F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

[BON PLAN]

Pratt & Whitney Defining F-35 Engine Upgrade Package

The intent is to deliver options for improving thrust by more than 10-12%, reducing fuel consumption by more than 5-6%, increasing vertical lift by about 2% and increasing overall power and thermal management capacity, Bromberg says.

Those targets are the proposed baseline improvements advertised for the Growth Option 2.0 upgrade, which remains in discussions for insertion beyond Block 4.2 aircraft delivered starting in 2026, he says.

http://m.aviationweek.com/defense/pratt-whitney-defining-f-35-engine-upgrade-package

Not FOC and already an engine upgrade....

definitely everything in this plane breathes improvisation.

 

[Immanuel]

Advanced ? The actual one was weaker than those on the market. It's just a stop gap.

Name one built in plug and play system that was better than the EOTS, to compare rcs heavy targeting pods to built in systems is like comparing apples to oranges.

 

[asianobserve]

Not FOC and already an engine upgrade....

definitely everything in this plane breathes improvisation.

There's no improvisation. The F135 engine has been tested already for Growth Option 1.

 

[BON PLAN]

There's no improvisation. The F135 engine has been tested already for Growth Option 1.

Because the big goose is too heavy and not aerodynamic enough.
Badly studied, cracks during the trials, performances under the targets... the bad circle.

 

[Wolfhound]

Because the big goose is too heavy and not aerodynamic enough.
Badly studied, cracks during the trials, performances under the targets... the bad circle.

Yes, I think we understand the whole situation.

 

[asianobserve]

Because the big goose is too heavy and not aerodynamic enough.
Badly studied, cracks during the trials, performances under the targets... the bad circle.

No complex defense projects like the F-35 goes perfectly without problems along the way. You should know that with the 20-year development of Rafale.

What this engine growth of F-135 shows is that US defense companies have enough resources and talent to keep on improving amd innovating. This is a good thing for the clients. LM drops softwsre upgrades every now and then while P&W swsps a small section of the compressor and you get dramatic improvements in the performance.

Recently, Raytheon znnounced that it has developed a trimode sekker A2A missile that is only half the length of AIM120 but with the same reach and with the maneuvetability of AIM9X as it has TVC. This missile has the potential of doubling the internal carriage of the F-35 from 6 (with Sidekick rail) to 12 missiles internally! There's no need anymore for externslly mounted AIM9X since Petegrine is trimode and thus can sibstitute for the layter missile in WVR combat.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2019-09-19/raytheon-unveils-peregrine-air-air-missile?amp

 

[BON PLAN]

Raytheon znnounced that it has developed a trimode sekker A2A missile that is only half the length of AIM120 but with the same reach and with the maneuvetability of AIM9X as it has TVC.

Hope it will not be as the real F35 versus early promises.

 

[asianobserve]

Hope it will not be as the real F35 versus early promises.

Keep on hoping that F-35 crash and burns my friend for the sake of your old tech Rafale. In the meantime the F-35 already bombing an island...

 

[asianobserve]

Also in the meantime, Israeli F-35s Adir are running circles around S-300 and S-400

Russian S-300 and S-400 air defense systems unable to detect Israeli warplanes flying over Syria

Russian S-300 and S-400 missile systems, which are considered one of the most advanced air defense weapons in the world, failed to detect Israeli warplanes flying over Damascus.

The Israeli news outlet NZIV, citing a number of military sources, published the flight route of the Israeli warplanes, which struck eastern Syria. As it turned out, the Israeli Air Force planes , which, according to some reports, were F-35s, not only entered the Syrian airspace, but also flew for almost several hundred kilometers over the area covered by Russian S-400 and Syrian S-300 air defense systems.

NZIV writes that another attack by the Israeli Air Force puts in question the effectiveness of Russian air and missile defense systems. The previous day, two Israeli warplanes were able to enter the Syrian air space without any hindrance. Given the fact that Russia had previously warned Netanyahu of its readiness to respond adequately, it seems that the Russian air defense systems simply did not notice the Israeli warplanes.

During the Israel’s attack, Russian warplanes also did not attempt to intercept the Israeli F-35s, which may indicate that Russian stealth detection systems simply failed.

http://uawire.org/media-russian-s-3...jOu7rlvcnXzraGHRgStSGLU8E2VuhcJXYLzvQ3jzX_rN4




https://nziv.net/31374/

 

[BON PLAN]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/magazine/f35-joint-strike-fighter-program.html

The NEW YORK TIMES !!!

Yet even as the program plows forward, unresolved technical issues have continued to emerge.

In June, my colleagues and I at Defense News reported that the plane still faced at least 13 severe technical deficiencies during operational testing, including spikes in cabin pressure, some rare instances of structural damage at supersonic speeds and unpredictability while conducting extreme maneuvers — all problems that could affect the pilot’s safety or jeopardize a mission’s success.

At the same time, the F-35s already delivered to squadrons have introduced new complications: On military bases around the United States, the high cost of operating the aircraft, a shortage of spare parts and a challenging new approach to updating the jet’s crucial software code have program officials and military leaders urgently looking for solutions.

In 2010, the ballooning costs — which put the cost per plane more than 89 percent over the baseline estimate — triggered a breach of the Nunn-McCurdy Act

The Pentagon had restricted the F-35 from flying near thunderstorms after flight tests revealed that its lightning-protection system was deficient. That became easy fodder for skeptics, given the plane’s designation as the F-35 Lightning II.


And the jet’s software development had lagged behind schedule, leaving pilots stuck with an interim version that allowed only for basic training.


Hill Air Force Base in Utah, ... long turnaround times for some maintenance tasks has meant that about 30 percent of the squadron’s aircraft are grounded at any given time. At some bases that fly the older models, the availability rate is far lower: Sometimes more than 60 percent of their F-35s are not operable. In 2017 and 2018, only about half of the F-35 fleet was available to fly at a given time, with the rest down for maintenance.

In 2018, flying an F-35A cost about $44,000 per hour on average — about double the cost of operating the Navy’s Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.


Because even if the F-35 doesn’t manage to become the unbeatable plane the Pentagon dreamed of, it has become the unkillable program.


Nothing to add.

 

[asianobserve]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/magazine/f35-joint-strike-fighter-program.html

The NEW YORK TIMES !!!

Yet even as the program plows forward, unresolved technical issues have continued to emerge.

In June, my colleagues and I at Defense News reported that the plane still faced at least 13 severe technical deficiencies during operational testing, including spikes in cabin pressure, some rare instances of structural damage at supersonic speeds and unpredictability while conducting extreme maneuvers — all problems that could affect the pilot’s safety or jeopardize a mission’s success.

At the same time, the F-35s already delivered to squadrons have introduced new complications: On military bases around the United States, the high cost of operating the aircraft, a shortage of spare parts and a challenging new approach to updating the jet’s crucial software code have program officials and military leaders urgently looking for solutions.

In 2010, the ballooning costs — which put the cost per plane more than 89 percent over the baseline estimate — triggered a breach of the Nunn-McCurdy Act

The Pentagon had restricted the F-35 from flying near thunderstorms after flight tests revealed that its lightning-protection system was deficient. That became easy fodder for skeptics, given the plane’s designation as the F-35 Lightning II.


And the jet’s software development had lagged behind schedule, leaving pilots stuck with an interim version that allowed only for basic training.


Hill Air Force Base in Utah, ... long turnaround times for some maintenance tasks has meant that about 30 percent of the squadron’s aircraft are grounded at any given time. At some bases that fly the older models, the availability rate is far lower: Sometimes more than 60 percent of their F-35s are not operable. In 2017 and 2018, only about half of the F-35 fleet was available to fly at a given time, with the rest down for maintenance.

In 2018, flying an F-35A cost about $44,000 per hour on average — about double the cost of operating the Navy’s Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.


Because even if the F-35 doesn’t manage to become the unbeatable plane the Pentagon dreamed of, it has become the unkillable program.


Nothing to add.

So even with those unresolved issues the F-35 is already kicking asses and turning circles around the kind of threats it's designed to neutrslize? Just imagine if all these bugs are ironed out and improvements implemented?

I pitty those who are stuck in Rafales and older platforms. It's like F-35 is the latest and best smartphones while Rafale and the rest are the older Blackberries...

 

[BON PLAN]

So even with those unresolved issues the F-35 is already kicking asses and turning circles around the kind of threats it's designed to neutrslize? Just imagine if all these bugs are ironed out and improvements implemented?

I pitty those who are stuck in Rafales and older platforms. It's like F-35 is the latest and best smartphones while Rafale and the rest are the older Blackberries...

A fully potent Blackberry against a nice and good looking but unfonctional Smartphone.
The history is not closed.

 

[Wolfhound]

A fully potent Blackberry against a nice and good looking but unfonctional Smartphone.
The history is not closed.

What qualifies as unfunctional?

 

[asianobserve]

US Air Force eyes F-35 and future simulation centre for better operational testing

The overall goal of the JSE is to allow testers and engineers the capability to test multiple platforms during the development and operational testing phases of a platform. The JSE is a scalable, expandable, high-fidelity government-owned, non-proprietary modelling and simulation (M&S) environment.

It is designed to conduct testing on fifth-plus generation aircraft and systems accreditable for testing as a supplement to open-air testing, according to a service statement. The service plans to use the F-35 with JSE in the initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) phase – a critical period in a platform’s development that provides the data to allow the Pentagon to determine whether systems are operationally effective and to support decisions to proceed beyond low rate initial production (LRIP).

Major General Christopher Azzano, Air Force Test Center (AFTC) commander, told Jane’s on 16 September that the use of the JSE with the F-35 is part of a larger effort to push training efforts to the live, virtual, and constructive environment. The USAF, he said, is developing operational training infrastructure that will meet the needs of operators in the field.

It is very difficult to generate the threat density and complexity to meet fifth-generation operational test requirements solely in a physical environment. Not only are there physical airspace restrictions, there are technological issues such as GPS jamming restrictions and full system employment constraints because of security and exploitation concerns.

https://www.janes.com/article/91320...ulation-centre-for-better-operational-testing

 

[asianobserve]

US Air National Guard gets first Lockheed Martin F-35sn

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/a...ir-national-guard-gets-first-lockheed-461005/

 

[BON PLAN]

Also in the meantime, Israeli F-35s Adir are running circles around S-300 and S-400

Russian S-300 and S-400 air defense systems unable to detect Israeli warplanes flying over Syria

Russian S-300 and S-400 missile systems, which are considered one of the most advanced air defense weapons in the world, failed to detect Israeli warplanes flying over Damascus.

The Israeli news outlet NZIV, citing a number of military sources, published the flight route of the Israeli warplanes, which struck eastern Syria. As it turned out, the Israeli Air Force planes , which, according to some reports, were F-35s, not only entered the Syrian airspace, but also flew for almost several hundred kilometers over the area covered by Russian S-400 and Syrian S-300 air defense systems.

NZIV writes that another attack by the Israeli Air Force puts in question the effectiveness of Russian air and missile defense systems. The previous day, two Israeli warplanes were able to enter the Syrian air space without any hindrance. Given the fact that Russia had previously warned Netanyahu of its readiness to respond adequately, it seems that the Russian air defense systems simply did not notice the Israeli warplanes.

During the Israel’s attack, Russian warplanes also did not attempt to intercept the Israeli F-35s, which may indicate that Russian stealth detection systems simply failed.

http://uawire.org/media-russian-s-3...jOu7rlvcnXzraGHRgStSGLU8E2VuhcJXYLzvQ3jzX_rN4




https://nziv.net/31374/

Only bla bla. ...

 

[asianobserve]

Only bla bla. ...

Russian S-400 system on alert to deal with Israeli F-35 jets
https://www.almasdarnews.com/articl...alert-to-deal-with-israeli-f-35-jets-analyst/

 

[Jameson Emoni]

F-35s are good looking birds .........................................

 

[StealthFlanker]

The F-35 Is About to Enter Beast Mode
U.S. defense contractor Raytheon has pulled the curtain off a new missile designed to boost the firepower of fighter jets. The new Peregrine missile (above) is designed to fit in the weapons bays of stealth fighters, allowing them to carry more missiles than ever before.

As stealthy fighter jets, the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II both suffer from a major problem: They must store all of their fuel, sensors, and weapons internally. While previous-generation fighters stored this equipment on the fuselage and wingtips, having a collection of pointy missiles, bombs, and fuel tanks hanging off an aircraft can dramatically increase its radar signature. Fifth-generation fighters like the F-22 and F-35 store everything internally, particularly weapons, maximizing the ability of their carefully molded shapes to evade radar.

But that comes at a cost. There’s only so much room inside a jet, and the amount of weapons a plane can carry is limited by the size of its weapons bays. The F-35, for example, has two bays that can carry up to four AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. That’s only half as many missiles as fourth-generation fighters can comfortably carry. Although capable, the AMRAAM is basically a 30-year-old missile designed for the old days when missiles were carried outside the aircraft.

The new Peregrine missile was revealed earlier this week by Raytheon at the Air Force Association’s National Conference. Peregrine, named after a North American falcon that preys on other birds, is just 6 feet long and weighs 150 pounds. The AMRAAM, by contrast, is 12 feet long and weighs approximately 335 pounds. Peregrine looks very similar to the SM-1/2/3/6 Standard series of naval surface-to-air missiles also manufactured by Raytheon.

As reported by Aviation Week & Space Technology, Raytheon states that the missile uses a “multimode autonomous seeker,” which could include both infrared and radar sensors to guide the missile to target. The missile is equipped with a blast fragmentation warhead to down enemy aircraft.

Propulsion is described as described as a “new, high performance propulsion section” that gives a missile half the size of AMRAAM a slightly better range. The missile is described as having very good maneuverability in the “endgame” stage, giving it the ability to chase down aircraft trying to evade it in the moments before intercept.

Meanwhile, Air Force Magazine reports Peregrine “will cost ‘significantly less’ to buy and maintain than the AIM-120 or AIM-9X, and is faster to develop, thanks to ready-made components and additive manufacturing.” That’s important because the cost of missiles, like fighter jets, is skyrocketing: AIM-120C7, the latest version of the AMRAAM was recently sold to Japan and Hungary for between $2 and $2.7 million each including missiles, software, supporting equipment, and contractor field support. If Air Force fighters can suddenly carry many more missiles, the service needs to be able to afford them.
How many Peregrines can an aircraft like the F-35 carry? It’s not clear, but it’s possible that if Peregrine is half as long as AMRRAM, an F-35 could carry twice as many of them. That would mean each F-35 could carry eight missiles—and even more missiles on external hardpoints if mission planners were willing to trade stealth away.

It’s even possible that the Air Force could team an F-35 carrying Peregrines internally with an F-35 carrying the missiles both internally and externally, with the former jet quietly spotting targets for the latter. Lockheed Martin has teased a notional “beast mode” for the F-35 that has it carrying 16 AMRAAM and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 12 externally. With Peregrine, it might carry up to 20 missiles.

As the F-35 program rolls on, it's likely the short-range Sidewinder and medium-range AMRAAM missiles will be replaced by the medium-range Peregrine or the similarly sized Cuda missiles under development by Lockheed Martin. The long-range Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, or AIM-260, might replace two medium-range missiles internally, but engage at even greater distances.

The trend is clearly toward longer-range missiles that take advantage of a web of battlefield sensors and data sharing to shoot down adversaries first. That could enable American and allied air forces to fight—and win—even outnumbered.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a29071628/f-35-raytheon-peregrine-missile/

 

[asianobserve]

The F-35 Is About to Enter Beast Mode
U.S. defense contractor Raytheon has pulled the curtain off a new missile designed to boost the firepower of fighter jets. The new Peregrine missile (above) is designed to fit in the weapons bays of stealth fighters, allowing them to carry more missiles than ever before.

As stealthy fighter jets, the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II both suffer from a major problem: They must store all of their fuel, sensors, and weapons internally. While previous-generation fighters stored this equipment on the fuselage and wingtips, having a collection of pointy missiles, bombs, and fuel tanks hanging off an aircraft can dramatically increase its radar signature. Fifth-generation fighters like the F-22 and F-35 store everything internally, particularly weapons, maximizing the ability of their carefully molded shapes to evade radar.

But that comes at a cost. There’s only so much room inside a jet, and the amount of weapons a plane can carry is limited by the size of its weapons bays. The F-35, for example, has two bays that can carry up to four AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. That’s only half as many missiles as fourth-generation fighters can comfortably carry. Although capable, the AMRAAM is basically a 30-year-old missile designed for the old days when missiles were carried outside the aircraft.

The new Peregrine missile was revealed earlier this week by Raytheon at the Air Force Association’s National Conference. Peregrine, named after a North American falcon that preys on other birds, is just 6 feet long and weighs 150 pounds. The AMRAAM, by contrast, is 12 feet long and weighs approximately 335 pounds. Peregrine looks very similar to the SM-1/2/3/6 Standard series of naval surface-to-air missiles also manufactured by Raytheon.

As reported by Aviation Week & Space Technology, Raytheon states that the missile uses a “multimode autonomous seeker,” which could include both infrared and radar sensors to guide the missile to target. The missile is equipped with a blast fragmentation warhead to down enemy aircraft.

Propulsion is described as described as a “new, high performance propulsion section” that gives a missile half the size of AMRAAM a slightly better range. The missile is described as having very good maneuverability in the “endgame” stage, giving it the ability to chase down aircraft trying to evade it in the moments before intercept.

Meanwhile, Air Force Magazine reports Peregrine “will cost ‘significantly less’ to buy and maintain than the AIM-120 or AIM-9X, and is faster to develop, thanks to ready-made components and additive manufacturing.” That’s important because the cost of missiles, like fighter jets, is skyrocketing: AIM-120C7, the latest version of the AMRAAM was recently sold to Japan and Hungary for between $2 and $2.7 million each including missiles, software, supporting equipment, and contractor field support. If Air Force fighters can suddenly carry many more missiles, the service needs to be able to afford them.
How many Peregrines can an aircraft like the F-35 carry? It’s not clear, but it’s possible that if Peregrine is half as long as AMRRAM, an F-35 could carry twice as many of them. That would mean each F-35 could carry eight missiles—and even more missiles on external hardpoints if mission planners were willing to trade stealth away.

It’s even possible that the Air Force could team an F-35 carrying Peregrines internally with an F-35 carrying the missiles both internally and externally, with the former jet quietly spotting targets for the latter. Lockheed Martin has teased a notional “beast mode” for the F-35 that has it carrying 16 AMRAAM and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 12 externally. With Peregrine, it might carry up to 20 missiles.

As the F-35 program rolls on, it's likely the short-range Sidewinder and medium-range AMRAAM missiles will be replaced by the medium-range Peregrine or the similarly sized Cuda missiles under development by Lockheed Martin. The long-range Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, or AIM-260, might replace two medium-range missiles internally, but engage at even greater distances.

The trend is clearly toward longer-range missiles that take advantage of a web of battlefield sensors and data sharing to shoot down adversaries first. That could enable American and allied air forces to fight—and win—even outnumbered.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a29071628/f-35-raytheon-peregrine-missile/

Imagine the possibilities with Peregrine:

1) The F-35 does not need anymore AIM9X under its wings since Pregrine has trimode seeker;

2) With Sidekick rail, the F-35 potentially can carry upto 12 Peregrines since each one is less than half the lengty of AIM120 (with Sidekick rail F-35 can carry 6 AIM120s internally); and,

3) Theoretically, Peregrine can become a very long range missile if it is turned 2 stage. In other words, if Raytheon can mate the Peregrine to a 1st stage booster rocket like the LREW concept:

Long Range Engagement Weapon (LREW)