F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

[BON PLAN]

Lockheed F-35 Cost Stabilizes at $406 Billion, Pentagon Says

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-cost-stabilizes-at-406-billion-pentagon-says

PROBABLY... or not.
But no word about the 11 $billion of software developpment surplus.....

 

[BON PLAN]

F-35 update: the good, the bad and the unknown

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/f-35-update-good-bad-unknown/

So far so good. The bad news is in two parts. First, those numbers are just budget placeholders, and don’t yet represent contracted figures. It’s not unusual for there to be a certain amount of argy-bargy between the government and contractors during price negotiations, but the public discourse between the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin is getting a little heated.

We’re now five months past the Pentagon’s preferred October 2017 contract signature date. If all else fails, the Pentagon can take unilateral action to finalise the deal, as it did in 2016. But it would be better for both parties to agree on the price and terms.

The contract details matter to Australia. Despite having been partners in the program since 2002, the amount we end up paying will still reflect the production costs in the US-based program—there are no fixed price deals here.

The second lot of bad news concerns the jet’s capabilities. The figures above refer to aircraft at ‘Block 3’ standard. Many of the capabilities we really want—especially a dedicated anti-ship weapon—won’t be delivered until later capability blocks. We’re now starting to get some public indications of the costs of those future capability increments, and they aren’t especially reassuring.

The F-35 ‘modernisation program’, in truth, actually includes many of the capabilities that customers originally thought would be in earlier deliveries but have since been pushed out in order to streamline the already-delayed development program. The upgrades now might carry a price tag of US$16 billion, considerably more than previous estimates. The international partners in the program will potentially be required to pay US$3.7 billion of those additional costs.

The bulk of the upgrades—though not all—will be implemented through software, rather than through physical modifications to the aircraft or its subsystems. That’s only partially reassuring though—the aircraft’s processors probably need replacing to run later software loads, and software development and testing are also frequent sources of delays.

And not everything can be done with code. My reading is that a decision is needed in the next couple of years as to whether to include the required hardware modifications on the production line, or to retrofit them later. There are pros and cons to either approach.

Changing the hardware fit on the production line now, just as the benefits of the learning curve are kicking in, risks slowing the production rate and bumping back up the learning curve until the changes are completely assimilated. But retrofitting later necessarily takes aircraft offline for a while and is generally more time consuming (read: expensive) than building changes in from the start. And it’s unclear how any such decisions would impact the move towards a multi-year ‘block buy’.

So it seems that Australia faces additional costs—or a longer wait—for capabilities we previously identified as ‘must haves’. Block 3 aircraft will be very capable and would certainly be a step up in capability from the Hornets and Super Hornets we’ve sent to Iraq in recent years. But those missions don’t reflect our regional strategic circumstances, which really require advanced maritime strike capabilities.

The F-35 program continues to offer a mix of promised advanced capability and disappointment. While there’s no real alternative for the 2020s (and probably for some time beyond), we’re still going to be flying Super Hornets until the Block 4 or 5 F-35s mature. And potential adversaries are working on closing the gap, so the F-35s’ slow development means that users will get less utility from the purchase than would have been the case had the jets been delivered close to the original schedule.

 

[BON PLAN]

https://www.traditionalright.com/the-view-from-olympus-building-sms-pinafore/

The United States is currently building the first Ford–class aircraft carrier, which also doesn’t work.The new-design, hi-tech catapult and arresting gear not only do not work, they cannot be replaced with the tested and proven steam catapults used by other carriers because the ship’s power plant cannot deliver the required steam pressure.The U.S. Navy bet the ship on an untried system and lost.Perhaps it’s just as well;
the main combat aircraft the Ford is intended to carry, the F-35, has been found “unsuitable for carrier operations” by Navy test pilots.So we have the perfect Leibnitzian monad: a plane that cannot be flown from carriers for a carrier that cannot launch or recover aircraft.But don’t worry: Congress has already approved two more Ford–class ships.The money will keep flowing even if it’s straight down the toilet.

 

[asianobserve]

TAIWAN WANTS U.S. F-35 JETS TO DEFEND AGAINST CHINESE INVASION

Speaking to parliament, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Yen Teh-fa confirmed that the government wants to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II platform, though did not mention which variant of the jet or how many Taiwan would buy, Defense News reported.

Taiwan is reportedly interested in the U.S.’s F-35B variant, which has vertical take-off and landing capabilities, and was developed for use on U.S. Navy ships. This would allow Taiwanese jets to take off and fight even if its runways were destroyed in a Chinese first strike.

http://www.newsweek.com/taiwan-wants-us-f-35-jets-defend-against-possible-chinese-invasion-847610

 

[BON PLAN]

TAIWAN WANTS U.S. F-35 JETS TO DEFEND AGAINST CHINESE INVASION





http://www.newsweek.com/taiwan-wants-us-f-35-jets-defend-against-possible-chinese-invasion-847610

It would be a red line for China....
But in facts Taiwan need to remplace old F16 and M2000. Only a question of time.
It will be very interesting to follow that.

 

[asianobserve]

It would be a red line for China....
But in facts Taiwan need to remplace old F16 and M2000. Only a question of time.
It will be very interesting to follow that.

Xi Jinping Warns Against Dividing China After U.S. Passes Taiwan Law

China has denounced the Taiwan Travel Act, signed last week by President Donald Trump, which authorizes such visits between the U.S. and the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.

The new legislation would elevate Taiwan’s profile in Washington, allowing senior officials from the two sides to make reciprocal visits. The U.S. previously restricted itself to sending lower-level officials to avoid antagonizing Beijing. Taiwan’s president would only visit the U.S. on stopovers, en route to other countries.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/xi-war...x_picks&cx_tag=collabctx&cx_artPos=4#cxrecs_s

I think the US is now more willing to throw a lifeline to Taiwan in light of Chinese aggressive behavior in the SCS. It seems that China was first to rock the boat of its detente with the US in Asia.

 

[BON PLAN]

Xi Jinping Warns Against Dividing China After U.S. Passes Taiwan Law





https://www.wsj.com/articles/xi-war...x_picks&cx_tag=collabctx&cx_artPos=4#cxrecs_s

I think the US is now more willing to throw a lifeline to Taiwan in light of Chinese aggressive behavior in the SCS. It seems that China was first to rock the boat of its detente with the US in Asia.

The next cold war is there : between USA and China.
Mainly centered on pacific access, Taiwan and North Korea.

 

[asianobserve]

The only section of the Taiwanese population that still has affinity with China are those exiled Koumintang mainlanders. And they are the minority and fading fast. The newer generation Taiwanese and those local in the area are absolutely opposed to Taiwan's integration with China. And the more China threatens Taiwan with invasion the more the views of Taiwanese majority hardens against it (China).

If China must invade Taiwan it must be in the next 10 years while the Koumintang has still residual support inside.

 

[BON PLAN]

The only section of the Taiwanese population that still has affinity with China are those exiled Koumintang mainlanders. And they are the minority and fading fast. The newer generation Taiwanese and those local in the area are absolutely opposed to Taiwan's integration with China. And the more China threatens Taiwan with invasion the more the views of Taiwanese majority hardens against it (China).

If China must invade Taiwan it must be in the next 10 years while the Koumintang has still residual support inside.

When you see Russia invading Krimea, with very few international answers, you may imagine easily a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. 2 days of combat and it's over. And not in 10 years. In two ? Three?
Who will be ready to give tears and blood for Taiwan? No one. Including USA.

 

[Sancho]

Japan pays 33 million USD more, for each F35 assembled at home:

 

[BON PLAN]

Japan pays 33 million USD more, for each F35 assembled at home:

Japan manpower cost is one of the highest of the world....

 

[BON PLAN]

F-35: Is America's Most Expensive Weapon of War the Ultimate Failure?

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/th...pensive-weapon-war-the-ultimate-failure-24984

The F-35 has now entered an unprecedented seventeenth year of continuing redesign, test deficiencies, fixes, schedule slippages, and cost overruns. And it’s still not at the finish line. Numerous missteps along the way—from the fact that the two competing contractors, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, submitted “flyoff” planes that were crude and undeveloped “technology demonstrators” rather than following the better practice of submitting fully functional prototypes, to concurrent acquisition malpractice that has prevented design flaws from being discovered until after production models were built—have led to where we are now. According to the latest annual report from the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E), 263 “high priority” performance and safety deficiencies remain unresolved and unaddressed, and the developmental tests—essentially, the laboratory tests—are far from complete. If they complete the tests, more deficiencies will surely be found that must be addressed before the plane can safely carry our Airmen and women into combat.

 

[BON PLAN]

Xi Jinping Warns Against Dividing China After U.S. Passes Taiwan Law





https://www.wsj.com/articles/xi-war...x_picks&cx_tag=collabctx&cx_artPos=4#cxrecs_s

I think the US is now more willing to throw a lifeline to Taiwan in light of Chinese aggressive behavior in the SCS. It seems that China was first to rock the boat of its detente with the US in Asia.

How China Would Invade and Conquer Taiwan (And Here's How to Stop It)

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/th...invade-conquer-taiwan-heres-how-stop-it-24977

 

[cyclops]

Not F-35 related but a normal everyday conversation between F-22 and in-flight refueler pilots.

 

[BON PLAN]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/uk-faces-huge-bill-for-f-35-jet-upgrades-qms0bxv73

Britain will have to pay part of an estimated £12 billion bill for upgrades to the F-35 warplane over the next seven years to make it combat capable, according to comments made in the US.

A member of the House of Representatives armed services committee said that the modernisation costs to 2024 would be split between $10.8 billion (£7.8 billion) for software development and $5.4 billion for deploying the updates and other procurement issues.

... NOT SERIOUS !

 

[BON PLAN]

https://cybersecurityjg.com/alerts/...upgrades-will-cost-britain-345m-the-register/

The sum payable by the UK is for deploying Block 4 of the F-35’s core software to the UK’s jets, which number 15 airframes at the time of writing. As we reported in January, the mishmash of OS versions currently running on the global F-35 fleet has hampered flight testing as ever more bug reports pile up from pilots and maintenance crews.

So far all of the core OS versions developed for the F-35 have been written to get the aircraft through the key tests it has to meet for its formal declaration of Initial Operating Capability (IOC), which is the point where the aircraft, its main sensors and its main weapons can all be used together in a warlike situation. The UK expects to declare IOC for the F-35B in December this year.

Block 4 of the F-35’s core OS is intended to be the final combat-ready version, though, judging by its comments on the previous version, Block 3F, the US Department of Operational Test and Evaluation appear to think this may not be the case.

LOOOOL !

 

[asianobserve]

U.S. Republicans press for F-35 fighter jet sales to Taiwan amid China threat

Two senior U.S. Republican senators asked the Trump administration on Monday to allow the sale of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 fighter jets to Taiwan, saying it would help it “remain a democracy” in the face of threats from China.

“These fighters will have a positive impact on Taiwan’s self-defense and would act as a necessary deterrent to China’s aggressive military posture across the Asia-Pacific region,” Senators John Cornyn, the assistant majority leader, and James Inhofe, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, said in a letter to President Donald Trump.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...les-to-taiwan-amid-china-threat-idUSKBN1H22BO

 

[BON PLAN]

The U.S. Air Force may have to cut its purchases of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 by a third if it can’t find ways to reduce operations and support costs (by as much as 38 percent over a decade, according to an internal analysis)

The shortfall would force the service to subtract 590 of the fighter jets from the 1,763 it plans to order, the Air Force office charged with evaluating the F-35’s impact on operations and budgets, in an assessment obtained by Bloomberg News.

Personnal note : I never believed that USA will purchase 1800 planes. As GB, NL, Israel, Italy.... Slowing the price will be hard !


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ing-third-of-f-35s-if-upkeep-costs-aren-t-cut

 

[asianobserve]

REPORT: ISRAELI STEALTH FIGHTERS FLY OVER IRAN UNDETECTED

Two Israeli F-35 fighter jets entered Iranian airspace over the past month, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Thursday. The act is a signal of heightened regional tensions, especially in light of recent Israeli military attacks in Syria, including against Iranian bases in the country.

Sources quoted in Al-Jarida stated that two stealth fighters flew over Syrian and Iraqi airspace to reach Iran, and even targeted locations in the Iranian cities Bandar Abbas, Esfahan and Shiraz.

The report states that the two fighter jets, among the most advanced in the world, circled at high altitude above Persian Gulf sites suspected of being associated with the Iranian nuclear program.The report states that the two fighter jets, among the most advanced in the world, circled at high altitude above Persian Gulf sites suspected of being associated with the Iranian nuclear program.

It also states that the two jets went undetected by radar, including by the Russian radar system located in Syria. The source refused to confirm if the operation was undertaken in coordination with the US army, which has recently conducted joint exercises with the IDF.

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Report-Israeli-stealth-fighters-fly-over-Iran-547421

 

[BON PLAN]

F-35: Still No Finish Line in Sight

As of now, testing shows the F-35 is incapable of performing most of the functions required for an acceptable close support aircraft—functions the A-10 is performing daily in current combat.

“Flight testing of the different gun systems on the F-35 (internal gun for F-35A and external gun pods for the F-35B and F-35C) revealed problems with effectiveness, accuracy, pilot controls, and gunsights displayed in the Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS). The synopsis and assessment of specific HMDS problems are classified.”

The Marine Corps declared its first F-35s operational—that is, combat-ready—with version Block 2B software while the Air Force did the same with Block 3i. Both had such limited capabilities that they could not fire guns, short-range air-to-air missiles, or small, close-support-capable guided bombs. Both are to be superseded by the allegedly “fully combat capable” Block 3F software. This latter version is just now entering the fleet, yet its design and testing are still far from complete; it has already received myriad patches, and problems are still being discovered. In October 2017, the program released version 3FR6.32, the thirty-first version of Block 3F software.

Pilots flying the F-35 aren’t so fortunate because engineers have not been able to get its video downlink system to work. Instead ground controllers and F-35 pilots at 15,000 feet are forced to try confirming targets by voice radio, a process much hindered by the “poor fidelity” of the images seen through the F-35’s Electro-Optical Targeting System, as reported by DOT&E.

the Program Office conducted several successful shots with the missile but there were guidance failures on a few tests resulting in failed shots. The 2017 report does state that the tests revealed “key technical deficiencies in the ability of the F-35 to employ the AIM-120 weapons,”

Clearly, the AIM-120 AMRAAM is not working in the F-35, but the exact nature and depth of the multiple problems, as well as the cost and time necessary to fix them, remain unknown.

Conclusion
The 2017 DOT&E report shows that after 17 years the Joint Strike Fighter Program is still falling far short of combat-effectiveness expectations while it continues to experience painful schedule slippages and major cost increases.
Despite all of the effort, time, and money—17 years and over $133 billion—spent to date on the F-35 program, it is doubtful it will ever live up to the lavish promises made all those years ago when the Defense Department and Congress committed to the program. Hidden within the pages of the DOT&E report is this litotic summation:

“Finally and most importantly, the program will likely deliver Block 3F [the untested, allegedly “fully combat-capable” F-35 model now entering production] to the field with shortfalls in capabilities the F-35 needs in combat against current threats.”


http://www.pogo.org/straus/issues/weapons/2018/f-35-still-no-finish-line-in-sight.html