more than the F-16 that Turkey buys. Turkey has ordered two F-35 airplanes to be delivered by 2016 and is expected to order at least 98 in total. Each F-16 costs Turkey approximately $50 million.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tur...&NewsCatID=344

Citation :

F-35A Completes 1st In-Flight Refueling Mission With External Weapons



On Saturday, Apr. 21, a Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing aircraft completed the program’s first in-flight refueling mission while configured with external weapons at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. George Schwartz piloted the test aircraft, known as AF-4, with two external inert AIM-9X weapons and four external stores. Internally, the jet was carrying two Joint Direct Attack Munitions and two Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles.

The two-hour mission tested the flying qualities of the aircraft while maneuvering with external weapons. This test paves the way

http://www.asdnews.com/news-42339/F-35A_Completes_1st_In-Flight_Refueling_Mission_With_External_Weapons.htm