F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

US Air Force likely to cut F-35 purchases over cost

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– US Air Force likely to cut F-35 purchases over cost:

The US Air Force is likely to slash its purchases of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets to save money, a new study has revealed, a new threat to the costly program’s sustainability.

After complaining about the costly stealth aircraft’s delayed and problematic development, the USAF is now worried that the massive orders it has placed for the F-35 might hinder modernization and maintenance of its current fleet.

To do this, the USAF might be forced to cut the overall purchase by 38 percent, reducing the program’s working project of 1,763 jets by nearly one third, or 590 aircraft, Bloomberg reported, citing an internal USAF study.

Today, at least 270 F-35s are being operated by the USAF as well as the US Navy and the Marine Corps.

…

H/t reader eric:

“Common sense creeping in? I doubt it.”

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Lockheed counter concerns on F-35 stealth issues | Trump administration says no to heads up on future ballistic tests | Apache facility opens in India

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– Lockheed counter concerns on F-35 stealth issues | Trump administration says no to heads up on future ballistic tests | Apache facility opens in India:

As Lockheed Martin ramps up production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the company’s vice president in charge of the program has moved to counter concerns made over the time being took to rectify errors with the aircraft. Speaking to news outlets at a company media day, Jeff Babione acknowledged that low observability (LO), or stealth, capabilities in particular were posing a challenge to the company which has been made more tricky by an increase in production that was never seen with other stealth aircraft like the F-22 Raptor. “It’s not a human problem; that’s just the result of our ability. We’re approaching the limits of our ability to build some of these things from precise-enough technology,” Babione said. As part of efforts to cut down on deficiencies, Babione said the firm is first looking to make sure that the highest quality standards are applied to even the smallest supplier in the supply chain, but more importantly, Lockheed is also taking steps to make it easier for workers to build the aircraft, whether through increased training or improved practices, he said without elaborating.

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H/t reader Eric.

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UK Column News – 25th January 2018 (Video) – F-35: “Mission Incapable”

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https://youtu.be/grwBK2wvj9Y

H/t reader eric:

“from 18.53.
Not fit for purpose.
50% availabilty…erm.”

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US F-35 Reportedly Starts to Crumble in Okinawa in ‘Routine Training Mission’

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– US F-35 Reportedly Starts to Crumble in Okinawa in ‘Routine Training Mission’:

The reputation of the most expensive plane in history has once again been tarnished.

The F-35, a fifth-generation US stealth fighter, lost part of its fuselage, during a “routine training mission” near Kadena Air Base in Japan, according to the Defense News.

The incident, which occurred east of Okinawa on November 30, was reported by Japanese media at the time, but it wasn’t until December 4 that US Air Force officials confirmed the report.

Read moreUS F-35 Reportedly Starts to Crumble in Okinawa in ‘Routine Training Mission’

DoD Watchdog: F-35s Grounded 22 Percent of the Time Due to Parts Shortage

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– DoD Watchdog: F-35s Grounded 22 Percent of the Time Due to Parts Shortage

H/t reader Squodgy:

“The saga of the LOCKHEED MARTIN military industrial complex F-35 bottomless pit of US Taxpayer’s donations, continues unabated.

Hello you taxpayers, are you aware of where your tax goes????”

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US Air Force Hopes UK Firm Solves F-35A Oxygen Poisoning Dilemma

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H/t reader squodgy:

“Whoops…here we go again. Total silence from MSM.

https://sputniknews.com/military/201706191054779635-usaf-uk-firm-f35-hypoxia/

Does anyone else recall the F-104 Lockheed Starfighter in the seventies, which had similar oxygen starvation problems and was eventually given the epithet “Widowmaker”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter

The F-35 could be called “Son of Widowmaker?????”

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The F-35 Amazingly Has Even More Problems Than We Thought

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– The F-35 Amazingly Has Even More Problems Than We Thought:

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the most expensive military program in the world with a total cost of more than $US1 trillion ($1.3 trillion). Now, a new Pentagon report suggests that the futuristic fighter jet still has hundreds of deficiencies and won’t be ready for full combat testing until 2019.

The Pentagon’s latest brutal assessment of this high-priced aircraft was part of an annual report from the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation Michael Gilmore. The dossier includes a five-page evaluation of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the results of which are damning — emphasis ours:

Read moreThe F-35 Amazingly Has Even More Problems Than We Thought

Lockheed Responds To Trump Tweet

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You can’t make this stuff up!

Related info:

– Troubled F-35 fighter jets will be repaired in the UK, says military

– Yet Another F-35 Jet Caught on Fire While Starting Its Engine

– US Air Force Attempts to Paint Costly F-35 Repairs as a Positive

– F-35 May Never Be Ready for Combat

– Danish Lawmakers Blast F-35 Plan: Faulty Jet Cost America Trillions

– Pentagon Delays F-35 Tests As Software Glitch Shuts Down Jets Mid-Flight

– Five of six F-35 fighter jets were unable to take off during testing because of software glitches but the Air Force still plans to declare the aircraft combat-ready this year

– The F-35’s Software Is So Buggy It Might Ground the Whole Fleet

– It’s That Bad: Pentagon To Test F-35 Against Decades-Old A-10 in Combat

– Military Admits Trillion Dollar F-35 Program is a Failure

– The F-35’s Terrifying Bug List

– Pentagon’s $1.5 Trillion F-35 Better at Killing Its Own Pilots than Enemy Combatants

– F-35, The Jet That Ate the Pentagon (Video):

“We don’t know where all the money is going.”

The F-35 is the most expensive weapons program in history, with a total cost of $1.5 trillion, that has turned into a total fiasco.

– The U.S. Government Is Spending 400,000 Dollars On A Single Helmet

– F-35 deathtrap: Pentagon jet’s ejection seat could snap pilot’s neck

– The Truth About the Useless F-35 & F-22 (Video)

– Pentagon Needs $5,000 Headsets to Keep F-35 Crews from Going Deaf

– F-35 slammed as ‘inferior’ to older American & foreign fighters incl. Russia’s Su-27, MiG-29

– Leaked: New F-35 Fighter Jet Beaten By F-16 From 1970s (Video)

– New US fighter jet on course to becoming ‘one of history’s biggest white elephants’

– What A Mess … SecDef’s Office: F-35 Progress Worse Than Feared

– Israel Gets Fire Sale Deal on F-35s

– The Latest Russian Fighter Jet Blows America’s F-35 Away

– AND NOW: Computer Glitch Prevents US’ Most Advanced F-35 Fighter Jet From Firing Until 2019

– Pentagon Bars F-35s From Farnborough Airshow After Engine Problems

– Americans Have Spent Enough Money On The Broken F-35 Joint Strike Fighter To Buy Every Homeless Person A $664,000 Mansion:

“With the full amount spent on the F-35 at its disposal, the U.S. could afford to purchase every person on the streets a $664,000 home.”

– Top US Aircraft Designer: F-35 Astonishingly Unmaneuverable – You Can Guarantee That A Russian 1950s Mig-21 Would Just Hopelessly Whip The F-35 In A Dog Fight (Video)

– US F-35 Stealth Fighter Jet Can’t Evade Russian Radars

– Money For Nothing? Boeing Says F-35 Isn’t So Stealth After All

– U.S. Waived Laws To Keep F-35 On Track With China-Made Parts (Reuters)

– Test Pilots: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Blind Spot Will Get It ‘Gunned Every Time’ (Wired)

– Pentagon Grounds F-35 Fighter Jet Fleet After Engine Crack Found (CBS News)

– F-35 (Ironically Known As ‘Lightning II’) Fatal Flaw: Lightning! (RT)

– Trillion-Dollar F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jet Has Thirteen Expensive New Flaws

– NATIONAL SECURITY ALERT: F-35 STEALTH FIGHTER SPY COVER-UP (Veterans Today):

“AN UNPRECEDENTED DISASTER”

– Lockheed Responds To Trump Tweet:

In response to president-elect Trump’s tweet over “out of control costs”, Lockheed Martin has officially responded:

“This is an amazing day for the Israeli people. It’s exciting to bring this airplane and its capabilities to the country.

We welcome the opportunity to address any questions the president-elect has about the program. It’s an amazing program. Lockheed Martin and its industry partners understand the importance of affordability for the F-35 program.

Since the beginning, we’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars to reduce the price of the airplane more than 70%. We project the price of the aircraft will be $85 million in the 2019 -2020 timeframe. When we get to that price, the F-35 will be less expensive than any fourth-generation fighter in the world. And it will be the premiere fifth-generation fighter. That’s an incredible value for anyone operating the airplane.

Read moreLockheed Responds To Trump Tweet

Troubled F-35 fighter jets will be repaired in the UK, says military

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H/t reader sqoudgy:

“Wonderful news for UK employment.

New Job Prospects for thousands and thousands of technicians !!!!!!”

f-35-jet

– Troubled F-35 fighter jets will be repaired in the UK, says military:

Britain will be the global repair shop for the new and highly controversial F-35 fighter jet program, it has been announced.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said on Monday that the move, which will see Britain service all European F-35s at a facility in North Wales, will have positive economic and defense implications.

“This establishes Britain as a hub for all European F-35s and is hugely positive news for our high-tech and innovative defence industry,” he said.

Read moreTroubled F-35 fighter jets will be repaired in the UK, says military

Petition: Cancel The F-35

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cancelf35web

– Cancel the F-35

A petition to the United States Congress and the governments of Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Israel, Japan and South Korea from the world and from the people of Burlington, Vermont, and Fairbanks, Alaska, where the F-35 is to be based. Initiated by Vermont Stop the F35 Coalition, Save Our Skies Vermont, Western Maine Matters, Alaska Peace Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks Peace Club, North Star Chapter 146 Veterans For Peace, World Beyond War, RootsAction.org, Code Pink, Ben Cohen.

Please add your name below:

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US to deploy F35 jets to military base in Japan in 2017

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H/t reader squodgy:
“Somebody with a good sense of humour.”

f35

– US to deploy F35 jets to military base in Japan in 2017:

The United States has announced it will deploy its controversial state-of-the-art F35 jets on Iwakuni military base in Japan in 2017. According to Japanese media, a total of 16 planes are expected at the compound.

On its official Twitter account, the US Forces in Japan announced Washington will deploy F35 aircraft to its Marine Corps base in the city of Iwakuni.

“ANNOUNCED: The future of U.S. Marine Corps aviation, the F-35 Lightning II set to hit MCAS Iwakuni in 2017,” the statement reads.

According to Japan’s Kyodo news agency, the notification for Tokyo is already in place. “US officially notifies Japan of deployment of 16 F-35 fighters,” the agency .

Read moreUS to deploy F35 jets to military base in Japan in 2017

Yet Another F-35 Jet Caught on Fire While Starting Its Engine

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f-35s

– Yet Another F-35 Jet Caught on Fire While Starting Its Engine:

A single high-tech F-35A Joint Strike Fighter costs nearly $150 million to buy, and all together should comprise the bulk of the US Air Force’s combat power for decades. But one very serious and now recurring problem is the plane’s propensity to burst into flames.

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US Air Force Attempts to Paint Costly F-35 Repairs as a Positive

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H/t reader squodgy:

“A classic case of SPIN.”

f-35-fighter-jet

– US Air Force Attempts to Paint Costly F-35 Repairs as a Positive:

New fuel tank insulation problems have grounded a sizeable percentage of the US Air Force’s F-35s. Now that the issue has been identified, the Pentagon is attempting to spin the repairs as a cost-saving measure.

On Friday, the US Air Force issued a temporary stand-down order for 13 of its 104 F-35 fighters, citing “the discovery of peeling and crumbling insulation in avionics cooling lines inside the fueling tanks.”

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F-35 May Never Be Ready for Combat

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– F-35 May Never Be Ready for Combat:

But it looks cool. I guess.

For the record I have spoken to people in the business who swear that in the end the F-35 will be a fantastic fighting system.

I’m not so sure. I’m not the only one.

(From POGO.org)

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is the most expensive procurement program in Pentagon history. It’s been plagued by schedule delays, gross cost overruns, and a slew of underwhelming performance reviews. Last month the Air Force declared its variant “ready for combat,” and most press reports lauded this as a signal that the program had turned a corner. But a memo issued from the Pentagon’s top testing official, based largely upon the Air Force’s own test data, showed that the Air Force’s declaration was wildly premature.

Read moreF-35 May Never Be Ready for Combat

Trial by Fire? Marines to Use F-35’s First Action to See What Still Needs Fixing

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H/t reader squodgy:

“New levels of incompetence.

Firstly, for the last fifty years, in the absence of real combat, new aircraft were always tested annually against simulated enemies in ‘combat’ competitions in Nevada, with many foreign ally “enemies” playing the role creditably.The same being reciprocated in Oz & Europe.

Secondly, if this very expensive aircraft is lost in combat in enemy territory, with irretrievable black boxes etc, how the hell will they learn anything to actually see what needs fixing?

Only an idiot sends an untested and glitch ridden weapon to war, unless….they have no option…..Doh!”

… or they want to make sure the military-industrial complex earns a lot more money and …

“(Soldiers are) dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy.”
– Henry Kissinger (as quoted in Woodward and Bernstein’s “The Final Days”, ch. 14)

f-35-trial-by-fire

– Trial by Fire? Marines to Use F-35’s First Action to See What Still Needs Fixing:

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F-35 Lightning: The Joint Strike Fighter Program – Aug 26, 2016 Update

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– F-35 Lightning: The Joint Strike Fighter Program:

August 26/16: Issues with weapons integration on the F-35 have been found and could hinder an operational capabilities declaration external link, according to the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation (DOT&E) . Challenges include the possibility, when the jet fires its 25mm cannon, that the aircraft could yaw as the gun door opens, reducing accuracy. Testing last December also threw up issues with AIM-9X missiles on the F-35C. Here testers found excess stress on the carrier-variant’s wing structure during landings and certain maneuvers. This could have an impact on the wing structure and might warrant a redesign on that part of the wing.

$313 million is the price that Canada would have to pay external link if it is to exit from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

…

H/t reader squodgy:

“Missile Launching over stresses the wings on the Carrier based version, and the cannon causes the plane to yaw (vere off course) when opened, which compromises accuracy.

In other words it still is not fit for purpose, is cleaning the US & UK taxpayer out and looks like it will be a perpetual golden goose for the Military Industrial Complex.

But the plan for war with Russia, will at least spread funds to different allocations.”

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Danish Lawmakers Blast F-35 Plan: Faulty Jet Cost America Trillions

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H/t reader squodgy:

“They call it the Lightening, but in reality, based on its inability to get off the ground yet guzzle like no other, I christen it the F-35 ALBATROSS.

The latest fact is that with the world in recession, even Government income is being stretched in every country already committed to this heap of premature junk. They really are finding it unjustifiable at that cost, but, if the US push that stupid Trans Atlantic Trade Agreement through, those countries will still be sued the full value & more if they cancel.

Good commercial stupidity.”

Related info:

– Pentagon Delays F-35 Tests As Software Glitch Shuts Down Jets Mid-Flight

The F-35?s rearward visibility is limited

– Danish Lawmakers Blast F-35 Plan: Faulty Jet Cost America Trillions:

Denmark faces pressure, ahead of July’s NATO summit, to announce the purchase of an expensive US fighter jet that fails mid-flight during due to a software glitch.

The Danish parliament poured cold water on plans for the Royal Danish Air Force to acquire American-made F-35A Lightning II jets as their next-generation fighter, citing the trillions of dollars spent by the US military on an aircraft that, in testing stages, fails mid-flight due to software glitches.

Read moreDanish Lawmakers Blast F-35 Plan: Faulty Jet Cost America Trillions

Pentagon Delays F-35 Tests As Software Glitch Shuts Down Jets Mid-Flight

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Pentagon Delays F-35 Tests as Software Glitch Shuts Down Jets Mid-Flight

– Pentagon Delays F-35 Tests as Software Glitch Shuts Down Jets Mid-Flight:

Despite the ongoing risks that the Lockheed Martin fighter jets will crash to the earth, the Pentagon plans to spend an additional $16 billion on another batch of F-35s.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon finally acknowledged that the beleaguered F-35 fighter jet will not be ready for its final test phase until 2018 at the earliest, the latest in a series of setbacks for the expensive next-generation aircraft.

Read morePentagon Delays F-35 Tests As Software Glitch Shuts Down Jets Mid-Flight

Five of six F-35 fighter jets were unable to take off during testing because of software glitches but the Air Force still plans to declare the aircraft combat-ready this year

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f-35

– Five of six F-35 fighter jets were unable to take off during testing because of software glitches but the Air Force still plans to declare the aircraft combat-ready this year:

Out of the six Air Force F-35 fighter jets, only one was able to successfully take off during a recent exercise that left the other five grounded due to ‘immature systems and software’.

The F-35s, which are the world’s most sophisticated and most expensive warplanes, were being tested for readiness but only one of the $100 million Lockheed Martin planes was able to boot its software and get itself airborne, according to Flight Global.

Read moreFive of six F-35 fighter jets were unable to take off during testing because of software glitches but the Air Force still plans to declare the aircraft combat-ready this year

The F-35’s Software Is So Buggy It Might Ground the Whole Fleet

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f-35-1

– The F-35’s Software Is So Buggy It Might Ground the Whole Fleet:

Last summer, F-35 program officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan said the F-35’s logistics system was “the brains and blood of operating this weapons system.”

Despite many fixes, the aircraft’s Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) is so flawed that government auditors believe the computer system may not be deployable. These problems may also delay the Air Force’s declaration of Initial Operational Capability. And now, in a surprising twist, Bogdan is saying ALIS is not really critical after all, insisting the F-35 can fly without it for 30 days.

Read moreThe F-35’s Software Is So Buggy It Might Ground the Whole Fleet

It’s That Bad: Pentagon To Test F-35 Against Decades-Old A-10 in Combat

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Pentagon To Test F-35 Against Decades-Old A-10 in Combat

– It’s That Bad: Pentagon To Test F-35 Against Decades-Old A-10 in Combat:

Having failed test after test, the F-35 Joint Strike fighter will soon go head-to-head against the decades-old A-10 Thunderbolt II, in what has been described as both a “common sense” step and a “silly exercise.”

The infamous F-35 has had its share of problems. After over $1 trillion in development costs, the state-of-the-art aircraft has struggled to achieve even the most basic functions of fighter jet, including shooting, maneuvering, and flying.

Read moreIt’s That Bad: Pentagon To Test F-35 Against Decades-Old A-10 in Combat

Lockheed F-35 service life extended to 2070

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H/t reader squodgy:

“Ha ha ha ha ho ho ho….is this possibly based on the indisputable fact that based on its’ present performance it won’t be in operation until 2030.”

– Lockheed F-35 service life extended to 2070:

The projected life of the F-35 Lightning II has been extended by six years to 2070 after the US military services tweaked the number of flight hours their fleets should log before retirement.

According to the Pentagon’s selected acquisition report (SAR), published on 25 March, the total cost of developing, building, basing, operating and maintaining 2,457 aircraft has increased by 6.8% to $1.5 trillion (2015 dollars) compared to one year ago.

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F-35 goes on global publicity tour in battle for hearts and minds

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H/t reader squodgy:

“Desperate?

I’d be interested to listen to the excuses for the unit price escalation reaching over half a billion….Yep…Each plane costs well over 600 million dollars, especially after the resurrection of the Pentagon “Black Hole” inquiry.”

– F-35 goes on global publicity tour in battle for hearts and minds:

The F-35 Lightning II might be the most sophisticated combat jet on the market today, but US programme officials and lawmakers worry that the fifth-generation stealth aircraft is losing the battle for hearts and minds.

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