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

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re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Equation
Seem the article is no longer free
I did find a similar one with slight changes here

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It's nothing major from what I've been told; basically, a bad fitting and bearing issue. Just inspect the aircraft to check for issues, and immediate release for regular flight operations if no problem spotted. The inspection takes about an hour and a half, and already the entire F-35 fleet, save for three aircraft were released to continue flight operations.

Anyone who spends a lot of time around aircraft will not be too troubled by this. Fleet-wide groundings for inspections isn't new; aircraft are grounded all of the time for various issues.

 

[Jeff Head]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Is there a way you could post the whole article?

Google the title and you will find it reported elsewhere.

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As I said...a lot of hoopla and naysaying about a minor incident.

It was a prudent decision to call for a check when they did not know why the warning light came on. But the aircraft in question landed safely, and all flying aircraft (104 of them) were checked which was completed within a day. 102 of the 104 had no issues and were flying the next evening. 2 had indications (one being the aircraft with the warning light) which called for more tests.

The people reporting this try and make it sound like a serious issue had grounded the entire fleet and something major was wrong.

Not the case.

 

[Jura The idiot]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

On Engine Inspection:

Posted on InsideDefense.com: June 17, 2014

Nearly all F-35 aircraft have completed a mandatory engine inspection following the discovery last week of an engine leak on an F-35B.

Only two aircraft in the entire F-35 fleet have yet to be inspected, Joint Program Office spokesman Joe DellaVedova told InsideDefense.com in a June 17 email. One is currently undergoing depot maintenance and the other is in the midst of previously scheduled testing.

The inspection order was issued last week following an in-flight emergency that occurred June 10 on an F-35B at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ. After being alerted by the aircraft's fault detection system of an oil loss in the engine, the pilot safely landed and no one was injured. According to a June 16 statement from the F-35 Joint Program Office, an initial analysis determined that the leak was caused by the separation of the Pratt & Whitney-produced F135 engine's oil flow management valve (OFMV) from a supply line. The OFMV allows for oil flow to the engine bearing compartments.

In response to the incident, the entire F-35 fleet was required to undergo an OFMV inspection before resuming flight. "Safety is the top priority of the program and inspecting the OFMV fittings on all F-35 engines is prudent action to take before the aircraft return to flight," the statement said.

According to DellaVedova, 88 of the 94 aircraft that have undergone inspection passed and were cleared to continue flying. Three aircraft -- all of them the F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant based at Yuma -- failed the inspection and three were flagged for further investigation. Of the latter three, two are F-35Bs stationed at Yuma and one is an F-35C variant based at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. Currently, all F-35Bs are located either at Yuma or at Eglin Air Force base, FL.

DellaVedova added that one of the three aircraft to fail inspection had a fitting replaced and has since been cleared to fly. The remaining aircraft will stay off the flight line until their issues are resolved. He emphasized that while the issue has almost exclusively impacted the F-35B, the problem is engine-related and does not appear to have been caused by any attributes unique to the variant.

I UNDERSCORED THE LAST SENTENCE FOR THE F-35B DOUBTERS ON THIS THREAD

 

[delft]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

On Engine Inspection:

Posted on InsideDefense.com: June 17, 2014

Nearly all F-35 aircraft have completed a mandatory engine inspection following the discovery last week of an engine leak on an F-35B.

Only two aircraft in the entire F-35 fleet have yet to be inspected, Joint Program Office spokesman Joe DellaVedova told InsideDefense.com in a June 17 email. One is currently undergoing depot maintenance and the other is in the midst of previously scheduled testing.

The inspection order was issued last week following an in-flight emergency that occurred June 10 on an F-35B at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ. After being alerted by the aircraft's fault detection system of an oil loss in the engine, the pilot safely landed and no one was injured. According to a June 16 statement from the F-35 Joint Program Office, an initial analysis determined that the leak was caused by the separation of the Pratt & Whitney-produced F135 engine's oil flow management valve (OFMV) from a supply line. The OFMV allows for oil flow to the engine bearing compartments.

In response to the incident, the entire F-35 fleet was required to undergo an OFMV inspection before resuming flight. "Safety is the top priority of the program and inspecting the OFMV fittings on all F-35 engines is prudent action to take before the aircraft return to flight," the statement said.

According to DellaVedova, 88 of the 94 aircraft that have undergone inspection passed and were cleared to continue flying. Three aircraft -- all of them the F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant based at Yuma -- failed the inspection and three were flagged for further investigation. Of the latter three, two are F-35Bs stationed at Yuma and one is an F-35C variant based at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. Currently, all F-35Bs are located either at Yuma or at Eglin Air Force base, FL.

DellaVedova added that one of the three aircraft to fail inspection had a fitting replaced and has since been cleared to fly. The remaining aircraft will stay off the flight line until their issues are resolved. He emphasized that while the issue has almost exclusively impacted the F-35B, the problem is engine-related and does not appear to have been caused by any attributes unique to the variant.

I UNDERSCORED THE LAST SENTENCE FOR THE F-35B DOUBTERS ON THIS THREAD

It says "appear", so they aren't certain.

 

[Jeff Head]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

It says "appear", so they aren't certain.

For the aircraft that have been cleared to fly...they are certain. If they were not certain, they would not have been cleared to fly.

Apparently they have isolated the issue, and they know what to check for...and it is a fairly straight forward check which was conducted on all flying aircraft by the next day.

Now...the two that remain grounded...those they are not certain about.

 

[Jura The idiot]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

On F-35C:

Posted on InsideDefense.com: June 13, 2014

The Joint Strike Fighter carrier variant will begin its first at-sea testing period in October aboard the aircraft carrier Nimitz (CVN-68) and Lockheed Martin is assisting the Navy in preparing for this test event, according to a company executive.

Lorraine Martin, F-35 executive vice president and general manager for Lockheed Martin, told reporters June 9 during the company's annual media day in Arlington, VA, the testing will be off the coast of San Diego and will last a couple weeks.

Flight testing for the F-35C takes place at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD. Martin said most of the testing is focused on the arresting hook and catapult to get ready for tests aboard the Nimitz.

"We're enabling the aircraft to get really hard landings, funny landings, high winds, whatever we can come up with to put it through as much stress . . . on the ground before we go to the aircraft carrier," Martin said.

When the aircraft deploys there will be hundreds of employees that travel with it, including Lockheed Martin employees, she said.

On May 27, an F-35C completed a landing at its maximum sink speed to test the jet's landing gear, airframe and arrestment system at NAS Patuxent River.

"Five sorties were conducted, building up the maximum sink rate test condition of 21.4 feet per second, which represents the maximum sink speed planned for this test," J.D. McFarlan, vice president of F-35 test and verification for Lockheed Martin, said in a company statement. During the tests, the F-35C did three arrestments, several touch-and-goes and one "bolter." The landings were to demonstrate structural readiness for arrested landings on an aircraft carrier at sea.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, joint program executive officer for F-35, told reporters June 12 during a teleconference that the Block 3F software, the software the Navy will use to declare the aircraft operational, is six months behind schedule.

"I have to do everything I can to work with Lockheed to make sure we take that six months and move it back so that we don't impact anything in the future," he said.

In March, Inside the Navy reported that software challenges threatened to delay the Navy's initial operational capability schedule. Bogdan told reporters after a House Armed Services tactical air and land subcommittee hearing that the Navy is at risk of experiencing a three- to four-month delay in declaring IOC.

The Navy expects to declare the F-35C operational in August 2018 with the full Block 3F software suite. That means a full suite of weapons, data links and sensor integration and a full flight envelope.

 

[FORBIN]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Eglin/33 FW F-35 fleet
As was recently said 58 FS complete, 26 A and in april VMFAT-501 USMC get 13 B ( full staffing 20 ) and VFA-101 USN use 5 B ( 15 ).

Production lot : for all countries
Long-lead funding LRIP lot 9 (57 aircraft) 2015 to confirmed*
Long-Lead funding LRIP lot 8 (43 aircraft)2014 to confirmed
Full funding approved for LRIP lots 6&7 (71 aircraft) 2012/2013
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 5 (32 aircraft) 2011
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 4 (32 aircraft) 2010
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 3 (17 aircraft) 2008
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 2 (12 aircraft) 2007
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 1 (2 aircraft) 2007

Originaly planned in 2012 for US services : 42 : 30A, 12 B/C, President request : 34 and Congress to say 38.

 

[Air Force Brat]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Eglin/33 FW F-35 fleet
As was recently said 58 FS complete, 26 A and in april VMFAT-501 USMC get 13 B ( full staffing 20 ) and VFA-101 USN use 5 B ( 15 ).

Production lot : for all countries
Long-lead funding LRIP lot 9 (57 aircraft) 2015 to confirmed*
Long-Lead funding LRIP lot 8 (43 aircraft)2014 to confirmed
Full funding approved for LRIP lots 6&7 (71 aircraft) 2012/2013
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 5 (32 aircraft) 2011
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 4 (32 aircraft) 2010
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 3 (17 aircraft) 2008
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 2 (12 aircraft) 2007
Full funding approved for LRIP lot 1 (2 aircraft) 2007

Originaly planned in 2012 for US services : 42 : 30A, 12 B/C, President request : 34 and Congress to say 38.

AF-2, the second production F-35, became the first F-35 to reach 1,000 flying hours, a significant milestone in this aircraft program, on June 11th, 2014.

 

[asif iqbal]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Good job forbin but I don't get your last sentence

What exactly does 40:30A mean? Is that 40 x F35A or 30 x F35A??

Then 12 B/C I assume is 12 x F35B/C then what's the president and congress part 34 and 38 can we be clear here ?

 

[Franklin]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

This is a video of a crash of a Yak-41 Freestyle prototype. The F-35B has inherited its lifting fan system. I was going to ask whether this can happen to the F-35B. But after doing some more reading after posting i would say no. The F-35B has its fuel tanks on the top side of the plane. This plane has its fuel tanks at the bottom side. It was the undercarage that ruptured the fuel tanks.

[video=youtube;kPOo1jOqZTA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPOo1jOqZTA[/video]