USA
Contracts for April 12, 2019
The Pentagon Wants a Nuclear Reactor That Fits in a Transport Jet
https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-pentagon-wants-a-nuclear-reactor-that-fits-in-a-tra-1832135363
“Small Mobile Nuclear Reactor/SMNR”
The SMNR is to weigh less than 40 tons, transportable in a C-17 Globemaster III heavy airlifter, and deliver 1-10 megawatts of electrical power
The reactor should have a power generation lifespan of at least three years, be semiautonomous with a minimum of operator manning, and pose no radiation risk.
Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO)
Bell V-280 Valor Achieves First Flight
N280BH
http://news.bellhelicopter.com/en-US/162449-bell-v-280-valor-achieves-first-flight
The last Fort Worth F-16
U.S. Military Forces in FY 2018
Northrop Grumman to Acquire Orbital ATK for $9.2 Billion
28th person to fly the F-35 was killed in mysterious crash
USAF issues Sources Sought notice for rapid fielding of hypersonic strike weapon
Lockheed Martin, Tata Announce F-16 India Partnership
PARIS, June 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/
http://news.lockheedmartin.com/2017-06-19-Lockheed-Martin-Tata-Announce-F-16-India-Partnership
Boeing Streamlining Defense and Space Unit to Boost Competitiveness
Simplified, flatter structure will accelerate decision making
About 50 executive positions affected by changes
ARLINGTON, Va., June 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] is taking the next step in making its Defense, Space & Security (BDS) unit more globally competitive by eliminating a layer of executive oversight.
"We need to be an agile organization that is more responsive to customers' needs and committed to continually improving productivity," said Defense, Space & Security President and CEO Leanne Caret. "We are fundamentally addressing how we compete, win, and grow in Boeing's second century."
As of July 1, the current Boeing Military Aircraft and Network & Space Systems segments will evolve into smaller entities reporting to Caret.
Autonomous Systems: Insitu and Liquid Robotics subsidiaries; Echo Voyager maritime vehicle; vertical lift unmanned systems; and certain electronic and information systems.
Space and Missile Systems: satellites; Boeing's share of United Launch Alliance; the International Space Station; Ground-based Midcourse Defense; Ground Based Strategic Deterrent; Joint Direct Attack Munition and Harpoon weapons, among others.
Strike, Surveillance and Mobility: F-15 and F/A-18 fighters; P-8 maritime patrol aircraft; Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System; modifications/upgrades to fixed-wing aircraft.
Vertical Lift: AH-6i, AH-64 Apache, and CH-47 Chinook helicopters; V-22 Osprey tilt rotor.
Boeing executives Chris Raymond, Jim Chilton, Shelley Lavender, and David Koopersmith will lead those, respectively.
The Development, Global Operations, and Phantom Works segments, which also report to Caret, will largely be unchanged.
About 50 executive positions will be affected this year as a result of the changes.
For more on Defense, Space & Security, visit www.boeing.com. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.
XQ-222 Valkyrie and UTAP-22 to be unveiled at Paris Airshow
SAN DIEGO, June 13, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
USAF wants to upgrade 841 F-16C/Ds to 13,856 airframe hours
14 June 2017
The US Air Force (USAF) is to increase the number of aircraft and additional airframe hours to be included in a planned service-life extension programme (SLEP) of its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft.
While the service had previously stated that up to 300 of the service's 1,017 Block 40/42 and 50/52 C- and D-model aircraft would see their airframe hours increased from the current 8,000 hours to 12,000 hours (an increase equivalent to about eight years of operational flying), a notice posted by the service on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website on 12 June says that these numbers are now to grow to 841 aircraft and 13,856 hours.
"The F-16 USAF SLEP intends to extend the aircraft's current structural service life from 8,000 equivalent flight hours (EFH) up to 13,856 EFH by modifying and/or repairing life limiting, fractural critical, and safety of flight critical structure. This effort seeks to award a contract to a vendor who can manufacture and/or procure, assemble, and deliver up to the estimated maximum quantity of 841 F-16 Block 40-52, C/D-Model SLEP modification kits necessary to extend the structural service life of these aircraft, in accordance with Government standards and specifications defined in the Technical Data Package (TDP)," the notice said.
The 1st Japanese assembled F-35A AX-05 makes maden flight Jun. 13 2017
Luke AFB temporarily cancels F-35A local flying ops
Contracts
Release No: CR-104-17
May 31, 2017
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has been awarded a $243,873,277 predominantly fixed-price contract with cost-plus-fixed fee and fixed-price incentive portions for 72 Active Electronically Scanned Array radars, spares and support services. Work will be performed at Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2019. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with one offer received. Fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $30,714,025 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-17-C-6047).
https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1198370/
Northrop Grumman
AN/APG-83 SABR, Lockheed Martin F-16D Block 40 (87-0392) ff 03/31/89, 08/2015 USAF 416 FLTS 'ED'
| "Rollin Thunder" |
http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/sabr/Pages/default.aspx
Aviation Nation 2017 showcases “Breaking Barriers” Nov.11,12
Published May 15, 2017
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – Nellis Air Force Base is proud to present Aviation Nation 2017 on Nov. 11 and 12. The event is Air Combat Command’s closing celebration for the United States Air Force’s 70th Birthday.
“We are excited to host the culminating event for Air Combat Command,” said Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, 57th Wing commander. “The 70th Birthday theme, ‘American Airmen: Breaking Barriers since 1947,’ is a perfect representation of Nellis Air Force Base as we continue to be the leading edge for innovation and warfighting excellence across the Air Force.”
Aviation Nation 2017 will exhibit United States Air Force heritage and its accomplishments in air, space and cyberspace. The Thunderbirds, the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, is the headliner for the event. Additional demonstrations and ground displays will be announced in the months leading up to the event.
The two-day event is open and free to the public.
U.S. Air Force Authorizes Extended Service Life for F-16
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force authorized extending the service life of the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) F-16's designed service life to 12,000 Equivalent Flight Hours — far beyond the aircraft's original design service life of 8,000 hours.
Following F-16 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) structural modifications, the U.S. Air Force could safely operate Block 40-52 aircraft to 2048 and beyond. The Air Force and Lockheed Martin also reduced projected service life costs for the Block 40-52 fleet, paving the way for safe, cost-effective F-16 flight operations decades into the future.
"This accomplishment is the result of more than seven years of test, development, design, analysis and partnership between the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin," said Susan Ouzts, vice president of Lockheed Martin's F-16 program. "Combined with F-16 avionics modernization programs like the F-16V, SLEP modifications demonstrate that the Fighting Falcon remains a highly capable and affordable 4th Generation option for the U.S. Air Force and international F-16 customers."
Validation of the extended flight hour limit directly supports the SLEP goal of extending the service life of up to 300 F-16C/D Block 40-52 aircraft. SLEP and related avionics upgrades to the Air Force's F-16C/D fleet can safely and effectively augment the current fighter force structure as U.S. and allied combat air fleets recapitalize with F-35 Lightning IIs.
A second phase, or Part II, of the F-16 SLEP airworthiness process continues with the request for Military Type Certificate (MTC), which will be submitted to the Air Force's Technical Airworthiness Authority in the coming months. Part II seeks to validate further extending the F-16's operational life based on final service life analysis from extended durability testing.
About the F-16 Fighting Falcon
The F-16 continues to prove itself as the world's most successful, combat-proven multi-role fighter aircraft, having served with 28 customers around the world. The F-16V, the latest F-16 avionics upgrade configuration, includes numerous enhancements designed to keep the F-16 at the forefront of international security. The F-16 Block 70/72, the newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration, combines capability and structural upgrades into the most advanced F-16 production aircraft ever offered.
For additional information, visit our website: lockheedmartin.com/f16
New SM-3 Block IIA Intercepts Ballistic Missile in Space For First Time
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the Japan Ministry of Defense and U.S. Navy successfully used a ship-launched Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA to intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target for the first time on Friday night in Hawaii.In the Feb. 3 test, conducted at about 10:30 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time (3:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Feb. 4), a target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, according to a MDA statement. USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53) detected and tracked the target missile with its AN/SPY-1D(V) radar and Aegis Combat System Baseline 9.C2 system. The ship fired a SM-3 Block IIA – being jointly developed by the U.S. and Japan – and intercepted the target.
News releases from MDA and Raytheon add that preliminary data shows the test met its primary objectives, which include evaluating the performance of key missile components such as the kinetic warhead, divert and attitude control system, nosecone, steering control section, booster performance and second- and third-state rocket motor.
Mitch Stevison, vice president of Air and Missile Defense Systems for Raytheon, which builds the Standard Missile family of weapons, told reporters this morning that this test represented many firsts for the program: “the first ship-launched SM-3 IIA, it was the first time that we actually were able to have our (kinetic warhead) look at a threat in space, identify that threat, discriminate that threat, and consummate an engagement on that threat. All of those things are critical in closing the entire system loop to know that we have a valid system.”
Stevison said the SM-3 IIA went through two control test vehicle tests last year, once to verify the propulsion system and the second to use the kinetic warhead in space for the first time. This third test, and first detect-to-engage event, “was a near picture perfect test,” he said, adding that there was a lot of data for government and industry partners to sift through but that it so far appears to be “a flawless flyout and engagement and consummation of the mission Friday night in Hawaii.”
Though he couldn’t talk much about the threat set this event tested against, Stevison said the system defended against a medium-range ballistic missile threat that “flew a trajectory that we would associate with potential threats, and the actual lethal object – or what we refer to as the reentry vehicle part of that target – was representative of the threat space that the SM3 IIA was created for and developed to engage.” SM-3 IIA was designed to protect against medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and Stevison said the full envelope would eventually be tested before the system is fielded in 2018. This first intercept “gives us high confidence that those future engagements … are fully achievable.”
In some ways, preparing the SM-3 IIA for this test was made easier by previous work Raytheon, the Navy, MDA and the industrial base have done on the Standard Missile family of weapons, which all operate through the Aegis Combat System and launch from Vertical Launching System tubes aboard Navy cruisers and destroyers or from ground-based Aegis Ashore sites. On the other hand, this SM-3 IIA is much larger than the other Standard Missiles, creating some additional concerns.
“There is a very sophisticated process that is used across the industry partners and the Missile Defense Agency in doing the preparation and the integration of a missile system onto a ship. And that process was fully used in the integration of this missile,” Stevison said. Asked if the integration process has gotten more efficient every time a new Standard Missile product is developed, “I would say resoundingly yes. The more we do this, the more that we learn, the more efficient these processes become in working with the government and our industry partners to make sure that the system is a complete system and not an individual element. So that efficiency that was brought to this from our history certainly cannot be repeated in any kind of a clean sheet construct. So we’re proud of the long-term partnerships we’ve had … and we are very proud to say that this integration into the Aegis Combat System and the Aegis ship platform went very smoothly.”
Still, Stevison said, “this is a very large missile, so to move to the construct of launching a missile of this caliber out of Aegis Combat System, there was additional activities that were taking place both from a safety standpoint … and in the integration itself.”
“This capability is not just an organic capability to the Aegis Combat System, so the integration involved looking at many more things across the spectrum than we would with a normal Standard Missile or a smaller Standard Missile product,” he added.
“So that integration was extensive. It’s been part of our development plan since the inception of our program and was executed well.”
SM-3 IIA, in addition to bringing in the Japanese industrial base, the SM-3IIA program seeks to improve upon the SM-3 IB missile, which is already fielded at sea and in the first Aegis Ashore site in Romania.
“We have now increased the capability of our propulsions systems to get more range, better velocity, which increases the capability for the defended area and also gives combatant commanders and tactical commanders on the ground more flexibility in their methods of employing the systems,” Stevison said.
“We’ve also increased the capability of our kinetic warhead, which is the kill vehicle piece of the SM-3 IIA program, with both a larger divert and attitude control system and with a seeker that has more sensitivity and capabilities to deal with the advancing threats. So we have throughout this system improved this system dramatically over the SM-3 IB program.”
Despite the larger size and greater capability, Stevison said no ship or VLS modifications were needed.
“The ship itself is perfectly capable of launching a missile of this size, and we saw that executed near-flawlessly here Friday night,” he said.
Overall, he said the test “was absolutely one of the smoothest tests I’ve seen conducted in my experience doing missile defense testing,” which he said was about 20 years. The preparation going into the test ensured everything went right and that all the needed data was collected to assess and help make improvements as needed going into the next test.
The test event in Hawaii was also the first shipboard demonstration of Lockheed Martin’s Aegis Baseline 9.2 (BMD 5.1) Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) tracking and engagement capability, which is also set for certification in 2018. In tandem with the Baseline 9/BMD 5.1 software variant in development for the U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin has been developing a comparable J7 variant for Japanese Aegis-equipped destroyers.
U-2 breaks 30,000-hour barrier in fight against ISIL
Nellis F-15’s ‘odometer’ hits 10,000 flight hours
83-3014
Air Force needs to grow to 350,000
NASA, UTechnologies Research Center Set Boundary Layer Fan Test
US Air Force Turns 69
Sikorsky delivers 1,000th U.S. Army H-60M Black Hawk
STRATFORD, Conn., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Sikorsky delivered the 1,000th H-60M Black Hawk helicopter to the U.S. Army Thursday, the Lockheed Martin subsidiary announced.
The company delivered the first UH-60M to the service in 2007 and the first HH-60M Medevac helicopter in 2008, the company said in a statement.
Thursday's ceremony marked the delivery of the 792nd UH-60M and the 208th HH-60M.
The "Mike" model helicopters represent the Army's third standard baseline H-60 Black Hawk aircraft version in the program's 38-year production history.
The newest models feature more powerful engines, a new airframe, avionics and propulsion system, improved rotor blades, a digital cockpit and an autopilot, among other modern enhancements.
There are currently 2,135 H-60 Black Hawks in service, with the Army's fleet of the helicopters having flown nearly nine million flight hours.
The H-60M is flown by 10 other militaries throughout the world.
Sikorsky delivered the UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters to the service from 1978 to 1989, and delivered the UH-60L from 1989 to 2008.
The Army plans to keep the Black Hawk fleet flying through 2070.
Two milestones with one bird
By Staff Sgt. Samantha Mathison, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs / Published August 22, 2016
http://www.afcent.af.mil/Units/380thAirExpeditionaryWing/News/Display/tabid/5419/Article/920994/two-milestones-with-one-bird.aspx
U.S. Army Selects ATEC to Design Dramatically Improved Helicopter Engine for Black Hawk and Apache Fleets
The U.S. Army has announced that the Advanced Turbine Engine Company (ATEC), a joint venture of Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney, has been awarded a contract for preliminary design review of a new engine for the Army's fleet of Black Hawk and Apache helicopters.
The two-year contract, part of the Army's Improved Turbine Engine (ITE) program, will support the design of an advanced 3,000 shaft horsepower turbine engine - ATEC's HPW3000.
The primary goal of the ITE program is to produce an affordable new engine that will dramatically improve performance over the current engine powering Black Hawk and Apache helicopters. The Army specifications require that the new engine be 50 percent more powerful, 25 percent more fuel efficient, and provide 20 percent longer engine life over the current engine, while also meeting stringent performance goals in high altitude and hot conditions at 6,000 feet and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
ATEC recently completed testing of two HPW3000 demonstrator engines, which performed very well and have already validated various program requirements, according to Craig Madden, president of ATEC.
"The HPW3000 underscores our dedication to developing an engine that will support Army Aviation superiority over potential adversaries," said Madden. "We are very confident in the engine design and in the results we've seen in testing so far. With the extensive improvements in helicopter performance it brings, the HPW3000 will mean greater mission success and safety for U.S. warfighters."
The HPW3000 features a dual-spool architecture and utilizes many of the latest gas turbine engine technologies. The engine's dual-spool architecture offers significant advantages, including optimized engine efficiency, decreased maintenance costs, extended engine life, and greater power growth capability – providing the Army with maximum flexibility as mission requirements evolve and change.
When factoring in savings from decreased fuel consumption and lowered operating and support costs, the HPW3000 is expected to offer potential annual savings of $1 billion, compared with the current engine in the Black Hawk and Apache fleets.
"The advantages of the HPW3000 design mean that U.S warfighters can have confidence that the engine will perform as intended and be capable of performing throughout a wider range of operations," said Jerry Wheeler, ATEC's vice president for programs. "The American taxpayer can be assured that we are committed to providing the safest, most affordable and capable helicopter engine to the warfighter so that they can accomplish the mission."
The Army's development schedule for the engine program calls for the service to select from competing preliminary engine designs in 2018 and then proceed with a sole engine developer.
The ATEC joint venture of Honeywell (NYSE: HON) and Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX), brings together the world-class engineering, manufacturing, and production capabilities of two industry-leading companies perfectly suited for accomplishing the goals of the Army's ITE program.
To learn more about ATEC and the HPW3000 engine, visit ATEC online at www.dualspoolrules.com or on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning opportunities for development and potential production of helicopter engines. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in government procurement priorities and practices, budget plans, and availability of funding; challenges in the design, development, production, delivery, support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in filings submitted by UTC and by Honeywell to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
- See more at: http://www.pw.utc.com/Press/Story/20160823-0800/30/All%20Categories#sthash.Iqf3xxTb.dpuf
Autonomous Global Hawk UASystem Surpasses 200,000 Flight Hours
Photos accompanying this release are available at: http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=40921
Global Hawks operate at altitudes up to 60,000 feet for more than 30 hours, surveying thousands of square miles on a single mission. Global Hawk carries a variety of sensor payloads that allow military commanders to gather near real-time imagery and use radar to detect moving or stationary targets on the ground. The system also provides airborne communications and information sharing capabilities to military units in harsh environments.
"Global Hawk has set endurance records and displayed an unmatched record of safety while reducing per hour flight costs to half the cost of the manned alternative," said Mick Jaggers, vice president and program manager, Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman. "This milestone is especially meaningful as it comes just before the 15th anniversary of Global Hawk's first deployment into the theater of operations following the tragic events of 9/11. We expect Global Hawk to continue to provide indispensable ISR information to our warfighters."
The Global Hawk system is building on its heritage of innovation, modernizing its current capabilities by integrating new technologies that enhance capabilities, performance and reliability. Earlier this year, Global Hawk successfully flew a SYERS-2 intelligence gathering sensor, marking the first time the legacy Air Force sensor has been demonstrated on a high altitude autonomous aircraft. Northrop Grumman plans to fly an Optical Bar Camera and an MS-177 multispectral sensor later this year via Global Hawk's open systems architecture.
Global Hawk entered combat operations shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Since then, it has flown operational and humanitarian missions around the world supporting Southern California wildfires, the Japanese tsunami, the Haitian earthquake and the Philippines' typhoon. NASA Global Hawk actively monitors environmental changes, tropical storm developments and provides ground breaking approaches to high altitude atmospheric research.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
USMC training flight hours remain below standard
In 2015, marine pilots logged an average of six to nine hours of flight training per month, Lieutenant General Jon Davis, the deputy commandant for aviation, told the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on readiness. Following a renewed emphasis on readiness and improved funding for the past year, pilots are now flying about 11 training hours per month.
"It is an improvement but still six hours per month shy of what a trained-and-ready force requires," the general said.
U.S. Air Force faces shortage of fighter pilots: officials
The United States Air Force is facing a shortage of more than 500 fighter pilots which is expected to widen to more than 800 by 2022, Air Force officials said on Tuesday.
The shortage stems from a reduction in the number of active duty fighter squadrons, according to a statement by several Air Force officials at a U.S. Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing.
"Without these fighter pilots, the Air Force will be very challenged to continue to provide the air supremacy upon which all our other forces depend," the Air Force officials said in the written statement.
The statement said the shortage would affect air operations expertise and lead to a "gradual erosion of fighter pilot experience in test and training."
Speaking with reporters after the hearing, Lieutenant General James Holmes, deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements for the Air Force, said the shortage had been caused by a decrease in the number of squadrons, which produce about four experienced fighter pilots a year.
There are currently 54 squadrons in the Air Force, compared with more than 100 fighter squadrons at the time of the Gulf War in 1990-1991.
"The remaining active component fighter squadrons do not produce enough experienced fighter pilots to meet all of the staff, test and training requirements," the statement added.
Holmes said to deal with the issue, the Air Force would likely put new active duty pilots into guard and reserve squadrons to gain experience.
"But ultimately we're going to have to increase production and we're going to have to increase absorption so we can fix the problem," he said.
Holmes told lawmakers at the hearing that the Air Force would provide a plan next year try to retain as many pilots as possible in the short term.
Lieutenant General John Raymond, deputy chief of staff for operations, said retention was made difficult by airlines hiring thousands of fighter pilots.
According to a 2015 study by the Rand Corporation, the Air Force faced a persistent shortage because there was a gap between the requirements for a fighter pilot and the Air Force’s capacity to train them.
Air Force reveals B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the first rendering of the Long Range Strike Bomber, designated the B-21, at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla., and announced the Air Force will be taking suggestions from Airmen to help decide the name of the bomber.
“This aircraft represents the future for our Airmen, and (their) voice is important to this process,” James said. “The Airman who submits the selected name will help me announce it at the (Air Force Association) conference this fall.”
While there are no existing prototypes of the aircraft, the artist rendering is based on the initial design concept. The designation B-21 recognizes the LRS-B as the first bomber of the 21st century.
The reveal comes just weeks after both James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III delivered the fiscal year 2017 posture statement before the Senate Appropriations Committee, making it clear modernization is a top priority for the Air Force.
“The platforms and systems that made us great over the last 50 years will not make us great over the next 50,” Welsh said during his testimony on Capitol Hill Feb. 10. “There are many other systems we need to either upgrade or recapitalize to ensure viability against current and emerging threats… the only way to do that is to divest old capability to build the new.”
James said the B-21 will allow the Air Force to operate in tomorrow's high end threat environment, and give the Air Force the flexibility and the capability to launch from the continental United States and deliver airstrikes on any location in the world.
James also explained why the B-21 shares some resemblance to the B-2.
“The B-21 has been designed from the beginning based on a set of requirements that allows the use of existing and mature technology,” James said.
The program recently entered into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase and the Air Force plans to field the initial capability of the aircraft in mid-2020s.
Mitsubishi Heavy starts final assembly on stealth fighter
TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has begun final assembly and checkout on the Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighter jet, expecting to work on two of the aircraft by the end of fiscal 2017(31 March 2018) and 16 more by the end of fiscal 2020(31 March 2021)
The F-35 is the most advanced U.S. fighter yet, developed as an international collaboration among nine countries. Japan's Ministry of Defense intends to procure 42 fighters. Mitsubishi Heavy will build 38 for Lockheed Martin at its Komaki Minami plant in Aichi Prefecture.
Advanced avionics aid maneuverability in dogfights, and a stealthy design hides the plane from radar. Mitsubishi Heavy will weld the fuselage, tail and other components together and attach the engines, landing gear and other parts using proprietary technologies that help minimize the fighter's radar cross-section.
The Japanese company will also test the aircraft's stealth against radar.
The experience with materials technologies and specialty processing that Mitsubishi Heavy is gaining through its F-35 work can be put to practical use on the next-generation stealth fighter that Japan itself is developing.
First simulated F-35A deployment conducted at Mountain Home AFB
Published February 11, 2016
Two F-35A Lightning IIs (10-5009, 10-5012) taxi after landing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Feb. 8, 2016.
The F-35s, from Edwards AFB, Calif., will be part of an initial operating capability test at the nearby range complex.(10-5009, 10-5010, 10-5011, 10-5012, 11-5021, 11-5027)
The 31st TES will execute each of these in a limited scope from a "deployed" location for this test. The deployed location is Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The 31st TES at Edwards AFB falls under the 53rd Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida, which is leading the test design, management and execution of the F-35A deployment test.
The achievements of an F-35A squadron testing ability to deploy, employ and sustain operations will set the benchmark capability for the Air Force to declare F-35A initial operational capability scheduled for this fall, according to the 53rd Wing.
During the test at Mountain Home AFB, the aircraft will be engaged in simulated combat scenarios to exercise representative mission processes such as tasking, execution, debrief and intelligence reporting. The test team will be working to capture a broad spectrum of capabilities and limitations of the F-35 system to include both operations and maintenance. The team will focus on areas such as mission planning, scheduling, weapons building/loading, sortie generation, life support, mission employment, debrief and aircraft turn.
Nellis AFB in Nevada will serve as a simulated remote air operations center for the deployed environment. Mountain Home AFB is providing a secure location with ranges to employ fourth-generation aircraft as well. The F-35As will integrate with F-15E Strike Eagles from the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home AFB and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 124th Fighter Wing at Gowen Field, Idaho.
The entire test event is expected to last about a month.
Exclusive: Pentagon's budget plan funds 404 Lockheed F-35 jets
The U.S. Defense Department plans to buy 404 Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-35 fighter jets over the next five years, a net decrease of 5 to 7 percent from last year's plan, sources familiar with the plans said on Friday.
The orders will amount to about $40 billion in new revenue for Lockheed, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier, and engine maker Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp (UTX.N).
The revised procurement numbers will be released on Tuesday when the Pentagon issues its fiscal 2017 budget and the new five-year plan, said the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly before the budget release.
The change in the Pentagon's plan for the $391 billion weapons program defers orders for 45 Air Force jets, compared with last year's plan, while accelerating orders for the Navy and Marine Corps models of the aircraft, the sources said.
The Pentagon still plans to buy a total of 2,457 jets for all three military services in coming years, they added.
The Pentagon's plan does not include an estimated 260 international F-35 orders over the five-year period, said the sources. Those orders could rise further over the period given potential orders from countries including Finland, Denmark, Belgium and Singapore, the sources said.
The new plan calls for the Air Force to buy 243 F-35 jets through fiscal 2021, 45 fewer than planned, as the service juggles funds to pay for a new long-range bomber to be built by Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N), and KC-46A refueling planes to be built by Boeing Co (BA.N).
It calls for the Navy and Marine Corps to buy 64 F-35C jets, which can take off and land on aircraft carriers, over the next five years, and 97 F-35B jets, which can land like a helicopter, the sources said.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter this week announced plans to buy 13 more F-35 fighter jets for the Navy and Marine Corps than planned last year, but he did not disclose the total number of jets to be purchased across the department.
Two sources said the plans could actually represent an increase of 21 F-35 jets for the Navy and Marine Corps over the five-year period. No comment was immediately available on the discrepancy from Carter's office.
The U.S. Marine Corps declared an initial squadron of 10 of its F-35B model jets ready for combat last July.
The Air Force is due to follow suit in August, followed by the Navy in late 2018 or early 2019.
(Editing by Matthew Lewis)