F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

[asianobserve]

A Peregrine missile with first stage booster will look like SM-6 in its current form:

 

[asianobserve]

U.S. Navy awards Lockheed Martin with $352M contract mod for F-35 helmet


Pentagon’s No.1 weapons supplier Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $352,6 million contract modification for the procurement of Generation III helmet mounted display systems (HMDS) in support of the F-35 Lightning II program, according to a recent U.S. Department of Defense news release.

The latest iteration — known as the Generation III helmet — is also easily realigned and readjusted based on the individual pilot’s needs, whereas previous legacy F/A-18 helmets are rigid, cumbersome, and require manual upgrades.

The Rockwell Collins’s website said the F-35 Gen III Helmet Mounted Display System’s next-generation interface provides pilots with intuitive access to vast quantities of flight, tactical, and sensor information for advanced situational awareness, precision and safety.

The next-generation user interface serves as the pilot’s primary display system, and virtual capabilities enable them to see through the bottom of the fuselage or directly at a target. With an uninterrupted display of flight information and sensor data, the pilot experiences extreme spatial orientation, superior weapons targeting, and tactical superiority–both day and night.

https://defence-blog.com/news/u-s-n...n-with-352m-contract-mod-for-f-35-helmet.html

 

[asianobserve]

$400K Gen III HMDS fitting process

 

[BON PLAN]

https://www.latribune.fr/entreprise...952.html#xtor=EPR-2-[l-actu-du-jour]-20190926

32 planes with no technical accomodation for 6.5 $ billions.

and.... No offset.

A very good deal

 

[Immanuel]

https://www.latribune.fr/entreprise...952.html#xtor=EPR-2-[l-actu-du-jour]-20190926

32 planes with no technical accomodation for 6.5 $ billions.

and.... No offset.

A very good deal

$6.5 Billion for 32 aircraft is not bad, they are getting Block 4 aircraft so, it will be able to fire Asraam, Meteor, JSM, SDB-2 (Stormbreaker) and the already good variety of weapons it can already deploy. As for offsets or Polish companies taking part in supply chain is inevitable. The US has always allowed for a lot of local companies to make parts including F-16 supply chain, not difficult for them work with Polish companies who already work on the F-16. Block 4 F-35 is a whole gen ahead of any 4.5 gen aircraft.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/09/11/poland-cleared-to-buy-f-35-fleet/

Lockheed executives said Poland will get planes with the Block 4 package installed. 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.

Block 4 will incorporate 53 new technologies, features largely aimed at countering peer and near-peer competitors like Russia and China. As Air Force magazine writes, “None of these upgrades will change the aircraft’s outer appearance, or ‘mold line.’ Instead, they are primarily new or enhanced features executed in software, which will be rolled out in stages, with updates every April and October starting in 2019 and continuing through at least 2024.” Block 4 will be 80 percent new software and 20 percent new hardware.

In advance of Block 4, most existing F-35s are getting new hardware, including new cockpit displays, more system memory, and faster processors, in a package called Technology Refresh 3.

Lockheed Martin F-35 VP Greg Ulmer shows some details on Block 4 roadmap at #PAS19. Includes unmanned teaming and missile defense capability. We reported addition of 600-gal. external fuel tanks last week. pic.twitter.com/Sece4IzcZh

— Steve Trimble (@TheDEWLine) June 17, 2019
Block 4 breaks down into the following improvements:

* New weapons. Block 4 will support the Stormbreaker smart glide bomb (formerly known as Small Diameter Bomb II) and allied weapons such as the UK’s ASRAAM and Meteor missiles, Turkey and Lockheed Martin’s Standoff Missile (SOM-J), and the Kongsberg/Raytheon Joint Strike Missile, a new missile capable of land attack and anti-ship missions.

* Electronic warfare and communications updates. The F-35 will receive 11 radar and electro-optical updates and 13 electronic warfare updates, allowing the jet to detect enemies sooner and jam them.

* Ground control collision avoidance system (GCAS). Pilot disorientation is a serious issue in modern combat aircraft. Earlier this year, a F-35 was lost after Major Akinori Hosomi, an experienced pilot with the Japan Air Self Defense Force, lost situational awareness and flew his aircraft into the Pacific Ocean. GCAS will use the aircraft’s onboard sensors to detect when the aircraft is on a dangerous path to crashing. The system will warn the pilot and, if the warnings aren’t heeded, will actually take control of the aircraft and place it on a safe flight path. GCAS would have saved the pilot and aircraft in the April 2019 incident.

* Extended fuel tanks. The F-35’s range has come into criticism in recent years, as the U.S. fighter fleet faces the prospect of long-range combat against other major powers. Block 4 would add an additional 600 gallons of fuel carried in external fuel tanks. That isn't ideal, as even minor changes to the external appearance of the F-35 will compromise the airplane’s carefully crafted anti-radar profile, but short of magically finding room inside the plane for more fuel, it's pretty much the only solution to the range problem.

What It’s Like to Fly the F-35
* Unmanned teaming. The U.S. Air Force, and undoubtedly other air forces, are looking into the idea of pairing F-35s with unmanned aircraft to handle complex threat environments. Drones like the XQ-58 Valkyrie, which the USAF wants to buy to experiment with, could probe enemy defenses, carry jammers, and carry out diversions to allow the manned to get close enough to the target to safely attack it. Such use of drones could dramatically increase the effectiveness of a F-35 fighter without teaming it with other, equally expensive F-35s.

* Other upgrades. According to a slide shared by Aviation Week & Space Technology's Stephen Trimble from the Paris Air Show, other system upgrades include an increased ability to help shoot down ballistic missiles, probably including using the Distributed Aperture System of infrared cameras to detect the heat plume of a missile taking off. The F-35 will also get open architecture improvements, likely to help speed the integration of future upgrades, the ability to work alongside naval and ground units, and other classified improvements.

Finally, Block 4 will apparently include classified improvements from Lockheed Martin’s famous “Skunk Works,” responsible for such aircraft as the SR-71 Blackbird and U-2. Exactly what those improvements are remains to be seen, but they could include literally anything from jam-proof communications to laying the groundwork for adding a laser weapon to the F-35.

 

[BON PLAN]

$6.5 Billion for 32 aircraft is not bad, they are getting Block 4 aircraft so, it will be able to fire Asraam, Meteor, JSM, SDB-2 (Stormbreaker) and the already good variety of weapons it can already deploy. As for offsets or Polish companies taking part in supply chain is inevitable. The US has always allowed for a lot of local companies to make parts including F-16 supply chain, not difficult for them work with Polish companies who already work on the F-16. Block 4 F-35 is a whole gen ahead of any 4.5 gen aircraft.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/09/11/poland-cleared-to-buy-f-35-fleet/

Lockheed executives said Poland will get planes with the Block 4 package installed. 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.

Block 4 will incorporate 53 new technologies, features largely aimed at countering peer and near-peer competitors like Russia and China. As Air Force magazine writes, “None of these upgrades will change the aircraft’s outer appearance, or ‘mold line.’ Instead, they are primarily new or enhanced features executed in software, which will be rolled out in stages, with updates every April and October starting in 2019 and continuing through at least 2024.” Block 4 will be 80 percent new software and 20 percent new hardware.

In advance of Block 4, most existing F-35s are getting new hardware, including new cockpit displays, more system memory, and faster processors, in a package called Technology Refresh 3.

Lockheed Martin F-35 VP Greg Ulmer shows some details on Block 4 roadmap at #PAS19. Includes unmanned teaming and missile defense capability. We reported addition of 600-gal. external fuel tanks last week. pic.twitter.com/Sece4IzcZh

— Steve Trimble (@TheDEWLine) June 17, 2019
Block 4 breaks down into the following improvements:

* New weapons. Block 4 will support the Stormbreaker smart glide bomb (formerly known as Small Diameter Bomb II) and allied weapons such as the UK’s ASRAAM and Meteor missiles, Turkey and Lockheed Martin’s Standoff Missile (SOM-J), and the Kongsberg/Raytheon Joint Strike Missile, a new missile capable of land attack and anti-ship missions.

* Electronic warfare and communications updates. The F-35 will receive 11 radar and electro-optical updates and 13 electronic warfare updates, allowing the jet to detect enemies sooner and jam them.

* Ground control collision avoidance system (GCAS). Pilot disorientation is a serious issue in modern combat aircraft. Earlier this year, a F-35 was lost after Major Akinori Hosomi, an experienced pilot with the Japan Air Self Defense Force, lost situational awareness and flew his aircraft into the Pacific Ocean. GCAS will use the aircraft’s onboard sensors to detect when the aircraft is on a dangerous path to crashing. The system will warn the pilot and, if the warnings aren’t heeded, will actually take control of the aircraft and place it on a safe flight path. GCAS would have saved the pilot and aircraft in the April 2019 incident.

* Extended fuel tanks. The F-35’s range has come into criticism in recent years, as the U.S. fighter fleet faces the prospect of long-range combat against other major powers. Block 4 would add an additional 600 gallons of fuel carried in external fuel tanks. That isn't ideal, as even minor changes to the external appearance of the F-35 will compromise the airplane’s carefully crafted anti-radar profile, but short of magically finding room inside the plane for more fuel, it's pretty much the only solution to the range problem.

What It’s Like to Fly the F-35
* Unmanned teaming. The U.S. Air Force, and undoubtedly other air forces, are looking into the idea of pairing F-35s with unmanned aircraft to handle complex threat environments. Drones like the XQ-58 Valkyrie, which the USAF wants to buy to experiment with, could probe enemy defenses, carry jammers, and carry out diversions to allow the manned to get close enough to the target to safely attack it. Such use of drones could dramatically increase the effectiveness of a F-35 fighter without teaming it with other, equally expensive F-35s.

* Other upgrades. According to a slide shared by Aviation Week & Space Technology's Stephen Trimble from the Paris Air Show, other system upgrades include an increased ability to help shoot down ballistic missiles, probably including using the Distributed Aperture System of infrared cameras to detect the heat plume of a missile taking off. The F-35 will also get open architecture improvements, likely to help speed the integration of future upgrades, the ability to work alongside naval and ground units, and other classified improvements.

Finally, Block 4 will apparently include classified improvements from Lockheed Martin’s famous “Skunk Works,” responsible for such aircraft as the SR-71 Blackbird and U-2. Exactly what those improvements are remains to be seen, but they could include literally anything from jam-proof communications to laying the groundwork for adding a laser weapon to the F-35.

block 4 F35 is as for now a fantasm. as Rafale F4.

But at least Rafale F3R is a reality and fully effective, not as the actual standard of F35. And all previous standard of Rafale (F1, F2.1, F2.2, F3.1, F3.2, F3.3, F3.O4T, F3R) were delivered on time, on spec and on budget. Never the case of the flying brick.

 

[Immanuel]

block 4 F35 is as for now a fantasm. as Rafale F4.

But at least Rafale F3R is a reality and fully effective, not as the actual standard of F35. And all previous standard of Rafale (F1, F2.1, F2.2, F3.1, F3.2, F3.3, F3.O4T, F3R) were delivered on time, on spec and on budget. Never the case of the flying brick.

Block 4 technologies are already coming twice a year starting this year already. What matters is what is delivered to the client (Poland, Belgium and many others) in 2024-25. Point is those who have looked at the F-35 prefer it over the Rafale and all proposed upgrades over it's life time (regardless of the price, current issues etc), so all your yada yada doesn't matter.

 

[Chanakya 002]

Russia upgrades BrahMos Missile's 'ancestor' to have 800km range.
Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported on Wednesday that the country has developed a variant of the Oniks supersonic cruise missile with a range of 800km. The Indo-Russian BrahMos cruise missile was developed on the basis of the Oniks.

TASS quoted sources from the Research and ProductionAssociation of Machine-Building(known as NPOMashinostroyeniya) that had developed the Oniks-M sea-launched missile. The new weapons can hit both naval and land targets. Tests of the Oniks-M will begin in the coming months. The original Oniks missile is thought to have a range of around 300km and could travel at a speed of over Mach 2.5 (2.5 times the speed of sound). The missile uses a radar seeker and satellite navigation for guidance.

TASS reported “The missile is outfitted with the improved control system and will be capable of striking both naval and ground targets with greater accuracy." The new missile also has improved protection against electronic countermeasures that seek to hinder its seeker from locking on to a target.

Work on the Oniks missile started in 1982 in the former Soviet Union and the missile became operational in 2002. Russia is deploying the Oniks missile on its surface ships and submarines, replacing older cruise missiles. An export variant of the Oniks, called the Yakhont, has been sold to Syria, Indonesia and Vietnam. The Russian military revealed the first combat use of the Oniks missile in November 2016, broadcasting footage of the weapons being launched from a land-based launcher at ISIS targets in Syria.

The first test of the BrahMos missile, which is operational with the Indian Navy and Army, was conducted in 2001. BrahMos Aerospace was formed as a JV between DRDO and NPO Mashinostroyeniya through an agreement on February 12, 1998.

The BrahMos has a guidance system developed in India. BrahMos was originally advertised as having a range of 290km. However, company officials and experts had repeatedly said it was possible to extend it range.

Interestingly, Mishra had spoken of the possibility of extending the system's range to 800km last month. Interacting with TASS at the MAKS air show in Moscow in August, Mishra had said, “We already fired [BrahMos cruise missiles] to a range of 400 km. Very soon, we will confirm that we can fire to a range of 500 km. This will be a sea, ground or air-launched version. Even to an extended range of 800 km is possible.”

 

[BON PLAN]

Russia upgrades BrahMos Missile's 'ancestor' to have 800km range.
Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported on Wednesday that the country has developed a variant of the Oniks supersonic cruise missile with a range of 800km. The Indo-Russian BrahMos cruise missile was developed on the basis of the Oniks.

TASS quoted sources from the Research and ProductionAssociation of Machine-Building(known as NPOMashinostroyeniya) that had developed the Oniks-M sea-launched missile. The new weapons can hit both naval and land targets. Tests of the Oniks-M will begin in the coming months. The original Oniks missile is thought to have a range of around 300km and could travel at a speed of over Mach 2.5 (2.5 times the speed of sound). The missile uses a radar seeker and satellite navigation for guidance.

TASS reported “The missile is outfitted with the improved control system and will be capable of striking both naval and ground targets with greater accuracy." The new missile also has improved protection against electronic countermeasures that seek to hinder its seeker from locking on to a target.

Work on the Oniks missile started in 1982 in the former Soviet Union and the missile became operational in 2002. Russia is deploying the Oniks missile on its surface ships and submarines, replacing older cruise missiles. An export variant of the Oniks, called the Yakhont, has been sold to Syria, Indonesia and Vietnam. The Russian military revealed the first combat use of the Oniks missile in November 2016, broadcasting footage of the weapons being launched from a land-based launcher at ISIS targets in Syria.

The first test of the BrahMos missile, which is operational with the Indian Navy and Army, was conducted in 2001. BrahMos Aerospace was formed as a JV between DRDO and NPO Mashinostroyeniya through an agreement on February 12, 1998.

The BrahMos has a guidance system developed in India. BrahMos was originally advertised as having a range of 290km. However, company officials and experts had repeatedly said it was possible to extend it range.

Interestingly, Mishra had spoken of the possibility of extending the system's range to 800km last month. Interacting with TASS at the MAKS air show in Moscow in August, Mishra had said, “We already fired [BrahMos cruise missiles] to a range of 400 km. Very soon, we will confirm that we can fire to a range of 500 km. This will be a sea, ground or air-launched version. Even to an extended range of 800 km is possible.”

very interesting this news about F35

 

[BON PLAN]

Block 4 technologies are already coming twice a year starting this year already

block 4 and not FOC..... all is said.

 

[asianobserve]

Italy deploys six F-35 on first NATO air policing mission over Iceland

https://www.janes.com/article/91542/italy-deploys-f-35-on-first-nato-mission

 

[BON PLAN]

So interesting !

I'm waiting the reactions of @Immanuel , @asianobserve etc....

from POGO, june 2019

 

[Immanuel]

So interesting !

I'm waiting the reactions of @Immanuel , @asianobserve etc....

View attachment 38929

from POGO, june 2019

F-35C only began serious Carrier testing in August 2018, it's normal for low MC rates, for the rest I don't see a big problem with the figures. Rafale not too long ago had less than 48% availability. Nothing strange at all.

https://www.defenseworld.net/news/1...French_Air_Force_Is_48_5_Percent#.XY4IVFUzZpg

F-35B is still under testing from various LPDs, same for F-35A.

 

[Immanuel]

Also Full Mission Capable or Mission Capable means different things to different air forces. The F-35 will only be considered FMC when all the weapons are fully integrated, for now it is still missing Anti-ship, Anti Radiation missiles and long range cruise missile, hence it isn't considered FMC. By USAF definition, even is Rafale probably isn't FMC.

 

[asianobserve]

So interesting !

I'm waiting the reactions of @Immanuel , @asianobserve etc....

View attachment 38929

from POGO, june 2019

Relax, the parts supply chain is still being built and improved due to the rapid increase of F-35s in service Worldwide. It'll get better.

"The F-35 program has faced enormous challenges over the years, but the biggest today is particularly intractable: The program simply can’t keep the flow of parts moving around the world in the numbers and places necessary.

The heart of the problem lies, as might be expected, at the depots where the majority of significant repairs are made, GAO says. “This backlog of parts awaiting repair is largely attributable to delays in the establishment of part repair capabilities at the military depots.” That isn’t likely to be fixed until 2024."

https://breakingdefense.com/2019/04/f-35-parts-problems-at-heart-of-low-readiness-rates-gao/

Anyway, as I've been saying, even with the continuing issues (that are being solved) due to the complexity of the F-35 it alreafy is rocking the Middle East:


And making Russia's much vaunted super SAM S-400 look like a whimp in Syria by continuous Adir attacks deep into Southern Syria.



https://nziv.net/31374/

 

[BON PLAN]

Relax, the parts supply chain is still being built and improved due to the rapid increase of F-35s in service Worldwide. It'll get better.

"The F-35 program has faced enormous challenges over the years, but the biggest today is particularly intractable: The program simply can’t keep the flow of parts moving around the world in the numbers and places necessary.

The heart of the problem lies, as might be expected, at the depots where the majority of significant repairs are made, GAO says. “This backlog of parts awaiting repair is largely attributable to delays in the establishment of part repair capabilities at the military depots.” That isn’t likely to be fixed until 2024."

https://breakingdefense.com/2019/04/f-35-parts-problems-at-heart-of-low-readiness-rates-gao/

Anyway, as I've been saying, even with the continuing issues (that are being solved) due to the complexity of the F-35 it alreafy is rocking the Middle East:


And making Russia's much vaunted super SAM S-400 look like a whimp in Syria by continuous Adir attacks deep into Southern Syria.



https://nziv.net/31374/

russian S400 are not there to protect Irak. And russia and Israel are in continuous talk about these operations.

 

[BON PLAN]

F-35 Testing Delays Continue, Even as Aircraft Has Made Its Combat Debut

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will not complete its already-delayed formal operational test phase this fall because of a setback in the testing process, according to a source close to the program.

https://www.military.com/daily-news...-even-aircraft-has-made-its-combat-debut.html

 

[bhramos]

#America’s stealthy F-35 tracked by a pony farm radar. A #German firm claims to have tracked 2 F-35 fighter jets for 150 kms following the #Berlin Air Show in #Germany in 2018.

 

[BON PLAN]

#America’s stealthy F-35 tracked by a pony farm radar. A #German firm claims to have tracked 2 F-35 fighter jets for 150 kms following the #Berlin Air Show in #Germany in 2018.

maybe they were carrying their fresnel lens....

 

[asianobserve]

#America’s stealthy F-35 tracked by a pony farm radar. A #German firm claims to have tracked 2 F-35 fighter jets for 150 kms following the #Berlin Air Show in #Germany in 2018.

The Americans know that their F-35s were being targetted by experimental German passive radar. So the Americans could have simply increased their F-35s radio signatures by constant radio communications with radsrs or with other aircrafts. The F-35s could have also turned on their radars to further increase their detectability.

The fact was that the Americans knew these German company was tryingvto experiment and score a coup for their radar system. They first set up shop at the airport where the airshow was being conducted. But when the Americans refused to fly their F-35s these German team relocated somewhere else.

This news is much like the French Rafale HUD video on F-22, a cheap trick.