F-35 Joint Strike Fighter News, Videos and pics Thread

[TerraN_EmpirE]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

South Korea formally decides on 40 F-35As
By: GREG WALDRONSINGAPORE Source: Flightglobal.com 11 hours ago
South Korea has formally decided to obtain 40 Lockheed Martin F-35As to fill its long running F-X III requirement.

“We are honoured by and appreciate the trust and confidence the Republic of Korea has placed in the 5th Generation F-35 to meet its demanding security requirements,” says Orlando Carvalho, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

“We look forward to supporting the discussions between the Republic of Korea and U.S. governments in support of a final agreement this year. This decision strengthens and extends our long-standing security partnership while enhancing regional stability across the greater Asia Pacific theatre.”

Lockheed’s statement follows a formal announcement by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Executive Committee in Seoul earlier today.

If the acquisition proceeds as planned, deliveries will start in 2018.

A source familiar with South Korean defence acquisitions says Seoul will now issue a formal letter of request to the US for the aircraft and other elements of the programme, such as offset arrangements associated with the deal.

Media reports from South Korea indicate that the country hopes to conclude negotiations for the fighters by the third quarter of 2014.

Seoul’s decision follows a November 2013 report carried by South Korea’s official news agency quoting the nation’s joint chiefs of staff as saying that Seoul would buy 40 F-35As, with deliveries to start in 2018.

That report mentioned that Seoul would also obtain an option for an additional 20 F-35As, but today’s announcements from South Korea and Lockheed make no mention of this.

After Australia and Japan, South Korea will be the third Asia Pacific nation to order the type. Australia, a partner in the F-35 programme, could obtain up to 100 F-35As. Japan is obtaining 48 aircraft under the US Foreign Military Sales mechanism, through which Seoul will also acquire its aircraft.

Among other regional powers, Singapore has expressed strong interest in the programme, apparently leaning toward the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B variant.

The F-X III requirement, originally for 60 aircraft, was hotly contested between the Lockheed aircraft, as well as the Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle and Eurofighter Typhoon. The F-15SE appeared to have secured the win last summer, but Seoul abruptly decided to change the terms of the requirement to favour a stealthy aircraft.

 

[thunderchief]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

This is from RT, so take it with grain of salt .But, there is a official report included, therefore there is at least partial truth in it :

Software problems will set back F-35 joint strike fighter another year – report

Delivery of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be more than a year behind schedule due to ongoing software problems, according to a US government report. The delay marks the latest snag in the ongoing saga of the world’s most expensive aircraft.

According to a new Government Accountability Office report, the F-35’s mission management system software needs a vast debugging effort to meet the plane’s various requirements.

“Challenges in development and testing of mission systems software continued through 2013, due largely to delays in software delivery, limited capability in the software when delivered, and the need to fix problems and retest multiple software versions,” the GAO auditors wrote.

“The Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) predicts delivery of warfighting capabilities could be delayed by as much as 13 months. Delays of this magnitude will likely limit the warfighting capabilities that are delivered to support the military services’ initial operational capabilities—the first of which is scheduled for July 2015—and at this time it is not clear what those specific capabilities will be because testing is still ongoing.”

The GAO said the plane needs eight million new lines of software code to overcome the current functionary glitches.

The report added that only 13 percent of the Block 2B segment of software had been tested as of last January. The target for this prime operational component of the plane was 27 percent.........................

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[Air Force Brat]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

This is from RT, so take it with grain of salt .But, there is a official report included, therefore there is at least partial truth in it :



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There is not doubt that software for this bird is a challenge,,,,,,, but as I have said about the J-20, this is a very smart airplane.

 

[asif iqbal]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

So by the looks of it South Korea has not ordered any F35B? Strange

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Do they need any? They can Reach Over North Korea and all the way into China From there current bases without need Of Vtol, they can also reach Japan so that covered the main Korean Threats.

 

[asif iqbal]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Do they need any? They can Reach Over North Korea and all the way into China From there current bases without need Of Vtol, they can also reach Japan so that covered the main Korean Threats.

Yeah but I was thinking after that last report that came out about the South Korean navy that they have plans for flat tops with a ski jump and could utilise the use of F35B from other LHD designs

Does this means they have no plans for fighters operating off flat tops from the sea, that is a capability South Korea could do with

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

perhaps if they felt the need but at this point they seem to be wanting to replace the F4's

 

[thunderchief]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

There is not doubt that software for this bird is a challenge,,,,,,, but as I have said about the J-20, this is a very smart airplane.

I don't understand these software problems. Plane is flying (obviously ) so this is not some critical software for FBW control laws. For weapons integration they could just copy F-15's code and get IOC until they write something better

 

[TerraN_EmpirE]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

I think it's the Weapons, F35 has a Different mission set then F15 and much broader arsenal intended for it ranging form air to Air long range missiles to Rocket pods. plus F15 uses a M61 Lightning A uses a internal 25mm Gau 22 B and C use a podded version. and finally F35 carries internal weapons F15 does not so a Quick Copy paste won't work plus the guidance systems for the bombs and missiles and rockets have to accept data form the F35's sensors.

 

[thunderchief]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

I think it's the Weapons, F35 has a Different mission set then F15 and much broader arsenal intended for it ranging form air to Air long range missiles to Rocket pods. plus F15 uses a M61 Lightning A uses a internal 25mm Gau 22 B and C use a podded version. and finally F35 carries internal weapons F15 does not so a Quick Copy paste won't work plus the guidance systems for the bombs and missiles and rockets have to accept data form the F35's sensors.

Some of things you said are true, but currently they are struggling to reach IOC on F-35. They don't want to use all of the weapons, just some of most basic ones that they already use on other planes. All of those weapons use standard interfaces so they could be used on various platforms. F-35 sensors (of course) use those same interfaces so integration should not be such a dramatic problem . For internal bays they could just copy F-22 code As for guns, how hard that could be ? USAF already used so many variations, both internal and in pods .