F35B Airwing

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Pelican
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Re: F35B Airwing

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It’s Raining F-35s! Lockheed Martin Bags A Whopping $7.6 Billion Contract For 129 New Stealth Fighter Jets – US DOD

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has announced that Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has been awarded a modification contract of over $7.6 billion from the US Navy to build 129 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

“Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a not-to-exceed $7,630,940,571… contract,” the Defense Department said in a press release on Friday. “This modification increases the ceiling to procure 129 Lot 15 aircraft.”

This modification increases the ceiling to procure 129 Lot 15 aircraft, as follows: 49 F-35A aircraft for the Air Force; three F-35B aircraft and 10 F-35C aircraft for the Marine Corps; 15 F-35C aircraft for the Navy; 32 F-35A aircraft and four F-35B aircraft for non-U.S Department of Defense (DOD) participants; and sixteen F-35A aircraft for Foreign Military Sales customers, as well as 69 shipsets of technical hardware.

More than half of the contract’s work will be done in Fort Worth, Texas (57%), 14% in El Segundo, California, and 9% in Warton, United Kingdom.

The US Department of Defense earlier agreed with Lockheed Martin Corp on July 18 to build about 375 F-35 fighter jets over three years, EurAsian Times had reported. The agreement was signed amid expectations that the price of F-35A would increase due to inflation and slower production.

Continues at - https://eurasiantimes.com/its-raining-f ... hter-jets/

Link from Tim.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: F35B Airwing

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Advanced engine industrial base at risk of ‘collapse,’ Air Force says

DAYTON, Ohio — As the U.S. Department of Defense approaches a decision on whether to upgrade or replace the F-35′s engine, Air Force officials are concerned that opting against a full replacement could lead to the “collapse” of the advanced propulsion industrial base in the U.S.

In the next year, service officials expect to refine the fifth-generation fighter’s future propulsion profile and must make a choice between two engine modernization options. The first is a full replacement of the current F135 with an advanced engine developed through a years-long research and development effort called the Adaptive Engine Transition Program. Engine-makers General Electric Aviation and Pratt & Whitney have both developed competing AETP prototypes that have demonstrated a 25% gain in fuel efficiency, a 30% increase in range and twice the power and thermal management capability than today’s military propulsion systems.

The alternative is an upgrade to the Pratt & Whitney-made F135 that would likely build on technology developed through AETP but not require a full replacement.

The decision will involve cost and capability trade-offs, and the head of the Air Force’s Propulsion Directorate John Sneden recently told reporters it could have significant implications for the already “very thin” industrial base — particularly if the service chooses not to move forward with the AETP option.

“A portion of the industrial base would begin to collapse,” Sneden told reporters during an Aug. 11 briefing at the Air Force’s Life Cycle Industry Day conference in Dayton, Ohio. “If we end up with one vendor there, if we don’t move forward with AETP, that vendor can actually get us into a place where we have, essentially, a reduced advanced propulsion industrial base.”

Continues at - https://www.c4isrnet.com/air/2022/08/16 ... hS1QfgAwaY
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: F35B Airwing

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U.S. returned 349 F-35 fighters to missions - ejection seat problem solved

In early August, the U.S. grounded nearly all of the F-35 Lighting II aircraft due to ejection problems discovered. Two weeks later, more than three hundred fighters returned to their missions.

What we know
The U.S. Air Force Command has lifted the ban on flying fifth-generation fighters. Over a two-week period, experts checked all parts that could potentially be defective. A total of 349 U.S. Air Force aircraft have been checked on the territory of the country, as well as in Europe and the Pacific.
The Americans diagnosed additional ejection seat systems and spare parts. As a result of the inspection, 4 of the 706 pyropatrons were deemed "suspicious" and should be replaced. Several F-35 Lighting II fighters will still have to undergo diagnostics within three months.
Source: Air Force Magazine
Image: Wikimedia

See - https://gagadget.com/en/158193-us-retur ... em-solved/

Link from Tim.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: F35B Airwing

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World Military Photos.

F-35 Lightning II assembly line is enough to make other countries question their domestic 4th gen fighter production numbers.
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HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Re: F35B Airwing

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MoD has published interim report on F-35 that crashed on launch from HMS QNLZ on 17th November 2021 CSG21.
Confirms cause was an engine blank (cover used to prevent ingress of debris) 617 Squadron engineers failed to remove before flight.

Click this link to download the pdf containing the Int. Report - https://t.co/E5PUsVc1K9

P.S. For passage through Suez Canal the previous day, all F-35Bs on the flight deck had Red Gear fitted which included engine intake blanks.
A local accounting procedure was in place, but this was not used for the mass fitting and removal of Red Gear during the Suez transit.
The aircraft was salvaged and subsequently returned to the UK.

Attached for those who may have problems downloading the pdf.

[An expensive lesson is being learnt.]
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HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
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Re: F35B Airwing

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For info only - the following refers only to the A variant at present.

F-35 Deliveries Halted After Chinese Alloy Discovered In Key Component (Updated)

The alloy was found in Honeywell-built turbomachine pumps that provide critical power functions to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The delivery of F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter jets has been placed on hold by the Pentagon after officials learned that a component contained materials produced by the People’s Republic of China.

See - https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/f ... pnJaEWOZec
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HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Re: F35B Airwing

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Building up the Lightning Force – when will the UK get its F-35 jets?


It has been revealed that Full Operating Capability for the UK Lightning Force has been delayed by 2 years. Here we look at how UK F-35s numbers are building up, issues that impact the pace of aircraft delivery and how this affects the carrier air group generation.


The trope the Royal Navy has “aircraft carriers without any aircraft” continues to do the rounds as both ships have been seen at sea in 2022 with almost empty decks. There are of course more than 20 F-35B jets already in British hands and ready to equip the carriers but their availability is constrained by several factors that are beyond the control of the RN. Effectively the entry into service of the ships has been achieved approximately on time while development of the fixed-wing air group is behind schedule. 8 UK aircraft embarked on HMS Queen Elizabeth for a 9-month global deployment last year and jets will again be onboard for another operational deployment on the Baltic this Autumn. Until HMS Prince of Wales suffered a mechanical breakdown, the RN was in the fortunate position of having two active aircraft carriers. Normally the RN will have just one carrier at sea or at high readiness and it should be remembered that full operating capability (FOC) for carrier strike is not due to be declared until December 2023.

Backing a winner
The F-35 continues to be controversial, criticised as expensive, delayed and continually failing to meet all its performance targets. Despite the army of naysayers, more nations keep on signing up to buy F-35 simply because the alternatives and adversary aircraft cannot come close to matching its capabilities. Switzerland and Finland are the latest countries to sign up to a programme that is expected to eventually deliver over 3,000 jets worldwide.

Continues at - https://www.navylookout.com/building-up ... 1ZGs5Pe23o

Also - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/full-op ... G_slOzfQek
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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ivorthediver
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Re: F35B Airwing

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Indeed a problem that any potential advisories are delighted to hear , but it is what it is , a very capable aircraft which like other nations with a "Brand leader" keep bolting on new "goodies" which whilst increases its sales appeal/ potential to the world market also creates bottle necks in production , but as I see it, whilst an irritation from a customers point of view...... also maintains its attraction generally :roll:
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
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Pelican
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Re: F35B Airwing

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Only Three Fifth Generation Fighters Are in Production Worldwide: How Do Their Performances Compare?

See- https://siamtoo.com/23438/
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Pelican
Posts: 9748
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Re: F35B Airwing

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Building up the Lightning Force – when will the UK get its F-35 jets?

It has been revealed that Full Operating Capability for the UK Lightning Force has been delayed by 2 years. Here we look at how UK F-35s numbers are building up, issues that impact the pace of aircraft delivery and how this affects the carrier air group generation.
The trope the Royal Navy has “aircraft carriers without any aircraft” continues to do the rounds as both ships have been seen at sea in 2022 with almost empty decks. There are of course more than 20 F-35B jets already in British hands and ready to equip the carriers but their availability is constrained by several factors that are beyond the control of the RN. Effectively the entry into service of the ships has been achieved approximately on time while development of the fixed-wing air group is behind schedule. 8 UK aircraft embarked on HMS Queen Elizabeth for a 9-month global deployment last year and jets will again be onboard for another operational deployment on the Baltic this Autumn. Until HMS Prince of Wales suffered a mechanical breakdown, the RN was in the fortunate position of having two active aircraft carriers. Normally the RN will have just one carrier at sea or at high readiness and it should be remembered that full operating capability (FOC) for carrier strike is not due to be declared until December 2023.
Backing a winner
The F-35 continues to be controversial, criticised as expensive, delayed and continually failing to meet all its performance targets. Despite the army of naysayers, more nations keep on signing up to buy F-35 simply because the alternatives and adversary aircraft cannot come close to matching its capabilities.
Continues at - https://www.navylookout.com/building-up ... f-35-jets/
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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