The F-35 thread

[snoopdoggydog]

The Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) recently released a scathing assessment of the F-35 program as part of his annual report. Buried inside 48 pages of highly technical language is a gripping story of mismanagement, delayed tests, serious safety issues, a software nightmare, and maintenance problems crippling half the fleet at any given time.

The report makes clear just how far the F-35 program still has to go in the development process. Some of the technical challenges facing the program will take years to correct, and as a result, the F-35’s operationally demonstrated suitability for combat will not be known until 2022 at the earliest. While rumors that the program office would ask for a block buy of nearly 500 aircraft in the FY 2017 budget proposal did not pan out, officials have indicated they may make such a request next year. The DOT&E report clearly shows any such block commitments before 2022 are premature.

The report’s candor about the airplane’s problems is unique among the DoD’s other reports about the performance of the F-35. It only exists because Congress created an independent operational testing office in 1983 to report only to the Secretary of Defense and Congress. Without this office, significant F-35 problems might never be revealed until failure in actual combat.

As damning as this report is, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program Office quickly issued a statement disagreeing with the report’s emphasis—but acknowledging that every word of it is “factually accurate.”

Officials Continue Putting Off Key Tests Needed to Prove Combat Capability
Flight Controls Impact Maneuverability
Serious Safety Concerns Remain
Significant Logistics Software Problems
Deferring Cyber Security Testing Leaves F-35 Vulnerable
Maintenance Problems Keep F-35s Grounded
Simulation Facility Failure Threatens Testing Program
Impending Air Force IOC: Aircraft Would Be Combat-Ready in Name Only
Concurrency Tax: Extra Costs for Few Aircraft
Block Buy Purchase Discussions Are Wildly Premature
Conclusion

http://www.pogo.org/straus/issues/weapons/2016/the-f-35-still-failing-to-impress.html

 

[supersunbird]

Should just have built more F-22s, made a navalized F-22 and made a new harrier

 

[The_Librarian]

Should just have built more F-22s, made a navalized F-22 and made a new harrier

If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.

Should have taken an existing, working design, and enhanced it.

 

[FoXtroT]

Yeah, I think they tried to make too big a technological leap with a single aircraft. I mean the US have only in the past couple of years got helmet mounted sights on their legacy aircraft but then wanted to have this massively complicated and all encompassing HMD on the F-35.

Thats not to say the F-35 will fail though. Just going to take a lot longer than most thought and is going to cost massively more. Which is fine for the US but the smaller countries are going to feel the squeeze.

 

[Draganchor]

I guess too much money spent already. But agreed. A fleet of cheap drones to light up radar installations, then send in a cruise missile would have been a hell of a lot cheaper and effective.

(CNN)Three years behind schedule and some $200 billion over its original budget, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is finally set to become operational this month.

That's just over budget, convert that to ZAR.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/16/politics/f-35-jsf-operational-costs/

Edit; some interesting videos if you let it run.

 

[Segg]

They should just pull the plug on this mess, cut your losses whilst ahead, so to say

 

[The_Assimilator]

F-22 was conceptualised and designed in the 1980s, took its first flight in 1997, and reached full operation status in 2005.
F-35 was conceptualised and designed in the 1990s, took its first flight in 2006, and reached full operation status in 2015.

Designing 5th-generation fighters is difficult, just ask the Russians and Indians how the PAK-FA and HAL AMCA are working out.

 

[LazyLion]

They should take that money and build more A10 Warthogs.

 

[supersunbird]

They should take that money and build more A10 Warthogs.

Thanks for the idea in improving my post:

Should just have built more F-22s, made a navalized F-22 and made new and improved harriers and warthogs

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

F-22 was conceptualised and designed in the 1980s, took its first flight in 1997, and reached full operation status in 2005.
F-35 was conceptualised and designed in the 1990s, took its first flight in 2006, and reached full operation status in 2015.

Designing 5th-generation fighters is difficult, just ask the Russians and Indians how the PAK-FA and HAL AMCA are working out.

Indeed, but the Russians are doing it quite a bit faster at least: PAK-FA design contract awarded in 2002, first flight 2010 (Jan 2010, so close to calling it 2009) and delivery of the first operational planes scheduled for late 2016. 8 years from design to flight, 14 years from design to operation.

Is the F-35 truly operational as of 2015 with all the problems that's being written about it though?

 

[TEXTILE GUY]

Should spend the cash on long range fire and forget missiles like the Meteor, deployed from drones ..... and they can get all the composite textiles from us ....

 

[Sollie]

Should spend the cash on long range fire and forget missiles like the Meteor, deployed from drones ..... and they can get all the composite textiles from us ....

Steal the SU-35 plans and work from there

 

[Toxin]

They should take that money and build more A10 Warthogs.

Hmmmmmm........ A10 Warthogs.........

 

[Segg]

They should take that money and build more A10 Warthogs.

All hail the King of Brrrrrrrrrrtt

 

[Fulcrum29]

All hail the King of Brrrrrrrrrrtt

I can agree that she was the CAS king and superior to the early Su-25, but today that plane is nowhere as capable as the Su-25TM/SM (which is upgraded variants). The Georgian Air Force has now also adopted the Su-25, the Su-25KM, to be unique produced or upgraded.

Nonetheless the A10 can carry any CAS role yesterday, today and tomorrow, the gap however has been narrowed by the drone program.

 

[supersunbird]

When will we see a drone of the Brrrrrrrrrrtt peoples?

 

[zippy]

When will we see a drone of the Brrrrrrrrrrtt peoples?

you wont see it. You might feel it though

 

[Unhappy438]

I can agree that she was the CAS king and superior to the early Su-25, but today that plane is nowhere as capable as the Su-25TM/SM (which is upgraded variants). The Georgian Air Force has now also adopted the Su-25, the Su-25KM, to be unique produced or upgraded.

Nonetheless the A10 can carry any CAS role yesterday, today and tomorrow, the gap however has been narrowed by the drone program.

A10 is just a morale booster/fear striking plane nowadays.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-a-10-sparks-panic-in-isis-fighters-so-why-does-the-air-force-want-to-kill-it-2015-9

 

[upup]

They should take that money and build more A10 Warthogs.

I love their gun sound.

 

[supersunbird]

A10 is just a morale booster/fear striking plane nowadays.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-a-10-sparks-panic-in-isis-fighters-so-why-does-the-air-force-want-to-kill-it-2015-9

(often called the "Warthog" for its aggressive look)

And here I thought it was because it's ugly, like a warthog...