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uk.businessinsider.com/japans-first-f-35-gets-deployed-amid-china-threat-2018-2?r=US&IR=T

Japan's first operational F-35 gets deployed amid rising threat from China
Ben Brimelow
Feb. 2, 2018, 10:00 PM 89
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Japanese F 35 Misawa AB
Japan's first F-35 deployed at Misawa Air Base Japan Air Self Defense Force

Japan has deployed its first operational F-34 stealth fighter to the Misawa Air Base.
The development comes as China is becoming increasingly bold in the East China Sea and around disputed territory.
The F-35 will replace Japan's aging F-4s, and will become an essential part of their future air defenses.

Just before the end of January, the Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) announced that it had deployed its first operational F-35 at Misawa Air Base.

Misawa Air Base is shared by the JASDF and the US Air Force, and located in the northern most part of Japan's Aomori Prefecture.

"The F-35A will bring transformation in air defence power and significantly contribute to the peace for citizens and ensure security," JASDF 3rd Air Wing commander major general Kenichi Samejima said.

"All service members will do their best to secure flight safety and promptly establish an operational squadron structure step-by-step."

American officials at the base also welcomed the development, with the commander of the US's 35th Fighter Wing, Colonel R. Scott Jobe, saying that US pilots "look forward to training alongside our JASDF counterparts and continuing to enhance the safety and security of Japan together."

The F-35 will be the most advanced fighter jet in the JASDF arsenal. Nine more F-35s are planned to be deployed by the end of the 2018 fiscal year.

In all, Japan intends to field at least 42 F-35s over the next few years. The first four F-35s were made in the US, and the remaining 38 will be assembled by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan.

Despite some controversies like cost overruns and the issue that no Japanese-made parts will be in the future jets, the F-35 is seen as essential for the JASDF in countering an increasingly capable and aggressive China.

Japan has reportedly been mulling replacing the helicopters on their Izumo-class helicopter carrier with the short vertical take-off and landing (SVTOL) variant of the F-35 that is fielded by the US Marine Corps, something that China has warned against.
 
Pentagon ‘can't afford the sustainment costs‘ on F-35, Lord says

WASHINGTON – Sustainment costs on the F-35 are poised to become unaffordable, and that’s a big challenge for Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s newly christened undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.​
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As a result, Lord is focused on testing new business and data processes on the fifth-generation stealth fighter, including leveraging big data analytics for sustainment purposes.​
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“Right now, we can’t afford the sustainment costs we have on the F-35. And we’re committed to changing that,” Lord told reporters at a Jan. 31 roundtable, adding that the plane is the “most significant” program in the Department of Defense.​
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The A&S head described the jet as an “awesome aircraft” in all three of its variants, but acknowledged that “the threat is rapidly evolving and we want to make sure we get the development work done to make sure by 2025” that there is new capability on the plane.​
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It’s not the first warning on F-35 sustainment costs in recent weeks. On Jan. 18, Will Roper, the nominee to be for Air Force acquisition chief, said he was “deeply concerned” about sustainment on the F-35, saying it would be one of the first things he would tackle if confirmed.​
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With just over 250 joint strike fighters absorbed into the fleet already, the Defense Department is experiencing a number of problems sustaining the aircraft. In an October report, the Government Accountability Office laid out numerous challenges, including long maintenance times for parts, a spare parts shortage and delayed updates to the F-35’s logistics system.​
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After the report was released, the F-35 joint program office stated that although it was factually accurate based on the data gathered at the time, it “does not fully account for the critical work the F-35 sustainment team has led over the past several months to accelerate depot capability and capacity, implement solutions to increase spare parts and reduce overall sustainment costs.”​
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Lord said her team is “in the process” of detailing six acquisition professionals from her team just to focus on the sustainment issue for the jet, working hand in hand with the F-35 joint program office. The goal, she said is to go to the basics of how sustainment is done and to try new methods for driving costs down.​
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“It’s really deconstructing a program, as you always would, but [F-35] being a large complex program with international partners, [foreign military sales] coming up, there’s a complexity to it that benefits from fresh eyes that are familiar with the program routinely looking at and asking questions,” she explained.​
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Because F-35 is such a massive program, the hope is to prove out these fresh approaches and then drag them onto other sets of major defense acquisition programs, including the use of data analytics to find ways to cut costs.​
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“One of the things we’ve been talking about a lot is that we will be data driven. So we are frankly wasting people’s time if we sit around with opinions and concepts,” Lord said. “If that is not backed up by analytical rigor and the data behind it. So, we’re practicing all of that on the F-35. I think we’re getting a little sharper in all the areas.”​
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TL;DR: They can't pay the upkeep for the current fleet and they're hoping maintenance data from ALIS will help them figure out some possible optimizations to make to reduce sustainment cost.

This IMO does not bode well for third countries with small fleet, like Denmark or the Netherlands. They won't be able to get the same kind of economies of scale as the Pentagon, so the effects of these optimizations is not going to be noticeable for them.
 
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All F-35 B's and C's have paid for the remodelling to block 3F standard.

USAF as usual drags its *censored*. What's clear is no, 200 F-35's will not retire to training before seeing combat.
 
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Shashank said:
Ajai shukla was very reliable source of Information during early forum days of mine. He has lost his crediblity with time and is only a news peddling guy with an agenda these days.
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The credibility of writer is the only big problem with the F-35 claim.

We need to wait for official movement from govt sources to see if it's true or not.
 
He should have stayed specialized in ground affairs... And not get so bitter after he was denied a back seat in Rafale...
 
the F35 will soon have the wings cut like the F22 at the time. it will be surely unfinished. the arrival of J20 / FC31 / SU57 impact will run the next project 6th generation aircraft. it will be a very bad surprise for all customers. clearly, the F35 will become a living dead.

6th gen fighter receives major budget boost...

link below:
SNAFU!: 6th gen fighter receives major budget boost...
“We have to be ready for not only what we need today but we better be ready for the potential threats … 10, 20 years from now,” Martin said.

This is curious. The USAF has said on various occasions that the F-35 is superior to the F-22 in many scenarios and that it will serve till 2050 and some have even said 2070.

So with that being the case why are they talking about potential threats in the 10-20 year timeframe? Why are they pumping money into a next gen fighter instead of dumping every penny to make the F-35 work now?
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source origin

USAF Speeds Next-Gen Fighter Family, With Eye Toward China
In particular, the Air Force is spending $2.7 billion more than planned over the next five years (almost $10 billion in total) to accelerate “Next Generation Air Dominance” (NGAD), a family of systems designed to ensure air superiority well into the century. The effort likely will include a next-generation fighter to replace the F-22, F-35, or both.
Click to expand...


Meanwhile, even as the Air Force has slowed the ramp-up of F-35 production, the service is investing in modernizing its legacy fighters—the F-15C-E, F-16 and F-22.
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