Air Force Times reports that a newly revealed Pentagon weapons tester’s report illustrates multiple issues with the F-35 in 2021, particularly in areas of availability rates and new software problems. The F-35 fleet “averaged 61% availability, below its target of 65%,” throughout 2021. Out of the “average 39% unavailable at any given time, 15% were down for maintenance, 16% were waiting on spare parts and another 8% were undergoing depot maintenance.”
Full Story (Air Force Times)
Tag: F-35
KC-46 Refueled F-35s on Way to Singapore
Aviation Week reports that a US Air Force Boeing KC-46A from North Carolina “linked up with two F-35As to fuel the fighters on the long flight from the F-35As’ base in Guam to Singapore, where the new U.S. Air Force aircraft would be on public display at one of the world’s major air shows.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Lockheed Martin Exceeds its 2021 F-35 Delivery Goal
Breaking Defense reports that Lockheed Martin “delivered three more F-35s than planned in 2021, handing over a total of 142 Joint Strike Fighters to US and international customers as the company continues to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.” In a statement to Breaking Defense, Bridget Lauderdale, Vice President of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Program, said that the company “was able to exceed its goal of 139 F-35s for 2021 due to the ‘efforts and dedication’ of its suppliers and workforce ‘combined with the efficiencies of digital engineering.’” Lockheed Martin spokesman Brett Ashworth said that the “three additional jets delivered in 2021 will count towards this year’s production goal, which remains at 151 to 153 jets.” Meeting its delivery goal for 2021 is a “good news story for Lockheed, which was forced to slow F-35 production in summer 2020 after COVID-19 upset the jet’s global supply chain.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
F135 Engine Shortage Impacts F-35 Fleet
Aviation Week reports that a “shortage of Pratt & Whitney F135 engines that is already keeping more than four dozen Lockheed Martin F-35s grounded will continue to worsen.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Lockheed Martin Agrees to Deliver 151 to 153 F-35s in 2022
Reuters reports that Lockheed Martin announced Monday that it had “agreed with the Pentagon to deliver 151 to 153 F-35 fighter aircraft in 2022, fewer than the 169 jets it had hoped to deliver.” Lockheed Martin “also said it was expecting to deliver 156 aircraft to the United States beginning 2023 and for the ‘foreseeable future.’”
Full Story (Reuters)
Forty-Six F-35s Are Currently Without Functioning Engines
The Drive reports that a “total of 46 F-35 stealth fighters are currently without functioning engines due to an ongoing problem with the heat-protective coating on their turbine rotor blades becoming worn out faster than was expected.” During Tuesday’s hearing before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, “Air Force Lieutenant General Eric T. Fick, director of the F-35 Joint Program Office, confirmed that 41 U.S. Air Force F-35s, as well as one Joint Strike Fighter belonging to the U.S. Marine Corps, another from the U.S. Navy, and three that had been delivered to foreign air forces were grounded without engines. Those figures were as of July 8.”
Full Story (The Drive)
BAE Systems to Provide Lockheed Martin with Additional EW Systems for F-35 Lightning II Aircraft
Seapower Magazine reports that BAE Systems said in a Monday press release that it is “providing Lockheed Martin with additional electronic warfare (EW) systems, retrofit kits, and spares for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.” This contract builds on the company’s “on-time delivery of more than 800 state-of-the-art AN/ASQ-239 electronic warfare/countermeasure systems to date, providing F-35 jets with critical situational awareness and survivability capabilities.”
Full Story (Seapower Magazine)
F-35 Performs Well In Swiss Fighter Jet Evaluation
According to Reuters, Swiss broadcaster SRF reported Monday, citing three unidentified sources, that Lockheed Martin’s “F35-A Lightning II performed the best in a Swiss evaluation of what fighter jet to buy next, although the final political decision was still open.” SRF’s investigative program Rundschau said in a summary of a report to air Wednesday that “according to insiders, Switzerland can buy a larger number of F-35s with the budgeted 6 billion Swiss francs than would be the case with the three competitors. The F-35’s simulator could also be an asset: it would allow the F-35 to carry out significantly more virtual training missions than the competition.” The Swiss government is “supposed to decide this month among the Eurofighter from Airbus, the Rafale from France’s Dassault, The Boeing Company’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, or the F35-A.”
Full Story (Reuters)
F-22 And F-35 Datalinks Communicate Freely With Each Other During Project Hydra Demonstration Event
The Drive reported that during a demonstration event known as Project Hydra, “five F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and a single F-22 Raptor ‘talked’ with each other using their proprietary stealthy datalinks via a U-2S Dragon Lady spy plane carrying a specialized communications gateway payload.” Skunk Works Vice President and General Manager Jeff Babione said in a statement, “Project Hydra marks the first time that bi-directional communications were established between 5th Generation aircraft in-flight while also sharing operational and sensor data down to ground operators for real-time capability.” Babione added, “This next-level connectivity reduces the data-to-decision timeline from minutes to seconds, which is critical in fighting today’s adversaries and advanced threats.”
Full Story (The Drive)
Lockheed Martin F-35s Not Meeting Readiness Goals
Air Force Times reports that the F-35 joint strike fighter’s mission capable rate figures are well below the military’s target, according to DoD’s former acquisition chief Ellen Lord. The F-35’s mission capable rate is currently 69%, short of the “military’s longstanding 80 percent goal, said Ellen Lord.” She added that, when looking at fully mission capable aircraft that are able to perform all of the F-35’s assigned missions, “we’re currently at 36 percent fully mission capable, and we are striving to be at 50 percent for the fleet.” She attributed the low rate to ongoing issues with the F135 engine’s power module and the F-35’s canopy.
Full Story (Air Force Times)