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

[Brumby]

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Another payback towards the F-35 program. This capability will enable the placement of a stealth sensor node inside the battlefield to direct target acquisition.

 

[Air Force Brat]

Batch of new videos from Lockheed. I am going to try to post the main one below. It seems that the revised web design has broken the previous way videos were posted.

this aircraft is moving very rapidly into IOC with the USMC, with the USAF close behind, they are loving their new bird, the Navy will be loving theirs as well once they begin to bring them out to the boat, it will be "game on".

 

[Jura The idiot]

F-35 Flyover Planned for Pro Bowl

Let's be honest: The Pro Bowl is kind of terrible.

Oh, for sure, it's nice to have one more game of football as the season nears the end. And there is a certain bragging right in having more players from your team there than from your rival.

But at the end of the day, the football is just... not very good. Everyone is more (rightly) focused on avoiding injuries then making big plays, players cycle in and out frequently, and the whole thing has a first-game-of-the-preseason vibe to it.

So if you're looking for a reason to check in on Sunday's game, here's a potential option: The game will feature the first-ever F-35 joint strike fighter flyover of a sporting event.

Four F-35A conventional take off and landing models, based at Luke AFB, will fly over the University of Phoenix Stadium around 6 PM local time to kick off the game. Chances are it will coincide with the national anthem, as these flyovers tend to do.

For aviation watchers, it will be a rare chance to see the F-35 flying in front of a crowd. For the service, it could be a chance to show that their oft-criticized jet is actually flying as it inches closer to going operational.

(Insert joke about how no one will be watching the Pro Bowl so the F-35 will be extra stealthy here.)

As for football fans, well... we can't really help you there. The game will probably still be terrible. But if you want to blend your interest in sports and the defense industry, keep an eye on the Super Bowl, where Seattle and New England will match up. Major sponsors for each team include Seattle-based Boeing and Boston-area Raytheon.

says

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[HMS Astute]

USMC F35C

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[Jura The idiot]

Marines Receive First F-35C

U.S. Marine Lt. Col. J.T. “Tank” Ryan, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 501 detachment commander and F-35 pilot, delivered the new F-35C to Strike Fighter Squadron 101, the Navy’s only F-35 fleet replacement squadron January 13th. This aircraft is the first of five Marine Corps F-35Cs that will be delivered to VFA-101 on Eglin.
Marine F-35 pilots primarily fly F-35Bs – a short take-off vertical landing variant designed to deploy to austere locations and operate aboard amphibious ships
“This is a big day for the Marine Corps tactical air community and a huge honor to be able to deliver our first F-35C,” said Ryan. “It marks the beginning of our training in the carrier variant and puts us that much closer to standing up our first F-35C operational fleet squadron.”
The F-35C model brings 25 percent more range and a bigger weapons bay. It also allows the Marine Corps to fly aboard Navy aircraft carriers, which continues an effective and long-standing tactical air integration program between the Navy and Marine Corps.
“In the past, Marines have been trained to fly the Navy’s F-18 Hornet to share the load of deployment cycles,” said Ryan. “Now, Marine pilots will be flying the F-35C with the Navy’s Carrier Air Wings while deployed aboard aircraft carriers.”
The first operational Marine Corps F-35C fleet squadron, VMFA-115, is scheduled to stand up at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, in 2019.
“It’s exciting to be on the ground floor of the F-35C and an enormous honor to be the first F-35C Marine pilot,” said Ryan. “I look forward to being a part of VFA-101 and the future of what this aircraft will bring to the fight for our Marines.

says

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[Air Force Brat]

Marines Receive First F-35C


says

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Now that is KOOL, the Marines are going to get a real airplane, prolly the best of the three, and def the prettiest, woo hoo!

 

[Brumby]

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Another use of the F-35 as a sensor node to enhance the protective missile ring around a carrier group. The advantage it has over the E-2D is its survivability because in a conflict, the E-2D will be a prime target.

 

[Jura The idiot]

... The advantage it has over the E-2D is its survivability because in a conflict, the E-2D will be a prime target.

at first I (wrongly thought the disadvantage would be the range/endurance, because I didn't know it's just

200 nautical-mile radius with six hours on station

for the Hawkeye

 

[strehl]

And for a bit of theater............

 

[Brumby]

at first I (wrongly thought the disadvantage would be the range/endurance, because I didn't know it's just

for the Hawkeye

The point I was making is that in a contested environment, F-35's as designed would be able to operate to provide sensor information for target acquisition unlike E-2D's which would not survive. The comparison wasn't over endurance or range. F-35's would be operating inside threat bubble.