somewhere, PukinDog is laughing...
Posted on 02/22/2013 5:01:05 PM PST by Yo-Yo
All Lockheed Martin F-35s are grounded while the programme investigates the root cause of a crack discovered on 19 February in a third-stage low-pressure turbine (LPT) blade deep inside the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine.
The discovery of the blade crack comes five years after the first flight of the F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant was delayed several months due to fatigue-related blade failures in the third-stage LPT.
The latest crack - discovered only days after the F-35B returned to flight following a 25-day grounding caused by a fueldraulics failure - was discovered on 19 February by a borescope inspection on an F-35A at Edwards AFB, California, and confirmed by an eddy current inspection, P&W says.
"It is too early to know the fleet-wide impact of this finding," says the Joint Program Office (JOPO). But all F-35s are grounded "until the investigation is complete and the cause of the blade crack is fully understood".
The engine in the 19 February incident has run a total of around 700h, of which 409h were flight hours, P&W says.
Though the issue was found in a single engine, there was no clear cause behind the crack. The engine's turbine module has been shipped to P&W's Connecticut test facility for closer inspection.
"We will conduct more thorough evaluations to determine the cause of the indication of the crack," the engine maker says.
Lockheed referred all questions about the grounding to the international joint programme office.
Two previous incidents with the third stage low pressure turbine blades have resulted in F-35 groundings in the past, once in 2007 and again in 2008. Those incidents, which both occurred in the F-35B vertical-takeoff variant, were traced to high-cycle fatigue. Unexpected vibration levels were caused by interaction of the the blade with the wakes from vanes upstream of the third-stage turbine.
The troubled aircraft programme, meant to provide a new fighter-bomber for all three major services of the US military, has been grounded several times before.
somewhere, PukinDog is laughing...
Is he still around here?
As to manufacturing this fighter and the aerospace industry, the crazy costs that are created because of outsourcing is WHY elon mush desided to build everything in-house for SPACE-X.... Lockheed is a joke, the last man in the drug peddelers chain jacking up the costs and double jacking the drug addicts in the pentagon. Our brass have lost there brass and sell out for brass. We are done.
I also see the new Posidon project a total joke too.
Any one read time this week where they listed the current costs of projects under development and the unit prices? How about the V-22 costing $122 million a copy! I could knock one down as it comes into a LZ with a brick! $122 million for the cost of a few bricks. A whole other screwed up program in the USAFs new radar program! I think Lockheed is prime contractor on that one too.
That's not the story as told about John Boyd and the F-16. By building it light, it ended up with great range and great maneuverability and decent firepower.
I'm sure he must be laughing, and laughing hard.
nope, long gone... he didn't think much of the 35 at all
yup, always liked PD...
The only advantages the F-16 has are cost (a smaller single-engine jet is cheaper to maintain than a larger twin-engine plane), RCS (the typical F-16 will have a smaller radar cross section than a typical F-15, although this is a moot point since the 'smaller' RCS of the F-16 will still stand out BIG on any modern radar operated by the US, its allies, Russia, China, etc), and WVR maneuverability (although, again, this is a moot point since the F-15 can do a lot in WVR, and with the advent of helmet-slaved IIR-missiles WVR is basically a death zone since looks do kill).
Thus, the only real advantage an F-16 has over the F-15 is cost (purchase, maintenance, life costs, you name it). A Viper is cheaper than an Eagle. The F-16 is probably a better multi-role fighter when looked at from a bang-for-buck angle, since the typical F-16 will do a good job in every area A2A/A2G. The F-15, on the other hand, is an amazing air-superiority fighter in its 15C format, and an amazing air-to-ground pounder in its 15E format, but those superlative abilities come at a higher cost.
However, the F-15 does have real advantages over the F-16, such as significantly greater combat range, a considerably bigger radar, FAR greater ability to carry more weaponry, speed (both climb and flat), altitude (can have an advantage in certain BVR engagements). The US, Israel and Japan use F-15s for air-superiority, even though they have F-16s (in Japan's case the F-16s bigger cousin, the F-2). There is a reason for that.
Bottom line - if you have the money the F-15 is definitely better than the 16. If you are on a budget and are out for cost-effectiveness, and you will likely be part of a coalition should a capable country attack you, the F-16 is the choice for you.
“A cheaper, lighter, smaller plane flown by a really top notch pilot can beat a bigger, more complex plane almost every time. Look at the Red Flag/Top Gun instructors in F-5s who beat the bigger costlier birds time and time again.”
You don’t have the slightest idea of what you are talking about. Where do some of you people come up with this nonsense?
Which was supposed to be replaced by F-22 and F-35 metrics.
Didn't turn out quite the way they thought, but that was the plan.
When the engineering is perfected they’re obsolete.
How about Criminal number 13F, is he still kicking?
Do you as a non-ignorant freeper still want to fly ONE F-35 against three or four of the best the enemy can come up with, or would you rather have three or four of the latest F-15 or F-18s with well trained American pilots?
don't know... haven't seen the name in awhile
“Do you as a non-ignorant freeper still want to fly ONE F-35 against three or four of the best the enemy can come up with, or would you rather have three or four of the latest F-15 or F-18s with well trained American pilots?”
Yes, because I’ve been there and done that. You haven’t.
Being told that you and your flight of four F-16s are already dead as you are still pulling your gear up from a distant F-22 opponent is not a confidence-building measure.
I can forgive your ignorance because you don’t know what you are talking about. Unfortunately, we have people similarly ignorant in Congress and the media making similar stupid claims who themselves will never be in harm’s way.
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