By Andrew McLaughlin

Australian industry has been allocated a large proportion of the next round of regional F-35 JSF program Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) workshare awards.

Of the 388 component work assignments awarded in the Asia-Pacific region, Australian companies have been awarded 343 of them.

The latest component repair awards have been granted to BAE Systems Australia, Northrop Grumman Australia, General Electric Aviation, MOOG Australia, RUAG Australia, NIOA, and Survitec. The components covered include avionics, aircraft composites, electric components. Valves, electro optical sensors, auxiliary power unit, hydraulics, landing gear, munitions and weapons, pumps, life support, and the canopy.

 “This announcement again proves that our defence industry can equal and beat the best in the world when it comes to sustaining complex aviation assets,” Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne said in a statement. “I welcome the United States Government further commitment to Australia as a regional hub for the maintenance of the F-35 JSF.”

The latest awards follow a 2017 announcement that the Asia-Pacific warehouse for the F-35 would be located in Australia, and that air vehicle, propulsion and component MRO&U would be performed in Australia. Not only does this cover the RAAF’s 72 F-35As, but also potentially several hundred more F-35s to be operated by Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and forward-deployed USAF, US Navy and USMC aircraft.

For the complete article, see the following:

Next round of JSF MRO&U workshare awarded

In 2017, Rheinmetall announced that they had won a contract to supply ammunition for the USAF’s F-35s. In a March 6, 2017 press release, the company announced the contract.

Rheinmetall has just booked an order from the US Air Force to supply ammunition for the F-35 stealth multirole fighter. The contract, worth over US$6.5 million (6.2 € million), encompasses the supply of several ten thousand rounds in four lots. Delivery starts in December 2017. 

The order is of major strategic significance to Rheinmetall for two reasons. For one thing, the US Air Force is currently procuring the F-35 on a large scale, with 1,200 planes on order. Numerous other nations have opted for the new aircraft as well, among them Denmark, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Turkey and Japan. For another, the ammunition selected – the new 25mm x 137 Frangible Armour Piercing (FAP) – complements Rheinmetall’s existing array of high-performance aircraft ammunition, allowing the Düsseldorf, Germany-based Group to bring its full expertise to bear in the field of aircraft armament. This means that further major orders can be expected, especially since the first user nations are already ordering smaller amounts of this advanced ammunition for testing purposes. 

The FAP round was specifically developed by Rheinmetall for, and in conjunction with, NATO air forces to provide the F-35 with superior lethality against modern Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) at extreme slant ranges while still remaining deadly against enemy aircraft in air-to-air engagements. The 25mm x 137 FAP is a true all-purpose cartridge that is already in service with the F-35s of two NATO nations. 

Manufacture of the ammunition for the US Air Force will take place at Rheinmetall Switzerland. Rheinmetall intends to have the ammunition of possible follow-up contracts assembled in the USA by Rheinmetall Day & Zimmermann Munitions (RDZM), a joint venture that operates out of Rosslyn, Virginia. American Rheinmetall Munitions and Day & Zimmermann established the joint venture in autumn 2016. Other potential customers will be supplied from locations belonging to Rheinmetall Waffe Munition Schweiz AG.

Now the company is working to expand its engagement with the global F-35 program.

In an article by Andrew McLaughlin published in the Australian Defence Business Review on February 25, 2019, the efforts of the company in Australia were highlighted.

Rheinmetall Defence Australia has offered a new 25mm munition specifically designed for the F-35 Lightning II JSF to Australia.

Rheinmetall says the 25mm frangible armour piercing (FAP) ammunition designed for the F-35’s GAU-22/A gun is already in service with the USAF with the PGU-48/B designation. It offers superior lethality against air and ground targets by combining high penetration performance, versatility, reliability, low dispersion and handling safety. 

“The 25mm FAP is a true all-purpose munition for the 21st century,” Rheinmetall Defence Australia Managing Director Gary Stewart said in a statement. “Importantly, the FAP technology contains no explosives, ensuring maximum safety in the aircraft or in storage and transportation, as well as enabling it to be used in training.” 

If adopted by the RAAF and manufactured in Australia, the 25mm FAP ammunition would further expand Rheinmetall’s local munitions activities. The company is working with its munitions partner NIOA to establish and operate a $60 million, 155mm artillery shell forging facility, in Queensland. 

The FAP round was specifically developed by Rheinmetall for NATO F-35 operators to provide a non-depleted uranium and non-high explosive cartridge with superior lethality against armoured vehicles at extreme slant ranges, while still remaining effective against aircraft in air-to-air engagements. 

In a recent article published by the 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs on February 15, 2019, an update was provided on Red Flag-19-1 and how the impact of the F-35 is changing the approach to air combat.

Today, Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing’s 4th Fighter Squadron wrapped up flying operations with the F-35A Lightning II in an “exponentially more challenging” Red Flag. 

The 4th FS integrated the F-35A into a large, capable “Blue Force” in diverse missions against an equally capable “Red Force.” Nearly 3,000 personnel from 39 separate units participated in the exercise, including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force.

123787 fade 1.0 5.0

The Red Force was made up of hybrid threats, combinations of the “most advanced weapons systems out there,” meant to replicate “near-peer” enemies in a large scale conflict. The shift closely aligns with the National Defense Strategy. 

“The first time I came to Red Flag in 2004, our tactics were the same as they had been since the early 1980s. Now, the threat and complexity are at a whole different level,” said Col. Joshua Wood, 388th Operations Group commander. “It’s no longer assumed that we will gain and maintain air superiority. That’s a big shift.”  

Red Flag aggressors encompass the whole spectrum of an adversary force – advanced integrated air-defense systems, an adversary air force, cyber-warfare and information operations. Because of these diverse capabilities, many Red Flag missions are flown in “contested or denied” environments with active electronic attack, communications jamming, and GPS denial. 

“Those situations highlight the fifth-generation capabilities of the F-35. We’re still able to operate and be successful. In a lot of cases we have a large role as an integrated quarterback,” said Lt. Col. Yosef Morris, 4th Fighter Squadron commander. “Our ability to continue to fuse and pass information to the entire package makes every aircraft more survivable.” 

During the first week of Red Flag, the F-35 pilots flew in a larger force of Blue Air in a counter-air mission. More than 60 aggressor aircraft were flying against them, blinding many of the fourth-generation aircraft with “robust” electronic attack capabilities. 

“I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Wood said. “This is not a mission you want a young pilot flying in. My wingman was a brand new F-35A pilot, seven or eight flights out of training. He gets on the radio and tells an experienced, 3,000-hour pilot in a very capable fourth-generation aircraft. ‘Hey bud, you need to turn around. You’re about to die. There’s a threat off your nose.’”

The young pilot then “killed” the enemy aircraft and had three more kills in the hour-long mission.

“Even in this extremely challenging environment, the F-35 didn’t have many difficulties doing its job,” Wood said. ‘That’s a testament to the pilot’s training and the capabilities of the jet.” 

One of the most valuable things about this exercise for the 4th Fighter Squadron is the experience it provided younger pilots flying combat missions as part of an integrated force. Thirteen pilots in the squadron have never flown the F-35 in Red Flag, and four of them just graduated pilot training.

“They say it’s the most realistic thing to combat,” said 1st Lt. Landon Moores, a new F-35A pilot. “It’s been pretty intense.” 

Red Flag is not a “rolling campaign.” It is made up of different scenarios that increase in difficulty as the weeks go on. This allows the integrated force to learn how best to capitalize on the strengths and protect the weaknesses of each platform in very specific mission sets. 

“With stealth, the F-35 can get closer to threats than many other aircraft can. Combined with the performance of the fused sensors on the F-35, we can significantly contribute to the majority of the missions,” Morris said.

The missions aren’t just 90-minute flights. They require 12-hours of intense planning the day prior, a two hour pre-brief, and then several hours of debriefing after the mission – dissecting the outcome and looking for ways to improve.  

“It’s not like we just come back and high-five if we’re successful,” Morris said. “Could we have done better? Did we have all the resources we needed? Often the brief and debrief is the most valuable part of Red Flag, especially for younger pilots.” 

The squadron brought 12 aircraft and more than 200 Airmen to the three-week exercise – pilots, maintainers, intelligence officers, weapons crews, and support personnel, including reservists from the 419th Fighter Wing. Maintainers didn’t lose a single sortie to a maintenance ground-abort and had spare aircraft available for every mission. 

“As this aircraft matures, we continue to see it be a significant force-multiplier in a threat-dense environment,” Morris said. “Red Flag was a success for us and has made our younger pilots more lethal and more confident.” 

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev

After more than two weeks launching F-35A sorties at Red Flag 19-1 here, maintainers with the 388th Fighter Wing are impressed with the jet and the young airmen who help maintain it. 

The 4th Fighter Squadron and 4th Aircraft maintenance unit brought 12 jets and more than 200 Airmen from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, to Red Flag for the three week exercise. Red Flag is the Air Force’s premier combat exercise and pits a friendly “blue” force against an enemy “red” force in challenging combat scenarios. 

“This is about as close as you’re going to get to a deployed environment. We’ve been able to sustain a very aggressive schedule and keep the mission-capable rate high,” said Master Sgt. Paul DeGrechie, production superintendent with the 4th AMU. “The F-35 was designed to be maintenance friendly, and that’s been the case here.” 

Working around the clock, the Airmen have launched more than a dozen sorties a day, and so far, have maintained a higher than 90 percent mission capable rate. They have been able to fine-tune their operations and build off of lessons-learned to be more proactive with “pre-maintenance,” said Capt. Dayna Grant, officer in charge of the 4th AMU.    

“We’ve been able to use this to gain a lot of experience for our young Airmen across the board,” Grant said. “This is preparing them for the kind of ops tempo and working environment we’d experience if we were called upon to deploy.” 

Working in a simulated combat environment helps not only train the Airmen, but exposes them to working life away from their home station, alongside other units,  which allows them to see how the contribute to the mission of a much larger force. 

“In this environment they don’t feel like they’re feeding the ‘sortie monster.’ They are part of something bigger. They are learning and growing, gaining the trust of their supervisors and each other,” DeGreiche said. “There is a real sense of pride to see the unity that forms. They are all working together, stepping outside of their comfort zones to pitch in.” 

Being at Red Flag allows the Airmen to focus entirely on the mission and they have more time to broaden their skills. Airman 1st Class Monique Fajardo, who joined the Air Force two years ago, has been able to learn and practice things that are not part of her normal job as an avionics technician. 

“They’ve been showing me how to do things that crew chiefs do, prepping the jet, interacting with the pilots, marshaling a jet,” Fajardo said. “It’s been really fun.”  

https://www.hill.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1756624/red-flag-strengthens-f-35a-maintainers/

The featured photo shows Airman 1st Class Monique Fajardo, 4th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, launching an F-35A Lightning II at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Pilots and maintainers from the 388th Fighter Wing’s 4th Fighter Squadron and 4th Aircraft Maintenance Unit are participating in Red Flag 19-1 at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

This is wing’s second Red Flag with the F-35A, America’s most advanced multi-role fighter, which brings game-changing stealth, lethality and interoperability to the modern battlefield.

Red Flag is the Air Force’s premier combat exercise and includes units from across the Air Force and allied nations. The 388th is the lead wing for Red Flag 19-1.  (U.S. Air Force photo by R. Nial Bradshaw)