F-35A AF-15 First Flight
Lockheed Martin test pilot Al Norman flew the tenth production model of the F-35 Lightning II, F-35A AF-15 (Air Force serial number 09-5002), on its inaugural flight on 3 March 2012 from NAS Fort Worth JRB. The aircraft is the second produced under the third Low Rate Initial Production contract.
F-35A AF-14 First Flight
Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti flew the ninth production model of the F-35 Lightning II, F-35A AF-14 (Air Force serial number 09-5001), on its inaugural flight on 2 March 2012 from NAS Fort Worth JRB. The aircraft is the first produced under the third Low Rate Initial Production contract.
Beautiful pictures, we may all learn to love the F35 after all.
UK May Be Looking To Return To STOVL F-35B Aircraft
Media sources are reporting that the United Kingdom might possibly be revisiting its previous decision to abandon the use of carrier-based STOVL aircraft. The United Kingdom’s opposition Labour Party reportedly delivered a letter to the Ministry of Defence questioning the governing Conservative Party’s ongoing defense review that supposedly may result in a reinstatement of budgetary request authority to procure the F-35B STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter as part of the FY2012/13 budget request.
In the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), the Ministry of Defence announced its decision to abandon the F-35B STOVL in favor of the conventional carrier-launched F-35C variant for deployment as early as 2020. The SDSR stated that the F-35C variant was better suited to meet the needs of the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy and would prove to be a better economic fit than the F-35B STOVL variant. At the time the SDSR was being finalized, the F-35B was at serious risk of being cancelled. That threat has since been eliminated.
Speculation has been rife for many weeks regarding the possibility of high-level discussions being conducted between the US Department of Defense and the United Kingdom concerning the F-35 variant to be acquired for carrier operations.
Labour Party concerns appear to revolve around the rising costs and difficulties recently associated with the F-35 program and additional costs necessitated by a redesign of the new Queen Elizabeth-class carriers. The governing Conservative Party has admitted publicly that all aspects of the FY2012/13 budget submission are under review and a decision would be delivered to Parliament this spring.
MORE:UK May Be Looking To Return To STOVL F-35B Aircraft
Program Partners Confirm Support for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Amidst growing concern and criticism about the rising cost and delays, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program received a welcome vote of confidence last week from the United States and eight other nations during an international meeting sponsored by Canada. The attendees made it known that they fully support the continued development of the controversial aircraft.
Inside sources reported that Canada’s Associate Minister of National Defense, Julian Fantino, sponsored a dinner and a day-long meeting in the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. with the intent of improving communications between the nine partner nations sharing development of the stealth fighter.
Inside sources reported that Canada’s Associate Minister of National Defense, Julian Fantino, sponsored a dinner and a day-long meeting in the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. with the intent of improving communications between the nine partner nations sharing development of the stealth fighter.
Canada, the United States, Britain, Turkey, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark are the partner nations working with Lockheed Martin in developing three variants of the F-35. With frequent criticism being leveled at the program, technical problems receiving widespread news coverage, and the United States’ decision to stretch its orders for 179 aircraft out over a five-year plan of acquisition, the project is in much need of just such a confidence vote.
MORE: Defense update
Program Partners Confirm Support for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
F-35A AF-15 First Flight
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/news_...ml?item_id=616
"Lockheed Martin test pilot Al Norman flew the tenth production model of the F-35 Lightning II, F-35A AF-14 (typo) (Air Force serial number 09-5002), on its inaugural flight on 3 March 2012 from NAS Fort Worth JRB. The aircraft is the second produced under the third Low Rate Initial Production contract."
Repost 6 above^^Originally Posted by C.Puffs
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/news_...ml?item_id=616
"Lockheed Martin test pilot Al Norman flew the tenth production model of the F-35 Lightning II, F-35A AF-14 (typo) (Air Force serial number 09-5002), on its inaugural flight on 3 March 2012 from NAS Fort Worth JRB. The aircraft is the second produced under the third Low Rate Initial Production contract."
Crap.
Pentagon Relaxes Two F-35 Performance Targets;
Interesting report out of InsideDefense.com (free version) says Pentagon officials have relaxed the ground rules the F-35A model, the conventional-takeoff-and-landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter, can meet the minimum range goal for the aircraft -- the minimum, not the desired range.
On Feb. 14, the Joint Requirements Oversight Council -- in a previously unreported development -- agreed to loosen select key performance parameters (KPPs) for the JSF during a review of the program convened in advance of a high-level Feb. 21 Defense Acquisition Board meeting last month, at which the Pentagon aimed to reset many dimensions of the program, including cost and schedule.
Pentagon sources said a memorandum codifying the JROC decisions has not yet been signed by Adm. James Winnefeld, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the JROC chair.
Sources familiar with the changes, however, said the JROC -- which also includes the service vice chiefs of staff -- agreed to adjust the "ground rules and assumptions" underlying the F-35A's 590-nautical-mile, combat-radius KPP.
Last April, the Pentagon reported to Congress in a selected acquisition report that "based on updated estimate of engine bleed," the F-35A would have a combat radius of 584 nautical miles, below its threshold -- set in 2002 -- of 590 nautical miles. (Editor’s note: The desired or "objective" range was 690 nm).
To extend the F-35A's combat radius, the JROC agreed to a less-demanding flight profile that assumes near-ideal cruise altitude and airspeed, factors that permit more efficient fuel consumption. This would allow the estimate to be extended to 613 nautical miles, according to sources familiar with the revised requirement.
Also, officials agreed to lengthen the minimum short takeoff distance for the F-35B, even though that model already will carry a smaller weapons load than initially planned.
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/art...e-targets.html
Yes, it's the ugly duckling of fighter jetsBeautiful pictures, we may all learn to love the F35 after all.
So was the PhantomII , but we all fell in love with it
Eglin launches first F-35 sortie
No matter what uniform they wear, service members of the 33rd Fighter Wing know the launch of the first F-35 Lightning II flight on March 6 is a small step into the next half century of air dominance.
The F-35A Lightning II JSF lifts off for its first training sortie on March 6 at Eglin AFB. It’s the first flight of any 33rd FW F-35 since their arrival to the base.
The F-35A Lightning II JSF taxis out for its first training sortie followed by an F-16 chase aircraft on March 6 at Eglin AFB.
F-16.netLt. Col. Eric Smith, the 58th FS director of operations, puts on his helmet as SSgt. Jeremy Houser, 33rd AMXS crew chief, assists prior to the first F-35A Lightning II JSF training sortie at Eglin AFB on March 6, 2012. [USAF photo by Samuel King Jr.]
Norway to make F-35 decision within weeks
Norway's defence secretary Roger Ingebrigtsen and an entourage of military officials visited the F-35 test force at Edwards AFB, California, during the last week of February.
The visit to the desert base comes at a time when Oslo is trying to finalise how many aircraft it will ultimately buy.
"Right now we're in the process where the Norwegian government is about to make a recommendation to their parliament as far as how many F-35s we want to buy and where we should base these aircraft," said Maj Eystein Kvarving, a spokesman for the Norwegian defence ministry, in a press release issued by the US Air Force. "That recommendation is about to four to five weeks out and this is a major issue in Norwegian media and a major issue in the Norwegian public."
The northern European nation has already ordered four aircraft, but might buy as many as 48 conventional take-off and landing examples to replace its Lockheed F-16AM/BM fleet.
Norway is a proponent of NATO's smart defence initiative and has championed pooling together the limited resources available to the European F-35 partners for training and sustainment. Defence minister Espen Barth Eide said during a January visit to Washington DC that discussions for pooling such resources were already underway.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...-weeks-369302/
Pictures: Forsvarets Mediesenter
Well it will be intresting to see how much cheaper the F-35 turnes out to be compared to Gripen.
F-35 LRIP 5 Contracts: Unit Cost Tops $200M for First Time
more to read: http://www.defense-aerospace.com/art...C2%A7i%3E.htmlPARIS --- Previously estimated at nearly $160 million, the unit price of F-35 fighters ordered as part of the fifth Low-Rate Initial Production batch (LRIP Lot 5) has now passed $200 million, once additional contracts awarded by the Pentagon since our previous estimate on Dec. 9, 2011 are included.
On that date, when DoD awarded the main Lot 5 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP 5) contract worth $4,011,919,310 for 30 aircraft, we had estimated average unit costs at $159.7 million.
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