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

Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

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according to NavalToday F-35Bs complete weapons load tests aboard USS America
The F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jets that are currently carrying out the third developmental test phase (DT-III) aboard amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) reached a new milestone as the program completed weapons load testing on November 16.

A group of the next-generation aircraft from Patuxent River Integrated Test Force tested flying qualities at various aircraft weights, in particular in regard to crosswinds, sink rates, and high sea states. Additionally, the DT-III weapons team evaluated ordnance separation tests and live-fire tests.

USS America’s weapons department assembled two types of smart bombs for the testing. The team assembled 72 laser-guided Guide Bomb Units (GBU) 12 and 40 satellite-guided GBU-32s for the first time in the ship’s short history.

Laser-guided bomb (LGB) kits consist of a computer control group and air foil group normally attached to a general-purpose bomb to form an LGB. The dual mode, laser-guided kit enhances existing LGB kits by adding GPS/inertial navigation system capabilities.

Six GBU-12s were dropped on a live-weapons range in Yuma, Arizona during a two-day live-weapons drill.

“We’re here to augment the existing weight center of gravity effects of the aircraft to expand the fleet envelope wind over deck, and different lateral symmetry and asymmetry configurations,” said Gabriella Spehn, a F-35 weapons engineer from the Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (ITF).

The DT-III weapons team conducted the load tests on land prior to embarking on America. The team tested all of the takeoff and landing worst-case scenarios and endpoints.

“The only way to increase the endpoints is to test on board a ship for sink rates and high sea states, which is the next phase of testing after land-based testing is complete,” Spehn said. “There is no way to recreate the conditions that come with being out to sea.”

Although the tests are conducted to assess the limits of the aircraft, Spehn explained all tests are evaluated and conducted safely.

“We don’t just keep testing until something goes catastrophically wrong,” she said. “Each engineering discipline has to look back at the data we’ve collected after the most recent flight and completion of each test point, and then figure out if we feel comfortable proceeding to the next point.”

The F-35B DT-III pilots purposely conducted test flights under various unfavorable environmental conditions to test the aircraft’s limitations and capabilities.

“As we all know, we can’t choose the battle and the location of the battle, so sometimes we have to go into rough seas with heavy swells, heave, roll, pitch, and crosswinds,” said Royal air force (RAF) Squadron Leader Andy Edgell, an F-35 test pilot embedded at the Pax River ITF.

“The last couple of days we went and purposely found those nasty conditions and put the jets through those places, and the jet handled fantastically well. So now the external weapons testing should be able to give the fleet a clearance to carry weapons with the rough seas and rough conditions. We know the jet can handle it. A fleet clearance will come — then they can go forth and conduct battle in whatever environment,” Edgell added.

For many of the sailors assigned to weapons department, it was the first time in their career they were given the opportunity to handle ordnance.

“For us, this is how we make a difference on board the ship,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Hung Lee, a quality assurance safety observer. “Being able to do this feels like we are supporting the overall scope of what the ship is trying to achieve. Without ordnance, to us, this ship isn’t a warship. This is what we do.”

Lee explained working with ordnance of any type, live or inert, presents a danger. Even the lightest type of ordnance the team assembled, the GBU-12, weighs 500 lbs.

“At any point in time when there is any carelessness during a build, anyone can get hurt or lose their life,” he said. “For instance, bombs have been known to fall on people as the ship takes rolls. That is why we need quality assurance and safety personnel at all times during a build.”

The team normally builds eight bombs at a time in a method similar to an assembly line.

“The first thing we do is break out all of the equipment, starting with the bomb body, which contains the warhead,” he said. “We then attach the fins which help stabilize the aircraft, and attach the computer control group which guides the bomb. After the assembly is complete, we inspect the unit and all of the components.”
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FORBIN

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Jura said:
according to NavalToday F-35Bs complete weapons load tests aboard USS America

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It is mainly a matter of procedure according the manual with the rules... and put into practice eventualy can be again modified.
For nuclear weapons the chief is with the book and everything must be done exactly like this no improvisation possible !
 
Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

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according to DoDBuzz Marines’ F-35B Passes Final Ship Qualification Test
The third and final round of F-35B shipboard testing wrapped up Sunday after the 5th-generation aircraft completed a number of key “firsts”–including live ordnance operations aboard ship and full weapons load tests.

The three-week developmental test round began in late October aboard the amphibious assault ship America, off the coast of San Diego. The America, the Navy’s newest amphibious ship, is also the first to be built without a well deck, creating more aircraft storage space for the F-35 on future deployments.

In one of the final tests, the aircraft tested out the full “envelope” of its external weapons load capabilities using real ordnance Nov. 16. According to a news release from the America, the ship’s weapons department assembled 72 laser-guided Guide Bomb Units (GBU-) 12 and 40 satellite-guided GBU-32 for the test, a first for the ship. As part of the test, the ship searched out choppy seas and subpar weather conditions to observe how the plane would handle when loaded down with thousands of pounds of ordnance.

“As we all know, we can’t choose the battle and the location of the battle, so sometimes we have to go into rough seas with heavy swells, heave, roll, pitch, and crosswinds,” Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Andy Edgell, an F-35 test pilot embedded at the Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Force, said in a statement. “The last couple of days we went and purposely found those nasty conditions and put the jets through those places, and the jet handled fantastically well. So now the external weapons testing should be able to give the fleet a clearance to carry weapons with the rough seas and rough conditions. We know the jet can handle it. A fleet clearance will come — then they can go forth and conduct battle in whatever environment.”

After the bombs were built and loaded, aircraft and test pilots from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 completed two days of live weapons testing, dropping six GBU-12s on a live-weapons range in Yuma, Arizona, according to the release.

“I am amazed at the level at which our ordnance team was able to increase their proficiency in building bombs,” Lt. Cmdr. Todd Blackman, weapons officer for the America, said in a statement. “This was our ‘ordies’ first real build of bombs on USS America, and when the call came to begin building, it took them on average of three hours to build four bombs. In a matter of days, their time decreased to one hour to get the bombs out.”

The Marine Corps’ first operational F-35 squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, is now gearing up to deploy forward to Japan in January in preparation for a shipboard deployment aboard the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Pacific.
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PACIFIC OCEAN -- An MV-22B Osprey takes off from the flight deck of USS America (LHA 6), November 19, 2016. The Osprey dropped off distinguished visitors and media before the Lightning Carrier Proof of Concept Demonstration. The demonstration is the first shipboard Marine Corps F-35B integration demonstration alongside other Marine Corps Air Combat Element assets. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Thor Larson/Released)
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PACIFIC OCEAN-- The USS America (LHA-6), the Navy's newest class of ship, floats off the coast of California. The USS America is specifically designed for the new F-35B and MV-22B. With over 22,500 flight hours, the F-35B is the most versatile aircraft in the skies today. (U.S. Marine Corps Photos by Cpl. Thor Larson/Released)
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PACIFIC OCEAN-- An F-35B Lightning II hovers before landing aboard the USS America (LHA 6) during the Lightning Carrier Proof of Concept Demonstration, November 19, 2016. The demonstration is the first shipboard Marine Corps F-35B integration demonstration alongside other Marine Corps Air Combat Element assets. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Thor Larson/Released)
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PACIFIC OCEAN -- Two F-35B Lightning II's sit on the flight deck aboard USS America (LHA 6), November 17, 2016, for the Lightning Carrier Proof of Concept Demonstration.With over 22,500 flight hours logged the F-35B is the most versatile aircraft in the skies today. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Thor Larson/Released)
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Jura The idiot

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it's fresh:
Canada Plans to Buy 18 Super Hornets, Start Fighter Competition in 2017
Canada will explore an interim buy of 18 Super Hornet fighter jets from Boeing, a blow to Lockheed Martin that kicks a final decision on whether to procure the F-35 further down the road.

"Canada will immediately explore the acquisition of 18 new Super Hornet aircraft to supplement the CF-18s until the permanent replacement arrives," the Canadian government announced in a release. "Canada's current fleet is now more than 30 years old and is down from 138 aircraft to 77. As a result, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) faces a capability gap."

Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Canada will launch a larger fighter competition next year, after it wraps up its defense policy. But the competition will likely take about five years, which kicks the decision into the next administration. Liberal Party Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had vowed not to buy the F-35 joint strike fighter.

"We have a capability gap. We have selected the minimum number of aircraft to meet this capability gap here. At the same time, we are launching a full competition and making sure that we take the appropriate time, without cutting corners to get the right airplane," said Sajjan.

Judy Foote, the country’s minister of Public Services and Procurement, said it would start talking with Boeing “immediately” so that the country could amass an interim fleet as quickly as possible. She said Canada’s ministry of defense had “some idea" of how much the planes would cost, but that the details would be finalized in negotiations.

Boeing was elated by the news, a major win for the company that could help extend the life of one of its fourth-generation fighter jets.

"Boeing is honored to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force with the only multi-role fighter aircraft that can fulfill its immediate needs for sovereign and North American defense," the company stated in a news release. "The Super Hornet's advanced operational capabilities, low acquisition and sustainment costs, and Boeing's continued investment in the Canadian aerospace industry — US$6 billion over the past five years alone — make the Super Hornet the perfect complement to Canada's current and future fighter fleet."

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin was less pleased with the decision, restating its hope that the Canadian government would ultimately purchase the fighter.

“Lockheed Martin recognizes the recent announcement by the Government of Canada of its intent to procure the 4th generation F/A-18 Super Hornet as an interim fighter capability,” the company said in a statement. “Although disappointed with this decision, we remain confident the F-35 is the best solution to meet Canada's operational requirements at the most affordable price, and the F-35 has proven in all competitions to be lower in cost than 4th generation competitors. The F-35 is combat ready and available today to meet Canada's needs for the next 40 years.”

Canada, an international partner in the joint strike fighter program, will continue its participation in the program, the government stated.
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Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

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according to DefenseTech Canada to Buy Super Hornets as F-35 Hits Setbacks
The Canadian government is in negotiations to buy 18
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, a blow to the
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program, which was originally envisioned to replace Canada’s 30-plus-year-old CF-18 Hornet fleet.

Canadian officials will explore upgrading the country’s aircraft to the Super Hornet as an interim option before final decisions are made for an open competition — a process that could still include procuring the F-35 for its aging fleet.

Just not yet.

The Liberal Party of Canada, headed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on Tuesday announced an urgent need for “a new squadron of interim aircraft” and turned to Boeing to recapitalize the
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.

Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan
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in Ottawa that the overuse of Canada’s McDonnell Douglas-made CF-18 fleet “would carry risk this government is not willing to take” to sustain current supplemental operations in NATO and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.

Competition to purchase an entirely new fighter jet will come at a later date, Sajjan said.

“The government will launch, in its current mandate, a wide-open and transparent competition to replace the CF-18 fleet,” he said.

Even though Canada has been in discussions for years to purchase
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, lawmakers have grown weary of setbacks in the stealth jet program.

In June, Trudeau called the aircraft one that “
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.”

In the latest setback,
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in mid-air last month. The service is investigating the incident.

In September, the Air Force
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of 13 out of 104 F-35s in its fleet “due to the discovery of peeling and crumbling insulation in avionics cooling lines inside the fuel tanks,” according to a statement at the time. Two additional aircraft, belonging to Norway and stationed at
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, also were affected.

The 13 F-35s, plus the two belonging to Norway, are back up and running, according to a story from
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.

In a statement Tuesday, Lockheed Martin said that although it is “disappointed with this decision, we remain confident the F-35 is the best solution to meet Canada’s operational requirements at the most affordable price, and the F-35 has proven in all competitions to be lower in cost than 4th generation competitors.”

“The F-35 is combat ready and available today to meet Canada’s needs for the next 40 years,” the statement said.
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