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

[Jeff Head]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

I don't know that I have ever seen a night "roll out" photo, cool, but a little "surreal". Brat

Hehehe...working overtime. Gotta get 'em out the door! Lots and lots more to go.

 

[Obi Wan Russell]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

The 100th aircrft is under construction.

To date, 81 aircraft have been completed and delivered. Of those, 42 are now serviing in various official Armed Forces Squadrons...mostly Test Squadrons.

Here's the Break Down:

F-35A (CTOL):
US Air Force: 41 deliveries
- 461 FLTS - 2 aircraft
- 058 FS - 10 aircraft
- 031 TES - 5 aircraft

Netherlands: 2 devliveries

F-35B (STOVL):
US Marines: 28 deliveries
- VMFAT-501 - 14 Aircraft
- VMFA-121 - 7 aircraft

United Kingdom: 3 deliveries
- RAF 617 Sq TS - 3 aircraft

F-35C (CATOBAR):
US Navy: 7 deliveries
- VFA-101 - 1 aircraft

Program is moving along...we should see 40 more aircraft added to these overall numbers this year in 2013.

Whilst 617sqn has been announced as the first operational UK F-35B sqn, the training unit will be 17sqn, currently the OCU for the Typhoon. These three aircraft will be part of 17 sqn when it stands up. Most probably the second frontline unit will be 800NAS.

 

[delft]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

I think both of you are confusing semantics. Rolled out (of a factory) and taken delivery by another country's air force are completely different things. These birds are NOT physically in the Netherlands. They may not be for many more months.

If they ever reach The Netherlands they can find a place in a museum. They're test aircraft and will most likely never be fit for operational use.

 

[Jeff Head]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Whilst 617sqn has been announced as the first operational UK F-35B sqn, the training unit will be 17sqn, currently the OCU for the Typhoon. These three aircraft will be part of 17 sqn when it stands up. Most probably the second frontline unit will be 800NAS.

Thanks Obi Wan. I will correct my original post. There is a data base on F35.net or F16.net where they are keeping track of each and every aircraft and they are listing them as part of the 617th. I will post them and give them this info.

 

[Jeff Head]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

If they ever reach The Netherlands they can find a place in a museum. They're test aircraft and will most likely never be fit for operational use.

I'm not so sure. As I understand it, all aircraft coming off the line now are a part of the ILRP (Initial Low Rate Production) aircraft runs for the various variants. The "A" is particularly the furthest along. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Pointblank]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

First F-35B STOVL take off and landing at night!
The video here:

[video=youtube_share;atdre1joRsY]http://youtu.be/atdre1joRsY[/video]

 

[Air Force Brat]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

First F-35B STOVL take off and landing at night!
The video here:

Watch the vid, that is awesome, it is interesting to see the AB plume change colors as it is throttled down during the hover to initiate a sink rate, appears to throttle back up slightly as that sink commences, it does "boing" a little as she make contact with the deck! The ThunderHogge II has arrived. Ye-HaH! good job pointblank, thank-you. Brat

 

[thecheeto]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

US Navy and USMC talking about the F-35. Possibly more interesting, they're talking about whats broken, and they say it's the procurement system.

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[TerraN_EmpirE]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Lock mart is now it seems looking to use the stealth coatings from the charlie model lightning on their new UCLASS UCAV concept

 

[delft]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Dutch radio news just said that the US is prepared to reduce the tariff for storing the two Dutch F-35's, now about $ 1 million per six months, because the test program is delayed so much that these two can't be flown.