F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

[asianobserve]

U.S. Air Force successfully completed test of Auto GCAS technology for F-35 aircraft
https://www.google.com/amp/s/defenc...to-gcas-technology-for-f-35-aircraft.html/amp

7 years ahead of schedule...

 

[asianobserve]

Lockheed Develops Rack to Make F-35A/C a Six-Shooter

The new rack, called Sidekick, enables each of the two weapons bays of the Air Force F-35A and Navy carrier-capable F-35C to carry three AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) instead of the current two, for a total of six internally carried AMRAAMs.

“The extra missiles add a little weight but are not adding extra drag,” Wilson said.

Wilson also said the company is working on integrating hypersonic weapons capability on the F-35.

https://seapowermagazine.org/lockheed-develops-rack-to-make-f-35a-c-a-six-shooter/

 

[Immanuel]

F-35 in India?

Sure buy F-16 first. Otherwise no F-35 for India.

I was talking about Rafale's availability in India.

 

[Armand2REP]

Sure but F-35 is on a scale unlike any other program in the world and he is a pragmatist. Anyways the F-35 is planned to be service till 2070, there is plenty of time. This doesn't mean the F-35 program won't be kept on the pressure. All these costs studies, carefully planted stories on it's bugs, issues and costs are all well timed control mechanisms. This way they keep LM in check. But as far as cuts they have been talking about it since first flight. Companies like LM, NG, PW can put plenty of pressure on law makers in both Congress and Senate. They can also lobby at State Level.

The scale just went from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion and grows larger every day. With that, no spare parts and the DefMin calling the programme F'ed up, it doesn't sound like it is in check.

 

[asianobserve]

The scale just went from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion and grows larger every day. With that, no spare parts and the DefMin calling the programme F'ed up, it doesn't sound like it is in check.

You know that the value of money does not stay the same overtime?

As to cost, the F-35 unit cost and operational cost are going down.

 

[BON PLAN]

As said before Trump will not sign any order to cut if there are job loses.

But if you cut 600 x F35 and with the same money purchase 800 x SH18, it's good for job.

 

[BON PLAN]

No I meant by block 4 it should be 5.5 gen.

LOL.
next time it will be a 5.9 th gen, no?

 

[BON PLAN]

F-35 in India?

Sure buy F-16 first. Otherwise no F-35 for India.

F21 is not seen as a nice option by IAF.
And after the february fights, I think it's over for F16/F21, and for US products in general.

 

[BON PLAN]

As to cost, the F-35 unit cost and operational cost are going down.

"Stephen Lovegrove, the U.K.'s No. 2 civilian defense official, told reporters Tuesday at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington that although the F-35 "is doing everything we hoped it would do," his country also is grappling with the size and scope of the future support costs for a "very, very complicated platform."

Lovegrove, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence, said he'd be discussing the "slightly unknown territory" of long-term costs in meetings with F-35 program officials. The U.K. is buying 138 of the Marine Corps version of the F-35 designed to be flown off aircraft carriers.
"I am constantly being asked by parliamentarians in the U.K. what the total cost is going to be and they are sometimes, understandably, a bit frustrated when I have to tell them, 'At the moment nobody is entirely sure,'"Lovegrove said."

 

[BON PLAN]

Sure buy F-16 first. Otherwise no F-35 for India.

No F21, so no F35 .....
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/b...r-f-16-wont-be-joining-indias-air-force-55362

 

[asianobserve]

"Stephen Lovegrove, the U.K.'s No. 2 civilian defense official, told reporters Tuesday at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington that although the F-35 "is doing everything we hoped it would do," his country also is grappling with the size and scope of the future support costs for a "very, very complicated platform."

Lovegrove, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence, said he'd be discussing the "slightly unknown territory" of long-term costs in meetings with F-35 program officials. The U.K. is buying 138 of the Marine Corps version of the F-35 designed to be flown off aircraft carriers.
"I am constantly being asked by parliamentarians in the U.K. what the total cost is going to be and they are sometimes, understandably, a bit frustrated when I have to tell them, 'At the moment nobody is entirely sure,'"Lovegrove said."

We'll talk again about sustainment cost after 5 years.

 

[asianobserve]

But if you cut 600 x F35 and with the same money purchase 800 x SH18, it's good for job.

The SH will never equal F-35 in capabilities. The 20-1 Red Flag record of F-35 versus F-15s and F-16s is a very good indicator of the capability mismatch between F-35 and 4th-4.5th gen fighters. So 600 F-35s will always be better than 800 SHs.

 

[Armand2REP]

You know that the value of money does not stay the same overtime?

As to cost, the F-35 unit cost and operational cost are going down.

But if you cut hundreds of aircraft and the cost still rises by 50%, I don't think you can blame inflation of 1% on that.

 

[Immanuel]

LOL.
next time it will be a 5.9 th gen, no?

At MLU eventually perhaps but what is 6th gen tech is not baselined yet

 

[Immanuel]

No F21, so no F35 .....
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/b...r-f-16-wont-be-joining-indias-air-force-55362

Says who? The F-35 was already offered in the past when India was actively busy with the PAKFA. We didn't show any interest due to PAKFA but that can easily change.

 

[Immanuel]

The scale just went from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion and grows larger every day. With that, no spare parts and the DefMin calling the programme F'ed up, it doesn't sound like it is in check.

http://time.com/5575608/lockheed-martin-f-35-jet-cost/

But the long-range cost estimate for operating the fleet from 2011 to 2077 was problematic even before the latest independent Pentagon cost projection of an increase to $1.196 trillion. By contrast, the F-35 program office’s latest estimate declined by about $8.5 billion to $1 trillion.

Currently it's around $1.2 Trillion, yearly orders have been reduced slightly, it's clear they are only deferring orders i.e deliveries spread over a longer duration.

 

[asianobserve]

But if you cut hundreds of aircraft and the cost still rises by 50%, I don't think you can blame inflation of 1% on that.

It's not going to happen. Poland is already lining up. Soon other countries will follow. And Middle Eastern countries are aching to buy F-35, only if they can...

Here's a graph of the F-35A unit cost from LRIP 1 to 10. Note that for LRIP's 1-9 the quoted cost did not include the engine.

LRIP11 F-35A's price came down 5.4% at $89.2M. LM is rargetting $80M for the next batch.

So from the first batch of F-35A was ordered the unit price has already dropped by 60%. That's a lot.

The sustainment cost on the other hand is targetted to be $25,000 by 2025.

 

[BON PLAN]

We'll talk again about sustainment cost after 5 years.

Yes,
I already have read this kind of answer 5 years ago

 

[BON PLAN]

The SH will never equal F-35 in capabilities. The 20-1 Red Flag record of F-35 versus F-15s and F-16s is a very good indicator of the capability mismatch between F-35 and 4th-4.5th gen fighters. So 600 F-35s will always be better than 800 SHs.

1) No one on this forum knows the exact conditions of this 20-0.
2) F35 is probably intersting in the first 3 days of a high intensity conflict, to destroy SAM, C&C posts... Cruise missiles also can do that.
After these 3 days, it's more efficient ans cost saving to use more classical planes. After all, F16 never totally replace A10. And F35 will never totally replace F15/15/18.

But the answer will come soon : just watch if USAF will have some more new F16/F15...

 

[BON PLAN]

Says who? The F-35 was already offered in the past when India was actively busy with the PAKFA. We didn't show any interest due to PAKFA but that can easily change.

F35 offered to India....
With what kind of restrictions? Ask the Egyptians how they were clear to use their F16?. Same question to UAE about the Lybian 2011 operations, Same question to PAF (maybe the AMRAAM fired on IAF fighters were automatically switched off when they crossed the border...).
And according to the Turkish example, you have to choose : S400 or F35. And the choice is already made. So NO WAY.