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

[FORBIN]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Love that pic!

There are ten F-35s under construction right there and GD has the capability to double and triple that in the future under full production.

The US built 187 F-22s (and should have built twice that). The US is about to finish the 100th F-35, with a LOT more coming.

Is anyone else in the world manufacturing 5th generation production stealth fighters at all?

Double or triple, very easily, normaly FRP start in 2018 with 100 build only for US Services by year ( 60A and 40 B/C ) and after is provided 120.

 

[FORBIN]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Lockheed and Pentagon reach new deal

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For US services 60 was the expected number and price lowering yet

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The reactor cost before 10 millions dollars and now about 8.


LRIP 6 : 31 : 18A, 6B, 7C
LRIP 7 : 29 : 19A, 6B, 4C

And especially the sequestration does not affect, i have read about 5A, 2B, 2C in less ...

 

[FORBIN]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

and price lowering yet

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LRIP 5, which was inked late last year
F-35A $105 million
F-35B $113 million
F-35C $125 million

LRIP 6, new
F-35A $101 million
F-35B $108 million
F-35C $120 million

LRIP 7, new
F-35A $ 97 million
This is the first time since the program began production that the projected unit cost will be under $100 million.
F-35B $104 million
F-35C $115 million

 

[asif iqbal]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Perfect example

More you build the cheaper it gets

 

[delft]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Nien!, achtung! the Dutch have accepted their first test aircraft F-001, it will likely be flown to Eglin by an American pilot, and the Dutch technicians will begin training on it shortly, I assume that there is a first Dutch pilot scheduled to transition into the F-35 as soon as the political obstacles are cleared?? brat

Wrong. The first aircraft is to be mothballed and only taken out twice a year to see if it still functions. It will then, from 2015, be used for testing. The second is to be treated similarly. What are now being built, by the score, are in essence still test aircraft.

 

[Jeff Head]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Wrong. The first aircraft is to be mothballed and only taken out twice a year to see if it still functions. It will then, from 2015, be used for testing. The second is to be treated similarly. What are now being built, by the score, are in essence still test aircraft.

They are being handed over to the Dutch...what the Dutch do with them is their affair.

These are aircraft, like those for the British, which are meant for the Dutch to begin their preparations for use. If they chose to delay that, that is their affair. But the aircraft are being handed over, and they are for the Dutch to test and then make use of.

 

[Air Force Brat]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Wrong. The first aircraft is to be mothballed and only taken out twice a year to see if it still functions. It will then, from 2015, be used for testing. The second is to be treated similarly. What are now being built, by the score, are in essence still test aircraft.

No, the aircraft now being built are operationally coded for many of the operators, the Dutch airplane will be available at Eglin for the ground and maintenance techs to familiarize themselves with the aircraft, what they ultimately do with it is their business, but it is to be based in Florida, at Eglin AFB, and yes the two Dutch aircraft are test aircraft, the USAF and USMC are currently standing up operational squadrons in spite of sequestration. brat

 

[thunderchief]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Again talks about reducing number of F-35s , even cancellation of entire program :

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Pentagon downplays prospects of cancelling F-35, bomber

Aug 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Thursday downplayed concerns it could cancel the F-35 fighter and a new stealth bomber, after leaked documents from a budget review suggested the programs might be eliminated as one way to deal with deep budget cuts.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday that finding $500 billion in budget cuts required by law over the next decade, on top of $487 billion in cuts already being implemented, required tough trade-offs between the size of the military and high-end weapons programs.

Pentagon briefing slides shown to various groups mapped out those tradeoffs in stark terms, indicating that a decision to maintain a larger military could result in the cancellation of the $392 billion Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 program and a new stealthy, long-range bomber, according to several people who saw the slides.

Defense officials later stressed there were no plans to kill either program, noting that dismantling the F-35 program in particular would have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. military services and 10 foreign countries involved in the program, which is already in production.................................

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[Jeff Head]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Defense officials stressed there were no plans to kill either program, noting that dismantling the F-35 program in particular would have far-reaching consequences for the U.S. military services and 10 foreign countries involved in the program, which is already in production

So, some budget analyst showed them they could get all the way to their budget goals by simply canceling the F-35...but my guess is that individual did not account for the "cost" of canceling that program either, that would result from Lockheed Martin who has expended billions in getting it this far and is in current production of the aircraft, or from our allies who are basing much of their future defense capabilities in the air on the F-35, or to ourselves from a defense standpoint.

That's why the one quote I show here is the money quote for the whole article.

Rueters and others have taken a "leaked" slide from some 50,000 ft discussion and tried to make a story of it...but it's not going to happen.

 

[thunderchief]

re: F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Thread

Outright cancellation of F-35 program is almost impossible , too much money already spent and other countries involved . But , scaling back numbers is much more realistic . From article :


Analysts said Hagel and other Pentagon officials appeared to be leaning toward the option that would emphasize high-end weapons programs over force size.


Jim Thomas, vice president at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said the two options of a smaller military or sharp cutback in weapons programs represented a false dichotomy.

"This is almost one reasonably attractive option and a straw man that looks pretty unattractive," he said. "I don't think we're going to end up at either of these corners on the map. I think that you're going to get a hybrid solution."