متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

[ضيف]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

Is troubled F-35 caught in a ‘death spiral’?

Military

By Michael F. Cochrane
Posted Feb. 10, 2014, 02:50 p.m.


The controversial F-35 program took another blow last week when the Navy requested a break from producing F-35C, its variant of the faulty and expensive Joint Strike Fighter.
Congressional sources said officials with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) worry the 3-year break will lead to a permanent end to the program, according to Politico. Critics have targeted the program in recent years because of high costs and technical problems during development and testing. Last month, a Pentagon report revealed “significant findings” of cracks developing in multiple locations on two of the test aircraft. Fixes may require redesigned parts, which could add additional weight—already a concern for the fighter jet. Also, the report said “measures of reliability and maintainability are all below program target values for the current stage of development.”
The F-35 program has cost nearly $400 billion since its inception in 1996. Estimates of the 55-year lifecycle cost for the entire F-35 fleet range from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, making it the most expensive weapons program in history.



But how much does a fighter jet really cost? The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized the procurement of 19 F-35As (the Air Force variant and the least expensive) in fiscal year 2014 at a cost of $2.989 billion. That amounts to $157.3 million for each aircraft. But procurement is only one component of total lifecycle cost. The program has already spent millions of dollars on research, development, and testing. The bulk of the lifecycle budget will be spent on maintaining and operating the planes.
By comparison, the true cost of owning a $20,000 car for 10 years could be as high as $62,000 when taking into account fixed costs, fuel, and maintenance.
Fear of rising costs and concern over concurrent development, testing, and production has Pentagon officials recommending reducing the number of aircraft it plans to buy. But that can also increase the per-aircraft cost, leading to what The Economist warned could be a “death spiral” in which cuts in the number of aircraft ordered would lead to even further cost increases.
The F-35 program could learn some lessons from the F-16, according to Gordon England, a former deputy secretary of defense under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Both programs had similar objectives and both experienced their share of early development problems. However, England attributes much of the F-16 program’s success to its commitment to high rates of production, which drove down per-aircraft cost, as well as continuous upgrades during its production life. He argues that the Defense Department needs to change its F-35 management philosophy.
“Production capability has been proved by actual deliveries,” England said. “The F-35 is being artificially confined to low production rates at a point when the F-16 was already roaring ahead.”

[ضيف]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

UK F-35 order seen next month, U.S. orders seen down: sources

(Reuters) - Britain is still expected to order 14 F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) although the $5 billion deal may not be finalized until next month, several sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The UK deal, which includes fuel, hangars, training and operational support for the jets, was initially expected this week but British authorities put off the announcement to avoid overlapping with the release of a major assessment of weapons systems by Britain's National Audit Office, the sources said.
A spokesman for Britain's Ministry of Defense said the agency expected "an announcement relating to future investment" in the F-35 program soon. "It is not appropriate to comment on speculation while negotiations are ongoing," he said.
The United States is counting on orders from Britain and other countries that helped pay for development of the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to offset a series of delays in U.S. orders caused by mounting pressure on military spending.
The U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps had been slated to order a total of 42 jets in fiscal 2015, which begins October 1, up from 29 in fiscal 2014. But mandatory budget cuts will force the Pentagon to scale back those orders once again, according to the sources.
Several sources said they expected the fiscal 2015 budget request to call for three to six fewer F-35s than expected.

The Pentagon's top arms buyer Frank Kendall told reporters at the Singapore air show earlier Tuesday that tighter budgets would force tough decisions about research and procurement, but the F-35 fighter and other key arms programs remained a top priority.
"The F-35 remains - despite its relatively high cost - a premier, number-one priority conventional warfare program for us, so we're going to continue that under almost any budget level I would imagine that we would have to live with," he said.
Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan and Israel are also ordering F-35 fighters in fiscal 2015 as part of the ninth batch of jets to be built. Turkey is expected to order two jets in coming weeks.
U.S. and foreign orders were initially expected to swell the ninth batch of jets to a new high around 70 planes, but the number will likely come in closer to 65, said one of the sources who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The Pentagon's F-35 program office is expected to award Lockheed a large contract for advanced procurement of titanium and other long-lead materials needed for those jets later this month or early next, according to the sources.
Lockheed and the Pentagon are currently in contract negotiations about the eighth batch of jets, which were funded by the fiscal 2014 budget.

Canada was initially slated to order 4 F-35s as part of the ninth production batch, but officials are rethinking the decision after procurement controversies. Ottawa has also been talking with the makers of four other fighters, including Boeing Co (BA.N) and Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA).
Canada is wrestling with the need to extend the service life of the aging fleet of F/A-18A fighters that it bought from Boeing in the early 1980s.
Ottawa is expected to decide in coming weeks whether to proceed with an F-35 order or launch a fresh competition.
Australia, faced with the same issues several years ago, had estimated the total cost of service life extension and upgrade programs for its F/A-18 A- and B-model planes at over $3.2 billion from 1995 to 2015.
The UK order, when it comes, will include some funding for Lockheed and the other key contractors on the F-35 program, as well as work to be done in Britain on building the infrastructure for the new warplanes.
British Defense Minister Philip Hammond told the BBC on Tuesday that he was not worried about technical issues on the F-35, and remained confident the plane would be fitted with the weapons it needs in time for early operational use in 2020.

الخبر يتحدث عن طلب بريطانيا للطائرة وتخفض القوات الأمريكية طلبها على الطائرة مع العلم أن التخفيض الطلب لن يتوقف عند القوات الجوية الأمريكية بالتخفيض سيزداد ويتضمن البحرية و القوات المارينز أيضاً.

[ضيف]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

Can the U.S. military's new jet fighter be hacked?

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/can-the-us-militarys-new-jet-fighter-be-hacked

[ضيف]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

فضايح الطائرة المستمرة يبدو لي أن إنهيار الإقتصاد الأمريكي راح يكون بسببها ههههه.

[alfaroq]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

محرك الاف 35 يحتاج اعادة تصميم

F-35 Engine Part to be Redesigned

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140307/DEFREG02/303070023/F-35-Engine-Part-Redesigned

[x s x]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

لا ادري لماذ لكن فعلا لا استطيع ان اتقبل هذه الطائرة

[ضيف]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

القوات البحرية الأمريكية تخض طلبها من طائرة الF-35 إلى النصف

الرابط

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/04/us-lockheed-fighter-idUSBREA2306420140304

[ضيف]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

F-35B STOVL Mode Formation Flight Testing

[F15SA]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

هل بأمكان الF35 تنفيذ عمليات عسكري حاليا ام هي مازالت في طور التجارب طبعا أنا أتكلم عن الطراز A

[ضيف]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

هل بأمكان الF35 تنفيذ عمليات عسكري حاليا ام هي مازالت في طور التجارب طبعا أنا أتكلم عن الطراز A

جميع أنواع الf-35 تحت التجارب لأسباب كثيره من أهمها إعادت تصميم الجسم وبعض القطع الداخليه ناهيك أن الطائرة ممنوعه من الطيران بسبب الsoftware والذي يعاني من الكراش وبعد هذا كله الطائره نفسها تعاني من شيئ إسمه single points of failure أو نقاط الفشل الأحادية وهي بمعنى بسيط إذا فشل شيئ في الطائره فكل أجزاء الطائره تفشل معها وبذلك تصبح الطائرة عباره عن قطعة حديد طائره في الهواء وكل هذا بدون التطرق إلى المشاكل الماليه والسلامه وغيرها من المشاكل التي لا تنتهي.

[ضيف]

تكاليف أكثر مخاطر أكثر مع برنامج الf-35

Costs higher, risks greater with joint aircraft programs like F-35: think-tank

By Alexander Panetta

WASHINGTON A report highly critical of joint-aircraft programs like the controversial F-35 stealth fighter has been delivered at the U.S. Congress, along with a pointed warning that the American military should avoid such initiatives in the future.

The paper, produced at the request of the former head of the U.S. air force procurement unit, was presented Friday at a congressional briefing by the Rand Corp. think-tank, which conducted the analysis.

It analyzed 11 joint-aircraft projects over a half-century and concluded they were plagued by unexpectedly high costs that, under every scenario studied, raised the price tag beyond what it would cost to acquire jets separately.

The attempt to create an all-in-one aircraft, designed to suit the needs of different services, was blamed for expensive engineering challenges. The long-term life-cycle cost was found to be between one-third and two-thirds higher, depending on the time frame studied and the variables considered.

"There is no evidence whatsoever that joint-fighter programs actually do save money," said study coauthor Mark Lorell, who delivered Friday's presentation.

Controversy over the F-35 was one of the reasons behind the 2011 non-confidence motion that brought down the minority Conservative government, which came back to win a majority five weeks later.

Ottawa is now evaluating potential alternatives to its original plan to purchase 65 F-35 aircraft. A 2012 auditor's report warned that the total bill, including service and support, could be as much as $45.8 billion over 42 years to replace the current stable of CF-18 fighters, which are due to be retired in 2020.

The government stepped back from the program after the auditor general accused National Defence of hiding $10 billion in continuing costs and Public Works of not doing enough research to justify the purchase.

Lorell said the report doesn't offer any conclusions for the F-35 program, or whether Canada should join it.

He said it was intended, rather, to guide U.S. policy-makers as they prepare next-generation acquisitions. And the headline atop the briefing paper that accompanied the study delivered the conclusion in categorical terms: "The (U.S.) Department of Defence Should Avoid a Joint Acquisition Approach to the Sixth-Generation Fighter."

The Canadian Press

[ضيف]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

تأخيرات جديده متوقه لبرنامج طائرة الـ-f-35

Further Delays Predicted for F-35 Program

WASHINGTON — The general in charge of the F-35 told a US House panel Wednesday he sees more delays ahead — four to six months — for the often-troubled fighter jet program.The House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee’s portion of an oversight hearing dedicated solely to the F-35 lasted only about an hour. It would have ended 20 minutes sooner if Chairman Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, had had his way, but Ranking Member Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., had additional questions.And when other members arrived to further prolong the proceedings, Turner jokingly told Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program chief, he nearly “escaped.”Sanchez pressed Bogdan about hundreds of millions in program dollars she believes might be owed to Congress, which technically has the constitutional power of the purse.Bogdan tried to explain that the funds were used for purposes other than initially planned; Sanchez told him pointedly she would check out his story.Otherwise, the hearing featured the usual news from an F-35 program manager: Software development is, as Bogdan put it, “really hard stuff,” and will force new delays.This time, it will be four to six months, Bogdan told the subcommittee.“Block 3F [software] is dependent upon the timely release of Block 2B and 3I, and at present, 3F is tracking approximately four to six months late without taking steps to mitigate that delay,” Bogdan said.Michael Sullivan of the General Accountability Office warned the subcommittee that any new software delays will trigger delays and cost overruns across the entire program, which Pentagon officials and analysts say is the most expensive and complex in US history.Still, Bogdan said the program more recently — meaning under his watch — has made “slow and steady progress.” He expects it will meet initial operational capability (IOC) goals for the Marine Corps and Air Force in 2015 and 2016, respectively.Those jets, he promised, will be equipped “with all the capabilities that our war fighters need.”Bogdan admitted mistakes have been made, but pinned much of that blame on his predecessors and the program’s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin.“Lockheed Martin is dedicated to meeting performance commitments on production, development and sustainment, while continuing cost reductions across the program,” Laura Siebert, a company spokeswoman said. “Our efforts are aimed at fully supporting the upcoming IOC requirements for the US Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy.”In a somewhat surreal moment, Turner cast aside any semblance of oversight, telling Bogdan to let members of the subcommittee know if they can “help” convince F-35 international partners or potential foreign buyers of the single-engine stealth jet’s alleged superiority over other fighters they might buy instead.Most of the oversight was provided by Sanchez and Sullivan.The GAO official laid out a number of outstanding issues with the program, including the software development. He also suggested the Pentagon soon will have to find funds if it wants to hit existing benchmarks.“To execute the program as planned, the DoD will have to increase funds steeply over the next [five] years and sustain an average of $12.6 billion per year through 2037,” Sullivan said. “For several years, funding requirements will peak around $15 billion.” ■

[ضيف]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

كلفة برنامج تصنيع مقاتلة " أف – 35" الأمريكية تبلغ 1.3 تريليون دولار

أفاد مدير برنامج تصنيع مقاتلة الشبح "أف – 35" الأمريكية الواعدة من الجيل الخامس اللواء كريستوفر بوغدان أن كلفة البرنامج قد بلغت 1.3 تريليون دولار. ويفترض البرنامج تسويق 2433 طائرة من هذا النوع. فيما يتوقع أن تكلف عملية تصميم وتصنيع الطائرة 398.6 مليار دولار. بينما تبلغ كلفة الصيانة التقنية لهذه الطائرات، بحسب بوغدان 917 مليار دولار. وقال بوغدان إن سعر الطائرة الواحدة من طراز "أف – 35 آ" في دفعة تجارية أخيرة بلغ 112 مليون دولار، مضيفا أنه يتوقع انخفاض هذا السعر حتى 80 – 85 مليون دولار بحلول عام 2019. وأوضح أن اهتمام دول أخرى بشراء المقاتلة يؤثر إيجابا على وتيرة انخفاض السعر. وأشار اللواء إلى احتمال شراء كوريا الجنوبية وسنغافورة للمقاتلات من طراز "أف – 35" وتقديم طلبيات إضافية عليها من قبل اسرائيل. وأضاف قائلا:" نحن مقتنعون بأن تشتري اسرائيل طائرات جديدة من هذا الطراز، بالإضافة إلى 19 طائرة كانت قد طلبتها .

[FFA]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter—the jet that the Pentagon is counting on to be the stealthy future of its tactical aircraft—is having all sorts of shortcomings. But the most serious may be that the JSF is not, in fact, stealthy in the eyes of a growing number of Russian and Chinese radars. Nor is it particularly good at jamming enemy radar. Which means the Defense Department is committing hundreds of billions of dollars to a fighter that will need the help of specialized jamming aircraft that protect non-stealthy—“radar-shiny,” as some insiders call them—aircraft today.


Corbis
These problems are not secret at all. The F-35 is susceptible to detection by radars operating in the VHF bands of the spectrum. The fighter’s jamming is mostly confined to the X-band, in the sector covered by its APG-81 radar. These are not criticisms of the program but the result of choices by the customer, the Pentagon.


To suggest that the F-35 is VHF-stealthy is like arguing that the sky is not blue—literally, because both involve the same phenomenon. The late-Victorian physicist Lord Rayleigh gave his name to the way that electromagnetic radiation is scattered by objects that are smaller than its wavelength. This applies to the particles in the air that scatter sunlight, and aircraft stabilizers and wingtips that are about the same meter-class size as VHF waves.

The counter-stealth attributes of VHF have been public knowledge for decades. They were known at the dawn of stealth, in 1983, when the MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory ordered a 150-foot-wide radar to emulate Russia’s P-14 Oborona VHF early-warning system. Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth division—makers of the F-35—should know about that radar: they built it.

Making a plane VHF-stealthy starts with removing the target’s tails, as on the B-2 bombers. But we did not know how to do that on a supersonic, agile airplane (like the F-35 is supposed to be) when the JSF specifications were written.

Neither did the technology to add broadband-active jamming to a stealth aircraft exist in 1995. Not only did stealth advocates expect jamming to fade away, but there was an obvious and (at the time) insoluble problem: To use jamming you have to be certain that the radar has detected you. Otherwise, jamming is going to reveal your presence and identify you as a stealth aircraft, since the adversary can see a signal but not a reflection.

We can be sure that onboard jamming has not been added to the F-35 since. Had the JSF requirements been tightened by one iota since the program started, its advocates would be blaming that for the delays and overruns.

What the JSF does have is a jamming function—also known as “electronic attack,” or EA, in militaryese—in the radar. It also has an expendable radar decoy—BAE Systems’ ALE-70. Both are last-ditch measures to disrupt a missile engagement, not to prevent tracking.

JSF’s planners, in the mid-1990s, were close to correct when they calculated that low-band stealth and limited EA, combined with passive electronic surveillance for situational awareness, would be adequate at service entry. But they expected that the F-35 would reach squadrons in 2010, and China’s military modernization was barely imaginable.

The threats of the late 2010s will be qualitatively different. Old VHF radars could be dealt with by breaking the kill chain between detection and tracking: they did not provide good enough cueing to put analog, mechanically scanned tracking radars on to the target. Active electronically scanned array (AESA), high-power VHF radars and decimeter- and centimeter-wave trackers are more tenacious foes.

Last August, at an air show near Moscow, I talked to designers of a new, highly mobile counterstealth radar system, now being delivered to the Russian armed forces. Its centerpiece was a 100-foot-wide all-digital VHF AESA, but it also incorporated powerful higher-frequency radars that can track small targets once the VHF radar has detected them. More recently, however, it has emerged that the U.S. Navy is worried because new Chinese warships carry the Type 517M VHF search radar, which its maker says is an AESA.

None of this is to say that stealth is dead, but it is not reasonable to expect that the cat-and-mouse game of detection and evasion in air combat has stopped, or that it ever will. EA and stealth still do not coexist very comfortably on the same platform, but offboard EA and stealth are synergistic: the smaller the target, the less jamming power is needed to mask it.

But the threat’s demonstrated agility drives home the lesson that there is no one winning move in the radar game. Excessive reliance on a single-point design is not a good idea, and using fictitious secrecy to quash the debate is an even worse one.

This column also appears in the April 28 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/28/new-u-s-stealth-jet-can-t-hide-from-russian-radar.html

[FFA]

رد: متجدد : متابعة تطورات مشروع الf-35

^^^
عدد متصاعد من الرادارات الحديثة في روسيا و الصين قد تكون قادرة على كشف ال ف٣٥ و افتقادها لقدرات تشويش فعالة سيجعلها تحتاج مساندة من طائرات مخصصة للتشويش