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F-35B/C Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter)

usmarinemike

usmarinemike

Solidly part of the 42%.
pilot
Contributor
So on Feb 1, LM VP of F35 Business Development(?) said the Marine Corps will still start getting birds in 2012. What the eff...I'm so confused. Damn I wish they could figure it out and give a solid timeline. The plane is cool, but LM and DOD have incompatible crystal balls.

windowslivewriterthemindvalleywayihavenocrystalball-f7a8crystall-ball3.jpg

PS. I'm not putting much stock in the Marine Corps Enquirer article either.
 
Brett327

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
As has been mentioned in other threads/posts, "Marine Corps getting jets" doesn't equal first squadron standing up or even the the joint RAG/RTU will be in production mode. I'm not an acquisition or OT guy (and I trust HJ or others to correct my assumptions), but LM is going to deliver airframes and be responsive to a certain amount of feedback from OT, OP Eval, etc. After that, they're only concerned with churning out airframes according to whatever LRIP or full production models that are in the contract buy. Thus what LM says is true from a production POV, but not necessarily from an operational one. Apples & Oranges.

Brett
 
HeyJoe

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
usmarinemike said:
So on Feb 1, LM VP of F35 Business Development(?) said the Marine Corps will still start getting birds in 2012. What the eff...I'm so confused. Damn I wish they could figure it out and give a solid timeline. The plane is cool, but LM and DOD have incompatible crystal balls.

View attachment 11091

PS. I'm not putting much stock in the Marine Corps Enquirer article either.
Click to expand...

Brett327 said:
As has been mentioned in other threads/posts, "Marine Corps getting jets" doesn't equal first squadron standing up or even the the joint RAG/RTU will be in production mode. I'm not an acquisition or OT guy (and I trust HJ or others to correct my assumptions), but LM is going to deliver airframes and be responsive to a certain amount of feedback from OT, OP Eval, etc. After that, they're only concerned with churning out airframes according to whatever LRIP or full production models that are in the contract buy. Thus what LM says is true from a production POV, but not necessarily from an operational one. Apples & Oranges.

Brett
Click to expand...

Brett is correct. Better source than BD folks is HQMC and the DC Air AvPlan that works with Program Office to determine when units get transitioned and lays in the IOC dates based on latest info. With deferring of production and focusing on another year of RDT&E activity, the AvPlan will have to be adjusted accordingly. There is a JSF SMO run out of CNAL by CAPT Downing that tracks all the latest info and works fleet introduction. They'd be best place for you to start.


Meanwhile, F-35B at Pax is still at it...I watched it in the pattern this week

 
Alpha_Echo_606

Alpha_Echo_606

Does not play well with others!™
Contributor
My turn to ask the stupid question. From the video heyjoe posted; what are those two doors that opened behind the speed brake?
 
scoolbubba

scoolbubba

Brett327 gargles ballsacks
pilot
Contributor
If I'm not mistaken, that's not a speed brake you're seeing. All of those panels work into the lift fan system that sits in the middle of the plane on the B, be they air intakes for the engine, or openings for the fan.
 
NAVYBM2

NAVYBM2

Member
Contributor
cosmania said:
Wow, a two year slide with someone getting fired. I can't believe LM Aero could slide that far.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jVrB2WIZ5W198iL-s_mj6v-vpfDQD9E6K7083

Yikes.
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This is not good for anybody! Is our version delayed as well?
I think they should scrap this and the F-22 all together. Put the money in developing the F-18(Super Hornet), or just bring back the Tomcat. OK, I know that we need to stay ahead of the competition, but who is that? These (F-35/22) are light years ahead of anything anyone has. They are too expensive, and too political. At least with the F-18/14 the pilots would have something to fly! Now pilots are wasting their time, waiting for some idiot in Washington to figure out how to get the program into his own state, so he can get another term in office. In the mean time, everything is clogged up and down the pilots' pipeline.

SO SAD!!!
 
Flash

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
NAVYBM2 said:
This is not good for anybody! Is our version delayed as well?
I think they should scrap this and the F-22 all together. Put the money in developing the F-18(Super Hornet), or just bring back the Tomcat. OK, I know that we need to stay ahead of the competition, but who is that? These (F-35/22) are light years ahead of anything anyone has. They are too expensive, and too political. At least with the F-18/14 the pilots would have something to fly! Now pilots are wasting their time, waiting for some idiot in Washington to figure out how to get the program into his own state, so he can get another term in office. In the mean time, everything is clogged up and down the pilots' pipeline.

SO SAD!!!
Click to expand...

If you look back to the development of our current fighters their timelines often slid to the right as well so there is really no surprise with this. The JSF is the only real legitimate 5th generation multirole fighter we have right now that fits the needs of all the services. The Super Hornet is jsut an evolutionary development of the original Hornet and will not be able to meet some of the threats we are and will be facing. And the F-22 is a USAF only fighter, and a bit too expensive as well. The F-14, are you serious?

If you don't think we need this aircraft I only have to point out the recent fisrst flight of the Russian PAK-FA/T-50 fighter. While it is several years from being fielded it will almost certainly be proliferated to countries not friendly to us, in addition to the Flanker variants that are fielded right now that are peer competitors to our current fighter/attack aircraft inventory.

In the end the JSF is the only game in town that we can rely on to provide us with a 5th generation aircraft. These delays and troubles are really unsurprising and actually not too bad when compared to programs of it's size, scope and ambition. An excellent recent example of a program that had delays and troubles that turned out to be excellent in the end was the C-17. There are numerous others, but the larger point is that it has been a while since we have fielded a comlete disaster of a weapon system, even after delays and problems during development. In the end we will likely get an excellent product that we can rely on for many years to take us into the fight.
 
NAVYBM2

NAVYBM2

Member
Contributor
Flash said:
Russian PAK-FA/T-50 fighter
Click to expand...

Wow, point taken, I take my words back. I actually did not know anything about this! They will sell it to India too? That is crazy, just one more reason why we need the people in Washington to speed this thing up. As far as the F-14 is concerned, it was just to make a point, and out of sentiment I guess.
 
Flash

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
NAVYBM2 said:
Wow, point taken, I take my words back. I actually did not know anything about this! They will sell it to India too? That is crazy, just one more reason why we need the people in Washington to speed this thing up. As far as the F-14 is concerned, it was just to make a point, and out of sentiment I guess.
Click to expand...

They will likely sell it to whoever pays them for it, they need the money. The Indian deal is supposed to more of a co-development deal than anything else though the details have been sketchy about that.

If you ever get sentimental for the Tomcat just go and buy Anytime Baby, an AW member is one of the authors.
 
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