F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

[Kumaoni]

 

[Super Flanker]

An F-35 "Lightning" mid air refueling in probe & drogue fashion.

As of now, today there are two different types of air-to-air refueling systems in use: probe-and-drogue and the flyable boom. These two systems are not compatible, although some booms can be adapted (on the ground only) using a Boom Drogue Adapter to be compatible with probe-equipped receivers.

 

[Wisemarko]

Pentagon and Lockheed reach deal to build 375 F-35 fighter jets
Mike StoneJuly 18, 20229:24 PM PDTLast Updated 21 days ago

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Defense agreed with Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) to build about 375 F-35 fighter jets over three years, the two parties said on Monday, amid expectations the price of the most common version of the aircraft would increase due to inflation and slower production.

"We are pleased to announce that the Department and Lockheed Martin reached a handshake agreement for the next F-35 lot buy on a basis of 375 aircraft," said William LaPlante, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer.

 

[Super falcon]

Why uaf not ordering F 35

Even if 100 Tejas 100 amca comes for IAF in future
400 mig 21 going 60 mirages are at the end of their life's 40 jaguars need to be phased out 45 mig 29 India need more than 559 jets F 35 order with rafale orders and amca Tejas things will get better for India

 

[jai jaganath]

Why uaf not ordering F 35

Even if 100 Tejas 100 amca comes for IAF in future
400 mig 21 going 60 mirages are at the end of their life's 40 jaguars need to be phased out 45 mig 29 India need more than 559 jets F 35 order with rafale orders and amca Tejas things will get better for India

Have you heard of tejas mk2
If not then pls research and then become def expert

 

[Super falcon]

Have you heard of tejas mk2
If not then pls research and then become def expert

Geared it already but Tejas will take time and how many do you buy 250 is the number Iaf will buy you are still 250 jets short please do research a bit maths more than 400 mig 21 how you guys fill that gap even if you fill it with Tejas what about jaguar mig 29 mirage replacement are think 10 years ahead

 

[jai jaganath]

Geared it already but Tejas will take time and how many do you buy 250 is the number Iaf will buy you are still 250 jets short please do research a bit maths more than 400 mig 21 how you guys fill that gap even if you fill it with Tejas what about jaguar mig 29 mirage replacement are think 10 years ahead

Think a bit with respect to logistics and dependency
Whether buying 100 F 35 will be better than mk2 which will be made indigenously, low cost and reduce dependency but not same as capability to F 35 but still fancy F 35 is very costly
If our nation can nullify the effect of import oriented generals and complement the iaf with mk1a and mk2
Wait for amca mk1 and induct in more nos
Not saying we may not induct F 35 but other options are great
Mig 21 can be replaced by mk1a with that nos but if iaf has will
Other aircrafts can be done by mk2 and for stealth use amca
Reducing the logistical nightmare

 

[Wisemarko]

F-35 Lot 15 Will Include Up to 129 Fighters, Cost $7.6 Billion
Aug. 15, 2022 | By Greg Hadley


Lot 15 of the F-35 fighter will include up to 129 aircraft, with 49 F-35As for the Air Force, and cost up to $7.6 billion, according to the details of a contract award announced by the Pentagon on Aug. 12.

The final contract award comes less than a month after the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin announced a “handshake” deal for Lots 15-17 of the fighter, the result of months of delayed negotiations.

As part of that handshake deal, the JPO agreed to buy 375 fighters for an average of 125 per lot, roughly in line with the 129 agreed to in Lot 15 but well below the 156 per year that Lockheed Martin CEO James D. Taiclet had previously predicted.

The announcement of the handshake agreement did not include any information on pricing, per-variant totals, or how many each service and partner country would receive. In the Lot 15 announcement, some of those details were revealed. Of the 129 total aircraft,

• the Air Force will get 49 F-35As;
• the Marine Corps will get three F-35Bs and 10 F-35Cs;
• the Navy will get 15 F-35Cs;
• non-DOD participants—international partners in the F-35 program—will get 32 F-35As and four F-35Bs;
• and Foreign Military Sales customers will get 16 F-35As.

The announcement does not specify which international partners or FMS customers will get the Lot 15 jets.
In addition to the fighters themselves, the Lot 15 deal, technically a modification to a previous advance acquisition contract, will include “69 shipsets of technical hardware.”
Work on the contract is expected to last until October 2024, with the majority occurring in Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, facility. The Air Force is providing the largest chunk of funding at roughly $2.7 billion, taken from its 2020 and 2021 aircraft procurement accounts.
The JPO and Lockheed Martin had previously said they were working first to ink a deal for Lots 15 and 16 “as a high priority.” The JPO will “exercise a contract option for Lot 17 in FY 2023” after the fiscal 2023 budget is made final, in order to take into account any congressional adds or international orders.
The overall lower numbers of jets agreed to in Lots 15-17 come as the Air Force cut back on its purchase of F-35s in the 2023 budget, down to just 33 F-35As, with plans to go even lower in 2024.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has indicated that the service is waiting for Lockheed Martin to finish developing the long-awaited Block 4 and Technical Refresh 3 updates for the fighter before increasing its buys again, to avoid having to retrofit fighters in the future.
At the same time, the cost of the F-35 is likely to go up. While the Pentagon did not release an exact price per tail in the Lot 15 contract, both DOD and Lockheed Martin have pointed toward the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and rising inflation, as challenges in negotiations that will likely drive up costs.
Link:https://www.airforcemag.com/f-35-lot-15-will-include-up-to-129-fighters-cost-7-6-billion/

The cost of F-35 is dropping to a level where no 4th generation fighter can compete

 

[Blademaster]

F-35 Lot 15 Will Include Up to 129 Fighters, Cost $7.6 Billion


The cost of F-35 is dropping to a level where no 4th generation fighter can compete

True but it will become a hangar queen due to its very high operating costs. Each succeeding block contain upgrades that are simply not technology backward compatible. For instance to get Block IV block III won’t be able to be upgraded. You are stuck with its current form and cannot upgrade easily.

 

[StealthFlanker]

True but it will become a hangar queen due to its very high operating costs. Each succeeding block contain upgrades that are simply not technology backward compatible. For instance to get Block IV block III won’t be able to be upgraded. You are stuck with its current form and cannot upgrade easily.

Where do you even get that from

 

[Wisemarko]

True but it will become a hangar queen due to its very high operating costs.

Lol ok.

 

[Blademaster]

Where do you even get that from

From a US military article. I didn't save the article and I can't find it now. It came out during spring. It basically said that due to the limitations on the power supply and electrical system and software and the desire to build F-35s before FOC could be achieved, they went with block III but could not upgrade block III to features that would be present in Block IV and Block V.

So Block III for all practical purposes is effectively capped in its upgrade path. When Block IV and V comes out, the plane would be a different beast in terms of maintenance and logistics and that makes block III airframes completely obsolete and left lurching.

 

[Javelin_Sam]

Good luck with F 35. Operational cost of USD 30000 per hour. That is aprox INR 24 lakh every hour. Chaps in New Delhi will fall of heart attack

 

[The Shrike]

Good luck with F 35. Operational cost of USD 30000 per hour. That is aprox INR 24 lakh every hour. Chaps in New Delhi will fall of heart attack

Although i wonder how much our MKIs, M2000 and Mig-29s cost per flight hour using the same accounting principles.

 

[StealthFlanker]

From a US military article. I didn't save the article and I can't find it now. It came out during spring. It basically said that due to the limitations on the power supply and electrical system and software and the desire to build F-35s before FOC could be achieved, they went with block III but could not upgrade block III to features that would be present in Block IV and Block V.

So Block III for all practical purposes is effectively capped in its upgrade path. When Block IV and V comes out, the plane would be a different beast in terms of maintenance and logistics and that makes block III airframes completely obsolete and left lurching.

Either you misunderstood the article or you read a tabloid , I found it hard to believe that F-35 would lack power . It can generate around 400kVA, several times more than any other fighters exist today. Even the massive F-15EX only have potential to generate 160kVA at most

 

[Wisemarko]

Either you misunderstood the article or you read a tabloid , I found it hard to believe that F-35 would lack power . It can generate around 400kVA, several times more than any other fighters exist today. Even the massive F-15EX only have potential to generate 160kVA at most

Current F-35 engine power is insufficient for projected block 4 enhancements that include directed energy weapons requiring higher energy and deeper penetration ability. Two engines are in competition but decision is pending. These are cutting edge improvements and will ensure significant technology lead for US and allies.

Can GE finally break through on the F-35 engine at a ‘critical decision point’? - Breaking Defense

GE sees new F-35 performance demands and a refocused American defense strategy as a chance for its new XA100 engine.

breakingdefense.com

 

[Super Flanker]

True but it will become a hangar queen due to its very high operating costs. Each succeeding block contain upgrades that are simply not technology backward compatible. For instance to get Block IV block III won’t be able to be upgraded. You are stuck with its current form and cannot upgrade easily.

I just searched up "F-35 operating costs" on Google and I came across lots of articles which say that the F-35 has a per hour flight cost of 36,000$. The articles that i am quoting date back to 2021.

If we convert 36,000 $ to Rupees then we get it as equal to "2854353" Indian Rupee, which if we convert into lakhs will be more than 2800000. So yes, you Heard that right! F-35 costs more than 28 lakhs to Operate per hour! That is really expensive! Maybe for Uncle sam it is not that much of a deal.

Hopefully our AMCA will have a lower per hour Operating cost. Imagine if India were to buy F-35, these jets would eat up all of our budget in maintenance itself.

 

[Super Flanker]

Although i wonder how much our MKIs, M2000 and Mig-29s cost per flight hour using the same accounting principles.

Talking about per hour operating cost than SU-30 MKIs cost around 10000 USD$ per hour, MiG-29s cost 4500 USD $ per hour. Don't know about Mirage 2000s though.

Here are the sources from which I got my figures.

(Not the most realiable but one thing is for sure, these Aircrafts have a lower Operating cost as compared to F-35):-

Air Forces Around the World Love This Killer Fighter Plane. And Its Not from America.

The Gripen comes from Sweeden—and its amazing.

nationalinterest.org

Per Hour Operating Cost » Indian Air Force's fighter jets

This article explains per hour operating cost of a fighter jet, how it is calculated and this cost for some of the IAF's frontline fighters.

www.defencexp.com

 

[armortec]

F-35 Lot 15 Will Include Up to 129 Fighters, Cost $7.6 Billion
Aug. 15, 2022 | By Greg Hadley


Lot 15 of the F-35 fighter will include up to 129 aircraft, with 49 F-35As for the Air Force, and cost up to $7.6 billion, according to the details of a contract award announced by the Pentagon on Aug. 12.

The final contract award comes less than a month after the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin announced a “handshake” deal for Lots 15-17 of the fighter, the result of months of delayed negotiations.

As part of that handshake deal, the JPO agreed to buy 375 fighters for an average of 125 per lot, roughly in line with the 129 agreed to in Lot 15 but well below the 156 per year that Lockheed Martin CEO James D. Taiclet had previously predicted.

The announcement of the handshake agreement did not include any information on pricing, per-variant totals, or how many each service and partner country would receive. In the Lot 15 announcement, some of those details were revealed. Of the 129 total aircraft,

• the Air Force will get 49 F-35As;
• the Marine Corps will get three F-35Bs and 10 F-35Cs;
• the Navy will get 15 F-35Cs;
• non-DOD participants—international partners in the F-35 program—will get 32 F-35As and four F-35Bs;
• and Foreign Military Sales customers will get 16 F-35As.

The announcement does not specify which international partners or FMS customers will get the Lot 15 jets.
In addition to the fighters themselves, the Lot 15 deal, technically a modification to a previous advance acquisition contract, will include “69 shipsets of technical hardware.”
Work on the contract is expected to last until October 2024, with the majority occurring in Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, facility. The Air Force is providing the largest chunk of funding at roughly $2.7 billion, taken from its 2020 and 2021 aircraft procurement accounts.
The JPO and Lockheed Martin had previously said they were working first to ink a deal for Lots 15 and 16 “as a high priority.” The JPO will “exercise a contract option for Lot 17 in FY 2023” after the fiscal 2023 budget is made final, in order to take into account any congressional adds or international orders.
The overall lower numbers of jets agreed to in Lots 15-17 come as the Air Force cut back on its purchase of F-35s in the 2023 budget, down to just 33 F-35As, with plans to go even lower in 2024.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has indicated that the service is waiting for Lockheed Martin to finish developing the long-awaited Block 4 and Technical Refresh 3 updates for the fighter before increasing its buys again, to avoid having to retrofit fighters in the future.
At the same time, the cost of the F-35 is likely to go up. While the Pentagon did not release an exact price per tail in the Lot 15 contract, both DOD and Lockheed Martin have pointed toward the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and rising inflation, as challenges in negotiations that will likely drive up costs.
Link:https://www.airforcemag.com/f-35-lot-15-will-include-up-to-129-fighters-cost-7-6-billion/

The cost of F-35 is dropping to a level where no 4th generation fighter can compete

Can only marvel at the reduction of cost when scaling up like this. $8B for 36 Rafales vs 129 F-35s. AMCA can't come soon enough.

 

[Super Flanker]

Here is the EOTS "system" on the F-35. It's a low drag, stealthy system present on the F-35's fuselage. It is enclosed by a durable sapphire window. It is the first sensor to combine forward-looking infrared & infrared search and track functionality in "one".

EOTS is a combination of IRST and FLIR/Targeting pod. Being a targeting pod gives EOTS certain advantages such as having a bigger resolution sensor than a typical IRST for better target ID and greater magnification

This is EOTS looking at a hotel window from 49 nmi (91 km).