F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

[MarkOttawa]

Looks like lots more F35s, As & Bs, for Japan--with a "helicopter destroyers" (remember the RN's "through-deck cruisers"?) turning into a small aircraft carriers:

Japan to order 100 more F-35 fighters from US
Move comes in response to China's military rise and Trump's pressure

Japan is preparing to order another 100 F-35 stealth fighter jets from the U.S. to replace some of its aging F-15s, according to sources.

The plan can be considered a response to China's military buildup, as well as a nod to U.S. President Donald Trump's call for Tokyo to buy more American defense equipment. Japan already intended to procure 42 of the new fighters.

A single F-35 costs more than 10 billion yen ($88.1 million), meaning the additional order would exceed 1 trillion yen.

Japan's government plans to approve the purchase when it adopts new National Defense Program Guidelines at a cabinet meeting in mid-December. It will also include the F-35 order in its medium-term defense program, which covers fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2023. The government wants to obtain 42 F-35s as successors to its F-4s by fiscal 2024.

The 42 fighters Japan originally planned to buy are all F-35As, a conventional takeoff and landing variant. The additional 100 planes would include both the F-35A and F-35B, which is capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings...

To accommodate the F-35Bs, the government intends to revamp the Maritime Self-Defense Force's JS Izumo helicopter carrier to host the fighters.

...Trump has repeatedly urged Japan to purchase more American hardware and reduce the trade imbalance between the countries. Buying more of the high-priced fighters is a quick way to do that.

In September, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Trump, "Introducing high-performance equipment, including American [materiel], is important for our country to strengthen its defense capabilities."
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-Relations/Japan-to-order-100-more-F-35-fighters-from-US

Listen up, Justin.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Journeyman]

Listen up, Justin.

NO.....DON'T!!!     

All he'll see is Japan has been flying their F-4 Phantoms since 1968.  Clearly there's no rush to replace our CF-18s.

 

[NavyShooter]

Or he'll just take on the used F-4's since they're twin engine and obviously superior in terms of reliability, right?

 

[MarkOttawa]

Well, at some point used F-35s should be available (RAAF?).

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Dale Denton]

At this rate, why not just run the Hornets into the ground (as planned), skip a generation and invest in the UK Tempest program?

 

[tomahawk6]

Buy French  8)

 

[SupersonicMax]

At this rate, why not just run the Hornets into the ground (as planned), skip a generation and invest in the UK Tempest program?

And how are we supposed to maintain a cadre of Fighter Pilots capable of handling the standing up of those fighter squadrons in the future?

 

[Loachman]

Run your sim 28 hours per day and maximize your international exchange programme.

The Liberals likely already have a better don't-worry solution, though: "the cadre of Fighter Pilots capable of handling the standing up of those fighter squadrons in the future will maintain itself".

And Tempest will, of course, suffer no technical problems, development delays, and cost overruns whatsoever. F35 is the only aircraft ever to run into those problems, as our government and media are fully aware.

But seriously, I don't think that LoboCanada was being serious at all.

 

[dimsum]

NO.....DON'T!!!     

All he'll see is Japan has been flying their F-4 Phantoms since 1968.  Clearly there's no rush to replace our CF-18s.

:rofl:

 

[Dale Denton]

Run your sim 28 hours per day and maximize your international exchange programme.

But seriously, I don't think that LoboCanada was being serious at all.

;D

Times like these makes me wish CASR was still around... would probably advocate buying Sukhois...

But seriously, have any of the Euro F-35 users released anything about the effectiveness of their couple of jets? Hows their rollout been?

 

[MarkOttawa]

LoboCanada:

Italy F-35s reach initial operating capability

Italian Air Force F-35 fighter jets have reached initial operating capability, Gen. Alberto Rosso, the country’s Air Force chief, said Nov. 30. The announcement marks the first time the aircraft has achieved the milestone in Europe.

Officials broke the news at Italy’s Amendola Air Base in southern Italy, where eight Italian F-35s are stationed, and the announcement coincided with the staging of the latest edition of the 10-nation Tactical Leadership Program — a course for mission commanders. The course is regularly held in Spain, but was moved to Amendola to help with the debut of the Italian F-35s in the program. That program involved 50 aircraft and the participation of Italy, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Belgium, France, Holland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“This is an important day, since it is the first concrete integration of fourth and fifth generation aircraft,” Rosso said.

Italy has said it will order 90 F-35s, including 60 F-35As and 30 F-35Bs, although the current Italian government, which took office in June, has declined to provide a final total.

Italy has thus far taken delivery of 10 F-35As and one F-35B. Two of the As and the B aircraft are being used for training in the United States, while eight of the As have been deployed to Amendola. However, one aircraft is back at the Italian assembly line for maintenance, repair, overhaul, and upgrade.

The Italian aircraft have totaled 2,000 flying hours...
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/11/30/italy-f-35s-reach-initial-operating-capability/

Plus UK:

F-35 countdown: Royal Navy completes carrier flight tests

The Royal Navy has completed flight tests for the F-35B aboard Britain’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, highlighting the opportunities for further Australian industrial support for allies and the potential for Australian capability development in the future. 

Marking a major milestone in the march towards operating capability for the troubled 'B' short take-off, vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 and the Royal Navy, the second phase of development testing (DT-2) provided test pilots, at-sea maintainers and support crew with the opportunity to enhance the operational capabilities of the fifth-generation aircraft.

Over the test periods, four test pilots completed a total of 85 flights for a total of 75 flight hours, including 202 take-offs, 187 vertical landings and 15 ship-borne rolling vertical landings (SRVL).

Further to this operational testing, the aircraft dropped 54 GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided precision training weapons providing the Royal Navy crew with the opportunity to perfect the at-sea handling of ordnance under combat conditions.

Squadron Leader Andy Edgell of the RAF said, "This has been one of the most comprehensive flight trials at sea ever conducted."


The F-35B STOVL variant is the world's first supersonic, stealth STOVL aircraft and is designed to operate from both austere bases and a range of fixed-wing aircraft capable ships.

These include large deck amphibious warfare ships, like the US Wasp and America Class Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs), the UK's Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, the Italian Conte di Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carriers, and future Turkish LHDs, which are based on the Juan Carlos/Canberra Class LHDs.

The F-35B can also take off and land conventionally from longer runways at major land based airbases. As the primary customer of the F-35B, the US Marine Corps achieved initial operational capability in July 2015, with aircraft delivered to both the US and UK as production, operation and deployment rates begin to increase...
https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/air-sea-lift/3203-f-35-countdown-royal-navy-completes-carrier-flight-tests...

https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/air-sea-lift/3203-f-35-countdown-royal-navy-completes-carrier-flight-tests

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

USAF wants F-35As at Tyndall to replace F-22s:

Air Force Proposes F-35 Fighters Be Stationed at Tyndall

The U.S. Air Force plans to refurbish Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, in hopes of stationing three squadron's worth of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at the base in the near future, officials announced Friday.

The service is recommending that Congress use "supplemental funding for rebuilding the base to prepare to receive the F-35 fighter at the north Florida installation," officials said in a release.

"We have recommended that the best path forward to increase readiness and use money wisely is to consolidate the operational F-22s formerly at Tyndall in Alaska, Hawaii and Virginia, and make the decision now to put the next three squadrons of F-35s beyond those for which we have already made decisions at Tyndall," said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson.

The move would also help boost the number of F-22 aircraft that have been reassigned from Tyndall to other bases amid Tyndall's reconstruction. Squadrons may have the opportunity to plus-up their operational F-22 squadrons from "21 to 24 assigned aircraft," the release said, which may help the stifling fleet.

In July, the Government Accountability Office said the F-22 is frequently underutilized, mainly due to maintenance challenges and fewer opportunities for pilot training, as well as the fleet's inefficient organizational structure [see: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/07/20/air-force-missing-out-opportunities-employ-f-22-report-finds.html ] [emphasis added].

If Congress approves the decision and supplemental funding is allocated, the F-35 could be based at Tyndall beginning in 2023, Wilson said. The service added that basing already announced in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin "will not be affected by this decision."..
https://www.military.com/dodbuzz/2018/12/07/air-force-proposes-f-35-fighters-be-stationed-tyndall.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

An Air Force plan that makes eminent sense ... which is probably why Congress will vote against it.  :christmas happy:

 

[MarkOttawa]

More on Japan and F-35, esp. F-35B (note also Turkey angle):

Japan’s potential buy of 100 more F-35s would have big international significance

Japan is reportedly interested in buying another 100 F-35s, including a version of the aircraft that could allow it to operate from its Izumo-class destroyers.

If it does, aerospace experts expect that the massive deal will have reverberations beyond Japan, or even beyond China.

Japanese news outlet Nikkei, which first reported the potential deal, said the Japanese government would purchase a mix of the conventional F-35A as well as the F-35B, the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing version of the jet.

A Dec. 5 Mainichi Shimbun article said Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party had come to an agreement with one of its coalition partners in the National Diet to buy 99 F-35s to replace some of the country’s aging F-15s.

Japanese Defense Ministry officials have said they are studying whether the F-35B could operate from its Izumo-class helicopter destroyers, including what would be needed to convert the two existing ships to be able to accommodate the F-35 and how much it would cost. The Izumo class is comprised of two ships, the Izumo and Kaga, which are the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s largest ships.

...a larger Japanese buy could soften any industrial blowback that comes from forcing Turkey out of the F-35 program, Venable said. The U.S. government is considering removing Turkey from the program over its planned purchase of the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system, although a final decision has not been made.

As a partner on the F-35, Turkish industry is expected to rake in about $12 billion over the program’s life, according to Lockheed Martin. While those contracts would still need to be renegotiated with other companies, a Japanese buy of 100 planes would neutralize the loss of the 100 planes Turkey plans to buy...
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/12/10/japans-potential-buy-of-100-more-f-35s-would-have-big-international-significance/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[CBH99]

Whether Turkey purchases the S-400 or not, Turkey should no longer be considered a reliable security partner in regards to the F-35 project.

The moment Turkey gets it's aircraft, the Russians will have full access to it.  It's not that I don't have faith in their security precautions against Russian technical spying (which I don't) - but I think the Turks would provide the info to Putin on a silver platter.

And while Chinese infiltration is a concern with Japan, I believe the Japanese would be a MUCH more reliable security partner, and wouldn't give the Chinese a damn thing intentionally.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Pretty comprehensive, multi-media article:

Australia takes delivery of its first two F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters
Australia’s first F-35 strike fighters have landed. But amid the fanfare, doubts linger over its ability to perform under pressure.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/australia-takes-delivery-of-its-first-two-f35-lightning-ii-stealth-fighters/news-story/df793a1d4f4348611245039fddffbd73

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Dutch now looking at more for total 52:

Dutch to boost defence spending for more F-35 jets

The Netherlands pledged Friday to boost its defence spending in the coming year to buy more F-35 fighter jets and strengthen its special forces and cyber capabilities, officials said.

"Extra investment in defence is a necessity because our surrounding safety zone has become a more instable place," the Defence Ministry said.

"There are more threats to contend with and threats have become more complex," it added in a statement, issued after a weekly cabinet meeting in The Hague.

This included looking at purchasing 15 more advanced F-35A fighter jets made by US manufacturer Lockheed Martin, Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld told the ANP news agency.

The Dutch have already purchased 37 of the pricey stealth fighters, which are expected to become operational next year.

The number is enough for two squadrons, but NATO has insisted on a third, the ANP added.

The F-35A comes with a current price tag of $89.2 million (78.9 million euros), according to Lockheed Martin.

Both US President Donald Trump and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg have called on allies in the defence bloc to up their defence spending and member states in 2014 agreed to aim to spend two percent of GDP on their militaries.

"This plan shows that cabinet is serious about the current threats.
https://www.france24.com/en/20181214-dutch-boost-defence-spending-more-f-35-jets

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

An increase in capability is a plus. I notice they are not buying more artillery or tanks.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Actually more tanks too:

Defence spending to be stepped up, more tanks and F-35 jets

...
Broadcaster NOS said the government has five priorities to boost the armed forces. As well as buying more JSFs and tanks, ministers want to strengthen the elite special forces units, and boost cyber and information technology capacity.
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/12/defence-spending-to-be-stepped-up-more-tanks-and-f-35-jets/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

Where defense spending is concerned I don't mind being wrong.