Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning and F-22 'Raptor' : News & Discussion

Pentagon announces further interruption of F-35 deliveries in coming months
29th June 2023

While Lockheed-Martin's assembly lines for the 3 versions of the F-35 fighter have never ceased production, and are now producing 9 new aircraft every month, the Pentagon has already suspended deliveries of these aircraft on several occasions, due to compliance problems or to give certain investigations time to reach completion.

Last December, for example, the delivery of US fighter jets was suspended for almost 3 months after an F-35B belonging to the US Marine Corps suffered an engine failure during a vertical landing procedure, with the pilot fortunately managing to eject before impact.

A few months earlier, in September 2022, delivery was also suspended for several weeks after the Defense Contract Management Agency revealed that the aircraft's turbine employed components made from an alloy imported from China.

In 2018, delivery was also suspended for 2 months, this time over a disagreement between the Pentagon and Lockheed-Martin about who was responsible for the corrosion problems observed on certain aircraft, and therefore for paying the $120m in repair and modification costs required to resolve the problem.

Last December, an F-35B belonging to the US Marine Corps crashed during a vertical landing procedure following a loss of power, resulting in the suspension of deliveries of the aircraft for 3 months.

This will also be the case in the coming weeks, but this time for a relay that will go far beyond the interruptions of the last few weeks. The Pentagon has informed LM that it will stop taking delivery of new F-35s in the coming weeks until the initial combat capability of the new TR-3 version, which will start being delivered in August, has been validated.

However, according to LM, this validation will not take place until the end of the year, in December to be precise, leading to an interruption in deliveries of more than 4 months, and forcing the aircraft manufacturer to stock up to 45 aircraft while awaiting the green light from the Pentagon.

But according to other sources, Lockheed's target timetable is over-optimistic, and a deadline of April 2024 seems more likely, taking the fleet of aircraft awaiting delivery beyond 80.

For the Pentagon, the aim is to put pressure on the aircraft manufacturer to speed up the pace of development, while the TR-3 version, which is essential to achieve the new Block 4 standard presented as the first fully operational fighter standard, and which should enter service in 2024, has now been postponed until 2029.

Technology Refresh 3 or TR-3, which consists of a kindergarten update to prepare for the arrival of Block 4, which will be purely software, has also experienced major delays, since it will be delivered this summer rather than last summer as initially planned.

The question now arises as to whether the American fighter, which will be the mainstay of Western air power for decades to come, has reached such a stage of technological instability that the colossal (and very costly) efforts made by American engineers to resolve the difficulties and failures encountered are insufficient to enable the programme to emerge from this same unstable situation, resulting in a constant slippage of deadlines and costs without ever achieving the desired objective?

According to the American manufacturer, a large part of the F-35 programme's "perceived lack of progress" is due to new demands from the US and foreign armed forces, requiring major adaptations and therefore additional delays.

The deadline for reaching full operational capability for the F-35 has slipped by 8 years over the last 10 years, :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: giving the impression that the programme is treading water despite the considerable human and budgetary efforts made.

However, here again, the basis of this statement raises questions about the aircraft's effectiveness, leading the armed forces to request modifications to facilitate or simply enable its use, or, from another point of view, about the effectiveness of the feedback procedures, which would hinder the smooth running of strategic upgrades, such as the one needed to reach full operational capability?

It now remains to be seen how long this suspension of delivery will actually last, to what extent these delays will give rise to others, and what the consequences will be for the armed forces of these successive delays, perhaps accompanied by direct or induced additional costs, at a time of ever-increasing international tensions?
 
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Rajput Lion said:
J-20 with WS-15 will have almost Raptor like kinematics. Fatty is seriously outgunned here. I suggest you hold your celebration buddy;)
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Retard logic but I'll play your game I'll just have to bash my head a couple times to cause brain damage to reach your level...

So I guess that mean your Rafail is REALLY outgun since it is a mach 1.8 fighter in clean configuration which means it will be slower with weapons, huh? If we go by your dumb logic.
 
Innominate said:
Retard logic but I'll play your game I'll just have to bash my head a couple times to cause brain damage to reach your level...

So I guess that mean your Rafail is REALLY outgun since it is a mach 1.8 fighter in clean configuration which means it will be slower with weapons, huh? If we go by your dumb logic.
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So, kinematics=Only top speed, huh..? Rafale will dance all around current J-20 with ease. But with WS-15 now in serial production and if its rumoured thrust of 180KN is correct then even Rafale is outgunned. Happy now?

Honestly you F-35 fans are really obsessed with Rafale. Smh.
 
Optimist said:
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Buying F-35 Fighters ‘Biggest Mistake’ Of Australia; US Jets A ‘Total Disaster’, Can’t ‘Stand Up’ To China — Aussie Critic
By Tanmay Kadam December 6, 2022

Australia’s fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jets have again come under the scanner due to concerns related to their cost, capabilities, and viability for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

A senior Australian journalist, Brian Toohey, who has been writing extensively for Australia’s national security policy since 1973, has criticized the ‘Defense Strategy Review’ of the Australian government that has recommended buying the fourth squadron of F-35 fighter jets.

Australia has committed to buying 72 F-35A fighter jets for three operational squadrons, and adding a fourth squadron will bring the total number of aircraft to 96.

However, Toohey points out the long history of costly problems of the F-35s already acquired while arguing that Australia “should be asking for a refund” and that “the biggest mistake was to buy the plane in the first place.”

In April, Air Vice-Marshal Leon Phillips, head of the Aerospace Systems Division, informed the Australian parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Legislation Committee that the government expects to spend a whopping AUD14.6 billion ($10.87 billion) to sustain its Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fleet till 2053.

Before that, in February 2022, budget estimates documents filed by the Australian Department of Defense (DoD) revealed that RAAF’s F-35 Lightning II aircraft would spend less time in the air over the next four years than previously expected, igniting a national debate on the aircraft’s capability and viability.

Flying hours of the F-35 have been revised by 25% in the 2021-22 financial year (FY22) and are slated to be cut down by 17% in FY23, 14% in FY24, and 13% in FY25.

Australian media reports suggested the cause behind the reduction in expected flight hours was supposed to be maintenance issues related to operating the Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs).

The opposition also said that the $16.6 billion fighter jet program was “plagued with issues.” It sought an explanation from the then Defense Minister Peter Dutton about the data in the DoD’s budget estimates documents.

F-35s Cannot Meet Australia’s Security Needs

Australia joined the F-35 JSF program as a Level 3 industrial partner in 2002 and committed to buying 72 planes for approximately $16 billion.

So far, the RAAF has received 54 of its planned 72 F-35As, and the service intends to have all of its aircraft operational by the end of 2023.

However, according to defense experts and Australian media reports, the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters supplied to the RAAF have turned out to be a total disaster.

For example, Australia’s two F-35 fighter jets, purchased for more than $280 million in 2013, are probably too old to be updated to the current configuration.

Apart from that, there are also shortcomings in the F-35s capabilities relevant to Australia’s security needs.

As reported earlier by EurAsian Times, the effective combat radius of the F-35A is only about 1,000 kilometers, and with a tanker aircraft, it could be extended to around 1,500 kilometers.

The F-35A cannot reach the South China Sea without aerial refueling. Even then, in the middle of a conflict, the availability of aerial tankers is doubtful over contested airspace.

Furthermore, the Australian defense journalist, Anthony Galloway, has suggested that the actual combat range of the F-35 might only be around 500 kilometers, considering the aircraft will have to accelerate during combat which uses more fuel.

Also, while the F-35 is said to be a supersonic fighter, experts suggest the fighter cannot get to a target, or away, in a hurry if required because it can only fly at its top speed of 1,960 kilometers per hour (1.6 Mach) for 50 seconds after which it has to slow down noticeably.

F-35 Version Not Fit To Go Up Against China

Another major problem of Australia’s latest F-35 aircraft is that they use the Block 3F software, a digital operating system designed by Lockheed Martin. It has also been proving very expensive to keep updated.

Worse, the current F-35 version is not even fit to go up against China, according to senior US Air Force officials.

Last year, Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote, the USAF’s deputy chief of staff, expressed grave concerns about the Block 3F software, saying, “the block that is coming off the line right now is not a block that I feel good about going up against China and Russia.”

Hinote noted that the USAF did not even use the current version of the F-35 during the war games held in 2018 and 2019, focusing on the scenario of a Chinese air attack in Taiwan.

“We wouldn’t even play the current version of the F-35. It wouldn’t be worth it. … Every fighter that rolls off the line today is a fighter we wouldn’t even bother putting into these scenarios,” said Hinote.

The only solution to these problems is a significant upgrade to the Block 4 operating system software, which is being advocated by Lockheed Martin and is reportedly running years late, with delivery expected before 2027. Also, it is going to be very expensive.

More importantly, as EurAsian Times reported earlier, a full Block 4 upgrade will include advanced electronic warfare capabilities, improved target recognition, and the ability to carry more missiles, among other features.

This may require a significant upgrade to the existing Pratt & Whitney F135 Engine, or possibly even a new engine, as the Block 4 upgrades will need more power from the propulsion system and will also make the fighter run hotter, requiring greater cooling capabilitities
 
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