F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Defense News Mobile - US Marine F-35Bs Could Make Airshows, Even if UK Jets Do Not

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Defense News Mobile - Window Closing on F-35 Appearance at RIAT

 

[pmaitra]

'Excessive' rubbing of fan blades blamed for F-35 fighter jet engine failure

Engine failure that grounded a fleet of Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets ahead of the Farnborough Airshow in the UK was caused by the "excessive" rubbing of fan blades in the plane's Pratt & Whitney engine, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer said on Sunday. He added that it does not appear to be a fundamental design flaw. Bennett Croswell, president of Pratt & Whitney, refused to comment on the issue. There is still a chance that the grounding order could be lifted in time for the newest US combat jet to make its international appearance at the airshow, Defense Undersecretary Frank Kendall told reporters.

 

[cobra commando]

US Air Force fires two AMRAAMs from next- generation fighter

LONDON, July 13, 2014 / PRNewswire/ -- A U.S. Air Force pilot successfully fired two Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) AIM 120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles from an F-35B fighter aircraft. The missiles tracked and engaged two aerial targets during a Weapon Delivery Accuracy mission in Southern California. The test marked the first dual AMRAAM shot from any F-35 variant, and the first live AMRAAM shot from the F-35B. "AMRAAM's seeker and guidance section is the most advanced of any air-to-air missiles flying today," said Mike Jarrett, Raytheon Air Warfare Systems vice president. "AMRAAM gives the F-35 significant fire power and provides warfighters around the globe with an unfair advantage in the fight." The F-35's internally-carried AMRAAMs are a beyond-visual- range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations and considered a "fire- and-forget" missile using active target radar guidance.
About AMRAAM AMRAAM is a combat-proven missile that has demonstrated operational flexibility in both air- to-air and surface-launch engagement scenarios and provides today's warfighter with enhanced operational capability, cost effectiveness and future growth options/solutions. Procured by 36 countries, the combat-proven AMRAAM has been operational and integrated on the F-16, F-15, F/A-18, F-22, Typhoon, Gripen, Tornado, Harrier, F-4 and the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. It is also the baseline missile for the NATO- approved Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System.
US Air Force fires two AMRAAMs from next-generation fighter - Jul 13, 2014

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Defense News Mobile - Pentagon: 'Growing Evidence' F-35 Incident Not Systemic

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Defense News Mobile - BAE Working F-35 and Typhoon Interoperability

 

[cobra commando]

F-35 Latest: Engine Fire Cause Emerges | Defense content from Aviation Week

 

[cobra commando]

F-35 Returns to Limited
Flight, Officials Rule Out
Farnborough


http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=122676

 

[cobra commando]

Rockwell, Elbit Delivers F-35 Gen 3 Helmet Mounted
Display System To Lockheed

Rockwell Collins delivered Gen III Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS) to Lockheed Martin for software integration into the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The Gen III HMDS will be integrated into Low Rate Initial Production 7 for the F-35 program. The F-35 Gen II HMD will be demonstrated at the Farnborough Air Show. "The HMDS provides F-35 pilots with digital night vision and head tracking capabilities available today," said Raanan Horowitz, president and chief executive officer, Elbit Systems. "Providing an accurate and readable virtual HUD with high resolution night vision, combined with low latency, is essential to the execution of the F-35 complex missions during day and night operations." The state-of-the-art HMD features a binocular 40x30 degrees field-of-view, high brightness and high resolution display, with integrated digital night vision.
When fully integrated with the aircraft sensors and systems, the HMDS provides the F-35 pilot with unparalleled situational awareness. The system provides a lightweight HMD, with optimized center of gravity and maximum comfort for reduced pilot fatigue. Everything about the F-35 Gen III HMDS is designed to enhance the fighter pilot's precision, efficiency and safety, while reducing the overall cost of the program. The Gen III design includes improved optics, image device and backlight, along with head tracking capability and the next generation Night Vision Camera.


Rockwell, Elbit Delivers F-35 Gen 3 Helmet Mounted Display System To Lockheed

 

[cobra commando]

Australia taking delivery of first F-35, plans to buy 72 - Pacific - Stripes

 

[cobra commando]

F-35 rollout highlight's RAAF's "greatest opportunity for evolutionary change" | Australian Aviation

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yP3izS0XLkY

 

[cobra commando]

U.S. loosens rules for Lockheed F-35, allows faster flight, tighter curves | Reuters

 

[cobra commando]

Software to Power F-35 Running as Much as 14 Months Late - Bloomberg

 

[cobra commando]

Mitsubishi F-35 Parts Supply Deal Stuck Over Investment Row

 

[HMS Astute]

 

[cobra commando]

New F-35 Hangar To Cost $ 240 Million

The US Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast announced the first task order from a $240 million design- build construction contract Aug. 26. Carothers Construction Inc., of Oxford, Mississippi, was awarded the initial task order for $34.4 million for the design and construction of an aircraft maintenance hangar at Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, South Carolina. "The new hangar is designed to support and accommodate the F-35's unique operational and maintenance requirements," said Troy Ward, MCAS Beaufort Site Activation Task Force program manager. The hangar project is expected to be completed by September 2016. Other work to be performed under this contract includes general building type projects (new construction, renovation, alteration, demolition, and repair work) including industrial, airfield, aircraft hangar, aircraft traffic control, infrastructure, administrative, training, dormitory, and community support facilities.
"The existing hangars were designed and built to accommodate legacy aircraft, almost 60 years ago," said Ward. "They have reached the end of their useful life and renovating or expanding the existing hangars would not be cost effective. We're building a 21st century facility here to support our new fifth generation fighters, the Lightning II." The five contractors for this IDIQ contract include Carothers Construction Inc., Oxford, Mississippi; Archer Western Construction, LLC (small business), Chicago, Illinois; Brasfield and Gorrie General Contractors, Birmingham, Alabama; Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Orlando, Florida; and M.A. Mortenson Construction Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota. The contract period is for 36 months with an expected completion date of August 2017.

New F-35 Hangar To Cost $240 Million

 

[cobra commando]

Flight Maneuver Hints at Cause of F-35 Fire

The U.S. Defense Department official in charge of the F-35 fighter jet program said a previous flight test maneuver played a role in an engine fire that led to a temporary grounding of the fleet and ongoing flying restrictions. Speaking during a defense conference Wednesday at the National Press Club, Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said three weeks before an F-35A made by Lockheed Martin Corp. caught fire during takeoff June 23 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, it was flown in a manner designed to test the performance of its g- force, roll and yaw characteristics within designed limits known as the flight envelope. While the maneuver only last two seconds or so, it caused excessive rubbing between the titanium blade in the fan section of the F135 engine made by United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt & Whitney unit and the surrounding material, Bogdan said. The metal reached temperatures of as high as 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit — compared to the normal level of about 1,000 degrees — and resulted in micro-cracking, he said. A few weeks later, during the fateful takeoff, the blade came apart and actually pierced the left aft fuel tank, engulfing the rear of the plane in flames, Bogdan said. "It was the fuel tank that caught fire," he said. While the pilot escaped from the aircraft unharmed, much of the plane was destroyed. Bogdan declined to say it was a "total loss" because he said the program office plans to reuse parts that are salvageable.



Read more here:
Flight Maneuver Hints at Cause of F-35 Fire

 

[Zebra]

Jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney accuses titanium supplier of fraud | Reuters

By Lewis Krauskopf
Sept 2 Tue Sep 2, 2014 6:10pm EDT

(Reuters) - United Technologies Corp unit Pratt & Whitney has sued a titanium supplier for fraud, after questions over the material led Pratt to briefly suspend delivery of its engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

 

[Zebra]

First operational F-35B squadron on track to meet deployment standards - IHS Jane's 360

First operational F-35B squadron on track to meet deployment standards

Marina Malenic, Yuma, Arizona - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
14 September 2014

Pilots at Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) first operational squadron of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters began training in early September to the standards required for the jump-jet version of the aircraft's initial operational capability (IOC) declaration, according to the squadron's pilots and leaders.

 

[cobra commando]

Lockheed Martin delivers improved ALIS for F-35 - 9/17/2014 - Flight Global