F-35 issues

[Coyote Chris]

It cant be a good thing when the US isnt even appearing at a major F-35 Pow wow.

CANADA HOSTS MEETING OF F-35 PARTNERS
(http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#206231)
Canada is hosting a meeting of fellow partners in the development of
the F-35 in Washington next week to discuss the mounting problems with
the jet. Senior government officials from Britain, Norway, Denmark,
Holland, Italy, Turkey and Australia will meet at the Canadian Embassy
in Washington for two days of talks about the aircraft program. The
F-35 is an international effort and while the U.S. is the lead
partner, the other allied countries have chipped in and their
aerospace industries got some work as part of the international deal.
Attendance by U.S. representatives at the meeting is not mentioned in
Canadian media reports
(http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/can...140406973.html).
The meeting precedes a gathering with Lockheed Martin officials set
for late March. Most of the partner countries are in political hot
water at home over the specter of rising costs and development
problems with the aircraft. Meanwhile, analysts keep working the
numbers on the program and some of the results are truly staggering.

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/2139-full.html#206231

[rampking]

Re: F-35 issues

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/29/japan-says-it-may-cancel-plans-to-buy-f-35-jets-from-us-if-prices-rise/

Those, 'in the know', who have told me that the F-35 program is "too big to fail" may eventually eat their words.
As our Defense Secretary has already announced a slow down in development/production...another hike in the unit price for the aircraft will surely follow.
As many older F-16's and F-15's will be going into forced retirement within the next 7-10 years, we are in serious trouble.
Btw.....How old was that ANG F-16 that fogged up at Oshkosh?

[AirDOGGe]

Re: F-35 issues

Btw.....How old was that ANG F-16 that fogged up at Oshkosh?

I didn't see an airframe manufacture date mentioned in the accident report.

I DO know that the "C" (one seat) and "D" (2 seat) models started production in the mid-eighties, but I do NOT know when they made the last one. As such, it could be in the 25-year-old range, give or take 3 years.

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: F-35 issues

Well they can lay off some more people & tell us how great the economy is. We will/can always buy our fighters from Russia or China using their pilots & the rest of our pilots will/can fly drones from Nevada. What a saving All our young generation will grow up to be Twitter,Texting & Facebook experts. Come on Sept.

[rampking]

Re: F-35 issues

I hear you Lockheed Bob, I am a big supporter of the F-35, but as the last F-22 just rolled off the production line (still with unresolved problems), the F-35 being questioned by our European/Canadian partners and now the Japanese along with forced retirements of aging USAF fighters looming on the near horizon, we are in trouble !
Hell, we are cutting the Global Hawk drones as well.
I'm worried about more than just jobs, I'm concerned about the security of the country and the safety of the flt crews we send in harms way.
You are correct, a nation with no jobs/money and a lot of texting...
we should be happy though , Wall Street just went over 13,000 and we are feeding the North Koreans AGAIN

[deepsky]

Re: F-35 issues

Hell, we are cutting the Global Hawk drones as well.
I'm worried about more than just jobs, I'm concerned about the security of the country and the safety of the flt crews we send in harms way.

Why worry when we have all these new super stealthy, high tech drones to use. Oh wait, sorry, forgot we started giving them to Iran.

[Coyote Chris]

Re: F-35 issues

F-35 COSTS FEED ORDER UNCERTAINTY
(http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#206253)
Japan Wednesday said it may cancel orders for Lockheed Martin's F-35
if costs or timelines increase, just days after the Pentagon said it
was seeking ways to reduce the program's projected $1 trillion cost.
The Pentagon's figure is an estimated lifetime cost, which includes
maintenance and operation of 2,443 F-35 fighters over the next 50
years. Japan's initial cost has been projected near $122 million per
fighter for a first group of just four aircraft, after which an order
of 42 could follow. But that deal has not yet been finalized and
recent changes could put upward pressure on the cost of the jet.

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/2141-full.html#206253

AIR FORCE CANCELS EMBRAER LIGHT ATTACK CONTRACT
(http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#206245)
The Air Force Tuesday cancelled its contract for a Light Air Support
aircraft with Sierra Nevada Industries and Embraer, will reopen
competitive bidding, and has announced an investigation into the way
the previous bid was handled. The Air Force raised eyebrows in
December when it kicked Hawker Beechcraft's AT6B out of the running
for the $1 billion contract. That left only Sierra Nevada's
assembled-in-Florida version of the Embraer Super Tucano in the
competition and the contract was awarded a few days later. "While we
pursue perfection, we sometimes fall short, and when we do we will
take corrective action," Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley
said in a statement. Donley would not say why the contract was
overturned, only that senior officials were not satisfied with the
documentation supporting the award. Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., said a
sudden reversal like this is rare and significant. "The Air Force does
not do that lightly," Pompeo told The Washington Post
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...FgR_story.html).
"This is highly unusual, which suggests that there is going to be a
very broad re-look of the entire process."

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/2141-full.html#206245

F-22 PILOTS STILL REPORT HYPOXIA-LIKE SYMPTOMS
(http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#206252)
There has been a recent spike in reports of hypoxia-like symptoms by
pilots of the F-22 Raptor -- an oxygen delivery problem on a Raptor
contributed to a fatal crash two years ago. Over the past six months
nine pilots have reported hypoxia-like symptoms while flying the
roughly $147 million (excluding development costs) per copy jet. Three
of those incidents were reported in the last two weeks by pilots at
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska -- the same base associated
with the fatal crash.

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/2141-full.html#206252

[Leo]

Re: F-35 issues

Why waste money on maintaining a huge military force when all we have to do is say we are sorry for whatever we were percieved as doing, past present and future then gather together with the world for a round of Kumbaya?
Methinks we've been here before in the late 70's, 90's, 30's...

[Propellerhead]

Re: F-35 issues

From the start the F-35 looked like another example of one airframe trying to do too many things.

To paraphrase Fred Rogers: "Can you say F-111? I knew you could."

[ignomini]

Re: F-35 issues

Where is John Boyd and the fighter mafia when we need them?

[IcePaq]

Re: F-35 issues

From the start the F-35 looked like another example of one airframe trying to do too many things.

To paraphrase Fred Rogers: "Can you say F-111? I knew you could."

I really liked the VTOL f-111s.

[deepsky]

Re: F-35 issues

I really liked the VTOL f-111s.

That would make for a very interesting fuel dump / burn!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RAAF_F-111_fuel_dump_and_burn_Williamtown_Gilbert.jpg

[First time Juke]

Re: F-35 issues

Where is John Boyd and the fighter mafia when we need them?

John Boyd died in the 90ies; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bo...ry_strategist)

[AirDOGGe]

Re: F-35 issues

I really liked the VTOL f-111s.

At least they did 3 versions, instead of telling everyone to make do with the exact same aircraft.