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

On est en conflit politique avec Israel (turquie), je ne comprends pas comment peuvent ils intégrer un systeme unique israelien dedans, ca pue tout ca, on serait donc dans l incapacité de locker un f35 israelien ou même on serait dans un cas ou nos f35 seraient incapable de voler. On a deja vu la position de israel a ne pas nous livrer les pieces pour les 737 AEWC...
Bon serait temps de se concentrer à 100% pour notre chasseur national.
Ca se vois israel est vraiment la femme des USA zzzz

miminx a écrit:

On est en conflit politique avec Israel (turquie), je ne comprends pas comment peuvent ils intégrer un systeme unique israelien dedans, ca pue tout ca, on serait donc dans l incapacité de locker un f35 israelien ou même on serait dans un cas ou nos f35 seraient incapable de voler. On a deja vu la position de israel a ne pas nous livrer les pieces pour les 737 AEWC...
Bon serait temps de se concentrer à 100% pour notre chasseur national.
Ca se vois israel est vraiment la femme des USA zzzz

Pour moi, c'est plus les USA la femme d'Israel

Vous prenez pas la tête...C'est un couple de trans..... ( je plaisante)

Citation :

F-35 - A Pilot's Perspective

Citation :

Dutch Elections Seen Reinforcing F-35 Supporters

What will the outcome of the elections in the Netherlands mean for its fighter acquisition plans? It is probable that, despite the previous parliament’s opposition to the deal, it will finally go through, according to Dutch sources, as a by-product of negotiations to form a new governing coalition.

The results of the Sept. 12 election give a total of 74 seats out of 150 to parties that have previously opposed the controversial acquisition of the F-35: Labour PvdA (39 seats), Socialist Party SP (15 seats), Freedom Party PVV (Wilders, 15 seats), Green Left GL (3 seats) and Animal Party PvdD (2 seats). This bloc had 82 seats in the previous parliament.

Backers of the F-35 acquisition won 62, 4 more than in the previous parliament: Conservative Liberals VVD (41 seats), Christian Democrats CDA (13 seats), Reformed Christian Party SGP (3 seats), and Christian Union (2 seats).

A third bloc of parties that proposed continuing the F-35’s current SDD phase without committing to acquisition, or has a neutral position, took 14 seats, 4 more than in the previous parliament: Progressive Liberals D66 (Democrats, 12 seats), the newly-formed 50+ party (seniors, 2 seats).

The VVD is a very strong pro-JSF party with many ties within industry and defense, and its strong position in any future governing coalition probably means that the F-35 acquisition project for the Royal Netherlands Air Force is unavoidable after these elections.

Observers point out that, although the F-35 acquisition was not even mentioned during the election campaign and debates, 77% of Dutch voters opposed acquisition of the F-35, even including a small majority of voters supporting the pro-F-35 parties: 55% of
VVD voters, 51% of the SGP voters and 60% of CDA and CU voters.

The election results mean that a governing coalition must be formed to have a working majority, probably between the VVD-PvdA and D66/GL parties or, alternatively, between the VVD-PvdA-CDA.

In both cases, the key factor influencing the final outcome of the fighter acquisition plan will be the attitude of Labour (PvdA), and whether its newly-elected MPs are prepared to change their point of view as has often happened in the past.

In 2001, PvdA was against the JSF; but after the elections in 2002 they voted (conditionally) to participate in the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) Phase.

In 2006, PvdA was not in the government and opposed signing the MOU for the follow-on Production, Sustainment and Follow-On Development (PSFD) phase. However, after the November 2006 elections, PvdA formed a coalition government and, after long negotiations and controversies, agreed to buy the first LRIP3 and LRIP4 aircraft, and to participate in the subsequent Initial Operational. Testing and Evaluation (IOT&E) phase.

So, while Labour has a history of protesting against the F-35, it has often changed its mind when this was the price of its participating in government. This may well happen again.

In any case, the F-35 acquisition will be one of the key items to be settled during the coalition negotiations.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/138410/dutch-elections-seen-reinforcing-f_35-supporters.html

Citation :

F-35 helmets face tough tests






When the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets become operational, the pilots will be able to look into the bubble-shaped visors on their helmets and see through the plane, so to speak, thanks to cameras on the aircraft that will give them a 360-degree view.

But for now, as the military and the manufacturers continue to fine-tune the system, the view is somewhat jittery and latent, relative to the super­sonic speeds at which these new workhorse jets fly.

And night vision sometimes is a tad blurry, according to Joe Della­Vedova, spokesman for the Joint Strike Fighter program.

www.lvrj.com

Blague a part ce casque me rappel le casque du pilote du vaisseaux spatial au debut du film "Saturn 3" avec Kirk Douglas.
Il fait flipper ce casque............

Citation :

F-35 Airframe Completes the Journey of a Lifetime


F-35 structural test rig. (Photo: BAE Systems)

14:36 GMT, September 19, 2012 Eight thousand hours, or one complete lifetime of durability testing is now complete on the F-35 conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant.

Durability testing of the CTOL airframe to 8,000 hours was completed ahead of schedule, proving the airframe is able to handle a variety of flying conditions it will experience when in service. Work continues on schedule for proving the aircraft for up to two lifetimes or 16,000 hours.

The 350 tonne structural test rig at our Brough facility was purposely built to ‘fly’ the F-35 through a series of flight scenarios. Over 20 miles of wiring, 2,500 strain gauges and 160 loading actuators subject the aircraft to a range of loads that it would typically encounter in actual flight.

We are also contracted for the static and fatigue testing for horizontal tails and fatigue testing on vertical tail.

Fifteen per cent of F-35 Lightning II work is carried out in the UK and over 130 British companies contribute to the supply chain. It is worth over £1 billion to UK industry each year and will support around 25,000 British jobs over the next 25 years.

defpro

Citation :

F-35 : le torchon brûle entre Lockheed Martin et le Pentagone

Le 20/09/2012 à 11:43 | Par François Julian

Un pas en avant, deux pas en arrière. Voilà qui résume bien le déroulement du programme Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), tant chaque bonne nouvelle ne fait que précéder l’annonce de problèmes supplémentaires.

Cette fois, c’est l’US Air Force qui n’y est pas allé de main morte. "C’est le pire programme auquel j’ai participé", a déclaré le Général de l’US Air Force Christopher Bogdan, directeur adjoint du programme JSF au Pentagone. Ce dernier s’exprimait le 17 septembre dernier lors de la convention annuelle de l’Air Force Association à Washington.

Cinquième lot de production

Pour le Pentagone, la coupe est pleine. Le Général Bogdan reproche notamment à Lockheed Martin de ne pas faciliter les négociations concernant l’achat du cinquième lot de production de F-35 (LRIP 5) contenant 30 exemplaires pour les forces américaine. "On ne devrait pas passer 10, 11 voire 12 mois à négocier avec quelqu’un avec qui on fait des affaires depuis 11 ans".

Ce dernier n’a d’ailleurs pas hésité à qualifier les mauvaises relations entre Lockheed Martin et le Pentagone de principale menace pesant sur l’avenir du F-35.

De même, plus question aujourd’hui d’allouer des financements supplémentaires à l’avionneur américain, sachant que ce dernier a déjà bénéficié en début d’année d’un joli coup de pouce avec l’allocation de plusieurs milliards de dollars supplémentaires, en plus d’une extension de délais pour la phase de développement et de démonstration (SDD).

Le Pentagone a même menacé de mettre Lockheed Martin en compétition avec d’autres sociétés pour assurer la maintenance des avions en service…

Quarante-cinq F-35 ont déjà volé

Concernant les essais, où en est on ? A ce jour, ce sont 45 exemplaires de F-35 qui ont déjà volé, et le tout premier F-35 (AA-1) a été retiré du service. Sur ces quarante cinq avions, 12 sont affectés uniquement aux essais en vol dans le cadre de la phase SDD avec 6 F-35A sur la base d’Edwards AFB et 5 F-35B et 3 F-35C au centre d’essais US Navy de Patuxent River.

Ce sont également 19 avions qui sont stationnés sur la base d’Eglin AFB en Floride. Affectés au 33d Fighter Wing, une unité multi-service (USAF/US Navy/US Marine Corps) ces avions doivent servir à la formation des premiers pilotes américains et internationaux.

Lockheed Martin a également fait voler les deux premier F-35B destinés à la Grande Bretagne (BK-1 et BK-2) ainsi que le premier destiné au Pays-Bas (AN-1).

Au total, ces 45 avions ont accumulé 4.390 heures d’essais au cours de 2.700 vols.

Durant ces derniers mois, plusieurs jalons importants ont été franchis, comme la réalisation au début du mois d’août du premier essai de séparation avec une munition, en l’occurrence une bombe Jdam GBU-32.

Plus récemment, ce sont des essais de rallumage moteur en plein vol qui ont été menés avec succès, ce qui va ouvrir la voie aux vols à fort angle d’attaque. En effet c’est durant ce type de vol que le moteur est le plus susceptible d’être victime d’une extinction suite à un phénomène de pompage.

Viseur de casque

Reste encore et toujours les difficultés dans la mise au point des systèmes avioniques. Tout particulièrement le viseur de casque de Vision Systems International (Rockwell Collins/Elbit) dont la mise au point compliquée pourrait ne pas être terminée pour 2015, date à laquelle les Marines américains doivent déclarer opérationnelle une première unité de F-35B.

Lockheed Martin étudie toujours la possibilité de doter son avion d’un deuxième modèle de viseur de casque, moins compliqué, fourni par BAE Systems.

Pour mémoire, l’absence de collimateur tête haute (HUD) sur le F-35 rend indispensable la présence d’un viseur de casque performant, doté notamment d’un système de vision nocturne.

L’autre gros chantier, c’est la mise au point du logiciel de l’avionique de bord. Pour l’heure, les avions sont livrés avec un standard logiciel intérimaire baptisé Block 2A. La mise en service du standard Block 2B est imminente, tout en sachant que le développement du standard Block 3, c'est-à-dire "bon pour le service opérationnel", est encore loin d’être achevé.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/defense/f-35-le-torchon-brule-entre-lockheed-martin-et-le-pentagone.html

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An Air Force F-35 at Edwards AFB, Calif., gets an up-close view of Space Shuttle Endeavour on Sept. 20, 2012.

Cela serai très instructif d'avoir le compte rendu d'une interception radar F-35 VS F-22....

Citation :

Marine Corps Joint Strike Fighter Conducts First Aerial Refuel



In the sky above the Gulf of Mexico near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., the future of Marine aviation punched through the warm Florida air Oct. 2. F-35B Joint Strike Fighters with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 from Eglin conducted the first air-to-air refuel of an operational aircraft in the program’s history. Previous aerial refueling operations with the F-35 had been conducted with test aircraft.

Four Joint Strike Fighters, two at a time, on two separate sorties, took fuel midair from a KC-130J Hercules from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 based at Cherry Point.

Both aviation platforms belong to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, the Marine Corps’ East Coast aviation component. VMFAT-501 wields the only F-35Bs in the Marine Corps. As the newest aircraft in the American military, the F-35 represents the cutting edge of aviation warfare. The Joint Strike Fighter’s capabilities include stealth technology, vertical and short take-off and landing, electronic warfare, and a new helmet interface that displays all of the pilot’s data internally and allows for 360-degree views of the aircraft.

Leaders in the F-35 community said the Oct. 2 training mission represented an important step for a program that promises to improve the Marine Corps’ ability to serve as America’s expeditionary force in readiness.

“It’s great to start to expand our operational capability in the context of working with the Marine Air-Ground Task Force,” said Lt. Col. David Berke, VMFAT-501 commanding officer.

Aerial refueling operations like the one conducted in Florida are a mainstay of Marine aviation and occur regularly in war zones like Afghanistan. The ability for aircraft to gas up without having to land increases the scope and range of Marine aviation operations.
“Almost every combat mission that happens in the Marine Corps involves aerial refueling,” said Maj. Paul Holst, one of the F-35B pilots on the mission. “We just demonstrated that we can do that, so we’re now one step closer to this airplane being operational. We’re doing exactly what we came here to do.”

For one KC-130J pilot on the mission, the landmark training operation with the F-35 was the first aerial refuel of her career. Capt. Courtney Slafter served as the co-pilot for the mission. A former CH-46E Sea Knight Pilot who switched to KC-130Js within the last year, she found herself on the precipice of the future of military aviation in the sky above Eglin.

“To be a part of the first aerial refuel of the Joint Strike Fighter is exciting,” Slafter said. “But to me, the resonance lies in the amount of pride our squadron takes in the missions we are assigned. The resonance lies in our ability to fly halfway across the country to execute this mission and fly back the same day.”

The enlisted crew on the KC-130J described the mission as typical for the squadron. The behemoth aircraft play an instrumental role in the Marine Air Ground Task Force, conducting refueling operations, cargo and passenger transport, battlefield illumination and close air support.

“It was great to see the F-35 up and in the early phases of their operations,” said Sgt. Shawn Parks, a crewmaster with the KC-130J. “I was taking a good look at it since I had never seen one up close before, but besides that, it was business as usual for us today.”

But the mission represented more than a routine operation for a KC-130J Hercules. The two aircraft coming together from duty stations more than 600 miles apart underscored how Marine aviation harnesses the capability to project power anywhere in the world.

“We proved that capability is not just accessible, but that our guys are well trained to do it,” Berke said.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/139289/marine-corps-f_35b-in-first-aerial-refuelling.html#

Citation :

F-35: Newest Fighter Much More Than Just 'Stealthy Plane'

EGLIN AFB, Fla. | The engines roared overhead as an F-35A fell into formation. Although this is a basic maneuver for the test pilots, the possibilities for combat environments created by these elite aircraft working together are anything but mundane.

The F-35, which features three variants to be used by the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy, is a single-seat aircraft capable of stealthy operations, equipped with an enhanced computer technology system. The Marine Corps B variant is also capable of performing short takeoffs and vertical-landings while maintaining the conventional operations of other airplanes.

The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program started in 1997. The program includes plans to replace the Air Force's aging F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt II, the Marine Corps' short takeoff, vertical landing AV-8B Harrier and dogfighting and air-to-ground attacking F/A-18 Hornet and the Navy's stock of legacy Hornets.

"The F-35 is a fifth-generation fighter; but it's more than just a stealthy airplane," said Marine Corps Col. Art Tomassetti, a pilot who has been with the JSF program since 1998. "It goes beyond stealth and low observable capability. It brings together everything that today's computer and digital age can bring to how the airplane flies and how it's maintained."

The F-35 is an ideal combination of stealth, sensor fusion and a robust digital flight control system making it, not only easy for a pilot to fly, but easy to identify and engage targets in the battlespace. Along with ease of flight, the F-35 also allows pilots greater situational awareness.

"When you look at the F-35, you can't look at it as a single airplane against another single airplane," Tomassetti said. "You have to look at a group of F-35s working together, then you really get to take advantage of what the F-35 brings to the battle space. The ability of the airplanes to use a variety of sensors to gather information and share the information they gather between planes is truly incredible."

With the F-35, pilots can access information about possible targets and threats from supporting F-35 aircraft via data links, which allows them to see more and identify more of what is happening in the battle space, Tomassetti said.

Currently, the military is only training seasoned pilots on the new airplane at Eglin Air Force Base.

When new pilots are allowed into the program, they will find themselves in a unique training environment along with enlisted aircraft maintainers and mechanics from all three branches of service and also coalition partners from several foreign nations.

These service members will learn how to operate and maintain the F-35 through a digital training environment. This kinetic learning system allows the learning to occur through touching and doing, rather than seeing and hearing.

"The fact that we're starting with the same airframe, same formations, same weapons capabilities, I think that already puts us at a better starting point when we show up to a combat theater together," said Lt. Col. Lee Kloos, squadron commander for the 58th Fighter Squadron, of the integration of forces with the F-35.

Kloos, who has more 2,100 hours flying the F-16, said having the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy field the same airframe allows a common frame of reference for pilots regardless of service.

The aircraft is also a joy to fly, Kloos said. Despite the advanced technology and complexity of the aircraft, it's a very easy aircraft to fly, and basic pilot actions remain the same as in any fighter aircraft.

"Pull back on the stick and the trees get smaller, push forward and the trees get bigger," Kloos said. It is a stable and well-balanced plane designed for today's generation who grew up playing video games, he said.

Comparatively speaking, the F-35 has a clean cockpit. Instead of a multitude of switches inherent of many aircraft, the F-35 has two touch screens with interfaces similar to a tablet computer.

For the maintainers, things are a little tougher.

"I was working on the F-15 C and D models," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Reed, F-35 A maintainer. "The F-35 is a completely different aircraft. The technology is challenging at times."

Since the F-35 is still in operational testing, the maintainers and pilots work through all the bugs together. On a continuous basis, personnel are testing the aircraft in new maneuvers and capabilities. Once these are monitored and assessed, the pilots are cleared to perform them in their daily flight operations.

"Today our training consists of the basics of takeoff, landing, navigation and basic formation as we wait for the flight clearance to expand and allow us to train specific mission sets," Tomassetti said.

Air Force maintainers, the first service members to work on the F-35, use the maintenance side of the computer to do preventative diagnostics and pinpoint possible problems.

With the pilots and maintainers working together, the Air Force and Marine Corps have flown hundreds of training sorties since their first flight in 2011. They continue to fly daily to bring the F-35 A, the Air Force's conventional landing and take-off variant, F-35 B, the Marine Corps' STOVL variant, and F-35 C, the Navy's carrier-based variant, closer to combat operations.

defpro

Citation :

Second UK F-35 And Marine Corps F-35B Delivered To Eglin

FORT WORTH, Texas, October 19, 2012 – The second United Kingdom Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II takes off from Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base today for delivery to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Eglin’s eleventh U.S. Marine Corps F-35B ferried to the Emerald Coast with the U.K. jet. The aircraft, known as ZM136 and BF-16, departed at approximately 8:06 a.m. CDT with U.K. Royal Air Force Sqn. Ldr. Jim Schofield and Marine Corps Maj. Adam Levine at the controls, respectively, for the 90-minute ferry flight to Eglin. ZM136 joins the first United Kingdom F-35B, which arrived at the base for operational test and evaluation in July. The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variants are the fifteenth and sixteenth F-35s to ferry to Eglin this year.


Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

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Edwards F-35A Completes First AIM-120 Amraam Internal Weapons Release

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Oct 22, 2012 – An F-35A test aircraft, flown by U.S. Air Force Maj. Matthew Phillips, completed the first aerial weapons release of an AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) from a conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft, Oct. 19. The aircraft, known as AF-1, jettisoned the instrumented AIM-120 over the China Lake test range from an internal weapons bay. This was the second in-flight weapons release in three days for AF-1 as it completed the release of a 2,000 pound GBU-31 BLU-109 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Oct. 16. The F-35A 5th Generation fighter is designed to carry a payload of up to 18,000 pounds using 10 weapon stations. The F-35A features four internal weapon stations located in two weapon bays to maximum stealth capability. The CTOL aircraft can also utilize an additional three weapon stations per wing if required.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

www.lockheedmartin.com

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News F-35 Production Line Starts at BAE Systems Samlesbury Site
15:16 GMT, October 23, 2012 A new state of the art production line for the F-35 5th generation fighter jet has been switched on at our Samlesbury site.

The new production line, known as the Integrated Assembly Line (or IAL for short) has been installed in the latest phase of the new F-35 5th generation stealthy fighter jet manufacturing facility at Samlesbury, which opened in March this year.

It will use an automated overhead monorail system to ‘pulse’ sections of the rear fuselage of all three types of F-35 aircraft (Conventional, STOVL and Carrier variant) around an assembly line, building them as they go and allowing more units to be produced more efficiently than before – helping the team to ramp up production from the current level of one per week up to the required level of one per day by 2016. A similar one is planned for production in 2013 to support the horizontal and vertical tail assembly builds.

Over the past ten years we have made significant investment in the F-35 programme, including a new titanium machining facility which opened in 2010, a new office building, the newly extended manufacturing facility and now the new production line. We employ almost 2000 employees on the F-35 programme.

Fifteen per cent of F-35 Lightning II work is carried out in the UK and over 130 British companies contribute to the supply chain. The programme is worth over £1bn to UK industry each year and will support around 25,000 British jobs over the next 25 years.

defpro

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Lockheed cites good reports on night flights of F-35 helmet

HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp said on Tuesday that it was making progress on resolving technical issues facing the cutting-edge helmet being developed for use by F-35 fighter pilots, and it cited positive initial reports from night flight tests of the system.

Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President Tom Burbage said that night vision performance was the "only real question" left on the helmet, which was designed by a joint venture of Rockwell Collins Inc and Israel's Elbit Systems to display all the information F-35 pilots need to fly the plane.

Citation :

Eglin Completes 500TH F-35 Sortie

EGLIN AIR ORCE BASE, Fla., Nov. 5, 2012 – The Integrated Training Center (ITC) here completed its 500th combined sortie for both the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) and F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft Friday. Flight operations for the F-35 began on the Emerald Coast March 6. There are currently 22 F-35s at Eglin as the fleet continues to grow supporting the team as it trains instructor pilots and maintainers. The team accomplished the 500 sorties in 238 days cutting the time between each milestone sortie:

• 100th sortie – July 12 - accomplished in 123 days
  
• 200th sortie – Aug. 24 - accomplished in 44 days
  
• 300th sortie – Sept. 21 - accomplished in 28 days
  
• 400th sortie – Oct. 16 - accomplished in 25 days
  
• 500th sortie – Nov. 2 - accomplished in 16 days
  

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

www.lockheedmartin.com

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F-35A Achieves Maximum High Angle Of Attack Limit In Four Flights

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., November 19, 2012 – An F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft rapidly expanded its high angle of attack (AOA) test envelope to its 50 degree limit in only four flights during recent flight testing here. F-35A test aircraft are limited to AOAs of 20 degrees until their controllability is proven at a higher AOA limit of 50 degrees. The ability to rapidly progress to the maximum AOA indicates a sound aerodynamic and flight control system design. High AOA testing will continue on the F-35A for several months testing the capabilities of all design loadings and the flight control system.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

lockheedmartin

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Lockheed Reaches Pentagon Agreement for 32 More F-35s

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) and the Pentagon have reached an “agreement in principle” to complete a contract valued at as much as $4 billion for the fifth production batch of F-35 fighters, according to the Pentagon’s spokesman.

An accord has been reached to buy 32 fighters in addition to the 63 already on contract, Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters today.

The Pentagon said in December that it would spend a maximum of about $4 billion on the production lot. Dollar figures for the contract won’t be available for about a week, according to officials who spoke about the negotiations on condition of anonymity. The contract is the second consecutive one to involve the purchase of 32 aircraft, an indication the Pentagon assesses the program’s manufacturing processes are on solid enough footing to sustain that rate.

“It was a tough negotiation and we are pleased that we’ve reached an agreement,” Little said. “It ends the year on a positive note and sets the program to move forward.”

Signing the contract before year-end means that the dollars obligated won’t be subject to reduction if the Pentagon is forced to make $52.3 billion in additional cuts during the current fiscal year under the process called sequestration. Those cuts would begin in January unless President Barack Obama and Congress reach agreement to avert the spending reductions and tax increases known as the fiscal cliff.

Lockheed rose 28 cents to $93.30 at the close in New York trading after touching $94.10, a 1.1 percent increase, during intraday trading.

Lockheed’s Comment


“We remain committed to working with our government and international customers, and we continue to see excellent production performance,” Orlando Carvalho, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program general manager, said in a statement to be released today. “Our top priority is to deliver the F-35’s 5th generation capability to our U.S. and partner national warfighters.”

Vice Admiral David Venlet, the Pentagon’s F-35 program manager, said in the statement that the agreement is“beneficial to the government and Lockheed Martin.” He said“production costs are decreasing.”

Negotiations for the fifth production contract have been under way since last year. The terms may change when a so-called definitized contract is signed.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta “has been tracking these negotiations very closely,” Little said.

Under the new contract, Lockheed Martin will build 22 conventional-flight versions of the fighter for the Air Force, seven aircraft carrier versions or the Navy and three short takeoff-vertical landing models for the Marine Corps. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the Pentagon’s costliest program.

Rising Costs


Pentagon officials have promised Congress to get tougher in negotiations with Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor. The first four contracts for 63 jets are exceeding their combined target cost by $1 billion, according to congressional auditors.

The Government Accountability Office said in its annual report this year that the estimated average procurement cost of each jet had risen to $137 million from the initial estimate of $69 million in October 2001.

Negotiations involved the Pentagon’s first extensive use of a “should-cost” analysis. It involves a detailed review of prior F-35 contract data, historical cost data and “reasonable extrapolations” of what the next aircraft cost should be, Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, told reporters in July.

“We started the negotiations on the government side with a very well-documented set of costs and then we were able to compare it to the bid we received, item-by-item, line by line,”Kendall said. “Going through and trying to resolve the differences has been the process that has taken so long.”

“Once we get through that we’ll be in a very good place for negotiating future lots,” he said. “That’s what the time has been all about. We have more information.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio in Washington at acapaccio@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: John Walcott at jwalcott9@bloomberg.net

flightglobal

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F-35B completes second airborne weapons separation

F-35B BF-3 completed the first GBU-12 airborne weapons separation on Dec. 3. It was also the second airborne weapons separation for the F-35B.

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Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II - Flight and weapons testing