JSF

[richelieu]

F-35 ... liti assortite e ... Gaiani ...

... analisidifesa.it ..... "Da Roma ad Ankara a Berlino, quante liti intorno all’F-35" ...

[richelieu]

Dalla pagina 'Contracts' del DoD del 15 Aprile 2019 ...

NAVY (April 15, 2019) ...

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded $201,915,947 for modification P00004 to the previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-18-C-1021).
This modification provides for long-lead materials, parts, and components for Lot 14 F135 Propulsion systems for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S. Department of Defense (non-U.S. DoD) participants; and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers.
Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (67 percent); Indianapolis, Indiana (26.5 percent); and Bristol, United Kingdom (6.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2022.
Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy); non-U.S. DoD participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $201,915,947 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year.
This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($68,062,565; 33.71 percent); Marine Corps ($34,923,315; 17.3 percent); Navy ($23,607,892; 11.69 percent); non-U.S. DoD participants ($66,767,551; 33.07 percent); and FMS customers ($8,554,624; 4.23 percent).
The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

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F-35B ... i Marines esprimono la loro soddisfazione ...

The F-35B Joint Strike Fighter is not only changing the way Marine forces conduct their missions, it is also changing the way the amphibious navy can do its work in the absence of an aircraft carrier, leaders from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Essex Amphibious Ready Group said.
The Essex ARG and 13th MEU were the first to deploy from the United States with the F-35B, and they operated in the Pacific and Middle East from mid-July until their March 1 return home to San Diego.
The deployment not only generated lessons learned on how to operate and sustain the F-35B jets as part of the Marine unit and in support of its objectives ashore, but also how to use the new jet to support blue-water Navy missions at sea, 13th MEU Commanding Officer Col. Chandler Nelms and Amphibious Squadron 1 Operations Officer Lt. Cmdr. David Mahoney told the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies on April 12.
“We’re definitely changing the way amphibs are employed, especially on the blue side – we’re no longer just the trucks that carry Marines that we used to be,” Mahoney said.
“There was no carrier in 5th Fleet, for example, so a lot of the CSG-like duties we started taking over just because we had to.”

Fonte: news.usni.org ... "F-35B Allowed Essex ARG to Flex New Blue-Water Capabilities in Absence of Carrier Nearby" ...
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F-35A & Giappone ... i problemi non mancavano ...

Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said JASDF F-35As had made precautionary landings seven times by the end of February, according to a transcript of a news conference Tuesday.
He did not say when the first landing took place; however, the first operational F-35A debuted at Misawa in January 2018.
Of those, six landings were made by F-35As assembled in Japan and one was made by an F-35A assembled in the United States.
The downed aircraft, which was the first F-35A put together in Japan, made two of those landings, he said.

L'articolo ... stripes.com ..... "Japan says its F-35A stealth fighters made seven precautionary landings before crash" ...
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S'ode a destra uno squillo di tromba ...

... huffingtonpost.it ... "F-35B alla Marina, un errore di Trenta" ...

A sinistra risponde uno squillo ...

... liberoreporter.it ... "Finalmente una decisione sacrosanta: gli F-35 alla Marina!" ...

[richelieu]

Americani e Giapponesi  fiduciosi sul fatto che i Cinesi non siano in grado di recuperare i resti del velivolo precipitato in mare ...

... https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... -3-457614/ ...

... https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your ... -pentagon/ ...

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Fornitori ... LM cambia politica ... con l' obiettivo di migliorare i costi di gestione ...

Lockheed Martin is trying to improve F-35 Lightning II parts inventories and reduce sustainment costs by signing more long-term Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contracts and Master Repair Agreements (MRA) with suppliers.
The manufacturer previously had signed one-year contracts with its suppliers, but says recently awarded multi-year PBLs allow companies to make longer-term investments to reduce costs and become more efficient.
The company also established 12 MRAs with key suppliers, which it hopes will improve repair capacity and speed.

... flightglobal.com ... "Lockheed tries reducing F-35 costs with new supplier contracts" ...
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Ma si ... quelle due navi sono, in realtà, portaerei a tutti gli effetti ...

Some military secrets are better kept than others.
The emergence of Tokyo’s real plan for its pair of Izumo class helicopter destroyers was always, to naval observers, more a matter when than if.
With their 248m (814ft) length, expansive flight decks and large hangars, the JS Izumo and her sister JS Kaga are the largest ships in the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) – and aircraft carriers in all but name.
The facade finally fell away in late 2018, when Tokyo confirmed that the two ships – whose official complement was a mere nine helicopters – would be modified to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35B, the short-takeoff and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 family.

... flightglobal.com ... "ANALYSIS: Izumo and Kaga, aircraft carriers in all but name" ...
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[richelieu]

Imminente la soluzione del problema relativo alla difficoltà di comunicazioni fra velivoli di generazioni diverse ...

USAF Standing Up Urgent ‘5th To 4th Gateway’ Site ...

Steve Trimble - Aerospace Daily & Defense Report (AW&ST) - Apr. 22, 2019

The U.S. Air Force is standing up a gateway communication system at an operational base to enable certain front-line fighters, including the Lockheed Martin F-35A, to transmit data to other aircraft types without compromising its stealth signature, according to a newly-released acquisition notice.
The site activation at a classified site reveals a behind-the-scenes effort by the Air Force to overcome a well-known limitation in the communications systems of so-called fifth-generation fighters.
A “5th to 4th Gateway” allows the F-35 and Lockheed F-22 to transmit the volumes of data collected by their onboard sensors to other aircraft despite lacking a compatible data link.
The Air Force designed the Intra-Flight Data Link (IFDL) for the F-22 in the 1980s with the expectation that it would not need to communicate with other aircraft types to perform its mission.
Instead, each F-22 could use the IFDL with a low-probably of intercept and low-probability of detection (LPI/LPD) transmission to share radar and other sensor data with F-22s.
The F-35 was designed with yet another LPI/LPD data link called the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL), so it can transmit data in stealth mode only with other F-35s.
For nearly a decade, the Air Force had expressed interest in addressing the communications gap between fifth- and fourth-generation fighters, which include the Boeing F-15 and F-16.
But a 2013 plan to launch a 5th to 4th Gateway program of record never materialized.
Such a gateway can receive an IFDL or MADL transmission, then translate the message into a format and waveform that is compatible with Link 16 or other radios on fourth-generation fighters.
As late as 2015, the Air Force also considered inserting a gateway system into unoccupied space in the Lockheed Martin Legion Pod, which integrates an infrared search and track sensor on the F-15 fleet.
But no funding has materialized for that program either.
But the requirement for a 5th to 4th Gateway gained traction in late 2017.
An undisclosed combatant command issued an urgent operational need for such a system.
On Dec. 17, 2017, the Air Force awarded a $15 million contract to Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems division for a 5th to 4th Gateway system, according to acquisition records.
The award for the “risk reduction” effort had a maximum value of $72 million, according to Air Force acquisition data.
Nearly 16 months later, the Air Force awarded Northrop a $4.29 million contract to stand up the first 5th to 4th Gateway field site “in theater,” an Air Force notice says.
Northrop declined to elaborate on the Air Force acquisition disclosures, but the company offers the Freedom 550 gateway system between IFDL, MADL and Link 16, among other data links (*).
The site activation effort gets underway as the F-35A begins its first deployment to a combat zone.
Four Air Force F-35As landed at Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE on April 15 to support U.S. Central Command operations, which includes active combat zones in Syria and Afghanistan.

(*) ... http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabili ... fault.aspx ...
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F-35 ... guadagni à gogo ...

Sales of various types of missiles and the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter pushed up Lockheed Martin’s revenue in the first quarter of 2019 about 23% year on year to $14.3 billion.
Profit rose even faster, as net earnings in the first quarter of 2019 rose about 42% to $1.7 billion.

... flightglobal.com ... "Missiles and F-35 drive Lockheed Martin’s sales higher" ...

Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems business segment saw first quarter 2019 revenue increase 7% year-on-year to about $3.5 billion, partly due to more F-35 work.

... flightglobal.com ... "Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems revenue boosted by F-35 work" ...
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La scarsità di parti di ricambio mette a dura prova l'efficienza dei reparti ...

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II’s performance is far lower than desired by the US Department of Defense (DoD), largely due to spare parts shortages, as well as difficulty managing and moving parts around the world.
Only 27% of F-35 fighters worldwide were full mission capable between May and November 2018, according to a study conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) (*).
Some 52% of the stealth fighters were mission capable – able to perform at least one mission – over the same period.

... flightglobal.com ... "F-35 full mission capability rate only 27% due to parts shortages" ...

(*) ... https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/698693.pdf ...
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Un paio di commenti ...

... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/04 ... rce=clavis ...

... airforcemag.com ... http://www.airforcemag.com/Features/Pag ... eline.aspx ...

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Turchia, F-35 & S-400 ... l'inizio delle prime consegne dei missili è imminente ...

... reuters.com ... https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turk ... S01H5?il=0 ...

In attesa di ulteriori sviluppi ...

[richelieu]

F-35A & Giappone ...
A quasi tre settimane dalla scomparsa in mare del velivolo ... le ricerche continuano ...

Japan expanded its search for a missing F-35 stealth fighter on Thursday with a maritime survey vessel joining a navy ship and a U.S. Navy salvage team is expected in the area in coming days, a Japanese air force spokesman said.
Only small pieces of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force aircraft’s tail have been found since the advanced jet disappeared from radar screens during an exercise with three other F-35s over the Pacific, near northwest Japan, on April 9.
“The plane and the pilot are still missing,” the air force spokesman said. Investigators have been unable to unravel the fate of the lost aircraft, he added.
The search ships are equipped with sonar equipment that can scour the 1,500 meter (4,922 ft) deep sea floor, where the F-35 may lie.

... reuters.com ... "Japan expands the hunt for F-35 jet that went missing during exercise" ...
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Gli F-35 imbarcati (B & C) ... futuri sviluppi e dottrina d' impiego ...

US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) may have declared the Lockheed Martin F-35C initial operational capable in February 2019, but the evolution of the stealth fighter – and its US Marine Corps (USMC) cousin, the F-35B – is far from over.
In hopes that it can outgun long-range anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles from China and Russia, the Joint Strike Fighter programme plans to continually update the F-35 Lightning II’s internal software and hardware, as well as its ability to carry new sensors and weapons.
New technologies on the horizon include far-reaching air-to-air missiles, lasers and continuous software upgrades, which could improve the aircraft’s manoeuvrability and its ability to make sense of a torrent of battlefield data.
On the flip side, the JSF programme is working hard to reduce the cost of operating the F-35B and F-35C.
The stealth fighter costs on average $35,000 per hour to fly, as opposed to $18,000 per hour claimed by Boeing for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

... flightglobal.com ... "ANALYSIS: US Navy's stealth fighters find new and evolving roles" ...
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[richelieu]

Battesimo del fuoco per gli F-35A dell' USAF ...

The U.S. Air Force has finally flown its variant of the F-35 in combat, using two of the aircraft to take out an ISIS tunnel network and weapons cache in Iraq on April 30.
Tuesday’s airstrikes - the first U.S. use of the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing model at war - follow the combat employment Israel Defense Forces’ F-35As in May 2018 and U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35Bs in September 2018.
According to U.S. Air Forces Central Command, the airstrike occurred at Wadi Ashai, in northeast Iraq.
An April 24 news release from U.S. Central Command (*) stated that ISIS fighters “have been attempting to move munitions, equipment and personnel” to Wadi Ashai in order to “set conditions for their resurgence,” prompting a counter-offensive by Iraqi Security Forces and supported by Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.

... defensenews.com ... "US Air Force conducts airstrikes with F-35 for first time ever" ...

(*) ... "U.S. Air Force F-35As conduct first combat employment" ...
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[richelieu]

Anche qui ...

... thedrive.com/the-war-zone ... "USAF F-35As Flew First-Ever Combat Strikes With Radar Reflectors And Sidewinders Fitted" ...

[richelieu]

AIM-120 ... da quattro a sei ... ma solo per gli "A" e i "C" ...
Per ora è soltanto una possibilità ...

Lockheed ‘Sidekick’ Will Raise F-35 Missile Capacity ...

Steve Trimble - Aerospace Daily & Defense Report (AW&ST) - May 1, 2019

A device called Sidekick will allow a U.S. Air Force or Navy version of the F-35 to carry six AIM-120 missiles internally instead of four, a Lockheed Martin official says.
The comments by F-35 test pilot Tony Wilson on May 1 come as the program continues to define the details of a 10-year modernization program for the F-35 called Block 4.
The upgrades are expected to allow the F-35 to carry improved sensors and new weapons.
But it’s also possible that the F-35 will be able to carry more air-to-air weapons in the internal bays, which preserve the aircraft’s ability to avoid being tracked by an enemy’s fire control radars at long range.
“What we’ve done is essentially completed trade studies, design and development” of Sidekick, a Lockheed spokesman added.
“What is left to be fielded would be things like software integration, weapons separation testing, flight testing and airworthiness testing.”
Lockheed hasn’t released details of the design of the Sidekick mechanism.
The F-35A and F-35C are equipped with two internal bays, with each carrying two AIM-120s or a single AIM-120 and a large bomb such as a 2,000-lb. GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).
The lift fan aboard the F-35B limits each internal bay to carrying either two AIM-120s or one missile and a 1,000-lb. JDAM.
It’s possible the Sidekick replaces the AIM-120 launch adapter in the high section of the internal bay with a mechanism that can store two of the Raytheon-built, radar-guided missiles in the same space as one now.
The idea of equipping the F-35A and F-35C with a six-missile load-out in the weapons bay has been around for over a decade.
Until Wilson’s comments during a scheduled media briefing, Lockheed hadn’t discussed the idea publicly in several years.
“Lockheed Martin has gone out on its own and developed this capability,” Wilson said.
“And now we’ve let the [joint program office] know that it’s out there. It will be over to [business development] and other people to decide how and when it gets implemented. Lockheed Martin stands ready to help the customer implement it when they want it.”
Separately, an Air Force F-35A deployed to the United Arab Emirates completed an airstrike on an Islamic State target in Iraq on April 30.
The pilot released a JDAM on the target, which included a tunnel network and weapons cache, according to a statement by Air Forces Central Command.
The military statement did not describe the results of the strike.
Last year, Israel’s Air Force commander revealed that an F-35I was used in combat for the first time in 2018 in the Middle East.
The U.S. Marine Corps also announced last September that the F-35B had dropped a weapon on a Taliban target in Afghanistan.

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Turchia, F-35 & S-400 ... la telenovela continua ...

Dal sito dell' AFA ...

Congress Debates F-35 Sale to Turkey, DOD Looks at Alternatives to Turkish-Produced Parts ...

Bipartisan lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have introduced bills aimed at blocking the sale of F-35s to Turkey if it purchases the Russian-made S-400 missile system.
The bill is sponsored in the House by Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio); John Garamendi (D-Calif.); and Paul Cook (R-Calif.) with a companion bill in the Senate from Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.).
Turner in a statement said though Turkey is an ally, it is “choosing to jeopardize its F-35 partner status for dealings with the Russian federation.”
The country has said it is a “done deal” to buy the S-400 system despite concerns from US and NATO.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said last week there are still talks with Turkey to dissuade them from the decision to buy the missile system.
However, he is also meeting with Lockheed Martin and United Technologies Corp. to find ways to move ahead with F-35 production if the Joint Program Office needs to cut off the seven Turkish companies that produce parts for the jet.
“They are our strategic partner,” he said, though “S-400s and F-35s don’t go together. That’s a big bump.”
During a visit to Turkey on Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with that country’s leadership and credited them with “active contributions to collective defense of the alliance,” according to a statement.

- Brian Everstine

La Russia, nel contempo, non sta con le mani in mano e gioca la sua carta ...

Russia is “ready to cooperate” with Turkey to sell its new-generation Su-57 fighter jet in case the Ankara government and Turkish companies are expelled from the U.S.-led F-35 program, according to a senior Russian defense official.
“These fifth-generation Russian fighter jets [Su-57] have outstanding qualities, and show promise for export,” said Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia’s state-owned Rostec Corporation.

... defensenews.com ... "Russia pitches Turkey the Su-57 fighter jet if F-35 deal with US collapses" ...
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Turchia ... l' eventuale alternativa russa al JSF ...
Un commento da AINonline ...

... "IDEF’19: Su-57 May Provide Turkey with an F-35 Alternative" ...

[richelieu]

LM punta alla fatidica 'quota 80', quale costo in milioni di dollari a esemplare, per il lotto 14 ...

Lockheed Martin has made its opening offer to the F-35 Joint Program Office for negotiations on production Lots 12-14, and it expects to deliver on its previous agreement to get to $80 million a copy or less - for the airplane and engine - by 2020.
“We currently have an offer submitted to the Department of Defense for Lots 12-14 that is below the $80 million F-35A for Lot 14 in 2020, per our longstanding agreement,” company spokesman Michael Friedman said in an email.
In Lot 11, the unit price for the F-35A - the conventional takeoff and landing version used by the Air Force and several partners and foreign military sales customers - was $89.2 million, a decrease of 5.2 percent from Lot 10.
Over the next three lots, Lockheed aims to lower the unit price a total of 10 percent further, Friedman said, or an average of 3.3 percent per lot.
Compared to the initial contract for the first lot, the unit price will have fallen 75 percent.

... airforcemag.com ... "Lockheed Opens Negotiations on F-35 Lots 12-14, Aiming Below $80 Million Each" ...
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F-35 ... Aggressor ...

... af.mil/News ... https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display ... ce=dlvr.it ...

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ALIS continua ad creare problemi ?
Chiamate il "Cappellaio Matto" ...

Mad Hatter, the Air Force-led software coding effort tackling the F-35’s troubled Autonomic Logistics Information System, delivered its initial applications to the flightline at Nellis AFB, Nev., last week, a service official said May 9.
“The first two applications that we fielded don’t interact with ALIS,” Steve Wert, the Air Force’s digital program executive officer, said at a National Defense Industrial Association conference.
“They are separate applications that help the maintainers do things that they were doing outside of ALIS anyway.
They were using Excel spreadsheets and handwritten notes and then having to re-enter those things. … They were pain points.”
Future applications will work directly with ALIS itself, Wert said.
The Air Force’s Kessel Run coding team is collaborating on Mad Hatter with fighter jet manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the F-35 Joint Program Office, and Silicon Valley-based Pivotal, which helps the Air Force learn agile software development.

... airforcemag.com ... "Mad Hatter Begins Delivering Apps to F-35 Flightline" ...

Qualche mese prima ...

... defensenews.com ... "Here we have the poster child for how not to develop technology" ...

... defensenews.com ... "How the US Air Force’s Kessel Run team plans to solve one of the F-35 program’s biggest headaches" ...

... airforcemag.com ... "Kessel Run’s Success Spurs Two New Software Coding Teams" ...
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Turchia, F-35 & S-400 ...
... il Pentagono sta cercando nuovi fornitori di parti di ricambio in caso di estromissione della Turchia dal programma JSF ...

The Defense Department is seeking alternate suppliers for parts of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter currently provided by Turkish companies, as Turkey’s pursuit of a Russian air defense system threatens its continued participation in the jet program.
The Pentagon has made clear that it will not allow Turkey to buy F-35 jets if it also buys the S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft system.
Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters today that Turkey would also not be allowed to remain involved in supplying parts for the jets, and that the program has “for some time” been looking elsewhere for potential suppliers.
“The U.S. continues to speak with Turkey on a routine basis. We have been very clear that the F-35 and the S-400 are incompatible. We have had Turkey as a NATO ally for many years, they’re also a very good supplier on the F-35 program. Those partners in the F-35 program are awarded supply chain contracts on the basis of value,” she said.
“We have for some time now been working to look at alternate sources of supply for the F-35 supply chain that is inside Turkey right now; that being said, we continue to work with Turkey and hope that they will use a NATO-compliant system for their air defense system.”

... news.usni.org ... "Pentagon Seeking Potential Replacements for Turkish F-35 Parts" ...

Anche qui ... airforcemag.com ... "Lord: F-35 Will Take a Hit on Schedule, Cost if Turkey is Out; Partners Supportive" ...

Se, dalle nostre parti, chi di dovere cominciasse a farsi avanti ...
Ma c'è sperarci poco ... 

[richelieu]

Entra la Polonia ... o meglio ... potrebbe essere in procinto di entrare ...

A U.S. delegation is scheduled to brief Polish defense officials eager to buy the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter later this month, U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said Monday.
The American team is expected to discuss the costs of buying the Lockheed Martin-made jet as well as the warfighting capabilities it would bring to the Polish military.
“They want to deepen their relationship with the United States of America in part by interoperability of advanced equipment,” Wilson said after a Meridian International Center event in Washington.
“Those discussions are continuing. We’re providing the information that might be needed for them to make a decision.”
Poland has been looking to replace its Soviet-era MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-22 Fitter fighters for several years.
Its air force has 31 MiG-29s and and 18 Su-22s, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ 2019 Military Balance.
In recent weeks, Polish officials said they would buy 32 F-35s.

... defenseone.com ... "US, Poland to Discuss Potential F-35 Sale, Air Force Secretary Says" ...
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Turchia, F-35 & S-400 ...
... l' ora della verità si avvicina ...

Russia could deliver the S-400 anti-aircraft system to Turkey before July possibly forcing the USA to withhold delivery of Ankara’s F-35A stealth fighters.
The US and its allies are concerned that Turkey’s plan to buy the Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system could expose vulnerabilities of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II – weaknesses which could then be exploited by Russia.
Ankara has dismissed those concerns, says it is going forward with the delivery of the S-400 and expects Washington to deliver its F-35 aircraft in due course.

... flightglobal.com ... "USA-Turkey F-35 crisis grows with S-400 delivery before July" ...
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[richelieu]

Gli F-35B della RAF per sei mesi ad Akrotiri per la loro prima esercitazione oltremare ...

... ...

Anche qui ... des.mod.uk ... https://des.mod.uk/first-overseas-excercise-f-35/ ...

[richelieu]

RIAT 2019 ... gli F-35B della RAF ci saranno ...

... ...

[richelieu]

Il sorpasso ...

Lockheed Martin delivered its 196th F-35A Joint Strike Fighter to the Air Force this week, surpassing the total of 195 F-22s - test and production - that it delivered to the service between 1996 and 2011.
The 196th F-35 will be based at Hill AFB, Utah, home of the first operational USAF F-35 squadrons.
The first F-35A was delivered to the Air Force in 2006.
More than 395 F-35s have been built, including variants produced for the Marine Corps, Navy, and foreign partners and customers.

... airforcemag.com ... "Number of F-35s Built for USAF Eclipses Number of F-22s" ...
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[richelieu]

Mentre LM punta a quota 4600 ...

Lockheed Martin believes that worldwide sales of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter could reach 4,600 units, a 15% increase from its previous projection.
The company said as recently as 24 May that it projected the F-35 to have a lifetime sales potential of 4,000 aircraft.
The current programme of record for the F-35 is around 3,200 examples; though that count includes planned purchases as well as signed orders.

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... "Middle East demand could boost F-35 sales to 4,600 units: Lockheed" ...

... la Polonia, intanto, ne vuole 32 ... flightglobal.com ..... "Poland reaffirms interest in F-35" ...
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Il presidente Trump, in occasione del suo viaggio in Giappone, ha confermato le intenzioni del paese asiatico di acquistare un' ulteriore, considerevole quantità di F-35 ...

Japan plans to buy 105 U.S.-made stealth warplanes, Donald Trump said on Monday, which the U.S. President said would give Tokyo the largest F35 fleet of any US ally.
Trump, in Tokyo for a state visit, said Japan "has just announced its intent to purchase 105 brand new F35 stealth aircraft. Stealth, because, the fact is you can't see them."
"This purchase would give Japan the largest F35 fleet of any U.S. ally," added the president.
Trump appeared to be referencing a deal first announced by the F35's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, in December.

... japantoday.com ... "Japan to buy 105 F-35 U.S. stealth warplanes: Trump" ...
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[richelieu]

Turchia, F-35 & S-400 ...
... LM afferma che non avrebbe problemi a piazzare i velivoli già destinati alla Turchia ...

Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson downplayed the impact of a potential U.S. ban on Turkey’s purchases of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, saying other countries are already angling for Ankara’s jets.
Speaking Wednesday at Berstein’s Strategic Decisions Conference in New York, Hewson sought to soothe investors worried about losing the anticipated sale of 100 F-35s.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Pentagon may stop training Turkish military pilots unless Ankara abandons its plans to buy Russian S-400 missile interceptors.

... defenseone.com ... https://www.defenseone.com/politics/201 ... rs/157326/ ...
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[richelieu]

Movimenti ... ovvero ... "Prendete armi e bagagli e partite" ...

As many as 24 F-35 strike fighters and more than 250 airmen assigned to the Active Duty’s 388th Fighter Wing and the Air Force Reserve’s 419th FW - USAF’s only combat-coded F-35 wings - will relocate to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, while the runway at Hill AFB, Utah, closes for construction, according to a base release (*).
The aircraft, which are assigned to the 34th Fighter Squadron, are expected to remain at their temporary home for more than two months while the $43.6-million construction project is completed.

... airforcemag.com ... "Hill F-35s Relocate to Mountain Home During Construction" ...

(*) ... hill.af.mil ... "Hill F-35As transition to Mountain Home during runway closure" ...
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Turchia, F-35 & S-400 ... una smentita ...

The news recently published in the media that Turkey is considering to postpone its S400 acquisition upon the request of the U.S. does not reflect the truth.
The process of our S400 procurement continues as planned.
On the other hand, our proposal to convene a Working Group with the U.S. authorities, in order to discuss the concerns of the U.S. with regard to the interoperability of the S400 system with NATO and F35 systems, is still valid.

... mfa.gov.tr ... http://www.mfa.gov.tr/sc_-39_-s400-teda ... -sc.en.mfa ...

[richelieu]

Il secondo F-35B italiano ha volato ...

... RID ... http://www.portaledifesa.it/index~phppag,3_id,3072.html ...