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2013-10-18 According to Israeli sources, Israel will build helmets for the F-35 program.
An Israeli company has been selected to take part in manufacturing hi-tech helmets for pilots of the US F-35 stealth fighter, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said.
He said in a statement that Elbit Systems and its US partner Rockwell Collins have been chosen by the Pentagon and F35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin to supply helmets for the next generation of the Joint Strike Fighter, the hi-tech warplane that is supposed to serve as the backbone of future American air power.
“I congratulate Elbit Systems on becoming a partner in this global flagship project to produce the world’s most advanced warplane,” Yaalon said.
Elbit Systems designed the helmet for the fighter.
Yaalon said that state-owned Israel Military Industries is already part of the F-35 project, for which it manufactures aircraft parts.
“The choice of Elbit Systems to produce the pilots’ helmets is a vote of confidence in Israel’s defence industries and their people,” he added.
Israeli daily Yediot Aharanot said that Israel has so far ordered 19 of the aircraft and intends to buy more.
“The new helmet, which is to be manufactured in the United States, is capable of putting flight data as well as data about weapons systems and intelligence before the pilot’s eyes,” it said, adding that it would be delivered as standard with every F-35 purchased around the world from 2016.
2013-10-12 In a USAF overview on the F-35 published in late September, some key elements of the combat systems of the aircraft and the fleet were highlighted by 33rd Fighter Wing personnel.
Lt. Col. Anthony Pelkington is the 33rd FW chief of safety and was one of the first of the legacy pilots selected for the F-35 program. He said that for pilots transitioning from those legacy systems, the F-35 is a huge deal.
“For 10 years in the F-16, I dealt with essentially monochrome cathode ray displays – approximately 6 inch square – and I’ve got two of them. Now I move up to a contiguous 8 x 20- inch color display that is a huge step forward for the pilot’s situational awareness. Plus, there’s a lot more capability in the display itself.
“In the F-16, I had a radar display with a selectable, like turning pages in a book, something that would show my ordnances like I had a stick figure map with monochrome lines on a black background. It would try to give us a semblance of where we were to maybe a weapons system.
But I had to choose. Every one of those displays was limited to the confines of that small 6-inch to 8-inch screen.
“In the F-35, we now have this massive amount of screen real estate.
I can now see multiple sensors at once, which is great because I don’t have to pick and choose. I don’t have to take away my situational awareness with what the radar is telling me in terms of traffic to bring up situational awareness and what the target pod looks like. It’s all there available for me.”
Pelkington added that one of the best aspects of the fifth generation fighter is its ability to communicate with all aspects of the aircraft, as well as customize information to fit each pilot’s needs.
“The displays talk to each other, the sensors talk to each other, and a lot of information is displayed in sensible formats with other sensors in one combined picture.
Now I can bring up large formats on displays so I can see things easier – I can even bring up many formats if I want with a different orientation on how the displays will look. Whatever I want to do to aid my situational awareness I can do and the reality, as a pilot, is that I can customize that setup quite easily to a format that best suits how a pilot understands.”
The wing’s safety chief said that one of the biggest advantages to the F-35 over legacy aircraft is the growth in options.
“Choosing between a pilot’s eye and ‘god’s eye are all in the system now and weren’t in the F-16. I had one particular display option for radar format for the F-16 – I couldn’t choose anything else. I had to learn to read it in that manner. Which didn’t necessarily match how somebody looking out on a battlefield could see the picture.
So you always had to do that conversion in your mind.
With the F-35 you can choose the display format that best suits your ability, and there are multiple options to allow you to see things from a ‘god’s eye’ perspective.
It allows me to see from a much greater perspective than the F-16 ever allowed.”
For the complete article with photos see the following:
10/09/2013:The P-8 is a key element of the build out of the USN in the 21st century.
The range and speed of the P-8 allow it to operate over a wider operational area than legacy systems.
And it is a system which the Indian Navy has purchased concurrently with the USN which allows the two navies to work together in shaping concepts of operations over the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
In the first photo, Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Nicholas Hoover and Airman Kevin N. Scott, both assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 16, prepare the weapons bay on a P-8A Poseidon aircraft before loading a MK-54 torpedo.
In the second photo, a P-8A Poseidon sits on the flightline at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
The Navy’s replacement platform for the P-3C, the P-8A Poseidon, is designed to secure the Navy’s future in long-range maritime patrol capability, while transforming how the Navy’s maritime patrol and reconnaissance force will man, train, operate and deploy.
The P-8A provides more combat capability from a smaller force and less infrastructure while focusing on worldwide responsiveness and interoperability with traditional manned forces and evolving unmanned sensors
In the third photo, Lt. Stephen Bruner, assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 30, right, shows Rear Adm. Mark Leavitt, Chief of Naval Air Training, some of the navigation features in the new P-8A Poseidon.
The Poseidon is one of newest additions to Navy’s inventory and will replace the P-3C Orion.
In the fourth photo, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron 30 flies above the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), not pictured, in the Atlantic Ocean, Oct. 16, 2012.
In the final photo, Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 prepares to launch the command’s first P-8A Poseidon 430 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville as a P-3C Orion passes overhead. (January 14, 2013).
2013-10-04 In addition to building a Final Assembly Line similar to the one in Italy, Japanese firms are building parts for the global supply chain.
According to an October 3, 2013, UPI story:
The Japanese government has confirmed three domestic companies will manufacture parts for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighters destined for Japan’s air force.
Under the $893 million deal, IHI Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric will manufacture engine and radar parts.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will lead the final assembly process, Japan’s Kyodo News reported.
MHI gets the lion’s share of the work, worth about $651 million. IHI will get $185 million worth of work and Mitsubishi Electric’s share will be worth about $57 million on the 42 aircraft on order.
The contracts follow the government’s decision announced in March to allow local companies to join F-35 parts production.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at the time that Japan will uphold its long-standing ban on arms exports, the Kyodo report said.
But Japan would allow domestic companies to make parts for the F-35 only on the grounds the United States controls shipments.
Later in the story it was reported that:
A report by Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun in August said the U.S. government had authorized 24 components for the aircraft’s engine and radar system to be produced in Japan.
Japanese-made parts will account for about 10 percent of the aircraft’s value and the door has been left open for more parts and systems made in Japan.
Asahi Shimbun said the United States agreed to allow Japanese companies to supply a maximum of 40 percent of the components, but using more Japanese-made parts would push up the price for the aircraft by 50 percent.
For Japanese companies to manufacture more parts, the government and private sector would have to invest millions of dollars for tooling up factories.
The newspaper also reported that the Defense Ministry said IHI will manufacture 17 parts for engine fans and turbines, while Mitsubishi Electric will produce seven radar system components, including signal receivers.
(Editor’s Note: The reference is to the Japanese purchased F-35s.)
For the rest of the story go to the following link:
On September 4th Secretary Wynne visited the 33rd Fighter Wing for an update on the F-35 program as seen from the training facility. Ed Timperlake and I accompanied him and added some meetings of our own, notably with maintainers and USMC squadron leaders.
We have published a number of looks at the stay of play at Eglin and the roll out of the F-35 fleet as seen from the perspective of the USAF, USMC and USAF.
Secretary Wynne provided an overview on the process as he saw it during his visit.
The Training Has Reached Critical Mass
This schoolhouse is in full swing; and ready to expand its throughput to match the needs of the services.
The F-35 pilots realize that the old fighter culture must change due to the battle management capabilities of the F-35.
In teaching fighter characteristics, this must be softly delivered, as the capability for first look, first kill is expected. But the need to be first in and last out of the battlespace will be key to the future fight. All agreed that setting expectations is a leader’s role, and needs to start in proficiency training, and be re-emphasized along the way to a Joint Fighter Exercise.
The Wynne-Berke Dialogue on 5th Generation Aircraft and Their Impact
Ed Timperlake, Mike Wynne and Karen Roganov, the 33rd FW PAO in front of the Ready Room for the Warlords. Credit Photo: SLD
A highlight of the visit was the opportunity to bring Lt. Col. Berke together with Secretary Wynne together to discuss 5th generation aircraft and the way ahead with regard to the impact of these aircraft on the evolution of concepts of operations. Wynne as Secretary of the USAF together with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force led an effort to put non-USAF pilots into an F-22 to jump start USAF thinking and to gain better joint force understanding the transition.
Lt. Col. Berke was a key player in the effort, as a USMC pilot, he went to Nellis to train on the F-22. Lt. Col. Berke is now the F-35B squadron commander for the USMC at the 33rd FW, and is the only F-22 and F-35 pilot in existence. His background is truly unique.
The meeting at Eglin was the first time that the formulator of the 5th generation aircraft concept had met Lt. Col. Berke and provided them with an historic opportunity to look backwards, and more importantly forward to the evolving impact of the new aircraft on combat.
Preparing for IOC for the USMC Aircraft and the Roll Out to Japan
A highlight for us was the chance to talk with the USMC pilots in the ready room of the USMC fighter squadron at Eglin.
We met with Lt. Col. Gillette who currently is the X0 of the Squadron and in transition with the jet to Yuma as the CO of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 and then on to Japan with the squadron.
We discussed with Gillette the roll out of the aircraft from Eglin, to Yuma and then to Japan.
The focus was upon defining what is an initial operational capability squadron and what one can expect from that IOC squadron in Japan and its impact.
We were able to address a number of other developments as seen from the pilots and maintainers at the 33rd Fighter Wing.
We were able to discuss with the USN, the process of rolling out the F-35 C and highlighted the importance of the JOINT aspect of the JSF to the evolution of naval aviation.
We were able to get an update on low observable maintenance of the F-35, which is the first industrial based LO aircraft built to date.
The LO maintainers emphasized that the heritage experience of the USAF from legacy platforms was being leveraged and improvements were then being proliferated to the services new to LO maintenance, the USMC and the USN.
They also emphasized the considerably greater robustness of the LO system on the F-35 compared to the F-22, and prior systems.
In a wide ranging discussion in the ready room of VMFAT501with Lt. Col. Steve Gillette and Major Michael Rountree, Major Rountree discussed how the Harrier has been used the flexibility which the jet brings to MAGTF operations.
He focused on how the F-35B would encompass the best of this experience.
During his presentation to the Wing, Secretary Wynne provided a cogent answer to the frequently asked question about concurrency and its role in the program
Although it was at the beginning of the visit, we will conclude with Secretary Wynne’s observations to the wing about what comes next, namely training to operate the F-35 as a fleet and its impact on airpower.
A key element of the Wynne perspective was on the necessity to rethink the shooter-sensor relationship. “We are trained as pilots to shoot first and react afterwords.
With the F-35 you are setting up the battlespace within which others will more often than you carry out the strike missions. This is a relearning of habits.”
He added to the leadership of the wing:
“I reach back into my Army training and this is like scouts in the old days. And you send the scout out or the coast watcher from World War II Australia and the last thing that you want to actually happen to you is to engage the enemy. Because once you expose yourself and engage the enemy, your survival tends to go down fairly dramatically.
This is the kind of thing that I don’t know how to quite teach because when we come into fighter pilot nuance.
Finding the enemy, fixing the enemy, and destroying him is a fleet task, not the individual aircraft or squadron. What’s going to happen now is we’re going to go up there and find the enemy, and assign it away.”
This affects training because we now need to “train pilots to think from the standpoint of command and control of the ground commander.”
Wynne suggested that the training approach would need to modified as the training became more advanced.
“How do you begin to start the process so that when they get to advanced pilot training that they really understand that one of the things that they’re going to have to learn is this core syllabus is going to take them into a command-and-control ops, rather than that of the traditional fighter pilot.”
Several hundred people gathered today in hangar 237 to witness the first F-35A Lightning II which arrived for depot level maintenance during a ceremony hosted by the Ogden Air Logistics Complex commander, Maj. Gen. H. Brent Baker Sr.
The ceremony addressed Hill’s key role in the depot repair and the F-35’s role in national defense by several different speakers which included Sen. Mike Lee; Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of the F-35 Lightning II Program; Rear Adm. Randolph Mahr, DoD F-35 Deputy Program Director; Lt. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, Air Force Sustainment Center commander and Sen. Orrin Hatch.
Baker was the final speaker and gave the order to open the doors and unveil the aircraft to the capacity-packed hangar’s attendees. Other dignitaries at the ceremony included local mayors, Utah Lt. Gov. Greg Bell and members of the Utah State House and Senate.
The first F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant is from the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev., and is in a prototype configuration. T
The Ogden ALC will modify the aircraft with a series of structural and systems modifications to enhance critical capabilities needed during operational test and evaluation testing.
Dignitaries and employees at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, get their first look at the F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter Sept. 20, 2013. Hill, Lockheed Martin, Utah elected officials and community members gathered for a ceremony to commemorate the beginning of F-35 depot maintenance at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex (U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd/Released)
“For decades the shared partnership between Lockheed Martin the Ogden ALC team has taken our legacy platforms, the F-16, C-130 and F-22, to the next level, and the same will hold true for the F-35 Lightning II,” said Lorraine Martin, F-35 vice president and general manager.
“This aircraft was designed from its inception to evolve through modifications and upgrades so that our warfighters can continually outpace their opposition. I look forward to what the future holds for the F-35 and am excited to see that evolution unfold.”
Litchfield also talked about this historic day in the history of the ALC.
“The F-35 found the right home for sustainment,” he said. “Team Hill will deliver cost effective modifications for this aircraft.”
The F-35 Lightning II combines advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three distinct variants of the F-35 will eventually replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force.
In the video clip above, Lt. General Bruce Litchfield, Air Force Sustainment Center, discussed the F-35 and its support at Ogden.
Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Litchfield is Commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. As AFSC Commander, he ensures the Center provides operational planning and execution of Air Force Supply Chain Management and Depot Maintenance for a wide range of aircraft, engines, missiles, and component items in support of AFMC missions. He is responsible for operations which span three air logistics complexes, three air base wings, two supply chain management wings, and multiple remote operating locations, incorporating more than 32,000 military and civilian personnel. In addition, he oversees installation support to more than 75,000 personnel working in 140 associate units at the three AFSC bases.
General Litchfield entered the Air Force in 1981 as a distinguished graduate from the ROTC program at Norwich University, Vermont. His career spans diverse logistics and acquisition assignments supporting weapon systems at wing, major command, Air Staff and the Joint Staff levels. He has commanded squadron and group levels in addition to commanding two wings and was the Director of Logistics, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Commander, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker AFB, Okla.
2013-09-25 One of the issues Secretary Wynne was briefed on and given a hands on look was Maintenance of Low Observable characteristics approach being shaped at the 33rd FW.
USAF maintainers showed the Secretary how they were addressing the effort and rolling out the LO maintenance capability.
The LO maintainers emphasized that the heritage experience of the USAF from legacy platforms was being leveraged and improvements were then being proliferated to the services new to LO maintenance, the USMC and the USN.
Secretary Wynne being briefed on the progress of the LO maintenance regime at the 33rd FW. Credit Photo: SLD
They also emphasized the considerably greater robustness of the LO system on the F-35 compared to the F-22, and prior systems.
They demonstrated various procedures to determine via inspection any operational impacts from the flights on the LO system and the much more automated capabilities they had for this aircraft to shape repair efforts.
For example: the maintainers showed the ability to digitally map the defects and to shape an effective repair procedure.
Indeed, the overall presentations focused on the industrial machine approach as opposed to a craftsmen approach to executing the LO repair process.
Secretary Wynne asked them about the USAF work with the USN in shaping an LO repair approach at see. He asked: “What will the Navy or Marine Corps need to take to sea to repair from an LO perspective their F-35s?”
One of the maintainers responded that they needed to take the tools with them, potentially tailored to their procedures. As well the USN and USMC will have to shape the inspection procedures for determining the presence of defects, which the USAF maintenance officer noted had changed significantly over time with the previous platforms as the USAF gained better understanding of the aircraft and its performance. They expected continuous feedback among the services over time.
The maintainers emphasized that they were staying in close contact with the manufacturers IPT, Lockheed and Northrop Grumman, on shaping the training for this delicate LO maintenance.
“We definitely give feedback to our Lockheed engineers and Northrop engineers. Actually, our Northrop engineer sits in the shop with us. So we have direct communication with them if we have any issues.”
Sgt. Luhrsen, a maintainer involved in shaping the USMC LO maintenance approach. Credit: SLD
Wynne added “the work you are doing in the F-35 LO effort can be leveraged forward into a new Long Range ISR/Strike platform and can reduce the cost significantly on that new capability by incorporating the new more industrial approaches towards LO that you have invented on the F-35.”And in a related conversation with a USMC airframe maintainer, Sgt, Luhrsen, the challenge of doing LO in a service, which has never, so was highlighted. “It’s a whole new learning curve. We’ve got to actually work with the Air Force now and try to learn their ways because we’ve never had a stealth jet before.”
He added : “We went through their advanced composites course down in Pensacola where they taught us some about it. And then most of it’s just hands on learning with them here at work.”
Sgt. Luhrsen was then asked about some of the specific skill sets being learned for LO maintenance.
“It’s all a learning curve on the techniques. But most of it’s the technique of cutting stuff right and putting it down right. But the tools help some, but it’s all learning. The more you do it, the more you get familiar with it, and the easier it is. So our challenge is to learn the new skills and just be setting the standard for everybody that’s going to come after us.”
For earlier pieces on LO maintenance of the F-35 see the following:
John Boyd in his lecture (which I sat through twice) had a sine qua non building block for his work: the F-86 versus Mig-15 exchange rate kills by his beloved F-86 in “MIG Ally. ”
The exchange rate was approximately 10 to 1.
Lessons learned at MIG Alley were essential for all of Boyd’s theories.
MIG Alley is a “street” in the Korean skies up to the Yalu River. The “owners” of this “air estate” is South Korea. With such lessons in mind, 15 South Korean Air Chiefs, wrote to South Korean President to not select “Silent Eagle.”
Give the Korean Generals full credit in NOT trying to fight the same type of historically successful MIG Alley fighter sweep engagements. In their letter to the President of South Korea they recognize F-35 technology as moving forward and the “Silent Eagle” vectoring them back to the past.
They know that the F-15 has over a 100+ to 0 kill ratio, yet still make a public request for F-35s.
What makes the fifth gen so formidable is that stealth is a survivability enhancer both offensively and defensively.
The question is simple facing choice between the old and the new:
Is stealth a design factor of adding capability to an existing airframe or multiplying total airframe effectiveness from a new start design?
Airframes have basic design trade off characteristics of range(R), payload (Pl), speed (S) and maneuverability (M).
For example say the characteristics combine to give a US 4th Gen aircraft a relative comparative “score” of a 10 against current competitors and previous aircraft of the last generation.
A US 4th gen legacy aircraft has a hypothetical “10.”
Now along comes the concept of stealth designed into the airframe from the start-so range, payload, maneuverability, and speed in a 5th Gen built from a clean white board design are all enhanced both offensively and defensively by total airframe stealth.
The initial 4th Gen formula would be as follows: R+PL+S+M= a hypothetical 10.
Boeing in their own words with the “Silent Eagle” and “Stealth F/A-18” state they are “adding stealth” to F-15s and F/A-18s but the math is against them.
Their design formula: R+Pl+S+M+Stealth= gets an improved number, say doubling improvements adding Stealth is “+10.” Thus, “+Stealth” creates an airframe performance index that improves from “10” to “20.”
The F-22 and F-35, Russian and PLAAF design teams incorporated “Stealth” from the beginning to enhance the total basic airframe so their 5th Gen formula is (R+Pl+S+M) times “Stealth.”
Doubling improvement in stealth using the same number as mentioned above from initial design is 10 X 10= “100” over legacy additions of “20.”
The “Silent Eagle” and “Stealth F/A-18” are in a design battle they cannot win–and if it were possible to be a fifth Gen fighter by addition, both Lockheed and Boeing would have offered modified F-16 or F-15 or F/A-18 as their prototypes when they competed to build the Joint Strike Fighter.
Also, the F-35 cockpit is a revolutionary exponential cockpit improvement, using Boyd’s OODA loop “Observe, Orient, Decide, Act” formula as the baseline for 21st century operations.
Previously pilots were building “Situational Awareness” (SA) by focusing on Boyd’s “OO” e.g. bubble canopy, improved radars.
F-22 flying with F-35 at Eglin, 2012. Credit: 33rd Fighter Wing
Now with F-35 the “SA” is greatly improved to the point that technology enhances the “DA “ part of Boyd’s observation. “Situational decision-making” or SD.
Combine SA with revolutionary SD enhancements, and each F-35 pilot can make immediate actionable “360” “Situational Decisions” in three roles-AA, AG and EW with knowledge of hundreds of miles of air/land and sea battle space.
Individual pilot enhanced information in the cockpit is the building block of a connected and distributed “no platform fights alone” 21st Century Military.
With appropriate integrated tactics-legacy aircraft combat ability can also be greatly enhanced during an air fleet transition.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Boeing’s revamped version of its F-15, the sole contending aircraft to fit under South Korea’s budget cap, fell short of necessary requirements.
Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said a majority of the final evaluation committee voted against the F-15 Silent Eagle at a meeting Tuesday.
He cited threats from North Korea and “rapid advances in aviation technology” as reasons for the decision.
However, due to the public image of the F-15 SE being developed from a 1970s F-15 platform and having limited stealth functions, the “stealthified” version of the aircraft faced strong opposition.
In response, Boeing stressed that improvements will include its newest radar system.
“We will deliver the APG-82 AESA radar and the Korean Air Force will be the first, other than the U.S. Air Force, to use the system,” said an official.
Despite the improvements, the stealth function seems to have doomed the Silent Eagle, which was to have featured a conformal weapons bay and radar-absorbent material.
To make Boeing’s situation worse, last month, 15 retired Air Force chiefs sent letters to the National Assembly, presidential office and defense ministry recommending the government acquire an “asymmetric air defense capability” to protect against North Korea, which prioritizes stealth jets such as the F-35.
Reportedly, the opposition from the four-star generals “seriously” affected the decision.
