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Fonte ..... "South Korea Mulling Bigger F-35 Buy" .....South Korea is considering purchasing 20 more F-35 strike fighters because of concerns about the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported.
The country agreed to buy 40 of the jets in 2013.
Fonte ..... "Boeing protests Denmark's F-35A decision" .....Boeing has initiated a legal challenge against Denmark’s Ministry of Defence for selecting the Lockheed Martin F-35A over the F/A-18E/F as the Danish air force’s next generation fighter.
Boeing submitted a request for insight to the Ministry of Defence to obtain all materials related to what the manufacturer calls a “flawed” evaluation process.
Fonte ..... "Faulty Cooling Lines Identified on Two Norwegian F-35s" .....This summer Norway received its third and fourth F-35 at the Partner Training Center at Luke Air Force Base where they participate in the training of Norwegian and partner nation pilots.
Several faulty cooling lines have now been identified in the wings of those two aircraft, leading to a decision by Norwegian authorities to temporarily suspend flight operations with these aircraft pending corrective measures.
Fonte ..... "Navy Conducts First Live Fire NIFC-CA Test with F-35" .....The Navy hosted its first live fire demonstration to successfully test the integration of F-35 with existing Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) architecture, Sept. 12.
During the test, an unmodified U.S. Marine Corps F-35B from the Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX 1), based in Edwards Air Force Base, acted as an elevated sensor to detect an over-the-horizon threat.
The aircraft then sent data through its Multi-Function Advanced Data Link to a ground station connected to USS Desert Ship (LLS-1), a land-based launch facility designed to simulate a ship at sea.
Using the latest Aegis Weapon System Baseline 9.C1 and a Standard Missile 6, the system successfully detected and engaged the target.
Fonte ..... "F-35 Program Office Hopeful to Move Out on Ejection Seat Retrofit Plan This Fall" .....In an exclusive interview with Defense News, JPO officials said they expect the Air Force will be able to remove all weight restrictions following the final test of the modified escape system later this month.
Preliminary data indicates that the upgraded seat and lighter helmet will have removed what the service termed “excessive” and “elevated” risk to light and mid-weight pilots, said Todd Mellon, the joint program office's executive director.
"We're three to four weeks away from having all of the data done so that we can finalize the technical assessment, put that into a risk assessment, and then ultimately make a recommendation," Mellon said Sept. 16.
"We expect all of that to come together towards middle or late October. All indications based on the data we've evaluated and the preliminary results through yesterday are favorable."
.F-35 Block Buy Will Save $2 Billion in Three Years ..... (John A. Tirpak - 9/21/2016)
Those F-35 partners that are buying jets in Lot 12, 13, and 14 will save a collective $2 billion “conservatively” using the “block buy” approach, program director Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan told reporters at ASC16.
The block buy is akin to the “multi-year buy” approach in the US, but would include foreign sales as well.
“Everyone in Lot 12 is on board,” he said, seeing the value in the group purchase, which allows suppliers to buy materials and schedule production more efficiently.
The three years of production amount to about 450 of the fighters, Bogdan noted.
However, he said Denmark is one of the countries that was not scheduled to buy jets in Lot 12.
Bogdan also said ongoing “tough” negotiations continue with Lockheed Martin on Lots 9 and 10, which are “not done” yet.
Asked about Canada’s continued participation, Bogdan said that country is “doing their due diligence” in evaluating the right way to address their future fighter needs.
Asked how long he will remain in his job - he took up leadership of the Joint Strike Fighter in 2012 - Bogdan joked “there’s no end in sight,” but quickly added that he serves “at the pleasure of the President” and the Secretary of Defense.
Fonte ..... "US Air Force finds F-35 fuel line fix" .....Lockheed will pay for engineering and modifications for all affected aircraft, including 15 USAF and Norwegian fighters and 42 on the production line.
Although the issue affected some aircraft in lot 9, the tubing problem will not affect lot 9 contract negotiations and the air force expects an agreement by the end of the year, Bogdan says.
The USAF intends on correcting the tubing issue and continuing with the same supplier, if they can deliver a quality product, he adds.
Fonte ..... "F-35 Program Officer Anticipates LRIP 9 and 10 Deal by Year's End" .....The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin will probably reach an agreement on lots 9 and 10 of the joint strike fighter by the end of the year, the F-35 joint program executive officer predicted Tuesday.
The government initially expected to cement a contract for low rate initial production (LRIP) lots 9 and 10 — estimated to be worth about $14 billion — early this year, but negotiations have continued into the fall.
"The biggest thing that happened, or the biggest thing that changed, is this is a pretty significant ramp up,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, who heads the F-35 program office.
Fonte ..... "U.S. Air Force Defends F-35A, Readies Fix for Grounded Jets" .....“I’m hopeful that as we continue to grow this fleet, we all take the opportunity to form opinions on this airplane from experts, and the only experts in the F-35 business are those that fix, maintain and fly the F-35 on a day-to-day basis,” Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, director of the Air Force F-35 Integration Office, told the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber conference in National Harbor, Md.
“If you are forming your opinions by somebody who has not fixed or flown the airplane, I would tell you you’re wrong. I’m here to tell you that this aircraft is performing very well and getting better each and every day.”
Fonte ..... "F-35A Catches Fire at Mountain Home Air Force Base" .....An F-35A caught fire during an exercise at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, the Air Force confirmed to Defense News.
The incident took place at around noon and involved an F-35A aircraft from the 61st Fighter Squadron located at Luke Air Force Base, the service said in a statement. No serious injuries seem to have been sustained by the pilot or nearby crew.
"The pilot had to egress the aircraft during engine start due to a fire from the aft section of the aircraft," Air Force spokesman Capt. Mark Graff said in an email. "The fire was extinguished quickly. As a precautionary measure, four 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit Airmen, three Airmen from the 366th Maintenance Group and the 61st Fighter Squadron pilot were transported to the base medical center for standard evaluation."
..... "F-35A Catches Fire At Mountain Home Air Force Base" .....The pilot was forced to egress the jet at around 10:20 a.m. MDT while starting up the engine due to a fire from the aft section of the aircraft.
Ne parlano anche qui.richelieu ha scritto:Da un criptatissimo articolo apparso su AWIN First ..... non disponibile neanche per i normali abbonati ad AW&ST .....
..... "F-35A Catches Fire At Mountain Home Air Force Base" .....The pilot was forced to egress the jet at around 10:20 a.m. MDT while starting up the engine due to a fire from the aft section of the aircraft.
Il termine 'egress' venne utilizzato anche in occasione del precedente, disastroso incidente avvenuto oltre due anni fa ..... quando il motore dell'aereo, che si accingeva a decollare, esplose ..... e non chiarisce affatto se il pilota uscì dal velivolo sulle proprie gambe o sotto la spinta del sedile eiettabile .....
"F-35A, INCENDIO SU UN VELIVOLO: NUOVE OMBRE SULL'ISOLANTE DIFETTOSO, SI TEME IL PEGGIO".
Sai bene come funziona... il sensazionalismo vende!!richelieu ha scritto:"F-35A, INCENDIO SU UN VELIVOLO: NUOVE OMBRE SULL'ISOLANTE DIFETTOSO, SI TEME IL PEGGIO".
Un titolo a sensazione che non trova poi riscontro nel testo dell'articolo ..... che riporta, più o meno, quanto divulgato nei giorni scorsi da altre fonti ben più attendibili.
Il programma JSF ha già incontrato parecchi problemi e, data la sua considerevole complessità, è assai probabile ne incontrerà degli altri ..... ma scrivere "SI TEME IL PEGGIO" cosa vorrebbe significare ?
Che verrà forse cancellato ?
Se lo possono pure togliere dalla testa.
Al punto in cui è arrivato ..... la cosa sembra poco verosimile ..... senza contare che, in tal caso, la perdita della faccia degli Stati Uniti raggiungerebbe proporzioni globali.
A meno che il prossimo Presidente ..... chiunque esso sia .....
.
Fonte ..... "F-35: QUARTO VELIVOLO TRASFERITO CON SUCCESSO DALL'ITALIA AGLI STATI UNITI" .....E' atterrato oggi, venerdì 23 settembre 2016, presso il Pilot Training Center statunitense di Luke (Arizona) il quarto F-35 dell’Aeronautica Militare.
Con il trasferimento del quarto esemplare si completa l’aliquota nazionale dei velivoli destinati alla scuola internazionale di conversione sul nuovo velivolo, dove sono presenti anche piloti ed istruttori italiani.
L'aereo durante il volo ha dato prova di multi-capacità, affidabilità e sicurezza.
La trasvolata del velivolo dall’Italia agli Stati Uniti è stata effettuata seguendo la rotta atlantica sud con transito tecnico alle Azzorre e a Portsmouth ed ha terminato il trasferimento alla base area di Luke.
Fonte ..... "Engine Upgrades for the F-35 Expected in Mid-2020s" .....The F-35 joint program office is eyeing the middle of the next decade for when major upgrades to the engines on the joint strike fighter can proceed.
Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, who heads the JPO head, said at last week’s Air Force Association conference that the “mid-2020s” is when the power plant on the joint strike fighter could be refreshed, whether through improvements to the Pratt & Whitney F135 design currently used or through a new engine design from another competitor.
“I would expect ... that somewhere in the mid-2020s much of the work being done in the labs right now with our industry partners will find its way onto the F-35,” Bogdan told an audience Sept. 21.
“Whether it finds its way onto the F-35 in the current engine or some modified engine remains to be seen, but we do fully expect in the mid-20s to include some advanced technologies on engines.”
Fonte ..... "F-35A Incident Points To Tailpipe Fire" .....A substantial portion of the jet’s surface was burned, according to multiple sources familiar with the incident.
Technicians will not know the full extent of the damage until they open the aircraft and examine interior components..
The root cause of the incident is unclear at this time, but initial assessments point to a tailpipe fire due to strong tailwinds as the engine was starting, the sources said.
This can happen after an aborted start if there is excess fuel left in the exhaust duct.
It was descried as analogous to a gas grill left on too long before lighting.
The wind records from Mountain Home back up this assessment, showing that the event happened close to the maximum wind and gust speeds of the day at 37 mph and 45 mph, respectively.
The wind was northwest to west-by-northwest all day.
Fonte ..... "British Naval Commander Wants US Marine Aviation on Aircraft Carrier" .....The commander of HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s new aircraft carrier, would like to see US Marine Corps F-35Bs and V-22s embark for up to nine months at a time once the warship becomes operational.
“We’ll certainly see some footprint aboard the ship. The big question is do they deploy with us much longer term in the future, maybe for six, seven, eight, nine months from when we deploy. That’s what I would love to see,” Capt. Jerry Kyd said.
Confirmation that the Royal Navy’s 70,000-ton aircraft carrier force would embark US Marine Corps (USMC) F-35Bs came during a meeting between UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and his US counterpart, Ash Carter, in London at the start of September.
Fonte ..... "Singapore Eyes F-35 for 2030 Timeframe" .....Singapore remains interested in the F-35 joint strike fighter, but does not expect to procure the fifth-generation jet until the 2030 timeframe, Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said Sept. 30.
“The F-35s are considered form a timeframe of 2030 and beyond for our defense needs, and in that light we are not in a hurry and we are still evaluating,” Ng said here following a meeting of the ASEAN defense ministers.
“It’s a good plane, but our needs aren’t so urgent at this point and time.”
Fonte ..... "Top Air Force General: Recent F-35 Troubles Not Long-Term Problem" .....The F-35 program has had a rough couple weeks, including a ground fire during training and a supply issue that led the US Air Force to suspend flight operations for 15 F-35As.
But the service’s top general said he is not worried that the recent problems could impact the future of the program.
"I would have concerns if I didn't feel like we had the right folks or the right plan,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said Tuesday after a panel at the Association of the US Army conference.
“But I think because I think we have both of those in place, I'm very confident that we're going to be getting this fixed."
Valerio Ricciardi ha scritto:Persino sul sito di Repubblica ...
http://www.repubblica.it/economia/2016/ ... ref=HRLV-4
Martha fa tremare Leonardo:
l'ex pilota difende il "cinghiale" A-10 dall'attacco degli F-35
Una nuova tegola rischia di abbattersi negli Stati Uniti sul superjet da guerra che vede anche Finmeccanica-Leonardo in prima fila: il "warthog" nonostante gli anni, regge bene il confronto. E la deputata, eroina di Afghanistan e Iraq, punta a ritardarne il pensionamento
di LUCIO CILLIS
Fonte ..... "Norway AF requests 12 F-35As in proposed block buy" .....Norway would buy 12 more Lockheed Martin F-35As for delivery in 2021 and 2022 under a new spending plan submitted to Parliament.
The proposal, if approved, would raise the total number of authorised F-35A purchases to 40 aircraft, or only 12 short of the Norwegian air force’s requirement.
The requested authorisation also would allow Norway to participate in a proposed “block buy” for the F-35’s US and international partners.
Fonte ..... "F-35 ad Amendola pronti all'atterraggio" .....Il D-Day è segnato: martedì 8 novembre, atterrano ad Amendola i primi due cacciabombardieri F35.
Dopo il sorvolo della pista, in coppia con un Eurofighter, avvenuto un anno fa è arrivato il momento che il supercaccia faccia conoscenza con la sua prima base italiana.
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Ad Amendola è tutto pronto per accogliere la prima coppia di aerei dei sei al momento acquistati dal governo italiano.
Riserbo assoluto su termini e modalità di consegna, anche la data non viene confermata dalle autorità militari che parlano di una generico arrivo dei primi aerei «entro fine anno».
Fonte ..... "F-35 Insulation Fix Arrives" .....Lockheed Martin and the F-35 joint program office have developed a solution to the insulation problem that temporarily grounded 15 F-35A aircraft in September, according to a joint program office statement.
The repairs are focused on “non-compliant Polyalphaolefin coolant tubes,” which were deteriorating and leaving debris in the fuel lines and fuel tank.
Fonte ..... "DoD awards $743 million contract linked to ninth lot of F-35s" .....The US Department of Defense has awarded a Lockheed Martin a $743 million contract linked to the ninth batch of F-35 fighters, as negotiations on a final production contract for Lots 9 and 10 continue.
The contract sets not-to-exceed prices for up to $385 million on a range of services for the US military’s F-35 customers, including redesign and development of components with diminishing manufacturing and material services. The funds also pays for post-production concurrency changes on the 57 aircraft ordered in Lot 9.
Another $333 million is being allotted to set not-to-exceed prices for one F-35A and one F-35B on behalf of a non-US participant in the programme.
The contract award notice on 17 October does not identify the participant, but only Italy has ordered both F-35As and F-35Bs in Lot 9.
Fonte ..... "CONTRACTS - Oct. 17, 2016" .....CONTRACTS - NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $743,169,377 fixed-price-incentive, firm target and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to the previously awarded low-rate initial production Lot 9 F-35 Lightening II Joint Strike Fighter advance acquisition contract (N00019-14-C-0002).
This modification provides additional funding and will establish not-to-exceed (NTE) prices for diminishing manufacturing and material shortages redesign and development, estimated post production concurrency changes and country unique requirements.
In addition, this modification will establish NTE prices for one F-35A aircraft and one F-35B aircraft for a non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participant in the F-35 program.
Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (30 percent); El Segundo, California (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Florida (10 percent); Nashua, New Hampshire (5 percent); Nagoya, Japan (5 percent); and Baltimore, Maryland (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2019.
Fiscal 2015 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy); and non-U.S. DoD participant and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $506,092,785 are being obligated on this award; $270,676,332 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
This modification combines purchases for the Air Force $207,389,821 (27.9 percent), Navy $85,533,666 (11.5 percent), and Marine Corps $91,923,008 (12.4 percent), non-U.S. DoD participants $332,940,791 (44.8 percent); and Foreign Military Sales $25,382,091 (3.4 percent).
The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
The defense-policy and -spending bills are at a standstill on Capitol Hill, but 70 House lawmakers are hoping that when Congress returns after the election, they can press appropriators to boost the total F-35 purchase for fiscal year 2017.
In an Oct. 4 letter to House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-NJ, and the subcommittee’s top Democrat, Rep. Pete Visclosky of Indiana, the lawmakers advocated for F-35 production increases, citing the impact such a move would have on lowering unit costs.
Both the Senate and House appropriations bills increased joint strike fighter procurement over the levels requested in the budget.
The House bill added 11 F-35s—five F-35As, four F-35Cs and two F-35Bs—numbers that would satisfy the services’ “unfunded priorities” list.
The Senate took a different tactic, opting instead to augment procurement by adding two more F-35Bs and two F-35Cs in 2017 while also increasing F-35A advance procurement by $100 million, a move that allows the Air Force to increase its production rate in 2018.
Fonte ..... "House Lawmakers Push for More F-35 Funding in FY17 Budget" .....The letter was initiated by the co-chairs of the House Joint Strike Fighter Caucus, Reps. Kay Granger, R-Texas, and John Larson, D-Conn.
Both lawmakers represent regions that profit from the F-35, with the Lockheed Martin jet built in Fort Worth and the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine made in Connecticut.
Fonte ..... "House Lawmakers Call for More F-35s" .....A bipartisan group of 70 lawmakers is seeking to increase the F-35 production rate in Fiscal 2017.
“We believe it is essential for Congress to provide the funding necessary to continue increasing F-35 production at a rate sufficient to meet future threats and to reach full rate production of at least 120 US aircraft per year as quickly as possible,” the House members wrote in an Oct. 4 letter to the leading members of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.
