F-35 Lightning II - Discussione Ufficiale

[TT-1 Pinto]

Il peso dell'industria britannica ....

 

British Have Premier Industrial Position on F-35 ....

 

The premier position of the UK aerospace industry on the Lockheed Martin F-35 program was highlighted by a briefing and presentation at the Defence Security and Equipment International (DSEI) show in London this week.

Some 500 British companies are involved in producing “15 percent of each of the 3,100 F-35s that will be built,” according to Steve O’Bryan, vice president for F-35 program integration at Lockheed Martin.

The company has calculated that the program will secure 24,000 high-technology jobs in the UK through 2039.

 

Fonte .... http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ain-defense-perspective/2013-09-13/british-have-premier-industrial-position-f-35

[TT-1 Pinto]

ALIS ....

 

Meet Alis: Friend or Foe? ....

 

The challenges of the $400 billion Lockheed Martin F-35 program have been reported in depth and detail for more than a decade.

But, one underreported piece of the program is its Autonomic Logistics Information System, Alis.

 

Fonte .... http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a9d1dd3e4-987d-42e6-8be6-4c190e11f89b

 

Inoltre .... http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_09_16_2013_p45-614645.xml

[-{-Legolas-}-]

Interessante e ricco di dettagli, nel secondo link c'è una bella spiegazione sulle difficoltà di sviluppare l'ALIS, che credo siano i problemi che ha qualsiasi grosso software che si deve integrare con molte strutture hw e che deve svolgere molte funzioni integrando tutti i dati. Alla fine di tutto, mi chiedo se sia Windows uno dei problemi più grossi.. ... "Meanwhile, Lockheed is working on two ALIS 2 versions. The first, 2.0.0, will facilitate a transition from Windows XP to Windows 7 and operate with the Block 2B aircraft; the Marine Corps will declare IOC with Block 2B aircraft.

Eventually, ALIS 2.0.1.0 will integrate more engine data from the Pratt & Whitney F135s; today, a specialized Pratt laptop is used for life management functions, though ALIS is used for maintenance."

[TT-1 Pinto]

E vai .... con le forbici !!!!

 

JSF jet fighter purchase gets green light after 18 years: Telegraaf ....

 

The Netherlands will go ahead with the purchase of the controversial JSF jet fighter, despite objections, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday.

The decision brings to an end 18 years of political dithering about the wisdom of spending so much money on an aircraft when the defence ministry is struggling to find €1.33bn in cuts, the paper says.

The Netherlands will buy 37 JSF jets which will keep the cost within the €4.5bn special budget set aside for the purpose.

They will cost an additional €270m a year to keep in the air, the Telegraaf reports, quoting sources in The Hague.

 

Fonte .... http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/09/jsf_jet_fighter_purchase_gets.php

 

Telegraaf .... http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/21895899/__JSF_definitief_gekocht__.html

 

Alla fine .... saranno ben pochi gli F-35 che verranno prodotti dallo stabilimento di Cameri ....

 

 

 

 

[TT-1 Pinto]

L'Olanda prevede dunque di acquistare 37 aerei anziché i previsti 85 .... però ....

 

“If, within the given financial parameters, room is created in the coming years to purchase more aircraft, the defence organisation will do so. This may be the case if the [10%] contingency reserve is not used in full and if the price per unit of the F-35 turns out to be lower than is currently expected.”

 

Fonte .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/netherlands-cuts-f-35-fleet-plan-to-37-fighters-390647/

 

 

[holmes7]

L'Olanda ha poco meno di 70 F16 al momento, mi pare difficile possa arrivare a comprare 85 F35, e' possibile che arrivi a comprarne una altra trentina.

 

Intanto anche il Belgio comincia a pensare ad un sostituto dell'F16

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/17/us-dutch-fighter-f-idUSBRE98G0Y020130917

 

BELGIAN DECISION NEXT YEAR

The Dutch announcement could help strengthen Belgium's interest in the F-35.

A Belgian defence ministry spokesman said existing jets would have to be replaced at some stage, but no decision would be taken before the new government took office.

Belgium had not joined the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway in helping fund development of the F-35, although it was one of the first NATO countries to buy the Lockheed F-16 fighter.

[TT-1 Pinto]

 

Sta girando l'angolo ....

 

The F-35 programme starts to turn the corner ....

 

Things are starting to look up for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, says the top Pentagon official overseeing the programme.

If the trend holds up, by 2019, the F-35 programme will deliver a “fifth-generation aircraft at fourth-generation prices,” says US Air Force Lt Gen Christopher Bogdan, the F-35 programme executive officer.

 

Fonte .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/the-f-35-programme-starts-to-turn-the-corner-390671/

 

Non ci resta dunque che auspicare che le ottimistiche previsioni del "generalissimo" si dimostrino fondate ....

[fabio-22raptor]

Beh prima o poi l'Olanda dovra' dire addio agli F-16. Anche se ora i costi dell'aereo non lo consentono, prima o poi dovra' sostituirli, e a meno di non voler puntare sugli UCAV futuri o su prodotti nostrani, sempre da LM tornera'.. In fondo e' solo questione di tempo...

 

Edit: visto ora l'ultimo messaggio di Pinto.

A parere mio e' troppo presto per lanciarsi in stime simili stabilendo quasi con certezza l'anno in cui.. anche perche' (sempre secondo le stime), la versione C dovrebbe raggiungere la IOC poco tempo prima.

Modificato 18 Settembre 2013 da fabio-22raptor

[TT-1 Pinto]

Di gran lunga migliorate le relazioni fra USAF e Lockheed Martin ....

 

F-35 Test Case ....

 

It was just a year ago, at AFA’s 2012 Air & Space Conference, that then-newly-minted F-35 program manager Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said the working relationship between stakeholders on the F-35 was the “worst he’s seen.”

Bogdan is expected to offer a one-year-later update on that assessment in his speech at AFA’s 2013 conference on Tuesday.

But on Monday, Lockheed Martin F-35 general manager Lorraine Martin said she thinks the relationship is vastly improved.

Bogdan’s comments made for “a very impactful day,” she said in an interview at the conference.

Bogdan and she resolved to make the negotiations for Lot 6 and Lot 7 production a “test case on how we can do business together,” with the result that costs have come down in each lot.

The partnership is now about “communicating, coordinating, being responsive to each other.”

Lot 6 and Lot 7 “really did go much better than . . . in the past,” said Martin.

They marked “in his estimation and mine, a good deal for both of us.

And, if you want a relationship and partnership . . . you really have to look at things that are a mutual gain.”

She said the relationship is now about solving problems together “on a daily basis” on what is “the most complex program” ever undertaken by the Defense Department.

 

—John A. Tirpak (9/17/2013)

 

 

.... mentre si sta verificando una tendenza alla diminuzione del prezzo dell'aereo ....

 

How Do They Do That?

 

The price of the F-35 strike fighter came down four percent in both Lot 6 and Lot 7 production.

How?

Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 general manager, said in an interview on Monday the company and the Pentagon “spent a lot of time in [Lot] 5 understanding costs” and “what does it really take to build the aircraft, and what are all the cost components?”

Learning curve and production efficiencies are improving, there are fewer and fewer discoveries in flight test, and negotiating two lots at once also added some economy of time and cost.

With these under her belt, she’s hoping that now the company and the government can “get back on that regular cadence . . . of being in sync with the acquisition- and procurement-planning process.”

That means long-lead money and contracts line up.

She expects to submit the company’s next lot proposal before the end of 2013, and get on contract for Lot 8 in the January-March timeframe.

For Lot 5, the sequence was out of sync by 18 months; for Lot 6 and Lot 7, four months.

Getting back on track “helps everyone” with cash flow, especially to the sub-tier vendors.

The F-35 program is now below the official government cost estimate “and we expect it will stay below,” said Martin.

 

—John A. Tirpak (9/17/2013)

 

Fonte .... il "Daily Report" dell'AFA ....

 

Su Ares .... un commento in merito di Bill Sweetman ....

"Relationship Therapy Making Headway on F-35 Program" .... http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3ab5838815-9555-4ac0-9d64-800ac3e38c39

[TT-1 Pinto]

Il casco di volo di BAE .... un'alternativa valida .... almeno per ora ....

 

.... domani chissà ....

 

Pentagon Using BAE As Cost Leverage For VSI F-35 Helmet ....

 

The Pentagon is continuing to keep BAE’s work crafting an alternate F-35 helmet on the side burner, though program officials indicate they are lining up in support of fixes designed to improve the performance of the primary helmet manufactured by Vision Systems International.

F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan has not, however, taken the step to sole-source the work to VSI, a joint venture of Rockwell Collins and Elbit, in hopes that even the specter of competition will drive down the helmet’s cost.

 

Fonte .... http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_09_18_2013_p0-617847.xml

[-{-Legolas-}-]

Mi sembra giusto mettere in competizione almeno due costruttori, che siano motivati a vincere il contratto.

[-{-Legolas-}-]

Il Lt. Col. D. Berke è stato l'unico pilota a volare sia sullo F-35 che sullo F-22, in questa intervista ci da una visione di quello che è il 5th Generation Warfare secondo lo Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh.

 

[TT-1 Pinto]

Mi sembra giusto mettere in competizione almeno due costruttori, che siano motivati a vincere il contratto.

 

Cosa che però non è stata fatta per il motore .... di modo che ora l'aereo potrà contare soltanto su un unico impianto propulsivo disponibile .... senza possibilità alcuna di concorrenza ....

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/zombie-35-stealth-fighter-alternate-engine-finally-dies/story?id=15074110

[TT-1 Pinto]

In arrivo, nella funzione di Segretario per l'Air Force, una convinta fautrice del Lightning II ....

 

An Advocate for the F-35 ....

 

Deborah James, Air Force Secretary nominee, said on Thursday the F-35 strike fighter has been an "enormously expensive program," but is integral to the United States maintaining air superiority.

Addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee at her Sept. 19 confirmation hearing, James said she would continue to advocate for the F-35, if the Senate approves her nomination, and would press the point that "the threats out there are real and that we need this program to help us counter those threats."

The F-35 program is "trending in the right direction," she said, citing the newest, lower lifecycle cost projections.

James said the basing decisions for the initial combat-ready F-35 units should come in October or November.

 

(James' responses to advance questions)

 

—Merri Shaffer - 9/20/2013

 

Fonte .... il "Daily Report" dell'AFA ....

 

Deborah Lee James .... http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130801/NEWS/308010045/SAIC-s-Deborah-Lee-James-nominated-next-Air-Force-secretary

[-{-Legolas-}-]

Problemi di gomme per lo F-35.

 

“Those tires today are coming off the airplane way, way, way too frequently,” Bogdan said Sept. 17 at the Air Force Association’s annual Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition at National Harbor, Md.

The problem only affects the tires on the Marine Corps’ version of the plane, known as the F-35B, according to Joe DellaVedova, a spokesman for the Pentagon’s F-35 program office. Unlike the Air Force’s F-35A or the Navy’s F-35C variants, the F-35B takes off from both conventional and short runways, which puts greater stress on the tires, he said. (It can also hover and land like a helicopter onto a ship.)

Read more: http://defensetech.org/2013/09/19/5th-generation-fighter-1st-generation-tires/#ixzz2fR7NFLGE
Defense.org

Modificato 20 Settembre 2013 da -{-Legolas-}-

[TT-1 Pinto]

Problemi di gomme per lo F-35.

 

E' proprio il caso di dirlo .... OGNI GIORNO .... UNA NUOVA ....

[holmes7]

http://defensetech.org/2013/09/19/5th-generation-fighter-1st-generation-tires/#more-21347

 

 

The problem only affects the tires on the Marine Corps’ version of the plane, known as the F-35B, according to Joe DellaVedova, a spokesman for the Pentagon’s F-35 program office. Unlike the Air Force’s F-35A or the Navy’s F-35C variants, the F-35B takes off from both conventional and short runways, which puts greater stress on the tires, he said. (It can also hover and land like a helicopter onto a ship.)

“Tire wear must be improved for the F-35B variant and we have taken concrete actions to fix this problem,” DellaVedova said in an e-mailed statement.

The tires on the Marine Corps’ jets had a so-called initial wear rate of 10 to 11 landings per tire during testing, DellaVedova said. That rate worsened during more recent testing, which includes a higher mix of conventional take-offs and landings, he said. However, the results have improved slightly since last month’s fielding of a temporary replacement tire with a thicker tread, he said.

The tires, which cost about $1,500 apiece, are made by Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Ltd., based in the United Kingdom, DellaVedova said. The company also made tires for the AV-8B Harrier jump jet, whose performance requirements are similar to those of the F-35B, he said.

Lockheed and Dunlop plan to begin delivering a redesigned product to the military by the end of the year, DellaVedova said. Bogdan, the general, said the companies will have to cover the cost of the redesign. “I’m not paying a penny,” he said at the conference.

 

 

Sembra una cosuccia da poco, ma ricordiamoci che l'F35 B pesa il doppio dell'Harrier.

Modificato 21 Settembre 2013 da holmes7

[Alpino]

Suvvia un problema alle gomme.. non mi sembra il caso di drammatizzare.

[Tom_One]

Giorni fà postando alcune news che arrivavano da Israele, mi fù risposto che un blogger non fà testo.

Vediamo se fà testo cosa ne pensa dell' F-35, il Presidente della Commissione Difesa del Senato, ex- canditato alla Presidenza degli USA, noto senatore repubblicano, meglio noto nell'area di Washington D.C. come il "falco dei falchi....". Ovvero il Sen. McCain dell' Arizona

 

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2013/09/19/mccain-f-35-among-the-great-national-scandals/

[vorthex]

veramente, ti è stato detto che un blog, non avendo ruolo istituzionale, non può rappresentare altro se non il parere del possessore del blog. quindi, non è che non fa testo... è che ha una valenza molto parziale, il che mi sembra davvero ovvio e scontato, senza neanche entrare nel merito di cosa dice o non dice.

 

situazione per certi versi simile è quella del commento di McCain (che non è così falco come credi), nonostante i ruoli che ricopre: è un parere personale, niente altro, giusto o sbagliato che sia.

tanto per fare un esempio: McCain è fortemente contrario a Guantanamo... non mi pare l'abbiano chiusa perchè lui faceva i picci.

 

inoltre, anche se la Senate National Security Caucus, di cui McCain è co-presidente, avesse espresso un parere simile... sai quanti programmi sono giudicati costosi o insoddisfacenti e, nonostante questo, sono andati avanti? non pochi, tra cui anche l'F-35. insomma, non è una novità che sia un programma denso di critiche, non è che il commento di McCain cambi qualcosa.

Modificato 23 Settembre 2013 da vorthex

[TT-1 Pinto]

inoltre, anche se la Senate National Security Caucus, di cui McCain è co-presidente, avesse espresso un parere simile... sai quanti programmi sono giudicati costosi o insoddisfacenti e, nonostante questo, sono andati avanti? non pochi, tra cui anche l'F-35. insomma, non è una novità che sia un programma denso di critiche, non è che il commento di McCain cambi qualcosa.

 

Eppure c'è stato almeno un famigerato caso (posso definirlo così?) in cui un commento negativo da parte del Senatore su un determinato programma diede il 'la' all'appena eletto Presidente per cancellarlo seduta stante ....

 

Lockheed Martin Corp's helicopter program is now more expensive than Air Force One, the high-tech Boeing 747 that ferries the president, former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain told a summit convened to look at ways of curbing the United States' $1.3 trillion deficit.

 

Fonte .... http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/02/24/us-obama-weapons-idUSTRE51M6UM20090224

 

E subito dopo tale episodio prese il via il "buy american" di cui abbiamo visto i risultati ....

[Alpino]

Giorni fà postando alcune news che arrivavano da Israele, mi fù risposto che un blogger non fà testo.

Vediamo se fà testo cosa ne pensa dell' F-35, il Presidente della Commissione Difesa del Senato, ex- canditato alla Presidenza degli USA, noto senatore repubblicano, meglio noto nell'area di Washington D.C. come il "falco dei falchi....". Ovvero il Sen. McCain dell' Arizona

 

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2013/09/19/mccain-f-35-among-the-great-national-scandals/

Dice cosa già note, il Lightning ha sforato il budget, e star qui a ripetercelo non cambia la situazione. Fai solo flame, non aggiungi niente alla discussuione.

[holmes7]

Si allungano le basi dell' F 35

 

http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130922/NEWS04/309220017/F-35-era-begins-Hill-AFB

 

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=26938609&nid=148

[TT-1 Pinto]

The first F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter to arrive at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, sits on display in front of a hangar the morning of Sept. 20, 2013.

Hill, Lockheed Martin, Utah elected officials and community members gathered for a ceremony to commemorate the beginning of F-35 depot maintenance at Hill AFB.

The F-35 is a multi-variant, multi-role, fifth generation fighter, and will undergo organic depot modification work at Hill AFB.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd)

 

Flightglobal.com .... "F-35 inducted into USAF air logistics centre" .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/f-35-inducted-into-usaf-air-logistics-centre-390816/

 

Lockheed Martin .... "Ogden ALC Welcomes Its First F-35 Lightning II" .... http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2013/september/130920ae_ogden-alc-welcomes-first-f-35.html

 

Air Force Materiel Command .... "Hill welcomes F-35 workload" .... http://www.afmc.af .mil/news/story.asp?id=123364106

 

Video .... "F-35 Arrival to Hill AFB" .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xbkrw-8coY

Modificato 23 Settembre 2013 da TT-1 Pinto

[Alpino]

Sud Corea interessata al Lightning? Pare che la gara per l'acquisizione di aerei nuovi per le forze armate sudcoreane sia riaperta dopo l'interessamento per il silent eagle.

 

 

South Korea appears set to re-tender its F-X III requirement for 60 fighter aircraft, after deciding against the selection of the Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle, which had been tipped to win the competition.

Although the F-15SE was the only aircraft to come in below the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s (DAPA) budget of won (W) 8.3 trillion ($7.73 billion), concerns about its stealth characteristics have prompted the decision to restart the acquisition process, according to a report by Seoul’s official Yonhap news agency, citing a DAPA statement.

The decision is understood to have been made on 24 September at a DAPA meeting presided over by defence minister Kim Kwan-Jin.

The three contenders for the requirement were the F-15SE, Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35. Industry observers had consistently viewed the competition as a two-way battle between the two US-built aircraft, given Seoul’s extremely close ties to Washington. Observers close to the South Korean defence establishment have observed the air force’s preference for the F-35.

A re-tendering process for the competition could prove to be challenging for Seoul. Industry sources have said that DAPA loosened the stealth requirement of F-X III to allow fairer competition between the three aircraft. Placing too much emphasis on stealth in a new competition, however, could be seen as undermining a fair process.

 

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/south-korea-backs-down-from-f-15-silent-eagle-selection-report-390879/