Internationale fighter ontwikkelingen

[StrataNL]

Dat zat er al een tijdje aan te komen...werd in het rapport over 2015 al voor gewaarschuwd.

[Harald]

Final F-35 Testing Slips To 2018 
(... ca. 6 maanden uitstel van IOT&E, eerst was start in 2017, wordt nu 2018 .. verschuiving heeft te maken met de problemen en het oplossen ervan in de software 3i, welke weer moet leiden naar de definitieve 3F welke gebruikt moet worden in de IOT&E en de aanpassingen in de F-35 toestellen )

The military's top weapons tester has been warning for months that the F-35 will not be ready for its final major test phase until 2018 at the earliest. Today, the Pentagon officially acknowledged the schedule slip.

"We reviewed the status of operational test planning, and there is consensus that that is likely to occur in calendar year 2018 given the realities of the schedule at this time," said Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's top acquisition official, during a Tuesday conference call. "The target was the middle of 2017, but it's clear we're not going to make that."

This slip reflects a six-month delay for initial operational test and evaluation, or IOT&E, the last major period of testing before full-rate production.

..../....

Voor het gehele artikel, zie onderstaande LINK
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/2016/05/24/final-f-35-testing-slips-2018/84885820/

[Sparkplug]

U.K. Planning Four Front-Line F-35 Squadrons

Tony Osborne | Aerospace Daily & Defense Report | May 19, 2016

LONDON—The U.K. is planning to build a future force of four front-line F-35 squadrons, now that the country has committed to a fleet of 138 aircraft.

The U.K. will build a front-line fleet of 48 aircraft, 12 per squadron. A fifth unit, also with 12 aircraft, will be formed as an operational conversion unit (OCU), Air Cmdr. Harvey Smyth, the commander of the U.K.'s Lightning Force, told reporters on the sidelines of an F-35 training conference here May 19.

An additional three aircraft will serve with 17 Sqn, an operational test and evaluation unit which will be based at Edwards AFB, California. This means the U.K. will have an operational fleet of around 63 aircraft, less than half of the total number of F-35s that the U.K. has agreed to purchase under last year's Strategic Defense and Security Review. But Smyth pointed out that the total number would cover attrition replacements and the so-called sustainment fleet, which is defined as additional aircraft required to sustain the fleet to its out-of-service date as well as to cover maintenance. Other U.K. combat aircraft also have large sustainment fleets.

The U.K. is in the process of establishing its first front-line unit, 617 Sqn., which will be stood up at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina in January 2018. The squadron will move to the U.K. that summer and achieve an interim operating capability on land by that year's end.

"Once the squadron is formed up, they have six months to get things squared away before starting a transition back to the U.K. starting in June of 2018," Smyth told delegates.

Smyth said the U.K. does not plan to disperse its F-35s to other bases. All F-35 operations will be concentrated at RAF Marham, Norfolk, currently the U.K.'s main Panavia Tornado operating base. Over the coming years Marham's infrastructure will undergo an about £500 million renovation. It will include the construction of an integrated training center and maintenance facilities, as well as improvements to runways, taxiways and the construction of three hover pads.

U.K. operations will be conducted from hardened aircraft shelters (HAS), each of which can house two aircraft. Two HAS sites at Marham with multiple shelters will eventually each house two squadrons.

The OCU unit, which has not been given a squadron number, will begin training in the U.K. in the third quarter of 2019. The second front-line squadron, 809 Naval Air Squadron, will not form until April 2023.

The F-35s will form the backbone of the U.K.'s carrier strike capability, using the two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. So the Lightning Force will also have to begin preparing to go to sea. First sea trials with F-35s operating from the ship are planned for late 2018 off the U.S. East Coast. A maritime initial operating capability at sea is expected in late 2020.

Smyth told delegates the Lightning Force would face some challenges training in U.K. airspace. The U.K.'s increasingly crowded skies means that performing large-scale exercises with multiple flights would likely have to be done overseas or in a synthetic environment.

Overseas options include the Red Flag exercises in Nevada or Alaska or Maple Flag at Cold Lake in Canada. Australia is also considering conducting exercises in its extensive Woomera ranges, where the U.K. tested its Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator.

"In the good old days ... we could put 40-50-60 aircraft into Scotland and run a pretty good joined up exercise and everyone would have their own piece of airspace and we'd get lots of good training out of it," Smyth told delegates.

"I can pretty much take up that airspace with an F-35 four-ship, so when we start talking about putting multiple four-ships out of Marham or Lakenheath, the U.K. simply isn't big enough. If the U.K. itself was a range, we would struggle," Smyth said.

Training was also handicapped by the possibility of adversaries listening to electronic emissions.

"Our Typhoon force is already strongly handcuffed" because of "collectors sitting in the North Sea. We are keen not to give away our crown jewels," Smyth added.

http://aviationweek.com/defense/uk-planning-four-front-line-f-35-squadrons

[Sparkplug]

Italië heeft weer een primeur. Als eerste met twee F-35A's de Atlantische oceaan oversteken.

F-35: second flight from Cameri to the USA

Italian Ministry of Defence | 18 May 2016

Two Italian Air Force F35A Lightning II have taken off today from Cameri Air Base. After a stop-over in Lajes (Azores) they will land at Luke AFB, Arizona

The Italian aircraft – entirely assembled at Cameri  FACO (Final Assembly & Check-Out) facility– are flying in formation with two tankers (to ensure air-to-air refuelling during the flight). They will land at Luke AFB, Arizona, where the international pilot school dedicated to the new assets is already operational.

Last February an Italian F35 – code name AL-1- was the first F35 to cross the Atlantic. All three aircraft will be part of the international air fleet deployed at Luke's multinational F-35 pilot training centre. 

Luke AFB is the only pilot training centre for all the countries that have joined the JSF programme.

The two Italian pilots will join their colleagues who are already stationed at the US Air Force base.

http://www.difesa.it/EN/Primo_Piano/Pagine/Luk.aspx

[Sparkplug]

Maar dat is inclusief de uitgeleasde toestellen toch?
Op hun eigen website vermelden ze 3 squadrons, waarvan er bij 1 staat dat deze rond de 20 toestellen heeft, de andere twee vermelden geen aantallen.

Dit aantal van 98 stuks is exclusief de geleasde toestellen. Bron is Flightglobal World Air Forces 2016.

[Harald]

Boeing says "incomplete and possibly flawed data" was used in Danish fighter evaluation

A Boeing official told a Danish parliamentary committee on May 19 that the Danish government had used "incomplete and possibly flawed data" to conclude that the Super Hornet was more expensive to operate than the F-35.

Boeing still hopes Denmark will buy its Super Hornet jets

COPENHAGEN • Boeing has challenged the Danish government's recommendation to buy 27 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, questioning data used to suggest its St. Louis-made Super Hornet fighter jet was more expensive than the F-35.

Boeing told a Danish parliamentary committee on Thursday that the recommendation was based on "incomplete and possibly flawed data."

The Danish minority government announced last week its recommendation to buy Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet rather than Boeing's older F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

"We have asked the Danish Ministry of Defense to reassess its evaluation of the cost. We think their report has made the cost of the Super Hornet 50 to 100 percent more expensive than in reality," said Boeing vice president Debbie Rub.

The ministry report evaluating each fighter jet candidate was based on data estimating that the Super Hornet would have a service life of 6,000 flying hours, while Boeing thinks the right figure for Denmark is 9,500 hours.

The report also compared a one-seater fighter jet F35 to a two-seater rather than a one-seater Super Hornet, Rub told Reuters.

Danish defense minister Peter Christensen told Danish broadcaster TV2 that Boeing's critique would not change the government's recommendation to buy Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The report concluded that the total cost of the F-35 jet is 42.2 billion Danish crowns ($6.4 billion while the Super Hornet would cost $9.1 billion.60.6 billion crowns.

"We were much surprised and puzzled that our aircraft should be more expensive. Of course we hope that the Danish parliament in the end will pick our aircraft," Rub said.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/article_9949ebb7-96a4-5ea4-a64a-0a348c4af419.html

[StrataNL]

In alle perspublicaties is (nog steeds) sprake van een verkoop doelstelling van enkele honderden Gripen E/F's en van 60 (Zweden) + 36 (Brazilië) getekende orders.

Tijdens de rollout van de E had Saab het ook gewoon over 60 + 36, als er voor 70 getekend was hadden ze dat wel luid en duidelijk bekend gemaakt. Bij mijn weten is er de intentie bij FMV om er 10 (of meer) extra te bestellen, maar is er nog géén daadwerkelijke order.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Ja, ik begrijp dat er voor 70 stuks is getekend. Men zou ook een 20+ oudere variant naar E niveau brengen maar daar heeft men vanaf gezien. Dat geeft mij..plus de nieuwste ontwikkelingen wat betreft de veiligheid van Zweden..het idee dat ze er uiteindelijk nog wel eens meer dan 70 zullen bestellen.

In alle perspublicaties is (nog steeds) sprake van een verkoop doelstelling van enkele honderden Gripen E/F's en van 60 (Zweden) + 36 (Brazilië) getekende orders.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Ze moeten wel het geld hebben. Vergeet niet dat de Zweedse economie slechts 65% is van de Nederlandse. Veel zal ook afhangen van verdere export orders. Als Finland en Zwitserland nog een order plaatsen zou het voor de Zweden zelf ook wel eens makkelijker kunnen worden.

Vergeet  niet dat de het Zweeds sociale stelsel op knappen staat... ze kunnen de asiel stroom (bijna) niet meer financieren.

[Elzenga]

Is voor deze intentie al getekend?

Ik kan me voorstellen dat uiteindelijk alle C/D's vervangen worden door E/F-jes.. tenzij Zweden het voorbeeld volgt van veel, met name west Europese landen, en denkt dat 60-70 exemplaren ook wel voldoende zullen zijn.

Ja, ik begrijp dat er voor 70 stuks is getekend. Men zou ook een 20+ oudere variant naar E niveau brengen maar daar heeft men vanaf gezien. Dat geeft mij..plus de nieuwste ontwikkelingen wat betreft de veiligheid van Zweden..het idee dat ze er uiteindelijk nog wel eens meer dan 70 zullen bestellen.

[JdL]

De Zweedse luchtmacht heeft op dit moment 74 Gripen C's en 24 Gripen D's.

Als het 70 NG's zouden worden zou dat een flinke reductie zijn.

[Sparkplug]

vormen die 60 E's straks de hele Zweedse jachtvloot, of blijven er ook een aantal C/D's operationeel?
anders zou dat weer een flinke reductie van de Zweedse luchtmacht zijn. (er zijn momenteel toch +-100 C/D's operationeel?)

De Zweedse luchtmacht heeft op dit moment 74 Gripen C's en 24 Gripen D's.

[StrataNL]

Is voor deze intentie al getekend?

Ik kan me voorstellen dat uiteindelijk alle C/D's vervangen worden door E/F-jes.. tenzij Zweden het voorbeeld volgt van veel, met name west Europese landen, en denkt dat 60-70 exemplaren ook wel voldoende zullen zijn.

De intentie is er maar dat is nog niet vastgelegd geloof ik. Saab houdt er meen ik ook nog geen rekening mee?

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Dat aantal beoogde Zweedse E's is inmiddels gestegen naar 70. Het zou me niet verbazen als er daar nog meer bij komen.

Is voor deze intentie al getekend?

Ik kan me voorstellen dat uiteindelijk alle C/D's vervangen worden door E/F-jes.. tenzij Zweden het voorbeeld volgt van veel, met name west Europese landen, en denkt dat 60-70 exemplaren ook wel voldoende zullen zijn.

[Elzenga]

vormen die 60 E's straks de hele Zweedse jachtvloot, of blijven er ook een aantal C/D's operationeel?
anders zou dat weer een flinke reductie van de Zweedse luchtmacht zijn. (er zijn momenteel toch +-100 C/D's operationeel?)

Dat aantal beoogde Zweedse E's is inmiddels gestegen naar 70. Het zou me niet verbazen als er daar nog meer bij komen.