Yuma Air Station Prepares for the F-35 Coming November 20th

Posted on | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment on Yuma Air Station Prepares for the F-35 Coming November 20th
11/12/2012

With the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter scheduled to begin arriving in phases later this fall, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma has been a very busy place the past two years as it has prepared for its new aircraft, pilots and crews.

Lt. Col. John Hicks, airfield operations officer, said there has been about 24 construction projects at MCAS Yuma the past two years totaling $350 million. While most are strike fighter-related, such as squadron hangars, some are not.

“We have a lot of projects right now that are completed, or on the verge of completion. Some of the projects aren’t as visible, but they are just as important,” Hicks said. “The footprint of the air station hasn’t changed all that much, but the capabilities have been vastly improved.”

Construcdtion at the Yuma Air Station. Credit Photo: Yuma Sun

Those projects, however, are only the first two rounds of airfield construction and renovation being done at the air station as it continues to modernize. In total, as much as $500 million could be allotted to the air station by 2015, including $100 million in 2013. Some future projects over the next three years include a Security Operations building, and new Combat Aircraft Loading apron.

“There are things going on at this base that we have been trying to get done for quite some time,” Hicks said. “Some of the projects get picked up faster than others, based on their operational impact, but we are always going to be thinking about the next phase.”

Among the already-completed and near-completed projects are two new hangars, which cost about $38 million each. While the hangars have specifically been designed for the F-35B, Hicks said they can still be used to maintain other aircraft if needed.

“We have three more hangars coming, two of which are designed for the F-35, and one that is a universal, meaning that it is designed for any type of squadron,” Hick said. “With that there is going to be some demolition involved.”

The first JSF hangar was occupied on Aug. 20 by Marines attached to the first F-35B Squadron, designated as the VMFA-121, who are known as the Green Knights. Until recently the squadron had been based at MCAS Miramar and flew the F/A-18D.

Hicks said VMA-121 is expected to get its first F-35s on Nov. 20, and should have an entire squadron of planes by late spring or early summer. The next squadron to receive its new planes will be VMA-211, which lost six of its Harrier jets during an insurgent attack in September in Afghanistan.

“It’s going to take some time. We are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars of aircraft,” Hicks said. “It just takes time to build these things. They are very complicated, very detailed aircraft. It is not the World War II days when they could crank out a hundred in a day. It takes a lot more time than it did before.”

As the future home of the first F-35 fighters in the country, MCAS Yuma will get five squadrons each with 16 aircraft, and one operational test and evaluation squadron of eight aircraft. These 88 aircraft will replace Yuma’s four existing squadrons of 56 AV-8B Harriers

The conversion will take several years, meaning the Yuma community will have the privilege of seeing both airplanes in action together for the foreseeable future.
Hicks went on to say that the third and fourth hangars are currently in design with construction expected to be completed in May 2014. The fifth JSF hangar, he said, has not been awarded yet, but the base expects to demolish two of the older fixed-wing hangars and replace them with the fifth F-35 hangar within the next five years.

Also as part of the build-up, construction on an Intermediate Maintenance Activity building and a F-35 Simulator Facility were recently completed.
“Those are kind of the big visible changes around the air station,” Hicks said.

While its construction wasn’t as apparent, Hicks said it was also extremely important to upgrade the air station’s utilities and communication capabilities to ensure it had the power resources to support the F-35 program’s infrastructure needs.

“Some of that stuff hasn’t been done in decades,” Hicks said. “These buildings are all running off of a grid or infrastructure that was designed in the 50s and 60s that just isn’t able to keep up with it anymore. It’s not something you will see a lot of construction for, other than dug up streets, that type of stuff.”
Construction is also under way on a new Field-Carrier Landing Practice training facility that is being built on the Barry M. Goldwater Range. The project, which was awarded in June, is expected to be completed by July 2013.

“They are already out there working now,” Hicks said.

The new field-carrier landing facility will simulate the deck of an amphibious assault ship where pilots can practice their carrier landings. It will have a paved airfield, flight control tower, air operation facility, fire and rescue shelter, aircraft fueling areas, aircraft maintenance shelter and vertical take-off and landing pads.

By James Gilbert

The YumaSun

Also see the following:

Japan, US close to signing deal on F-35 workshare

Posted on | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment on Japan, US close to signing deal on F-35 workshare
11/09/2012

11/7/12

Japan and the United States are close to finalizing the workshare arrangement supporting the production of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the Japan Air Self-Defence Force.

A spokesman from the Japan Ministry of Defence (MoD) told IHS Jane’s on 31 October that the two parties are negotiating the details of the workshare, which covers specifics related to the components that Japanese industry will produce under licence, and that a conclusion is expected to be finalised by the end of 2012.

Japan agreed in December 2011 to purchase four F-35As, with deliveries from 2016, and plans to eventually acquire 42 aircraft. While initial F-35As are likely to be built by prime contractors in the United States, the Japan MoD expects aircraft scheduled to be purchased from Fiscal Year 2013 (FY13) to be constructed in collaboration with Japanese industry.

“With regards to the F-35As that are to be procured after FY13, it is planned that the ministry will procure aircraft manufactured through participation of domestic industries,” the MoD spokesman said.

By Jon Grevatt

http://www.janes.com/products/janes/defence-security-report.aspx?ID=1065973116

Japan to make F35 parts under relaxed arms ban

Posted on | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment on Japan to make F35 parts under relaxed arms ban

11/8/12

Japan will allow domestic firms to take part in production of the F-35 fighter, the first such case since Tokyo last year relaxed a self-imposed ban on arms exports, a report said Thursday.

Japanese firms will make up to 40 per cent of parts that will be used in the stealth jet from 2017, the Yomiuri Shimbun said in its evening edition, without citing sources.

Japan has decided to replace its ageing fighter fleet with the jet, developed jointly by the United States, Britain and seven other partner countries.

But Japanese firms have not thus far participated in the project because of the nation’s 1967 decision to tightly control foreign weapons sales, which later became an effective ban on all sales of weapons and related technology.

Rare exceptions were made for projects involving technological cooperation with the United States, Japan’s sole military ally, to develop the missile defence system.

The policy is part of Japan’s strict pacifism initially imposed by the victorious US after World War II and subsequently embraced by much of the populace.

But experts had long argued that Japan was routinely forced to pay premium prices for internationally-developed military tools because the country had not taken part in the project to build them.

“Japanese firms’ participation in production of parts for F35 should help maintain and improve domestic defence technology,” the centre-right Yomiuri said.

Excerpt taken from AsiaOne News.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20121108-382290.html

Working with Asians in Asia: Airbus Military Shapes Its Strategy

Posted on | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment on Working with Asians in Asia: Airbus Military Shapes Its Strategy
11/08/2012

Airbus Military has focused for some time on ways to harvest the legacy of CASA to shape a more global strategy.  The historical relationship with Indonesia has provided a very good launch point for such an effort.  CASA has a long history of working with Indonesia and has more recently leveraged that relationship to build new aircraft for Vietnam, which can be supported in part from Indonesia.

Vietnam has purchased several of the C-212s for various missions which include, coastal patrol, search and rescue, anti-pollution operations, and law enforcement against smuggling of goods or people.

C212 Vietnam Marine Police. Credit: Airbus Military 

On November 8, 2012, the company announced a new agreement with Indonesia.

According to an Airbus Military press release:

Airbus Military and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) have signed an agreement to jointly launch an upgraded version of the Airbus Military C212-400 as a further step in their long-term cooperation agreement. The aircraft, renamed as NC212, will be offered to both civil and military customers and will be a highly competitive offer in the market segment of light aircraft, being equipped with new digital avionics and autopilot systems. It will also have a new civil interior for up to 28 passengers compared to the current 25, increasing its cost efficiency significantly. The NC212 will be EASA and FAA FAR 25 certified.

The agreement foresees joint development, manufacturing, commercialization and customer support to cover the needs of the civilian, cargo and military light aircraft market segments for the next decade. The potential market in this segment is estimated at 400-450 aircraft in the next ten years. A Final Assembly Line is to be set up in the PT DI facilities in Bandung. This is a further step towards increasing the cooperation between the two long-standing partners.

The NC212 is the second immediate result of the “Teaming Agreement” signed between Airbus Military and PT DI, which supports PT DI’s revitalization through specific cooperation and business development projects, and aims to achieve a long term strategic partnership between Airbus Military and PT DI in the near future.

The recent order for nine CN295s from the Indonesian Government and the related C295 cooperation packages between Airbus Military and PT DI were the first immediate results of this plan, including the creation of a CN295 Delivery Centre, a light CN295 Final Assembly Line and the setting up of a Service Centre in Bandung.

Since October last year, both companies have already put in place joint working teams located in the PT DI facilities in Bandung, with Airbus Military having deployed on-site. These teams are working in industrial and commercial areas, focusing on generating new business for both companies and improving industrial capabilities, engineering processes, IT tools and know-how transfer, in order to transform PTDI into a leading aerospace company for light and medium aircraft in the Asia Pacific region.

As Martin Armas, Head of M and L Industrial Management and Control, on the light medium aircraft Airbus Military final assembly line commented during a recent SLD visit to Seville:

Among other planes, you saw the fifth Vietnamese C-212.  This plane is being final assembled from the main structural groups provided by our partner in Indonesia.

The plane represents a basic approach of Airbus Military, which is to grow footprint in Southeast Asia in the years ahead. 

There are significant development opportunities in the region, but these opportunities require a significant industrial presence in the region as well.

So what we are doing with this plane is the main final assembly of the Vietnamese planes, but the rest of the groups and parts to be assembled are done in Indonesia.

https://www.sldinfo.com/visiting-the-light-and-medium-aircraft-line-at-airbus-military-september-2012/

 

Israeli team visits Lockheed Martin F-35 production facility

Posted on | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment on Israeli team visits Lockheed Martin F-35 production facility

11/6/12

A team of Israeli air force personnel visited Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Fort Worth facility in Texas as part of preparations for an initial batch of 20 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters due to receive some Israeli-made systems, Flightglobal reports.

Israeli experts are working with the manufacturer to prepare the fifth-generation stealth fighter to accept the equipment.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/fedbiz_daily/2012/11/israeli-team-visits-lockheed-martin.html

Aussie Air Chief Visits Fuesalage Assembly Line

Posted on | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment on Aussie Air Chief Visits Fuesalage Assembly Line

11/5/12

The Royal Australian Air Force’s Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, met Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC -1.56%  executives during a visit to the company’s F-35 Lightning II production facility in Palmdale on Nov. 2.

As part of his visit, Brown received an update on the F-35 program and observed the first F-35 center fuselage being manufactured at Palmdale for the Royal Australian Air Force as part of the low-rate initial production Lot 6.

The first inlet ducts were jig-loaded on Oct. 9. These will form the first of two Royal Australian Air Force F-35 center fuselages – denoted AU-1 and AU-2 – to be delivered in 2014 for pilot training.

Brown toured the Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) that produces the center fuselage. The IAL maximizes robotics and automation, providing additional capacity and assembly capability while meeting engineering tolerances not easily achieved manually. The IAL is one of the ways Northrop Grumman increases the program’s affordability by reducing program costs and labor requirements.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/australias-chief-of-air-force-visits-northrop-grummans-f-35-production-facility-in-palmdale-2012-11-05

Northrop Grumman and Terma Work on Composite Parts for the F-35

Posted on | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment on Northrop Grumman and Terma Work on Composite Parts for the F-35

Nov. 6, 2012

Northrop Grumman Corporation has entered a long-term agreement (LTA) with the advanced composites manufacturer Terma A/S in Denmark to manufacture component parts for the international F-35 Lightning II program.

The LTA, which has a potential value of more than $97 million upon completion of all follow-on options, was signed on Sept. 20 and further emphasizes the company’s commitment to supporting F-35 Lightning II partner countries.

The LTA covers production of 34 unique F-35 Lightning II composite components, including door, panel, skin assembly and straps through 2019. The LTA further strengthens the partnership between Northrop Grumman and Terma A/S, which began in 2006. The first purchase order placed in 2007 during the Low Rate Initial Production 1 statement of work solidified the collaborative relationship between Northrop Grumman and Terma A/S, which has manufacturing responsibility for hardware on all three F-35 aircraft variants.

The LTA signing has spurred discussions on how Northrop Grumman and Terma A/S can collaborate on affordability initiatives benefitting both companies and the F-35 program as a whole. The companies will explore technologies, set a path forward to achieve manufacturing efficiencies to meet rigorous quality requirements and work toward establishing Terma A/S as a premier supplier of composite parts.

“The LTA with Terma A/S further strengthens our relationship with Denmark, an F-35 partner country,” said Michelle Scarpella, vice president of the F-35 program for Northrop Grumman. “Under this agreement, we will continue to work collaboratively with Terma, striving for the highest quality and driving efficiencies so we are able to provide the warfighter with the world’s most advanced strike fighter aircraft.”

http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2012/11/06/502900/10011427/en/Northrop-Grumman-Signs-Agreement-With-Danish-Composite-Manufacturer-for-F-35-Lightning-II-Program.html

 

USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Flight Ops

Posted on | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment on USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Flight Ops
11/08/2012: USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Flight Ops
[slidepress gallery=’uss-bonhomme-richard’]

Credit: Amphibious Squadron 11:9/20/12

  • In the first photo, Marine pilot Maj. Howard Longwell from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, top, makes final preparations in the cockpit prior to takeoff in an AV-8B Harrier jet aircraft, assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 542 aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard during flight operations. The Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st MEU, is participating in a certification exercise. CERTEX is an evaluated event that focuses on the BHR ARG and 31st MEU’s capabilities of doing certain missions such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations or non-combatant evacuation operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Russell)
  • In the second photo, Aviation Boatswain’s Mates (Fuel) move a fuel hose across the flight deck aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) during flight operations.
  • In the final photo, Hull Maintenance Technician Fireman Kirk Spriggs gathers nuts and bolts in the Hull technician shop aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6).