Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning and F-22 'Raptor' : News & Discussion
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World's best military cannot track its own f35 when it was flying with its transponders off. But here in India & in this forum, f35 is an inferior aircraft.
Will tell this a million times again and again, we bought s400 by closimg the chance of f35's entry in to IAF is the biggest military blunder we made so far in 21st century.
Will tell this a million times again and again, we bought s400 by closimg the chance of f35's entry in to IAF is the biggest military blunder we made so far in 21st century.
Too stealthy? -- US military jet disappears from skies
The US military scrambled Monday to locate a stealth jet that went missing after the pilot ejected -- with the failure to track the aircraft drawing amazement and ridicule in equal measure.But the fate of the missing aircraft remained unclear on Monday.
they have already indicated it may have crashed , why dont you let us know how to track a crashed plane with transponders switched off.
Tbf that just shows how truly effective f-35's stealth is.
Too stealthy? -- US military jet disappears from skies
The US military scrambled Monday to locate a stealth jet that went missing after the pilot ejected -- with the failure to track the aircraft drawing amazement and ridicule in equal measure.But the fate of the missing aircraft remained unclear on Monday.news.yahoo.com
At times, especially natural phenomena, even the non-stealth planes have disappeared. Nobody can beat the mother nature, not even the punny humans & their technologies, be it any nation. Nothing more nothing less.
UaF know what is su35 , they want F35. No Rafale,no EF only F35.
It can land on highway but it seems that deployment in other region than F-35 customers will be at a very high price.
Lack of available support equipment on the flight line. Support equipment consists of all equipment (mobile or fixed) that is not inherently part of the primary weapon system but is required to support the operation and maintenance of the aircraft. Maintainers need a variety of support equipment that provides a myriad of different functions including, but not limited to, conditioned cool air (as shown in figure 10), electric power, hydraulic power, and towing to conduct field level maintenance of F-35s. According to maintainers we spoke to at all three installations we visited, the amount of support equipment needed to maintain the F-35 is by far greater than other aircraft platforms in their respective fleets. According to maintainers at one installation, on a short-notice deployment, the squadron required 13 C-17s to transport the support equipment to maintain 12 F-35 aircraft. However, none of the installations we surveyed and no maintainers we spoke to at the three installations we visited said that they always had readily available support equipment on the flight line.
For example, maintainers at one installation told us that they had enough support equipment to provide power and air to only two aircraft, and were constantly being forced to borrow support equipment from other Page 31 GAO-23-105341 F-35 Aircraftsquadrons. According to maintainers at another installation, borrowing support equipment from other squadrons has become a normal practice. Maintainers at two of the three installations we visited told us that the issue is exacerbated when squadrons deploy because the deploying contingent will take most of the support equipment from the installation to support the deploying aircraft, leaving the remaining contingent of the squadron scrambling for support equipment to maintain the non-deploying aircraft. Maintainers can contact the Lightning Sustainment Center for assistance, and personnel there will contact other services and program participants to find available equipment. However, DOD officials said there was no pool of support equipment that units could pull from to cover shortages. Rather, the support equipment would need to be taken from other F-35 units across the enterprise.Furthermore, maintainers at all three installations we visited told us that support equipment was breaking too frequently and, due to the proprietary nature of most of the equipment, they were not able to repair it themselves. As a result, contractor representatives either have to come to the installation to repair the equipment, or the equipment is sent back to the original equipment manufacturer. Like components, support equipment can take original equipment manufacturers months to repair. Maintainers we spoke to at one installation said that they have the capability to repair a lot of the broken support equipment at their installation; however, they are not able to do so. They stated that their inability to repair the equipment is having a negative effect on readiness; however, they could not provide the degree.
Lack of available support equipment on the flight line. Support equipment consists of all equipment (mobile or fixed) that is not inherently part of the primary weapon system but is required to support the operation and maintenance of the aircraft. Maintainers need a variety of support equipment that provides a myriad of different functions including, but not limited to, conditioned cool air (as shown in figure 10), electric power, hydraulic power, and towing to conduct field level maintenance of F-35s. According to maintainers we spoke to at all three installations we visited, the amount of support equipment needed to maintain the F-35 is by far greater than other aircraft platforms in their respective fleets. According to maintainers at one installation, on a short-notice deployment, the squadron required 13 C-17s to transport the support equipment to maintain 12 F-35 aircraft. However, none of the installations we surveyed and no maintainers we spoke to at the three installations we visited said that they always had readily available support equipment on the flight line.
For example, maintainers at one installation told us that they had enough support equipment to provide power and air to only two aircraft, and were constantly being forced to borrow support equipment from other Page 31 GAO-23-105341 F-35 Aircraftsquadrons. According to maintainers at another installation, borrowing support equipment from other squadrons has become a normal practice. Maintainers at two of the three installations we visited told us that the issue is exacerbated when squadrons deploy because the deploying contingent will take most of the support equipment from the installation to support the deploying aircraft, leaving the remaining contingent of the squadron scrambling for support equipment to maintain the non-deploying aircraft. Maintainers can contact the Lightning Sustainment Center for assistance, and personnel there will contact other services and program participants to find available equipment. However, DOD officials said there was no pool of support equipment that units could pull from to cover shortages. Rather, the support equipment would need to be taken from other F-35 units across the enterprise.Furthermore, maintainers at all three installations we visited told us that support equipment was breaking too frequently and, due to the proprietary nature of most of the equipment, they were not able to repair it themselves. As a result, contractor representatives either have to come to the installation to repair the equipment, or the equipment is sent back to the original equipment manufacturer. Like components, support equipment can take original equipment manufacturers months to repair. Maintainers we spoke to at one installation said that they have the capability to repair a lot of the broken support equipment at their installation; however, they are not able to do so. They stated that their inability to repair the equipment is having a negative effect on readiness; however, they could not provide the degree.
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From what I am hearing from insiders, the F-35B in question was flying as wingman in a 2-ship formation (pretty standard training mission). The lead pilot inadvertently flew them into rapidly deteriorating weather that had embedded thunderstorms in them. Apparently, the wingman got hit by lightning and lost sight of the lead F-35B aircraft. In addition, his helmet mounted displays and all of his heads down cockpit instruments were also electrically damaged, and the screens all shut down.
At that point, he had no visual or instrument references by which to maintain continued safe flight. This would be a fully-justified reason to eject, and that was a good pilot decision in that scenario and certainly would not be career ending.I have been struck by lightning twice in an F-111, and one of those times was as a wingman when my flight lead inadvertently flew us into an embedded thunderstorm. Fortunately, in my case even though I lost sight of my flight lead (due to being flash blinded by the lightning), I executed a reduction in power and a turn away from flight lead to avoid a collision, and my F-111 suffered damage (including losing part of my right wingtip due to lightning), my standby attitude indicator was still working and I was able to fly back and land after declaring an emergency.
I am empathetic to what that US Marine fighter pilot must have been going through in those moments, and I support his decision to eject. At least we did not lose both the jet and the pilot.Also, all radios in the F-35 are software defined radios, so if the main avionics computer was taken out by the EMP from the lightning strike, there would not be any more transponder sending out position reports to the FAA. In that event, this stealth jet would have simply disappeared from radar (just like reported). Only after a thorough accident safety investigation will we know exactly what happened.
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Northrop Grumman To Provide New Strike Missile Capability for Fifth-Generation Aircraft and Beyond
LOS ANGELES – Sept. 25, 2023 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced today the U.S. Air Force has awarded the company an approximately $705 million contract to deliver the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW), an air-to-ground weapon that...
Czech government greenlights deal for 24 F-35s
The $5 billion deal would see Prague get all 24 F-35As by 2035, while extending a lease of older Saab Gripen jets thorough that date.
WASHINGTON — The Czech government has approved a deal with the US government and Lockheed Martin to buy 24 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, the country’s defense ministry announced today.
The US State Department previously cleared the deal estimated to be worth up to $5.6 billion in June, though the Associated Press reported today that the Czech government would pay the US about $5 billion for the acquisition and spend another $1.5 billion on other associated projects like base upgrades. The defense ministry said it expects to have all its jets arrive by 2035, though the first jet delivery seems somewhat confused: the AP wrote 2031, but a Reuters piece put first arrival at 2029. (A request for clarification from Prague was not returned by publication.)
The Czech government’s approval is another step toward officially completing a deal, which often culminates in a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA). A spokesperson for the F-35 Joint Program Office did not immediately respond when asked about when an LOA might be finalized.
The Czech defense ministry’s release also seemed to confirm an industrial offset, which discusses the possibility of the country’s industry contributing to the F-35’s global supply chain.
“We are honored the Government of the Czech Republic chose to become part of the global F-35 Lightning II program, joining several European nations in further strengthening global airpower and 21st Century Security,” Lockheed Martin said in a statement.
“Our partnership with Czech industry will deliver benefits in research and development, manufacturing and sustainment. The F-35’s growing presence across Europe is a powerful example of alliance-based deterrence and is setting the foundation for NATO and allied nation’s next generation air power capability,” the company added.
Czech officials announced last year they had selected the F-35 over its competition: Lockheed’s F-16V and Saab’s Gripen, which could either be older Gripen models or the newer E version. Since then, the government has defended its decision to pursue the fifth-generation fighter, listing reasons like the F-35A’s lower cost compared to the Gripen E.
The F-35s procured through the deal will replace 14 older Gripen jets currently leased by Prague. The Czech government was reportedly aiming to extend the lease for those jets beyond a 2027 expiration date, and the ministry’s announcement today seemed to confirm that the Gripens would serve until 2035. A spokesperson for Saab referred Breaking Defense to the Swedish defense ministry, which did not immediately respond when asked whether the lease extension has been finalized.
Czech government greenlights deal for 24 F-35s - Breaking Defense
The $5 billion deal would see Prague get all 24 F-35As by 2035, while extending a lease of older Saab Gripen jets thorough that date.
Another first world nation choosing F-35.... and more to come.
12 years for 24 F-35? Is it because of the delay for block 4?