What a clownshow. They aren't even using the F-35s in combat missions. Imagine they were. It already costs a lot more than an F-16 in terms of maintenance per hour. If less of them are mission available it means you need more aircraft to do the same tasks which makes it even more expensive. In wartime there isn't time to do extensive maintenance. Just look at what's happened to the F-22 in the Middle East. They've removed it from there because it was degrading really fast.
US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter tphuang
- Start date
There was a Soviet bird that required extensive maintenance each time when the pilot pushed hard the engine.
Looks like the F35 will belong to the same league, apart from the speed where the engine needs refurbishment won't be above 3 Mach, but above one Mach .
But all problem can be corrected by buying more engine, so the profit of the supplier's (and the future carrier and financial wellbeing of generals) not in danger.
Looks like the F35 will belong to the same league, apart from the speed where the engine needs refurbishment won't be above 3 Mach, but above one Mach .
But all problem can be corrected by buying more engine, so the profit of the supplier's (and the future carrier and financial wellbeing of generals) not in danger.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Pretty typical spin for Burrito and Bloomberg.
So what’s happing? USAF F35 Demonstration teams are going to fly less because of engine issues.
Okay 1) This doesn’t mean there is a shortage of engines for operations and training it just means a shortfall in engines so they are cutting back on superfluous flight operations. It’s a mountain made from a mole hill. Particularly since
2) Many Airshows are likely to be canceled like they were last year due to Continued Lockdown. So how big an issue it is is questionable.
The Hollowed blade design was chosen to keep weight down well maintaining strength. Partnered with use of specialized alloys and coatings, it’s been on production jets from P&W for years.
The Heat of the system is a known factor. It’s basically standard in aviation to burn engines hotter and faster to develop more thrust.
In fact the tech is common with P&W civil aviation offerings.
Main issue here is since F35 is still relatively new it takes a while to get all the Engine shops up to speed on refit.
Yes this thread has become one lately.
First Reality check Yes they have. Including in the Middle East and Asia F35 have been rotating into conflict zones. From October 2019 to June 2020 F35 were operating against IS in Syria.
Second Reality check
If there isn’t time to do expensive maintenance in war time than the Air Forces and Navies of the world are all scrap as the Armies. In fact just ask Russia about that during the 1990s when they left most of their air forces go to rust. Their Navy go to mold and their Tank forces fall apart.
You don’t buy an airplane and let it sit without repair and maintenance it’s a waste and only leads to scrap.
Third Reality check Maintenance is always expensive but needed. Stealth is especially expensive but so are the repairs and refits to radars and other systems that fill military inventories.
F22 really isn’t needed in the Middle East as most of the operations were “deconflicted”. They showed up mostly to say “Hey Russia these are areas under our cover”
And Russia would send its fighters up and cover its guys saying. “Hey US/EU These are our guys”. When F22 did fly it was to scare the pants of some frogfoot driver who was getting close to NATO backed forces. An F15 can do that. Yet they have come and gone far more often than reported about.
Are you one of those TWZ folks who are displeased with my continued expose of your utopia?
What did i spin? I didn't even write anything except giving the link
So causing cracks on blades is standard & common tech. Because the article says
Whatever you say , i aint saying its piece of s--t
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
There and about a dozen other locations where your open bias, trolling and avocation of violent attack (TWZ) on the US is common.
Cracks in blades and delamination are part of regular wear and tear on engines. Yet your own posted article admits that the shortage is caused by delays in rebuilds.... Hmmm. Because they are fixing them just not as fast as expected.
Bloomberg reporters as with most so called “Mainstream Journalist” don’t have a technical background. As such they reaver a bad habit of dumbing down. Making problems that are common seem horrible or leaving out huge details that they don’t know or don’t want to know or are just so outside their personal understanding that they have no idea that it actually makes their perspective less relevant.
Oh yes the Proposed F16 reacquisition. I am not saying it might not happen but read the details. The proposed deal would cap F35A buys at over 1050 units of the Intended 1760+ with 600 new F16. Starting in 2023. Do the math here that would still meanS almost 3 F35A for every new F16. And that’s assuming that it happens. On top of which the two lines would be operating in parallel. Meaning that at a future date a Congress could shift back to F35 out of Texas vs F16 out of South Carolina.
OMG the F35 is doomed... Doooooommmmmeeddd..... not.
Cracks in blades and delamination are part of regular wear and tear on engines. Yet your own posted article admits that the shortage is caused by delays in rebuilds.... Hmmm. Because they are fixing them just not as fast as expected.
Bloomberg reporters as with most so called “Mainstream Journalist” don’t have a technical background. As such they reaver a bad habit of dumbing down. Making problems that are common seem horrible or leaving out huge details that they don’t know or don’t want to know or are just so outside their personal understanding that they have no idea that it actually makes their perspective less relevant.
Oh yes the Proposed F16 reacquisition. I am not saying it might not happen but read the details. The proposed deal would cap F35A buys at over 1050 units of the Intended 1760+ with 600 new F16. Starting in 2023. Do the math here that would still meanS almost 3 F35A for every new F16. And that’s assuming that it happens. On top of which the two lines would be operating in parallel. Meaning that at a future date a Congress could shift back to F35 out of Texas vs F16 out of South Carolina.
OMG the F35 is doomed... Doooooommmmmeeddd..... not.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Almost 2 to1 finger slipped.
Yeah , that's so typical. My "violent" comments are usually replies to wannabe tough guys who are good at looking tough in middle of desert. Pretty sure I've never commented on dozens of other place. That's probably US constitutional right of lying.
Yea, the "cracked blades " in turbines are standards.
Yea, the "cracked blades " in turbines are standards.
They're so narrow on margins they have to cut flights and micro-manage single-digit numbers of jets. How do you know there isn't a shortage for operations too?
Your logic is very flawed. Just because the U.S. is producing more F-35's is not a vote of confidence for its quality and utility. The continued production of the LCS ships is a perfect example. EVERYONE knows LCS is totally worthless yet production continues so the contractual obligations can be met, so the industrial jobs/capabilities can be maintained until the Constellations are ready. The latest rumour is that the $500 million LCS will be replacing $20 million patrol boats (PC's and PB's). Same considerations apply to the F-35 production.
The F-35 'program' is not doomed. F-35 the plane has failed. If the U.S. doesn't support it, how can the U.S. sell it to its allies in order to reduce costs? If these engine issues couldn't be fixed in a decade, it points to fundamental design flaws that people don't want to talk about for marketing reasons. Long ago, there was speculation that one of the major considerations the U.S. refused to export the F-22 is to force allies to have no options but to buy the F-35's.
Years ago, Bill Sweetman wrote an article about the genealogy of the F-35 (how the F-35B forward basing requirement dictated and ruined the other variants). I cannot locate it. If you are against the F-35, you will enjoy the laughs, you are for the F-35 or a U.S. tax payer, you weep a lot.
Why are the Koreans and Japanese busy developing their own planes (sounds like the U.S. is doing the same with F-15EX and new F-16's) if they are so happy and content with the F-35? Talk is cheap. Watch what people do with their money.
When it became obvious that the U.S. Navy is falling behind in ship quality and quantity, news articles start to talk up on superior U.S. sailor training and experience. We don't read much about F-35 as a fighter these days, rather just how net-centric it is. Shouldn't that worry you just a bit?
Is DefenseNews professional enough to report on the F-35?
Translation: Keep the F-35 in LRIP and at the earliest possible opportunity (FY 2023), start buying F-16's again. Counting older F-16's, the eventual fleet mix will be 1:1. This doesn't sound like much faith in the F-35 from the people that know the plane the best.