Posted on 01/16/2012 3:38:04 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Navy's £5bn Harrier jet replacement 'unable to land on aircraft carriers'
The Royal Navy's multi-billion pound fighter plane programme is under threat amid claims that its new all-purpose jets cannot land on aircraft carriers, it has emerged.
Leaked Pentagon documents claim a design flaw in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has caused eight simulated landings to fail.
The “F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Concurrency Quick Look Review” claimed the flaw meant that the “arrestor” hook, used to stop the plane during landing, was too close to the plane’s wheels.
When a fighter lands on an aircraft carrier an arrestor cable catches the hook on the back of the aircraft, preventing it from overshooting and ditching into the sea.
The documents warn of "major consequences" to the aircraft’s structure and cast doubt on the readiness of the JSF to provide close-air support, which is seen as critical to a carrier’s role in providing amphibious landings.
The review further suggests the planes will be unable to fire the British Asraam air-to-air missile.
It adds that the F-35C remains untested in several areas, concluding that "there is a high likelihood of future failures that are not yet identified".
The report, seen by the Sunday Times newspaper, concludes that unless a "significant redesign" of the aircraft is urgently completed the future of the aircraft is at risk.
If such a redesign is proven to be too costly or difficult to implement, it warns that the entire F-35C programme may have to be scrapped.
Britain is due to buy around 50 aircraft at a total cost of about £5 billion but senior Navy sources admitted last night that on current budget,
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Holy cr**. And we find this out now??
The F-35 program is a basket case. The perfect example of crony capitalism within the military.
Every new weapons system get these kind of “sky is falling” stories. I’m sure they’ll iron out whatever problems are found.
I remember 60 Minutes doing a story about how the Apache helicopter couldn’t fly in the rain. 25 years later the Apache is doing just fine.
How interesting... There are a number of Youtube videos showing the F-35 landing taking off of the Wasp which has no Jump ramp either.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLCrZNiuOPY
It sure looks like it is working to me.
See all the white squares on the ground behind those two jets? Those are gas well locations, most likely in Texas. I think the spacing now is every 50 acres.
That’s the F-35B variant. It doesn’t need an arrestor hook. This report is related to the F-35C.
Every new weapons system get these kind of “sky is falling” stories.
The Osprey had a rockier start than most programs, but the Marines overcame and the Plane is a workhorse. the F-35C is going through the same start up issues, but the need is even more critical with the age of the planes it will replace.
Yep, you are correct, But with that being said the plane does work. So now it’s time to modify the arrestor hook. After everything else that has been done it’s amazing to me that the plane flies and does so well.
Of course that means that the 0 administration is going to need to cancel it. /s
“The X-35C touched down at Patuxent River NAS on 10 February 2001, completing the first-ever transcontinental flight of a JSF demonstrator aircraft and initiating a series of flight tests that demonstrated carrier suitability in sea-level conditions. The F-35C’s flight-test program included a series of Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) tests to evaluate the aircraft’s handling qualities and performance during carrier approaches and landings at an airfield, and also included up-and-away handling-quality tests and engine transients at varying speeds and altitudes.”
More here:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-35c.htm
Maybe the UK needs an excuse to back out of their commitment due to lack of funds, (or do they just print money out of thin air like the U.S.?)
LLS
Yes, the Osprey is a much better example.
Somewhere out there PukinDog is laughing. He took a lot of flack over this, but it seems he was not as crazy as some made him seem.
Thank you. I watched that video a week or so ago.
Note the article says “simulated failures”.
Bad computer modeling?
You’re right that every program has issues to deal with. Some are insurmountable and the program gets canceled. This program has had its share of large problems.
You don’t just ‘modify’ the hook, at least not significantly. Perhaps they can modify it enough, we really don’t know.
Within DoD there are two types of testing, Developmental Testing (DT) and Operational Testing (OT). These type of problems are supposed to be discovered and solved during DT. Looks like that wasn’t the case.
The problem here is that the arrestor hook is very close to the rear wheels compared to other jets.
I’d assume that you will need to rework the undercarriage to optimally place the hook. That could take some time and money. The nav-aviators on here would be better placed to explain.
Posted by Hoarde on the thread below.
The hook has to absorb quite a bit of energy on landing. That energy is transferred to the airframe. Seems a fundamental issue to have with plane that was supposed to land on a carrier.
Then again, the aircraft design program was intended more for political reasons than technical reasons.
Can they just lengthen the hook and relax the angle ?
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