F-35 Multirole Joint Strike Fighter
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Great for the program that they can finally show off the jet dropping ordnance.. sure to score positive PR points with the average Joe who would otherwise be oblivious to the other less obvious capabilities of the aircraft. The only thing better is using alive bomb and actually blowing something up. Something to look forward to down the road.
Air Force Brat
Member
Thanks for posting the vid and pix gentlemen, now another poster on our sister forum asked what is the largest bomb available to be deployed on the F-35. I replied that it is the Storm Shadow cruise missle, although I realise it is not a bomb, is that correct and will it carry one or two. I am fairly certain these are carried on the center pylon/pylons? I was unable to find a definitive answer to these questions? Thanks for your help, BratYep you can see it on the tube. Lockheed martin have posted a video of the 2000lb JDAM test.
First F-35A Weapons Release - YouTube
A 2000lbs JDAM or 2000lbs Paveway II/III will be the biggest explosive force. Potentially the GBU-28 5000lbs weapon "may" be able to be integrated on external hardpoints, but I don't believe there is a plan or funding to do so at the present time.Thanks for posting the vid and pix gentlemen, now another poster on our sister forum asked what is the largest bomb available to be deployed on the F-35. I replied that it is the Storm Shadow cruise missle, although I realise it is not a bomb, is that correct and will it carry one or two. I am fairly certain these are carried on the center pylon/pylons? I was unable to find a definitive answer to these questions? Thanks for your help, Brat
Storm Shadow will likely be the physically largest store integrated onto the aircraft (assuming it is integrated) otherwise JASSM will have that title.
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The 2300lb GBU-24 Paveway is the largest "currently" planned bomb..
Thanks to UAI, users will be able to deploy other munitions as they get developed. Since the inner pylons are 5k rated, the 4500lb GBU-28 or the 3000lb GBU-11/B are possibilities in the future.
The nice thing about UAI is that the only funding required is to do separation tests. No software changes are needed and no block upgrades required.
Thanks to UAI, users will be able to deploy other munitions as they get developed. Since the inner pylons are 5k rated, the 4500lb GBU-28 or the 3000lb GBU-11/B are possibilities in the future.
The nice thing about UAI is that the only funding required is to do separation tests. No software changes are needed and no block upgrades required.
Yeah. It's a pity it wasn't done in the last millennium, when it should have been. I still remember my shock when I found that the military didn't have standard interfaces with only data varying, & had to modify on board software for each new weapon. It was so obvious (& normal in the civilian systems I'd been working on for years) that I found it hard to believe it hadn't started in the 1980s.
I just came across this news today :
Pentagon Slams Lockheed Over F-35 - Business Insider
Not good. Calling Lockheed "Worst ever Contractor", and threatening to not bail the program out AGAIN, after agreeing to spend upwards of $ 390 billion is kind of pointless. Not a good sign, really.
Anyways, this news is about a week old. Hopefully progress is being made in case of the helmet. According to what I've read about this helmet system, There simply isn't anything like it anywhere else.
A pilot being able to have a 360 degree view, and also able to "see" what the other F-35 pilots are seeing, all in real time, even at supersonic speeds is, in one word, "Amazing".
Pentagon Slams Lockheed Over F-35 - Business Insider
Not good. Calling Lockheed "Worst ever Contractor", and threatening to not bail the program out AGAIN, after agreeing to spend upwards of $ 390 billion is kind of pointless. Not a good sign, really.
Anyways, this news is about a week old. Hopefully progress is being made in case of the helmet. According to what I've read about this helmet system, There simply isn't anything like it anywhere else.
A pilot being able to have a 360 degree view, and also able to "see" what the other F-35 pilots are seeing, all in real time, even at supersonic speeds is, in one word, "Amazing".
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The Pentagon has NOT spent upwards of $390 billion. That's what's expected to be spent by the time the last currently planned F-35 is delivered in 20 years time. It includes billions not yet spent on development, testing, weapons integration etc., hundreds of billions on procurement, & predicted inflation.
Oops sorry, that's what I meant, the total project cost for manufacture and procurement of all the F-35 variants for each of the contributing countries. I think we could call it the "agreed upon budget" to be spent ?The Pentagon has NOT spent upwards of $390 billion. That's what's expected to be spent by the time the last currently planned F-35 is delivered in 20 years time. It includes billions not yet spent on development, testing, weapons integration etc., hundreds of billions on procurement, & predicted inflation.
The thing is, the Pentagon is not in favor of allocating more money from other ongoing projects into correcting the issues the F-35 R & D is currently having.
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the road runner
Active Member
Lockheed Martin just posted a video on the "First AMRAAM release" from AF-1
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQeBgdoiTa4&feature=g-all-u"]First F-35 AMRAAM Release - YouTube[/nomedia]
Thought it would be of interest to some of you guys.Seems like less noise from the knockers as more positive results of weapons testing is ticking the boxes.
The wait till a live AMRAAM is fired ,must just be around the corner
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQeBgdoiTa4&feature=g-all-u"]First F-35 AMRAAM Release - YouTube[/nomedia]
Thought it would be of interest to some of you guys.Seems like less noise from the knockers as more positive results of weapons testing is ticking the boxes.
The wait till a live AMRAAM is fired ,must just be around the corner
fretburner
Banned Member
Will the F-35 be able to fire the AMRAAM supersonic? And for that matter, JDAMs and SDBs as well? Not sure if it was intended to do so. But I can recall the F-22 is supposed to do it (and has done it).
Yes to all of the above. JDAM and presumably SDB will in addition be able to be launched at M1.6 and 50,000 feet I understand, which will certainly give those weapons some oomph...Will the F-35 be able to fire the AMRAAM supersonic? And for that matter, JDAMs and SDBs as well? Not sure if it was intended to do so. But I can recall the F-22 is supposed to do it (and has done it).
Do foreign partners in the JSF consortium get charged for development costs or just pay the fly-away cost?
Lockheed sees great progress on F-35 fighter | Reuters
Lockheed sees "great progress" on F-35 fighter
WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp on Wednesday said it was making "great progress" on the F-35 fighter jet program, with F-35 deliveries exceeding those of F-16 fighters and C-130J transport planes combined for the first time in the third quarter.
Chief Operating Officer Chris Kubasik, who takes over as CEO next month, said there were 94 F-35 jets in various stages of production at Lockheed plants in Fort Worth, Texas and Marietta, Georgia, plus a final assembly plant in Italy run by Alenia, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica SpA.
He said the program, restructured three times in recent years to slow production and work out lingering technical challenges, had completed nearly 1,000 test flights in total. Test flights were 25 percent ahead of plan as of September.
"This program is making great progress and it really has a lot of momentum," Kubasik told reporters on Wednesday during a discussion about Lockheed's third-quarter earnings.
He said labor costs were coming down faster on the F-35 program than any previous fighter jet program in over 40 years. Lockheed is on track to hit its target unit "flyaway" cost, excluding development, of $67 million in fiscal 2012 dollars by 2018, he added.
Lockheed sees great progress on F-35 fighter | Reuters
Lockheed sees "great progress" on F-35 fighter
WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp on Wednesday said it was making "great progress" on the F-35 fighter jet program, with F-35 deliveries exceeding those of F-16 fighters and C-130J transport planes combined for the first time in the third quarter.
Chief Operating Officer Chris Kubasik, who takes over as CEO next month, said there were 94 F-35 jets in various stages of production at Lockheed plants in Fort Worth, Texas and Marietta, Georgia, plus a final assembly plant in Italy run by Alenia, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica SpA.
He said the program, restructured three times in recent years to slow production and work out lingering technical challenges, had completed nearly 1,000 test flights in total. Test flights were 25 percent ahead of plan as of September.
"This program is making great progress and it really has a lot of momentum," Kubasik told reporters on Wednesday during a discussion about Lockheed's third-quarter earnings.
He said labor costs were coming down faster on the F-35 program than any previous fighter jet program in over 40 years. Lockheed is on track to hit its target unit "flyaway" cost, excluding development, of $67 million in fiscal 2012 dollars by 2018, he added.
Partners pay part of the dev costs per a schedule in the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) that each of them signed.
http://www.jsf.mil/downloads/documents/JSF_PSFD_MOU_-_Update_4_2010.PDF
page 34
http://www.jsf.mil/downloads/documents/JSF_PSFD_MOU_-_Update_4_2010.PDF
page 34
Thanks.Partners pay part of the dev costs per a schedule in the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) that each of them signed.
http://www.jsf.mil/downloads/documents/JSF_PSFD_MOU_-_Update_4_2010.PDF
page 34
One more question, does this mean then that countries like Japan, Israel and possibly Korea get a free ride and don't pay for any development costs?
the road runner
Active Member
USAF Chief of staff General Welsh has visited the F-35 Factory at Fort Worth Texas.
The video describes the Generals positive views on JSF
(Mods sorry for the one liner as the video tells 10000 words better than i cold)
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMAm4PlGKlY&feature=g-all-u"]USAF General Welsh visits the F-35 Factory - YouTube[/nomedia]
The video describes the Generals positive views on JSF
(Mods sorry for the one liner as the video tells 10000 words better than i cold)
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMAm4PlGKlY&feature=g-all-u"]USAF General Welsh visits the F-35 Factory - YouTube[/nomedia]
fretburner
Banned Member
In that case, the F-35 will be as survivable as any aircraft not called the F-22 or B-2. I can imagine them -- for air to air engagements -- going Mach 1 and firing a bunch of AIM-120Ds and disengage before the enemy even notices, and for SEAD, launch those JDAMs at Mach 1 and 50,000 ft for a real stand-off attack capability. Not to mention sinking enemy ships with the JSOW.Yes to all of the above. JDAM and presumably SDB will in addition be able to be launched at M1.6 and 50,000 feet I understand, which will certainly give those weapons some oomph...
So initial investment the partners have "paid" for already, or committed, is more about being first in line to receive the new planes? Or is it more than that? Like the Swedish "demanding" their new stealthy cruise missiles integrated? Although, Israel, despite NOT being a partner, pretty much were given what they wanted.Non-partners pay whatever price the JPO wants/can charge, dev included.
Dev partners also get royalties paid by non-partner purchases, so it evens out in the end.
All Partners get a vote about what weapons & features are integrated and when. They can also self-pay (no Partner Dev money used) for features to be added ahead of the schedule. This is what is happening with Norway and the landing chute (and maybe the JSM).
Partners also get the subcontracts and royalties from non-partner sales.
New Partners can "buy" their way into the program. Existing Partners will get some development money back if that happens.
Partners also get the subcontracts and royalties from non-partner sales.
New Partners can "buy" their way into the program. Existing Partners will get some development money back if that happens.
Not sure what Swedish missile you're on about here? Israel got very little over and above "you can have these jets, sod off about the source code, bugger off about help to integrate Israeli weapons, figure it out yourself)So initial investment the partners have "paid" for already, or committed, is more about being first in line to receive the new planes? Or is it more than that? Like the Swedish "demanding" their new stealthy cruise missiles integrated? Although, Israel, despite NOT being a partner, pretty much were given what they wanted.
Partners are first at the trough for getting jobs from future parts orders and some partners get more access to stuff that counts (the UK paid for Tier one access and while I have no idea what we got, we paid a lot for it)
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