F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

[YZT580]

FJAG, the fact that Israel saw the benefits of purchasing both the F35 and the F15 indicates to me that after operating the F35 in a combat role they have identified a weakness that the F15 will backstop. 

 

[FJAG]

FJAG, the fact that Israel saw the benefits of purchasing both the F35 and the F15 indicates to me that after operating the F35 in a combat role they have identified a weakness that the F15 will backstop.

They will have some 350 combat aircraft including over 200 F-16s, but only two dozen F-15Is and it looks like any plan for F-15EXs is also to replace older aircraft. All that said, even with it's larger number of aircraft it seems that Israel may not be able to afford a two (three) type fleet. See this article about the choices they need to make and what the issues are:

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/f-35-vs-f-15ex-which-deadly-fighter-jet-will-israel-choose-66276

I think for us the big question is the difference in environment our aircraft must be prepared to operate under v that of the Israelis. The Israelis are generally up against a more diversified, less capable potential foe. We need to work in a more complex, more hardened European conflict where interoperability with our F-35 equipped allies is essential.  (I know that MD is also trying to sell Germany on buying F-15GAs to replace the Tornados but  :dunno:

Look. For me, our Air Force made the decision years ago as to the usefulness of the F-35 to our defence needs. It's only because of the political games played by Trudeau and his ilk that we aren't already on the production line. There's no doubt in my mind that many highly paid experts will be expending reams of $ and paper and hyperbole to convince us that we really need their older, "proven" and souped up generation 4.x product.

Just once, I think we should get our people what they need and not some cast off Australian F-18s or whatever makes Irving or SNC Lavalin or their aerospace industry brethren more money.

:stirpot:

 

[SupersonicMax]

So...? 

(Obvious leading question)

I have flown with WSOs and I am sold for the most part.  I’ll caveat this by saying (no offense to you personally) that our ACSO cadre doesn’t have the right attitude and mentality to operate effectively in a fighter aircraft which I have only seen on a handful of ACSOs, including EWOs.  American WSOs were, for all intents and purposes, fighter pilots in their minds which made working with them super easy both in an out of the cockpit.  This is bred through the training system and subsequent life on squadron.

Because of the reputation (warranted or not) that our ACSOs have, I doubt many fighter pilot would be willing to relinquish any cockpit duties to them.  There is also the single-seat mentality which would need to be broken but that’s not a stretch.  It took me all but 2 fights with good WSOs to start trusting them with what I would consider tactically critical duties.  Having a WSO is most of the time a force multiplier however having the wrong person in that seat is a force divider as we now have to babysit someone on top of conducting all flight and tactical tasks.

If we go the 2-seat way, we would need to start afresh on the WSO side by sending new guys off the street to a US WSO course and give them some seasoning in a US Squadron (perhaps even create a new trade altogether).

This is just a thought exercise as the F-15X isn’t on the table..

 

[SupersonicMax]

They will have some 350 combat aircraft including over 200 F-16s, but only two dozen F-15Is and it looks like any plan for F-15EXs is also to replace older aircraft. All that said, even with it's larger number of aircraft it seems that Israel may not be able to afford a two (three) type fleet. See this article about the choices they need to make and what the issues are:

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/f-35-vs-f-15ex-which-deadly-fighter-jet-will-israel-choose-66276

I think for us the big question is the difference in environment our aircraft must be prepared to operate under v that of the Israelis. The Israelis are generally up against a more diversified, less capable potential foe. We need to work in a more complex, more hardened European conflict where interoperability with our F-35 equipped allies is essential.  (I know that MD is also trying to sell Germany on buying F-15GAs to replace the Tornados but  :dunno:

Look. For me, our Air Force made the decision years ago as to the usefulness of the F-35 to our defence needs. It's only because of the political games played by Trudeau and his ilk that we aren't already on the production line. There's no doubt in my mind that many highly paid experts will be expending reams of $ and paper and hyperbole to convince us that we really need their older, "proven" and souped up generation 4.x product.

Just once, I think we should get our people what they need and not some cast off Australian F-18s or whatever makes Irving or SNC Lavalin or their aerospace industry brethren more money.

:stirpot:

The F-15X is fully interoperable with the F-35. 

 

[dimsum]

I have flown with WSOs and I am sold for the most part.  I’ll caveat this by saying (no offense to you personally) that our ACSO cadre doesn’t have the right attitude and mentality to operate effectively in a fighter aircraft which I have only seen on a handful of ACSOs, including EWOs.  American WSOs were, for all intents and purposes, fighter pilots in their minds which made working with them super easy both in an out of the cockpit.  This is bred through the training system and subsequent life on squadron.

Because of the reputation (warranted or not) that our ACSOs have, I doubt many fighter pilot would be willing to relinquish any cockpit duties to them.  There is also the single-seat mentality which would need to be broken but that’s not a stretch.  It took me all but 2 fights with good WSOs to start trusting them with what I would consider tactically critical duties.  Having a WSO is most of the time a force multiplier however having the wrong person in that seat is a force divider as we now have to babysit someone on top of conducting all flight and tactical tasks.

If we go the 2-seat way, we would need to start afresh on the WSO side by sending new guys off the street to a US WSO course and give them some seasoning in a US Squadron (perhaps even create a new trade altogether).

This is just a thought exercise as the F-15X isn’t on the table..

I've seen how other nations train their Navs who become WSOs, etc.  They can easily transition from a common Nav course to WSO, TACCO, etc for the various communities.  An Aurora TACCO thinks very differently than a Herc Nav, for example - they are different jobs.  Once they finish Nav school and on OTUs, they pretty much have to "forget" the generic training and think as a TACCO, etc. 

I'm sure if we went that way, the cadre would go to the US WSO course and the OTU would be structured that way - that's how the RAAF does it. 

 

[dimsum]

Huh.  Thought that'd be something pretty high on the priority list.

US officials reveal there aren't enough spare parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

US officials from the Government Accountability Office have warned there is a chronic shortage of spare parts for international buyers of the Joint Strike Fighter.

Australia is one of 8 international partners in the Joint Strike Fighter program and the Federal Government has committed to buying at least 72 of the F-35 fighters at a cost of approximately $124 million each, according to former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne.

"The bottom line is: far too often the F-35 is on the tarmac because there aren't enough spare parts," said Diana Maurer from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) in her first interview with Australian media.

In April, Ms Maurer delivered the findings from an investigation she led into the Joint Strike Fighter program.

Her report found the F-35As were not "mission-capable" 48 per cent of the time, meaning the aircraft were not able to fly a single mission.

The US Department of Defence, which owns all spare parts, has spent billions of dollars on them but does not know how many it has or where they are, according to Ms Maurer.

The plan to create a network of repair facilities for the aircraft is also running eight years behind schedule and will not be fully completed until 2024, after the F-35 enters service.

The network to distribute parts to international partners like Australia has not been established.

One thousand F-35s are expected to enter service around the world in the next 2 or 3 years, and Ms Maurer said it was essential the infrastructure would be ready to support the aircraft.

"It's really important for the F-35 program to address all the numerous problems we found with the global support network that is supposed to underline the program," she said.

Last year, then-defence secretary James Mattis ordered the F-35 must be capable of flying at least one tasked mission at least 80 per cent of the time by the end of September this year.

"I think that's a stretch, in my opinion, I think that probably won't happen," said Mike Sullivan, Director of Defence Weapon System Acquisitions at the GAO.

Mr Sullivan said the F-35 has suffered as a result of new capabilities being jammed into the fighter at a late stage of development, resulting in redesigns and supply chain changes.

"The manufacturing floor got very chaotic and so you wind up with aircraft coming off the line that are just not very up to snuff when it comes to reliability and parts and things like that," he said.

International partners, like Australia, have committed billions to the F-35 and are now in a position where they have to make it work.

"From an Australian perspective, we need to make sure the sustainment of that platform is effective," said Dr Malcolm Davis, from the Australia Strategic Policy Institute, a government-funded think tank.

Even some former critics of Australia's involvement in the Joint Strike Fighter program agree.

"We can't turn back," said Keith Joiner, an aeronautical engineer and former Director-General of Test and Evaluation for the Australian Defence Force.  "Putting deficiencies into the public domain isn't helpful, this is now a matter of national security."

Mr Joiner had previously called for Australia to delay the purchase of F-35s until Australian authorities had a clearer idea about their capability and suitability.  "This is what our pilots will have to use in a war, so we don't do anyone any help by discussing deficiencies," he said.

The F-35 is still the most advanced fighter jet in the air today, according to Dr Davis.  "Having said that, it has taken a long time to develop this aircraft, we're talking 20-plus years," he said.

The delays in the F-35 becoming fully operationally capable could mean they spend less time at the top of the food chain, according to Dr Davis.

"Our adversaries, the Chinese and the Russians, will have had all that time to understand and study the F-35 and devise countermeasures," he said.

Dr Davis said he believes this will lead to, "ultimately, replacing the F-35 by the late 2030s."  He said Australia should already be looking at developing replacements for the fighter.

In a statement, the Australian Defence Department said the mission capability figures from the GAO included older versions of the F-35A with poorer mission capability rates than those ordered by Australia.

"Defence is aware the US Secretary of Defence set a requirement for 80 per cent mission capability by 30 Sep 2019," read the statement. "Although this US requirement will benefit all F-35 users, Australia's next significant milestone is Initial Operational Capability in December 2020."

The first four of Australia's F-35s have already been delivered to Williamtown airbase near Newcastle. The total order of 72 fighters will cost $17 billion.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-25/there-arent-enough-spare-parts-for-the-joint-strike-fighter/11337686

 

[FJAG]

Maybe we could let the people who built Phoenix try to fix their system. 

;D

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The F-15X is a descendant of the F-15E which is a multi-role platform.  It outperforms on many front the F-35 but it is not Low Observable.

Also comes with a FMS 30% surcharge, Boeing should be lobbying to have that dropped so it can compete with the F-35 which the FMS does not apply.

 

[tomahawk6]

F35 gets respect in Iran.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/18/f-35-has-freaked-out-iran-and-changed-everything-in-the-middle-east.html?recirc=taboolainternal

 

[MarkOttawa]

Too late for Japan to become partner even though upping buy of F-35A and now planning to buy F-35B too for its, er, "helicopter destroyers" ("through-deck cruiser" anyone?)?

Japan wants to be an official F-35 partner. The Pentagon plans to say no.

Japan is committed to buying 105 F-35As and 42 F-35B models, such as the one pictured here. But could their role in the program expand? (Lockheed Martin/Darin Russell)

Japan has formally expressed interest in joining the F-35 program as a full partner, but the Pentagon plans to shoot down that request, Defense News has learned.

Sources say Japan’s request to join the partnership creates major political headaches for the Pentagon, with fears it would cause new tensions among the international production base for the joint strike fighter and open the door for other customer nations to demand a greater role in future capability development.

In a June 18 letter from Japan’s Ministry of Defense to Pentagon acquisition head Ellen Lord, obtained by Defense News, Atsuo Suzuki, director general for the Bureau of Defense Buildup Planning, formally requests information on how Japan could move from being a customer of the F-35 to a full-fledged member of the industrial base consortium.

“I believe becoming a partner country in F-35 program is an option,” the letter reads. “I would like to have your thoughts on whether or not Japan has a possibility to be a partner country in the first place. Also, I would like you to provide the Ministry of Defense with detailed information about the responsibilities and rights of a partner country, as well as cost sharing and conditions such as the approval process and the required period.”

“We would like to make a final decision whether we could proceed to become a partner country by thoroughly examining the rights and obligations associated with becoming a partner country based on the terms and conditions you would provide,” the letter concludes.

Lord, the Pentagon acquisition head, is scheduled to meet with Japanese officials this week, and the question of membership is expected to come up. But Tokyo won’t like the answer.

Although Lord’s office will be responsible for carrying the final message to Japan, the F-35 Joint Program Office told Defense News that the partnership remains limited to the initial wave of F-35 investors.

“The F-35 cooperative Partnership closed on 15 July 2002,” stated Brandi Schiff, a spokesperson for the F-35 JPO...

A source familiar with internal discussions says the Pentagon is concerned that letting Japan become a program partner would lead to other nations demanding similar access...

In December 2018, Japan announced a plan to expand procurement of F-35s from 42 to 147 jets [emphasis added], making it the single largest F-35 operator outside of the United States, as well as one of only three foreign nations [other UK, Italy--maybe Singapore to come] to operate the F-35B jump-jet model...
https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2019/07/29/japan-wants-to-be-an-official-f-35-partner-the-pentagon-plans-to-say-no/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Well if Canada bows out, Japan will take up the slack. I would say that our aviation industry is now on notice.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Looks like South Korea following Japan's F-35B lead, getting into STOVL carrier business:

South Korea Moving Toward F-35B Acquisition

South Korea’s most recent fighter acquisition program gave the air force the type that it wanted, the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning, but not in the numbers it wanted. The budget stretched only to 40 fighters, not 60, and ever since the air force has hankered for the other 20.

But those 20 additional aircraft may be F-35Bs instead, according to an industry source who says the air force is working toward the acquisition. Meanwhile, the defense ministry has confirmed plans for an assault ship that could operate such fighters, which are capable of short takeoff and vertical landing.

The air force is moving to initial operational capability with the first batch, which were ordered in 2014 following a 2013 selection. Missions for F-35 units will include strikes against strategic targets, such as mobile missile launchers, the government says.

When the F-35A selection was announced, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that a later order for 20 more fighters could be subject to changed requirements. Still, the air force continued to lobby for another 20 F-35As, sources familiar with the matter have said. But its interest has lately switched to F-35Bs, the industry source tells Aviation Week. These fighters would be bought under a program called F-X Phase 4. No timing was disclosed. Separately, the Jongang Ilbo newspaper reports that an order for 20 F-35Bs is indeed planned. It adds that the assault ship will be able to accommodate 16 such fighters.

While F-35Bs might be justified as useful for operating from bases wrecked by North Korean missile bombardment, the switch in versions appears to be driven by the prospect of operating a ship somewhat like an aircraft carrier—and perhaps by an ambition to match Japanese plans to do the same.

Construction of the assault ship, under project LPX-2, has been approved, a defense ministry spokesperson tells Aviation Week, adding that this would be a long-term acquisition process. The type of aircraft to be operated from the ship is still under study, the spokesperson says.

The “aircraft carrier” will be put into service by 2030 at a cost of 3 trillion won ($2.5 billion), says YTN television, adding that equipping it with F-35Bs will cost a further 2 trillion won.

According to the Jongang Ilbo, the ship will be 250 m (820 ft.) long and displace 40,000 tons when fully loaded. That makes it closely comparable to the largest U.S. assault ships, with which it will share the LHD configuration—having a full-length flight deck for helicopter (and sometimes airplane) operations and a well deck, or dock, for accommodating and launching landing craft. Unlike U.S. LHDs, but similar to those of other countries, the South Korean ship will have a ski jump, a ramp at the bow for assisting horizontal takeoffs, the paper reports.

An LHD with fighters hardly seems relevant to defense against North Korea, the territory of which can be easily reached from South Korean airfields. But President Moon Jae-In said in May 2018: “Even if the relationship between South Korea and North Korea improves, the South Korean military should have capabilities to respond to unspecified and diverse threats.”

China is an obvious threat and, according to South Korean defense thinking, so is Japan. Moreover, South Korea has a well-established habit of following Japan in acquiring prestigious defense equipment or capabilities. Japan said in December that it would acquire F-35Bs and modify two helicopter carriers to operate them [emphasis added].

The Japanese ships, Izumo and Kaga, displace only 27,000 tons at full load. But they are dedicated to operating aircraft, with few compromises for auxiliary roles such as amphibious assault. And they are capable of 30 kt.; assault ships typically have maximum speeds below 25 kt...
https://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraft/south-korea-moving-toward-f-35b-acquisition

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

More on Israeli F-35s in action:

In Major Shift, Israel Twice Struck Iranian Targets in Iraq 'Using F-35'
Citing Western diplomats, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reports two strikes this month northeast of Baghdad mark an expansion of Israeli attacks against Iranian targets

    Israel struck Syrian army bases in the country's south, report says
    Israel targeted sites of Iranian-backed forces in Syria attack, reports say
    Hezbollah operative said killed by Israel recruited members in Syrian Golan Heights

Israel has expanded the scope of its anti-Iranian attacks and struck targets in Iraq, the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Tuesday [July 30].

According to the report, which cites anonymous Western diplomats, Israel struck Iranian warehouses storing arms and missiles at Camp Ashraf, north-east of Baghdad, twice in the past month...
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iraq/.premium-israel-reportedly-struck-iranian-weapons-depots-in-iraq-1.7604353/.premium-israel-reportedly-struck-iranian-weapons-depots-in-iraq-1.7604353

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Excellent round-up of history and status of F-35 program by Valerie Insinna of Defense News, in the NY Times Magazine (imagine such a non-politically torqued major article in the Canadian media):

Inside America’s Dysfunctional Trillion-Dollar Fighter-Jet Program
The F-35 was once the Pentagon’s high-profile problem child. Has it finally moved past its reputation of being an overhyped and underperforming warplane?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/magazine/f35-joint-strike-fighter-program.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Two pieces:

1) RAF F-35Bs will operate from HMS Queen Liz for first time, alongside USMC planes (with video):

HMS Queen Elizabeth Sets Sail From Portsmouth
A British F-35B fighter jet will land on her deck for the first time as part of Westlant 19.

Britain's largest-ever warship has set sail for the US, where British fighter jets will take off from her flight deck for the first time.

HMS Queen Elizabeth, a £3 billion aircraft carrier, is deploying to the east coast of the United States where her crew will work alongside the US Navy for operational testing of British F-35B Lightning jets.

The tests are part of Westlant 19, which will see the carrier work alongside American and British ships, helicopters and fighter jets.

In total, seven British F-35Bs are taking part, as well as pilots, deck crew and F-35s from the US Marine Corps.

Commodore Mike Utley, Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), said: It's a massive enterprise of thousands of people that will deploy on this next deployment who will take the next step from being able to operate Lightning aircraft from this ship and put that all together with the broader capability set.

Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon and Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland will sail alongside HMS Queen Elizabeth as part of a Carrier Task Group.

Last year saw a similar exercise take place, but this time, there will be more personnel on the ship...

The aircraft carrier passes Portsmouth's city walls (Picture: Royal Navy).
https://www.forces.net/news/hms-queen-elizabeth-prepares-set-sail-portsmouth

2) Meanwhile in UK:

Check Out These Photos Of USAF B-2s And RAF F-35Bs Flying Together For The First Time
Three B-2s are in the United Kingdom to take part in various training exercises including these first-of-their-kind sorties with foreign F-35s.
...
A core component of the multi-national F-35 program has been about enabling the different operators, particular those of whom are NATO members, to further increase their ability to conduct operations together and exchange information using the jet's powerful sensor fusion capabilities. That latter point means that Joint Strike FIghters will be able to "quarterback" and act as key leaders during future coalition operations.

In the United Kingdom has been especially keen to explore the expanding potential for cooperation that the Joint Strike Fighters afford. U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs have been training alongside their British counterparts already ahead of plans to deploy onboard the first-in-class aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth when it sets out on its inaugural operational deployment, which is slated to occur in 2021. The ship is presently on its way to the United States where it will embark front-line Marine F-35Bs for the first time for operational trials to support preparations for that cruise.

In addition, F-35s, as with other fifth-generation fighter jets, are expected to operate in areas that are too dangerous for non-stealth aircraft to venture. The B-2s, as well as the future B-21 Raider stealth bombers, also exist to provide the ability to strike targets deep within dense hostile air defense networks. As such, it is possible that future coalition operations, including those with NATO members in the lead, could include F-35s and B-2s operating in these denied areas where it could be important for them to understand how to at least coordinate their activities.

...The United States has already stepped up routine deployments of B-2s and other bombers to Europe in recent years, primarily as part efforts to deter any potential Russian aggression and reassure allies and partners in the region.

At the same time, they have become visible parts of major training exercises across Europe, including the B-2's very public first-ever visit to Iceland just this week. As The War Zone already highlighted at the time, sending the stealth bomber there was a significant demonstration of the Air Force's efforts to explore and expand its ability to use less common locations to support operations involving its most advanced combat aircraft. This could be especially important during a future high-end conflict or other crisis in which established bases, such as RAF Fairford, may become unavailable.

All told, as NATO members, including the United States, continue to deploy more and more F-35s and integrate them into their routine operations, and if American bomber deployments to the region continue as they have been, it seems likely that we will only see more exercises that involve cooperation and coordination between them in the future.

The two US Air Force B-2s and two RAF F-35Bs pose against the Dover countryside on Aug. 29, 2019.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/29631/check-out-these-photos-of-usaf-b-2s-and-raf-f-35bs-flying-together-for-the-first-time

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

HMS QE will be in Halifax to make nice with the RCN. 

 

[MarkOttawa]

What about the program partners who are supposed to get the business?

Lockheed makes its pitch to Polish industry in exchange for F-35 deal

American defense company Lockheed Martin is vying for a contract to supply 32 F-35 fighter jets to Poland by offering to deliver new-generation Block 4 versions and ensuring that selected components for the jets are produced by Polish manufacturers.

“If Poland decides to buy the F-35, it will receive Block 4 aircraft. This version will include a new computer, additional weapons and systems, and it will be able to be fitted with six missiles instead of four,” Greg Ulmer, the vice president and general manager responsible for the F-35 program at Lockheed Martin, told Defense News at the MSPO defense industry show.

The company official said Polish defense industry players are already part of the aircraft’s global supply chain, and deliver components for F-35s.

“So far, we’ve delivered 425 F-35s, and we’re on track to deliver 131 this year. In 2018, we delivered 91 fighters; and in 2017, 66 fighters. The peak in deliveries is expected to come in 2024,” Ulmer said. “By 2030, we expect there will be 500 F-35s in Europe. Once Polish companies are approved as our supplier partners, they could make parts not only for the Polish aircraft, but also for those supplied to other countries, such as the U.S. or Japan [? emphasis added].”

In May, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said his ministry sent a letter of request to the U.S. regarding Poland’s plan to acquire the F-35. Warsaw aims to replace its Air Force’s outdated, Soviet-designed Sukhoi Su-22 and Mikoyan MiG-29 jets with fifth-generation fighters.
https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2019/09/03/lockheed-makes-its-pitch-to-polish-industry-in-exchange-for-f-35-deal/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[PuckChaser]

What about the program partners who are supposed to get the business?

You're only guaranteed so much if you're not buying the jet. There's also a lot more contracts going to be available when they pull completely out of Turkey.

 

[MarkOttawa]

The Italian job for the Netherlands:

First Dutch F-35A Assembled In Italy Makes Maiden Flight

AN-9 (F-009) made its first flight today.

The first Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35A built by the Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) at Cameri, in northwestern Italy, made its first flight earlier today.

The Italian FACO, a 101-acre facility including 22 buildings and more than one million square feet of covered work space, housing 11 assembly stations, and five maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade bays, is owned by the Italian Ministry of Defense and is operated by Leonardo in conjunction with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. According to Lockheed, 800 skilled personnel are engaged in full assembly of the Conventional Take-off/Landing F-35A and F-35B aircraft variants and is also producing 835 F-35A full wing sets to support all customers in the program. It has the only F-35B production capability outside the United States and was selected in December 2014 as the European F-35 airframe Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade center for the entire European region.

AN-9 (F-009) is the ninth of the Netherlands’ 37 F-35A CTOL (Conventional Take Off and Landing) stealth jets on order [Dutch want to get more, operate jointly with Belgians]. The aircraft will undertake test and acceptance flights in Italy before being delivered to the RNlAF at Leeuwarden Air Base next month.

The first eight F-35As are being assembled at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility in the U.S. with two F-35s already used for testing at Edwards AFB, California, and the rest destined to Luke Air Force Base for pilot training.

29 F-35A jets for the Royal Netherlands Air Force will be built at Cameri that has already assembled the F-35As for the Italian Air Force and the first F-35Bs for the Italian Navy (out of 60 CTOL and 30 STOVL procured by the Italian MoD [emphasis added).

The first two Dutch F-35A aircraft, AN-1 (F-001) and AN-2 (F-002), arrived at Leeuwarden air base, in the Netherlands, at the end of the type’s first eastbound transatlantic crossing, on May 23, 2016. The two aircraft started their journey to Europe from Edwards Air Force Base, California, and crossed the Pond as “NAF 81” (then “Archer 1” and “Archer 2”) after a stopover in Patuxent River, Maryland, supported by two KDC-10s. During their brief European deployment, on Jun. 10, 2016, the two RNlAF F-35s made the type’s international airshow debut during the “Luchtmachtdagen 2016” airshow at Leeuwarden Air Base. After a short “tour” in anticipation of the type’s final arrival slated for October 2019, F-001 and F-002 returned to the U.S.
https://theaviationist.com/2019/09/09/first-dutch-f-35a-assembled-in-italy-makes-maiden-flight/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Poles ever closer to signing on for F-35A:

Poland cleared to buy F-35 fleet

The U.S. State Department has ok’d Poland to buy the F-35, America’s most advanced fighter, setting up Poland as the newest customer for the fifth-generation jet.

The proposed order covers 32 of the conventional take off and landing F-35A variants, with an estimated price tag of $6.5 billion, according to a Wednesday announcement on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

While Congress can still act to block the sale, it is not expected to run into any major opposition on the Hill. As with all DSCA notifications, quantities and dollar figures can change during negotiations.

“This proposed sale of F-35s will provide Poland with a credible defense capability to deter aggression in the region and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces,” the DSCA announcement reads. “The proposed sale will augment Poland’s operational aircraft inventory and enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capability.”

Poland formally sent its request for the F-35 back in May, with the goal of replacing its legacy MiG-29 and Su-22 fleets. Procuring the F-35 is part of a broader defense modernization effort from Warsaw, which will see the country spend $47 billion by 2026 on new equipment.

Along with the fighters themselves, the proposed package includes 33 F135 engines, electronic warfare and C4 systems, access to the fighter’s Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), a full mission trainer, and other support capabilities.

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on the plane itself, with Pratt & Whitney the engine manufacturer. The deal will include some form of industrial offset, to be negotiated between the companies and Warsaw at a later date [emphasis added].

Lockheed executives have said Poland will be getting planes with the Block 4 package installed, and Greg Ulmer, Lockheed’s vice president and general manager for the program, has expressed an interest in having Poland take part in the industrial base for the planes.

“Once Polish companies are approved as our supplier partners, they could make parts not only for the Polish aircraft, but also for those supplied to other countries, such as the U.S. or Japan,” Ulmer said.

However, Poland shouldn’t get its hopes up for becoming a full-on partner with the F-35, as the Pentagon has been adamant that the broad industrial participation program is locked in place.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/09/11/poland-cleared-to-buy-f-35-fleet/

Mark
Ottawa