The 100th F-35

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01/15/2014

2014-01-15

Lockheed Martin commemorated the 100th F-35 Lightning II today with a ceremony for employees, elected officials and customers.

The 100th F-35, known as AF-41, will be the first F-35 delivered to Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Glendale, Ariz.

Fleet Status

  • Of the first 100 F-35s produced, 44 are F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variants, 42 are F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variants and 14 are F-35C carrier variants (CV)
  • 87 F-35s have been delivered to the Department of Defense
  • 67  Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Aircraft
    • There are 34 LRIP F-35s based at Eglin AFB, Fla. (18F-35A (two international aircraft), 14F-35B (including three international aircraft) and 2 F-35C)
    • There are 2 LRIP F-35As, 2 LRIP F-35Bs, and 1 F-35C based at Edwards AFB, Calif. on loan for SDD
    • There are 5 LRIP F-35As based at Edwards AFB, Calif., for Operational Testing
    • There are 16 LRIP F-35Bs based at MCAS Yuma, Ariz.
    • There are 4 LRIP F-35As based at Nellis AFB, Nev.
    • There are 3 LRIP F-35s based in Fort Worth expected to ferry to Eglin AFB
  • 20 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) aircraft complete the test and development fleet
    • There are four F-35As assigned to Edwards AFB, Calif., and five F-35Bs along with four F-35Cs stationed at PAX River NAS, Md. This count includes six static aircraft and AA-1

Fast Facts

  • There are eight international partners on the F-35 Lightning II program – Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Additionally, Israel and Japan are acquiring the F-35 through the U.S. Government’s Foreign Military Sales program.
  • Lockheed Martin was awarded the Joint Strike Fighter System Design and Development contract on October 26, 2001.
  • On July 7, 2006 the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was officially named the Lightning II to honor the World War II-era Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the mid-1950s Lightning supersonic jet built by English Electric.
  • Chief Test Pilot Jon Beesley made the first F-35 flight on December 15, 2006.
  • The Department of Defense plans to acquire 2,443 F-35s to recapitalize current fighter fleets.
  • Per unit costs have decreased by more than 55 percent since the procurement of the first production model F-35, which was delivered in 2011.
  • The F-35 will leverage more than 8 million lines of software code for full functionality, while the F-22, the world’s only other operational 5th generation fighter, uses approximately 2.2 million lines of code.
  • The F-35 program supports more than 133,000 U.S. jobs in 45 states and Puerto Rico. This figure includes both Lockheed Martin employees and the employees of the F-35 program suppliers.
  • In the state of Arizona, there are 1,178 direct and indirect jobs related to the F-35 program. The economic impact of these jobs on the State of Arizona is $91.7 million.
  • Australia joined the F-35 program in 2002, and announced its selection of the F-35 in 2009.
  • The F-35A is comprised of 280,000 individual parts while the F-35B is made up of 300,000. The F-35C consists of 290,000 individual parts. Despite their differences, the three variants are actually 80 percent common.

https://www.f35.com/news/detail/100th-f-35-lightning-ii-fact-sheet

Air Force Leader Outlines Joint Strike Fighter’s Value

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2013 – On the day that Lockheed-Martin delivered its 100th F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter to the Air Force, the service’s leaders today marked the milestone and outlined the aircraft’s value.

The F-35 will be delivered to Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., where it will serve as the first training aircraft for pilots of the fifth-generation fighter.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III called the event “a big deal for the Air Force” during a Pentagon news conference this morning.

Welsh discussed the service’s need for the Lightning II, a need that became even more acute, he said, after the Defense Department truncated the total buy of F-22 Raptor fighters.

The F-22 was to provide theater wide air superiority, the general said. But with too few F-22s to provide this umbrella, F-35s must pick up the slack. “You have to have the F-35 to augment the F-22 to do the air superiority fight at the beginning of a high-end conflict to survive against the fifth-generation threats we believe will be in the world at that point in time,” he said.

Even with upgrades, Welsh said, current air superiority fighters — F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons — cannot survive against a fifth-generation threat.

“Operationally, it’s just a fact,” he added. “I am certainly not willing to go to my secretary or the secretary of defense or to the chairman [of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] and say, ‘I would recommend that we keep our old equipment and update it, and just accept more losses and count on the incredible ability of our aviators to win the fight anyway…..’”

http://www.defense.gov/News/newsarticle.aspx?ID=121340

 

USMC Long Range Raid Exercise: Training for More Effective Coordination

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01/11/2014

01/11/2014: Students from the Infantry Officer Course (IOC) at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., completed a “Proof-of-Concept” 1,100 mile, long-range operation from Twentynine Palms, Calif., to Fort Hood, Texas, via MV-22 Ospreys, on Dec. 15, 2013.

The Marines fast-roped into a mock city to secure the embassy and rescue key U.S. personnel. The Marine Corps is the only military branch with the proven capability to perform missions of this magnitude, whether for humanitarian, rescue, combat operations or other special-forces type missions.

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Credit:Defense Media Activity: USMC:12/15/13

 

Visiting SP-MAGTF Crisis Response in Spain: Prior to the Sudan Mission

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01/09/2014

01/09/2014: Second Line of Defense’s Murielle Delaporte visited the SP-MAGTF Crisis Response in Morón Air Base, Spain a few days prior to their mission to South Sudan to extract US embassy personnel. 

The SP-MAGTF Crisis Response was formed over an 8-month period and first deployed to Europe for temporary basing in April 2013. 

Several training sessions in Europe and Africa with various European and African partners have occurred through the year, but the Sudan mission was the second deployment of the force.

The first operation of SP-MAGTF Crisis Response was in May when they reinforced the U.S. Embassy at  Tripoli with a platoon-sized element.

Training for deployment is a key part of mission success and in the photos various aspects of the training and equipment of the SP-MAGTF Crisis Response is highlighted.

The Osprey is crown jewel of the SP-MAGTF Crisis Response in terms of equipment but the KC-130J is a key enabler. 

By taking its own lift and tanking capability with it, the unit has autonomy in operations and long legs for a deployment.

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Photo Credits: Photos 1 through 6 were shot by Murielle Delaporte.

 Photo 7 was provided by SP-MAGTF Crisis Response

  •  In photo one, the KC-130J is seen behind the Ospreys.
  •  In photo 2, SP-MAGTF Crisis Response leaders prepare for the mission.
  •  In photo 3, SP-MAGTF Crisis Response members get ready for the mission.
  •  In photo 4, SP-MAGTF Crisis Response members get ready to board an Osprey.
  •  Photos 5 and 6 provide a broader view of the SP-MAGTF Crisis Response Ospreys.
  •  Photo 7 takes another look at SP-MAGTF Crisis Response members getting ready to board an Osprey.

 

 

 

Rope Training for SP-MAGTF Insertion

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01/08/2014: Marines and sailors with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response load an MV-22B Osprey for helicopter rope suspension training at Morón Air Base, Spain, Dec. 6, 2013 and December 17, 2013. 

The latter was during a visit of Second Line of Defense to SP-MAGTF in Spain.

SP-MAGTF Crisis Response is a self-mobile, self-sustaining force capable of responding to a range of crises to protect both U.S. and partner-nation security interests in the region, while also strengthening partnerships throughout the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility.

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 Credit: SP-MAGTF:12/17/13

Dutch F-35 Flight: 2nd Foreign Operator of the F-35

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01/07/2014

01/06/2014: Video shows Dutch pilot flying the F-35 at Eglin AFB.

Credit: 33rd Fighter Wing:12/18/13

Maj. Laurens J.W. Vijge, Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35 Integrated Training Center training lead, completed his first flight after 210 hours of classroom training and 13 flights in the simulators.

“The jet handles great and is very easy to fly – in fact, it’s actually easier to fly than the simulator,” said Vijge. “I could not have been better prepared than I was for this flight, and it’s all thanks to the hard work and dedication of people working in the F-35 Academic Training Center.”

The Netherlands currently has two aircraft stationed here where they will continue to train pilots for operational testing and evaluation of the aircraft starting 2015. The Netherlands’ aircraft and personnel are incorporated into the U.S. Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron at the 33rd Fighter Wing.

“It was incredible – not only was my first flight in the first Dutch F-35, but I also got to fly this historic mission with Lt. Col. Matthew Renbarger (the 58th FS commander) as my wingman,” said Vijge, who is an experienced F-16 pilot with more than 2,500 flying hours. “It was truly amazing to start this day knowing that a lot of people, both in the U.S. as well as back in the Netherlands, have worked very hard to make this possible.”

The F-35 is designed to penetrate air defenses and deliver a wide range of precision munitions. This modern, next-generation aircraft brings the added benefits of stealth, increased interoperability with our allies and cost-sharing across U.S. services and partner nations.

“This first flight marks the start of an essential training program our pilots require, and it is a great example of the solid partnership between the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the United States Air Force,” said Lt. Col. Albert J. De Smit, Netherlands senior national representative for U.S. F-35 operations.

“The F-35 OT&E will be a cooperative effort with the United States Services and the United Kingdom. This is another example of the cooperative nature of the F-35 program,” added De Smit.

 

 

 

 

10th Combat Aviation Brigade Sling Load Operations

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12/30/2013

12/30/2013:A 10th Combat Aviation Brigade CH-47 Chinook helicopter, operated by members of the Texas and Oklahoma National Guard, hovers toward a shipping container to be sling loaded beneath the belly of the aircraft during a personnel and equipment movement mission, Oct. 26, at Forward Operating Base Airborne, Afghanistan.

The slideshow highlights the lift operation.

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 Credit:10th Combat Aviation Brigade:10/26/13

 

Tanking an Amphibious Ready Group at Sea

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12/29/2013

12/29/2013: In this slideshow the USS Bataan ARG is provided with fuel at sea. The Military Sealift Command provides fuel to USN ships at sea, but needs to modernize its tankers as the bulk of these tankers are single hull and need to be double-hauled for safety reasons and because of global regulations as well.

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 Credit: USS Bataan (LHD 5):10/29/13

  •  In the first photo, USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189) transfers fuel to the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) during a replenishment-at-ea. Sailors from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and Marines assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are participating in ARGMEU exercises.
  •  In the second and third photos, fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189) sends fuel lines to the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) in preparation for a replenishment-at-sea Oct. 29. Hays/Released)
  •  In the final photo, the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) receives fuel and supplies during a replenishment-at-sea with the fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189).

 

 

 

USS Kearsarge LCAC Operations

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12/28/2013

12/28//2013: In this slideshow, LCAC operations are viewed as part of the USS Kearsarge amphibious group.

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Credit:USS Kearsarge (LHD 3):10/23/13

  • In the first photo, Sailors from Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 4 direct a light armored vehicle (LAV) aboard a landing craft air cushion (LCAC) during LCAC operations with the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3).Kearsarge is deployed as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.
  • In the second photo, Boatswain’s mates direct a landing craft air cushion (LCAC) into the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3).
  • In the third photo, Operations Specialist 1st Class Timothy Kiddy from Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 4 radios instructions from the deck of a landing craft air cushion (LCAC) during operations with the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3).
  • In the fourth photo, a landing craft air cushion (LCAC) from Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 4 lands on a beach during operations with the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3).
  • In the final photo, a landing craft air cushion (LCAC) from Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 4 takes off from a beach during operations with the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3).