F-35 News

[rodrigo]

Pentagon to manufacture Israeli-developed pilot helmet

Elbit Systems' advanced F-35 fighter jet helmet wins confidence of Lockheed Martin.

The Pentagon will manufacture a pilot helmet for F-35 fighter jets co-developed by Elbit Systems, an Israeli company.

The Pentagon’s F-35 program made the announcement late last week, saying it would stop development on a second helmet developed by a British company in order to focus exclusively on perfecting the Rockwell Collins Elbit Systems of America Vision Systems Generation 2, or Gen 2, helmet.

“The government’s decision to proceed exclusively with the principal helmet is indicative of their confidence in the helmet’s performance and the successful resolution of previously identified technical challenges,” said Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin’s executive vice president and general manager of the F-35 Lightning II Program. “To date, more than 100 F-35 pilots have flown more than 6,000 flights and 10,000 hours with the helmet, and their feedback has been very positive.”

The helmet provides pilots with the information needed to complete their missions projected on the helmet’s visor, and also streams real-time imagery from six infrared cameras mounted around the aircraft to the helmet, according to a statement from Lockheed Martin.

The F-35 program will introduce a Gen 3 helmet that features an improved night vision camera, new liquid crystal displays, automated alignment and software enhancements, the statement said.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.552584

[dafranca]

Turkey to renew F-35 order by mid-January
October/29/2013

Turkey will revisit plans to purchase new F-35s at the beginning of next year, having previously postponed a decision in January. A top undersectariat official says the delay will actually work to Ankara’s advantage

Turkey’s government and military planners must decide on the country’s commitment to a U.S.-led, multinational new-generation fighter jet program by mid-January 2014 at the latest, according to Turkey’s top defense procurement official.

Murad Bayar, head of the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), has said Ankara will renew an order for an initial batch of two F-35 aircraft soon. The order had been suspended in January.


http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey ... sCatID=483

[passarodeferro]

Primeira bomba inteligente (GBU-12) foi largada por um F-35B a partir da baía interna do avião, na passada terça-feira 29 de outubro, na base aérea de Edwards na Califórnia:
Versões A e C realizaram já teste no solo de largada de armamento.

Notícia: http://www.passarodeferro.com/2013/10/f ... bomba.html

[passarodeferro]

Apenas um dia depois do lançamento da primeira bomba guiada, o lançamento bem sucedido do primeiro míssil ar-ar AIM-120:

Notícia: http://www.passarodeferro.com/2013/11/f ... m1245.html

[Alitson]

coisa linda, sem fumaça alguma... "o Brasil não precisa destas tecnologia"

Afff

[passarodeferro]

Depois de rejeitar os concorrentes do programa KF-X de aquisição de um caça avançado para a Força Aérea da Coreia do Sul já por duas vezes, o Governo do país optou finalmente por juntar-se ao "clube" de países que apostam no polémico F-35:

Notícia: http://www.passarodeferro.com/2013/11/c ... f-35a.html

Foto: Lockheed Martin

[Penguin]

[cabeça de martelo]

[Penguin]

Lockheed Reveals New Air-Launched Missile Concepts
By Bill Sweetman

September 17, 2013
Credit: Bill Sweetman/AWST
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.asp ... 617260.xml

FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — Lockheed Martin is showing three conceptual air-launched missiles at the Air Force Association (AFA) show outside Washington this week, two of which are air-to-air weapons.

The Supersonic Testbed Risk Reduction (SSTRR) represents work on a future weapon in the same size class as the AIM-120 Amraam. The company is carrying out trade studies involving air-breathing and rocket propulsion, including multi-pulse motors, hit-to-kill technology and different guidance technologies. “Everyone wants everything,” a Lockheed Martin engineer explains. “If everyone in the room is crying, we’ve got it about right.”

On show for the first time at AFA is a model of Lockheed Martin’s Cuda, a so-called “Halfraam” weapon about half as long as an Amraam and compact enough to fit six missiles into each bay of the F-35 or F-22. Cuda draws on the hit-to-kill technology used on the PAC-3 missile, is designed to have a radar seeker and has both movable tails and forward attitude control motors for high agility. The company is not disclosing Cuda’s design range, but one variation of the concept is a two-stage missile with a similar total length to Amraam, presumably with the goal of covering a wide range envelope with a single missile design.

Both Cuda and SSTRR are being supported by independent research and development money and are being pushed as concepts of interest under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Air Dominance Initiative project.

Also being shown here is Lockheed Martin’s concept for the U.S. Air Force’s High Speed Strike Weapon, the planned operational follow-on to the X-51A scramjet demonstrator. The two-stage weapon has an inward-turning inlet and circular-section engine, described as being more volumetrically efficient than the demonstrator’s wedge shape.

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[cassiosemasas]

Software problems will set back F-35 joint strike fighter another year – report

Published time: March 26, 2014 00:55

fonte: http://rt.com/usa/f35-jet-software-delay-233/



Delivery of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be more than a year behind schedule due to ongoing software problems, according to a US government report. The delay marks the latest snag in the ongoing saga of the world’s most expensive aircraft.

According to a new Government Accountability Office report, the F-35’s mission management system software needs a vast debugging effort to meet the plane’s various requirements.

“Challenges in development and testing of mission systems software continued through 2013, due largely to delays in software delivery, limited capability in the software when delivered, and the need to fix problems and retest multiple software versions,” the GAO auditors wrote.

“The Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) predicts delivery of warfighting capabilities could be delayed by as much as 13 months. Delays of this magnitude will likely limit the warfighting capabilities that are delivered to support the military services’ initial operational capabilities—the first of which is scheduled for July 2015—and at this time it is not clear what those specific capabilities will be because testing is still ongoing.”

The GAO said the plane needs eight million new lines of software code to overcome the current functionary glitches.

The report added that only 13 percent of the Block 2B segment of software had been tested as of last January. The target for this prime operational component of the plane was 27 percent.

Earlier this year, the Pentagon's chief weapons tester, Michael Gilmore, provided an in-depth report to Congress on the F-35's technical features, emphasizing what he calls the "unacceptable" characteristics of the aircraft's Block 2B software, according to a draft obtained by Reuters in January.

"Initial results with the new increment of Block 2B software indicate deficiencies still exist in fusion, radar, electronic warfare, navigation, electro-optical target system, distributed aperture system, helmet-mounted display system, and datalink," Gilmore's report said.

Due to the high number of technical problems, the 2B software overhaul would not be finished until November 2015 - 13 months later than originally planned, the report predicted. This scenario would delay release to the F-35 fleet until July 2016, a year after the Marine Corps anticipated having “initial operating capability” with its version of the joint strike fighter.

The all-in-one plane, designed for a host of potential missions, is to have similar versions for the US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.

GAO auditors questioned whether the US government can still afford the F-35 program. Plans are for the purchase of 2,457 planes for the US military by 2037. Development and acquisition costs are estimated to be about $400 billion.

To remain on schedule for 2037, the Pentagon must “steeply” increase spending on the program over the next five years, the GAO said, to the tune of $12.6 billion per year for the next 23 years for only research and acquisition costs. Pentagon brass has called the $1 trillion estimated operation and maintenance costs “unaffordable,” the GAO reported.

In response to the GAO findings, the F-35 program's head, Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, said in a statement that "software continues to remain our number one technical risk on the program, and we have instituted disciplined systems engineering processes to address the complexity of writing, testing and integrating software."

The report, released Monday, detailed only the latest problems with what some have dubbed “the jet that ate the Pentagon,” plagued with chronic cost overruns and delayed deliveries.

The Lockheed Martin fighter jet’s price tag is estimated to end up costing US taxpayers more than $1 trillion, factoring in maintenance expenses. Though, the Pentagon said in August that the program’s estimated cost was “slashed” to a trim $857 billion.

Critics of the plane’s many functions say it’s too loaded down to be any more capable than the older, less-expensive F-16 fighter jet, which the F-35 is to replace along with F/A-18s, and A-10s.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, which started in 2001, is 70 percent over initial cost estimates and years behind schedule. Despite its fantastic price tag, the F-35 has even failed to generate the number of jobs its proponents had originally promised to Congress.

In January, the Center for International Policy said Lockheed had “greatly exaggerated” its claim that the F-35 program will sustain 125,000 American jobs in 46 US states in an effort to win support for the program.

In addition to the US, Lockheed is making F-35 versions for Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Turkey. Israel and Japan have placed orders for the fighter jet. South Korea ordered 40 joint strike fighters on Monday – the same day as the release of the GAO report.

Despite the myriad problems in the F-35’s development, the first trans-Atlantic flight of an F-35 fighter jet is set for July, as the plane will take part in two international air shows near London, Reuters reported.

[Penguin]

WASHINGTON | 2/03/2014 @ 11:45AM |24,446 views
Loren Thompson, Contributor
(Disclosure: Many of the companies working on the F-35 program including prime contractor Lockheed Martin LMT +1.04% contribute to my think tank; so do companies building rival planes.)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthomps ... nt-matter/


Five Reasons The Latest Pentagon Testing Report On The F-35 Fighter Doesn't Matter

Two weeks ago the annual report of the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test & Evaluation was leaked to the Reuters news agency in advance of its public release. The subsequent dissemination of its contents has afforded critics of the tri-service F-35 fighter program the opportunity for a new round of complaints about the supposed mis-steps of those engaged in developing the plane.

For example, I read one commentary about the test report posted on the influential RealClearDefense web-site that stated the F-35 “could fly into combat unreliable, confused, defenseless, toothless and vulnerable.” That claim reveals such abysmal ignorance about the status of the program that it discredits anything else the author might choose to say on the subject. It echoes the irresponsible critics of earlier generations who warned that programs like the F-15 fighter, Abrams tank and V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor would be battlefield disasters. In fact, all three went on to become world-class combat systems.


The F-35 fighter development effort may be the most complicated project in the history of military technology. The program has to deliver three distinctly different variants of the plane that afford unprecedented survivability, situational awareness, versatility and reliability. Not surprisingly, there have been challenges in engineering and integrating such advanced technology. However, with half of the program’s rigorous testing regime completed, the joint program office reports no show-stoppers and forecasts the planes will start to become operational next year. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The reality of the F-35 program is that it is making steady progress in retiring risk and reducing costs; that Pentagon officials are increasingly pleased with its performance; and that most of America’s key allies have signed up to buy the plane despite the availability of impressive alternatives (most recently Japan and South Korea). Nonetheless, the fact that program critics level such sweeping denunciations has to have a demoralizing effect on the thousands of workers engaged in building what Senator John McCain has said “may be the greatest combat aircraft in the history of the world.” With that in mind, I would like to offer five reassuring reasons why the F-35 program is going to do just fine.

1. The problems were already known. The test director’s report did not identify any new problems with the fighter. As the head of the F-35 joint program office observed in response to the report’s release, “There were no surprises in the report; all of the issues mentioned are well-known to us, the F-35 international partners and our industry team.” That was predictable because the report relied on information generated by the program office as it conducts a rigorous testing regime that includes over 8,000 flights. With half of flight testing now completed, no show-stoppers have been found and the program is developing fixes for each instance where aircraft performance fails to match goals. Program executive officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan states that finding such problems is typical of what happens at this stage in a development program: “This is the time we want to discover issues through testing so we can implement solutions and provide an extremely capable and lethal aircraft to the warfighter.”

2. Program progress has been understated. To read some accounts of what the test chief reported, you would think the F-35 is making little progress. In fact, the very first sentence in the report’s executive summary states, “Flight test teams operating the 18 test aircraft assigned to the developmental flight test centers nearly matched or exceeded flight test sortie goals through October 2013.” During 2013, the program conducted 1,153 flights and completed more than 9,000 separate test points (tasks). Accomplishment of some test points has been delayed due to lagging software development and other issues, but the program executive officer says, “the basic design of the F-35 is sound and test results underscore our confidence in the ultimate performance” of the planes. He says software issues will not slow the operational debut of the Marine Corps variant, scheduled for next year.

3. The severity of problems has been exaggerated. In discussing issues cited by the report, critics have omitted important context and qualifiers. For instance, peeling of stealth coatings on the tail is described without including report language that it was caused by “extended use of the afterburner not expected to be representative of operational use.” Buffeting and “trans-sonic roll off” (wing drop) is noted without mention of the fact that this is common in many fighters and may not impact mission capability. Engine susceptibility to damage is cited without including report language that testing results “were consistent with results from prior legacy engine tests.” Problems with the pilot’s helmet-mounted display are detailed without recounting the various fixes that have improved performance to the point where plans for a backup system could be canceled.

4. The testing chief always finds problems. If you read through the full report of the Director for Operational Test & Evaluation, it becomes clear he has questions of one sort or another about every weapons program the Pentagon is pursuing. For instance, the report complains about radar deficiencies, electronic countermeasure shortfalls and inadequate weapons testing on the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, even though that plane is generally regarded as the most capable carrier-based aircraft in history. Pentagon officials were downright dismissive of the test chief’s complaints about a new Navy patrol aircraft. Those officials recognize that the testing community is seldom satisfied with the performance of combat systems because it benefits from doing testing. As the joint force’s biggest development program, the F-35 offers an especially lucrative target for bureaucrats who never want to stop testing.

5. Outsiders seldom understand fighter development. Few people have actually read the F-35 chapter in the test director’s annual report, and fewer still have understood it. To grasp the full significance of what it says, you would first need to have some grounding in aeronautical engineering and operational testing. It would also be helpful to have some historical knowledge of how other major weapons systems have fared during development. Most of the reporters who cover the F-35 don’t have those insights, and so they tend to rely on other people to explain to them what documents like the test report indicate. Since the joint program office and contractors seldom are forthcoming on that front, journalists turn to the critics who, shockingly enough, render unduly alarming interpretations of what it all means.

The F-35 program may be the most complicated project in the history of military technology. It entails development of three distinctly different aircraft for domestic military services and a host of foreign allies, along with sophisticated training and sustainment systems. Much of the hardware and software incorporated into the airframes is secret — secret because it is the key to preserving global air dominance through mid-century. It was inevitable there would be challenges in engineering and integrating such systems. The Director of Operational Testing & Evaluation has illuminated some of the challenges that remain to be resolved, but one by one they will be overcome as they must be if America is to retain its role as guarantor of global security.

[Penguin]

WASHINGTON 3/28/2014 - 1:21PM 3,365 views
Air Combat: Five Reasons Fifth-Gen Fighters Don't Need Help From Jammer Planes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthomps ... er-planes/
Loren Thompson
(Disclosure: My think tank receives money from F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin and EA-18G prime contractor Boeing; other companies contributing to both planes also have given the think tank money; some of these companies are consulting clients.)

[Penguin]

F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Transform Australia’s Air Combat Capability


(Source: Australian Prime Minister and Minister for Defence; issued April 23, 2014)



The Government has approved the acquisition of an additional 58 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

The fifth generation F-35 is the most advanced fighter in production anywhere in the world and will make a vital contribution to our national security.

Together with the Super Hornet and Growler electronic warfare aircraft, the F-35 aircraft will ensure Australia maintains a regional air combat edge. The F-35 will also provide a major boost to the ADF’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The first F-35 aircraft will arrive in Australia in 2018 and enter service with the Royal Australian Air Force in 2020.

Australia has been working with the United States as a partner in the Joint Strike Fighter programme since the Coalition joined in 2002. Acquiring F-35 aircraft will reinforce the ADF’s ability to operate seamlessly with US forces and Australia’s capacity to continue supporting our shared strategic interests under the US alliance.

The acquisition of F-35 aircraft will bring significant economic benefits to Australia, including in regional areas and for the local defence industry with more jobs and production for many locally-based skilled and technical manufacturers.

The total capital cost of $12.4 billion for this acquisition includes the cost of associated facilities, weapons and training.

Around $1.6 billion in new facilities and infrastructure will be constructed, including at RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales and RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory.

As a result of the Howard Government’s decision to join during the development phase, Australian defence industry has been awarded over $355 million in work and stands to win well in excess of $1.5 billion in JSF-related production and support work over the life of the programme – creating long-term advanced manufacturing and engineering jobs.

The F-35 will replace the F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet aircraft. For over three decades, the Classic Hornet has been the backbone of Australia’s air combat capability. These aircraft have delivered exceptional service to Australia’s security but will be withdrawn from service by 2022.

The new 58 F-35 aircraft, in addition to the 14 already approved in 2009, will provide the RAAF with a total of 72 aircraft to form three operational squadrons and one training squadron.

The Government will also consider the option of acquiring an additional squadron of F-35 aircraft to replace the Super Hornets in the future.

The Government remains committed to building a strong, capable and sustainable Australian Defence Force.


(EDITOR’S NOTE:
This latest order brings Australia’s F-35 offtake to 72 aircraft, or about one-quarter less than the 100 aircraft it initially planned, although a future order of 18 aircraft is possible.
Net of infrastructure costs of A$1.5 billion, Australia will pay A$10.8 billion for this latest batch of 58 aircraft, which implies an average unit cost of A$186.2 million. This is worth US$ 179.9 million, and seems rather low, given that it includes the $29 million cost of the aircraft’s F135 engine.
Also worth noting is the industrial return that Australia is receiving instead of the offsets offered to non-partner countries.
To date, Australia has ordered 14 aircraft, worth about A$2.6 billion, and in return has received “over $355 million in work” -- less than 14% of its order.
In return for its total order of 72 aircraft, the above statement says that Australian industry “stands to win well in excess of $1.5 billion in JSF-related production and support work over the life of the programme.”
“Stands to win” is the operative phrase, as there are no guarantees, and Australian industry could also lose all F-35-related work if it cannot come in with the lowest compliant bid.)

[Penguin]

[sapao]

Comparação interessante entre o F-18 e o F-35, considerando o ciclo de vida do projeto e não somente o preço de compra:
http://aviationweek.com/defense/opinion ... nce-better