News (old) Mix - Long Lead Items LRIP6 & Block 2 & 3

F-35s Flying Again, but Face Continued Test Challenges By: Chris Pocock
AIN Defense Perspective >> August 2011

http://www.ainonline.com/ain-defense-pe ... no_cache=1

"Flight tests of the Lockheed Martin F-35 resumed after a two-week grounding. The Joint Program Office (JPO) said that the failure of a control valve had led to the malfunction of the aircraft’s Integrated Power Package (IPP), supplied by Honeywell. But an investigation continues, while a permanent resolution of the problem is being worked, the JPO added.

The impact on the F-35 development schedule is not yet clear. In a report to Congress last May, Dr. Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation, said, “Flight envelope constraints have begun to challenge the program.” Gilmore noted that modifications to the F-35 control laws might not be sufficient to correct some undesirable handling characteristics and higher-than-predicted structural loads that had been discovered during flight tests. The already-troubled F-35B [? C has potential spoiler] version might need a spoiler system, he added.

Gilmore also questioned whether the October date for completion of Block 1 software testing would be met. Block 1 is required for initial pilot training at Eglin AFB.

However, Gilmore noted that Block 2 flight tests in the F-35 are likely to start in November, per last year’s revised schedule. The definitive Block 3 software should be available in mid-2015, but he warned that “producing and integrating the software that provides the complex capabilities in these later blocks of mission systems will be a substantial challenge.”

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin was awarded a $535 million contract for long-lead items for the sixth low-rate, initial production (LRIP) batch. This comprises 38 F-35s, including the first two aircraft for Australia and the first four for Italy."
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"On January 6th 2011 the US SedDef announced a plan to cut F-35 production in the 2012-2016 period from 449 aircraft to 325. Production of the F-35B STOVL variant will be scaled back dramatically until that plane's technical problems can be fixed and tested. The F-35B has been placed on a two-year probation to allow Lockheed Martin to fix ite technical problems."

http://www.targetlock.org.uk/f-35/production.html

"On August 8th 2011 the DoD awarded Lockheed Martin a $535 million advance acquisition contract to provide long lead parts and components required for the manufacture of 38 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot VI F-35 aircraft (19 F-35As for the USAF; 4 F-35As for the government of Italy; 2 F-35As for the government of Australia; 6 F-35Bs for the U.S. Marine Corps; and 7 F-35Cs for the U.S. Navy)."

Graphic below from 'targetlock' (for US Forces)

Some older news about LRIP6. WTF? I guess it is easy to not realise the changes made recently. Oh well.... "The F-35 aircraft manufacturing plan, as adjusted in September 2010, remains as the current baseline..." Vice Admiral David J. Venlet Program Executive Officer for the F-35 Program | March 15, 2011
http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cf ... 24e2faa830

LRIP-6 and F-35 By Stephen Trimble on September 17, 2010

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... -f-35.html

"The US military's next budget proposal remains mostly a mystery, but the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) has given us a sneak preview about one key detail.

The JPO on Wednesday posted a notice saying they intend to buy 53 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines for the sixth lot of low-rate initial production (LRIP-6). Since the F135 is the only engine in the JPO's program of record, the number of engines and jets in LRIP-6 are equal. [Is this a good assumption? - see below]

Buying 53 F-35s in LRIP-6 means the Department of Defense is cutting the order by 29 jets compared to the 2009 plan. We knew that the program restructuring announced on 1 February moved 122 total aircraft out of the six-year order plan, but the individual numbers were not disclosed.

The change means that Lockheed's ramp-up rate from LRIP-5 to LRIP-6 decreases from nearly 2.0 to about 1.25.

It's also not clear how many orders by foreign customers might be included in the LRIP-6 deal. The 2009 plan assumed 36 additional aircraft sales to foreign partners in 2012, including 10 by Turkey, eight by Australia, six by the United Kingdom, six by Italy and six by the Netherlands."

Joint Strike Fighter Program F135 LRIP6 Advanced Acquisition Contract
Solicitation Number: N00019-11-C-0082 Notice Type: Presolicitation Synopsis: Added: Sep 15, 2010

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity ... e&_cview=0

"The Joint Stike Fighter (JSF) Program Office intends to award multiple contract actions to Pratt & Whitney, Military Engines, East Hartford, CT for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot VI F135 Propulsion System requirements, beginning with long lead-time materials, for the following aircraft variants: twenty-eight {28} Conventional Take-off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft, eighteen {18} Short Take-off Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft, seven {7} Carrier Variant (CV) aircraft (or other such quantities as may be authorized and appropriated by Congress or authorized by the respective Ministries of Defence) [TOTAL = 53]. The contract actions will also acquire associated sustainment support including spare engines, initial spare modules and parts, support equipmement, non-recuring autonomic logistics sustainment activities, support of Air System contractor manufacturing operations, depot activation, performance based logistics (PBL) operations and maintenance for CTOL, STOVL, and CV Proulsion Systems; production non-recurring (PNR) activities to support the JSF Prouplsion System production ramp rate including tooling, test equipment, production aids, production equipment, support labor and technical assistance; and technical, financial and administrative data. In addition, there will be ordering line items to allow for additional supplies and services, including diminishing manufacturing sources (DMS) procurements, retrofit efforts required to update accepted propulsion systems to newer configurations, engineering change proposals (ECPs), and government furnished services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with Pratt & Whitney, Military engines under authority of FAR 6.302-1...."

spazsinbad wrote:F-35s Flying Again, but Face Continued Test Challenges By: Chris Pocock
AIN Defense Perspective >> August 2011

Noticed no British order in the article.
Is anything known already how many (total) F35`s the British will order?

10/23/2013

"United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $508,214,419 modification to the previously awarded F-35 Lightening II Lot VI low rate initial production advance acquisition contract (N00019-12-C-0090). This modification provides for the procurement of 18 F135 conventional take off and landing (CTOL) propulsion systems for the U.S. Air Force; six short take-off and vertical landing propulsion systems for the U.S. Marine Corps; and seven carrier variant propulsion systems for the U.S. Navy. In addition, this contract procures three F135 CTOL propulsion systems for Italy; two CTOL propulsion systems for Australia; one F135 CTOL spare propulsion system for Italy; and one F135 spare propulsion system for Australia. This modification also provides for program labor, engineering assistance to production, non-recurring sustainment efforts, service and country specific requirements, depot activation efforts, and long-lead hardware. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Conn. (67 percent); Bristol, United Kingdom (16.5 percent); and Indianapolis, Ind. (16.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2016. Fiscal 2012, aircraft procurement Air Force, fiscal 2012 aircraft procurement Navy, and international partner funding in the amount of $508,214,419 will be obligated at time of award, $422,680,150 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps ($211,858,131; 42 percent); the U.S. Air Force ($210,822,019; 41 percent); and the international partners ($85,534,269; 17 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity."

http://www.defense.gov/contracts/contra ... actid=5149

I wish the people at defense.gov would LURN how to spell Lightning. Makes one wonder about the rest of the info and if it is accurate. One hopes so but I know Amuricanns doan spul guid.

'm' this story is likely in the long running UK thread - I'll look but anyway here it is again....

http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNph ... nne#259512

DSEi: UK holding firm on F-35 procurement plan 12 Sep 2013 Craig Hoyle

"A recent test success aboard a US Marine Corps vessel involving the Lockheed Martin F-35B and expected price reductions for the Joint Strike Fighter mean the UK is holding firm with its procurement plans for the type, says minister for defence equipment, support and technology Philip Dunne.

"We intend within the next few months to sign an order for a first squadron of operational aircraft," Dunne says. Previously detailed as being likely to cover 12-14 short take-off and vertical landing strike aircraft, this will be followed by a substantial additional contract to be placed following the conclusion of the Ministry of Defence's 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review process, he adds. The UK is also still considering whether to acquire a fourth example to support initial operational test and evaluation work, he confirms...."

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... an-390492/