Posted on 10/04/2015 5:14:13 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
FORT WORTH- An F-35 taxis out of a hangar at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics plant and proceeds to the edge of a runway, the view of the Fort Worth skyline shimmering in the August heat.
A smaller sleek F-16, acting as a chase plane, pulls up behind the F-35 and slowly follows the futuristic stealth fighter as it prepares to take off on another test flight.
Soon the two Lockheed Martin jets — representing the Fort Worth plant’s past and future — take off in a loud roar, quickly becoming small specks in the sky.
Over the next few years, the skies around Fort Worth will be filled with even more F-35s on shakedown flights as the Lockheed Martin plant moves toward full production of what, at $391.1 billion, is called the most expensive U.S. weapons system ever made.
The plant has been building 30 to 40 airplanes a year, but that number is expected to triple by 2017 and hit almost 200 by the end of the decade, military and company officials said.
To get ready, the Fort Worth plant is in the midst of a $1.2 billion upgrade — its biggest since the F-16 was developed in the 1970s — to support the aggressive production schedule.
Inside the mile-long facility, sections of the production line are draped in heavy plastic as new assembly areas are being installed. Outside, workers dangle from portable lifts as they refurbish nine hangars with plans to possibly build two more.
“We have lots of construction [underway],” said Lorraine Martin, Lockheed’s general manager for the F-35 program. “We’re building more structures on the flight line, more run stations, more engine run locations, the ability to have more aircraft in our paint shop.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/aviation/article37384614.html#storylink=cpy
(Excerpt) Read more at star-telegram.com ...
So we know it can fly. Have they worked out the bugs in the software so it can actually fight?
It’s not really a bug if the software hasn’t been written yet.
The world's most expensive, not as agile, stunt planes.
And unfortunately, the F-35(B) [boondoggle] cannot penetrate modern Russian AA radar systems (associated with S300 and S400) successfully - only the F-22 can and perhaps the F-18. All others would have to turn back on being engaged - else be shot down.
$$ POS.
I can’t recall seeing an article about the development of this aircraft that wasn’t either a marketing ad or one that went the opposite direction and seemed to ignore the fact that the purpose of testing is to expose flaws so they can be corrected. If one goes back and reads the press as the M1 Abrams tank was in development, or for that matter just prior to the first Gulf War, it supposedly couldn’t operate in a sand storm. So it’s probably best not to form a judgement until finished model F-35’s are deployed with pilots and naval aviators fully trained. Lockheed-Martin has a pretty amazing track record of success.
“And unfortunately, the F-35(B) [boondoggle] cannot penetrate modern Russian AA radar systems (associated with S300 and S400) successfully - only the F-22 can and perhaps the F-18. All others would have to turn back on being engaged - else be shot down.”
Should you really be sharing top-secret information on an open forum? heh
Actually, I’m sure you have no real idea of the truth of your statement, especially given your F-18 blatherings. The F-18 has no capability against SAMs except that conferred by jamming pods which can be carried by almost any aircraft.
I expect the F-35 is plenty stealthy enough to get within range of S300/400 batteries and take them out with standoff weapons. Even if not, F-22s or other SEAD assets could do the job before F-35s ingress to deliver weapons. Also don’t forget the decoy drones designed to draw fire from the various SAM systems, those have a role also.
I’m not a big fan of the F-35, at least without an upgraded engine, but let’s keep the criticisms grounded in reality.
Boeing has a very effective PR team; Lockheed almost as good. And both of them have a large stable of rented politicians.
Not TS by any means as it is openly available info, although some years out of date. Let’s keep the snark to a minimum, please.
I said a possibility not a certainty for the F-18. Note the difference.
NO. The 35 is nowhere near stealthy enough (nor was it designed to) to get anywhere near a 300PMU2 or S400 Triumf system before the Raptors come in and take out the acquisition radars - ranging out to 250 miles or more. You are also assuming that the 35s get by the swarms of MiGs and SUs - again not something the 35 was designed to do.
All those “stand off “ munitions which cannot fit within the weapons bay now hanging off the wings makes for low stealth, if any.
Drones can be jammed or compromised.
The F-35 is a VERY loud aircraft, especially the version with downward pointing fans.
It's a comforting sound, in my opinion, but I find the sound of a low-flying B-52 to be comforting as well.
/johnny
Combat radius doesn’t look too impressive
Never mind seems about average
i wonder if potential ally customers also have the option of purchasing f-22s...
It exceeds the combat radius of the F-22 which is listed as 410nm.
radar systems and the such are not a problem....
look up F-18 Growler for further explaination..
in the event of a real shooting war, the Growlers will go in first ( just like in Iraq, do you really think the F-117 got in there without a little help? do you really think that the fighters and attack aircraft just went willy nilly across the border? )
I worked the flight deck of an aircraft carrier...
the first 4 aircraft launched were a fighter, an anti sub aircraft, a second fighter and an electronic warfare aircraft...
the electronic warfare aircraft is the most expensive aircraft in the arsenal. it carries no guns, bombs or any way to defend itself...
yet they are almost never shot at or shot down...
what good is a radar guided weapon system that has a jammed radar???
zero..
It’s the jack of all trades and the master at none. This is what happens when something is designed by a committee.
If a committee had designed the Model-T, it would have gone 1 mph and would have needed parts and labor every mile or two.
Kind’a boils down to the range of the acquisition radar vs the jammer range ... if the jammer range is less than the radar’s, then the plane gets acquired.
Also Iraqi air defenses were antiquated, while the Russian and Chinese are near the cutting edges. The story on who goes down first may change should the US face either as an adversary.
“Not TS by any means as it is openly available info, although some years out of date. Let’s keep the snark to a minimum, please.”
Any accurate radar signature information for the F-35 is highly classified. Cite your sources.
“I said a possibility not a certainty for the F-18. Note the difference.”
There is no “possibility”.
“NO. The 35 is nowhere near stealthy enough (nor was it designed to) to get anywhere near a 300PMU2 or S400 Triumf system before the Raptors come in and take out the acquisition radars - ranging out to 250 miles or more.”
The F-35 is designed to have excellent frontal stealth. That is to say that when approaching SAM sites they will have a comparable signature to F-22s. They can launch weapons from dozens of miles away, to precision strike the radar. Stealth is not all or nothing, it simply serves to reduce acquisition ranges.
There is also low-level flight, which eliminates radar as a threat beyond twenty miles range or so in most cases.
“You are also assuming that the 35s get by the swarms of MiGs and SUs - again not something the 35 was designed to do.”
The F-35 is designed to be part of a combined arms system. It can certainly launch air-to-air weapons, but there may also be other assets to assist with air superiority.
“All those “stand off “ munitions which cannot fit within the weapons bay now hanging off the wings makes for low stealth, if any.”
That’s not correct, both SDBs and JDAMs fit in the bays.
“Drones can be jammed or compromised.”
Perhaps, not if properly designed though. Especially the autonomous variety...
Good Grief!
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