Forum: F-35 Avionics

http://m.nwfdailynews.com/military/top- ... 5-1.139037

Eglin receives first upgraded F-35

By LAUREN SAGE REINLIE / Daily News Published: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 20:32 PM.

EGLIN AFB — A brand new F-35 with additional capabilities landed Monday afternoon.

The new jet marks the beginning of a significant ramping up of Air Force training at the F-35 schoolhouse and an increase in some capabilities for the program.

The Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base is set to receive an additional 13 of the new F-35s, known as Block 2 aircraft, by the end of the year.

“It’s exciting,” said Lt. Col. Lee Kloos, the squadron’s commander. “We haven’t had a new aircraft in this squadron for about nine months. We’re at that point where we’re expanding again.”...

Eglin’s first Block 2 jet includes some improvements over the first batches of planes. The F-35 is still in development stages and the actual flight training has been limited by the lack of capability in the early versions.

While a few of the improvements are related to design, the biggest difference is the new software, Kloos said.

Pilots for the first time will be able to begin using the state-of-the-art distributed aperture system, a series of six sensors embedded in the skin of the F-35 that provides a complete spherical view around the jet, day or night.

The sensors — essentially infrared cameras with the ability to detect heat and other sensory information — are embedded in the front, sides and back of the F-35. When the pilot uses the system, it’s as if the walls of the plane are been stripped away; there are no visual restrictions.

The system doesn’t exist in any of the military’s previous fighter jets, Kloos said.

“This is one of the unique systems that is going to make a big difference for the F-35,” he said. “It will always be monitoring the environment to help find the good guys, the bad guys, things being launched.”

The new capability will allow pilots to begin figuring out how the system can be used tactically. They will be able to expand some of the limited air-to-air and air-to-surface combat training they already are undertaking, Kloos said.

The image will be displayed in the cockpit for now, but eventually should be available inside the pilot’s helmet.

The Block 2 jet is still restricted from certain maneuvers, including flying at night, aerobatics, taking off or landing in formation and flying during certain weather events or at certain speeds. Additional capabilities should arrive with new versions of the jet and software updates that already are in the pipeline...
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Is it AF-25?
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/news_ite ... tem_id=923

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... 35-385643/

Eglin AFB receives its first Block 2A F-35

By: Dave Majumdar Washington DC

The... 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin .., received its first Block 2A configuration Lockheed Martin F-35A on 6 May. Another similarly configured aircraft is scheduled to arrive at the base later in the month.

This aircraft called, AF-25, is equipped with an initial version of the Block 2A configuration, but Eglin AFB will receive aircraft with a more advanced version of the software package later in the year, says Lt Col Lee Kloos,......

The squadron will receive the last of its 24 primary authorized aircraft and two backup aircraft by February 2014. Around that same time, the unit will start helping prepare the USAF's second training unit at Luke AFB, Arizona, which is expected to start receiving F-35As in January 2014, .....

The Block 2A configuration adds new functionality to the F-35, Kloos says. The aircraft was previously only able to operate three of its six Northrop Grumman AN/AAQ-37 electro-optical distributed aperture system (DAS) infrared cameras. "This version is the first time all six cameras will be on and we'll be able to use it in flight," Kloos says. "Now, in the first release of the Block 2A software we're not going to be able to put it in the helmet yet, but we'll at least be able to turn on all of them and at least let the aircraft display the information to us on the glass."

Additionally, about a month ago, Kloos says, the wing received clearance to turn on the jet's built-in Lockheed electro-optical targeting system, which is similar to the company's Sniper targeting pod. "It was always in the [Block] 1B, we just didn't have the clearance to turn it on in flight," he says.

The initial Block 2A software release also adds a weather radar mode, which though not tactically significant, is very useful flying around Eglin AFB especially as thunderstorm season approaches, Kloos says. The jet is not yet cleared for instrument meteorological conditions.

Aircraft at Eglin AFB have also activated some simulated weapons capabilities and radar modes which were installed with Block 1B. "We've been able to load up simulated weapons and employ them," Kloos says. "Even in the -1B syllabus, we started doing air-to-air training and air-to-surface training."

Training is still pretty basic-mostly tactical intercepts and basic simulated Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM shots, but no air combat maneuvering. "We don't have the envelope for that yet," Kloos says-the jet is still restricted to 5.5G.

Air-to-surface training is more developed because the F-35's multiple sensors and simulated GBU-12 laser-guided bombs and GBU-31 inertially-guided GPS-corrected weapons. "You can actually get a pretty decent scenario," Kloos says. "The radar is very robust in air-to-air as well so you can actually start to get to opposed SAT [Surface Attack Tactics]-type scenarios with the base capabilities that we have."

Even the basic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mode of the Northrop Grumman APG-81 current operating on the F-35s at Eglin is better than what a Raytheon APG-70 on an F-15E can deliver, Kloos says. "The SAR-mapping is far better than we have on our other fighter platforms including the Strike Eagle," he says. "It's a very, very nice picture we get out of that."

..."but Eglin AFB will receive aircraft with a more advanced version of the software package later in the year", the Corp is looking for IOC with 2B, is it coming this quick after 2A?, wow! Smile

.... little more at the jump.

Perhaps the more relevant question is... when will mature Block IV F-35s arrive at Eglin?

That was the whole premise, the popularly envisioned capability and baseline requirement for most if not all Partners acquiring their operational combat-coded F-35 fighters.

geogen wrote:

Perhaps the more relevant question is... when will mature Block IV F-35s arrive at Eglin?

That was the whole premise, the popularly envisioned capability and baseline requirement for most if not all Partners acquiring their operational combat-coded F-35 fighters.

Geo,

Thanks for letting us enjoy the Block 2.0 arriving at Eglin.
The answer to your question is never.
Eglin a/c will always be in the "back" of the line for Block 4.0.

The current 22 training a/c consist of Block 1A/1B and now are updating to Block 2A and soon to 2B. As identified in the news release, the Block upgrades are for software and systems hardware, no major mechanical components are upgraded. These 22 may have to have additional sensors or systems hardware changes but no major dismemberment is required (at this time). The follow-on 37 a/c will have more of the full complement of sensors and software as it is certified to the final 59th Eglin a/c, maybe 2014.

LM is being held back to 30+ a/c production per year and it may take a while to complete the a/c requirements as the number of facilities begins to grow. The Corp has 4 a/c in Yuma and is soon to be sending a/c to Cherry Point. The Air Force has 4 a/c at Nellis and is soon to be sending a/c to Hill. The Navy is starting to deploy the "C" to Eglin and all of these LRIP 4 a/c should deliver with Block 2A systems.

Other followers maybe able to give you an estimate on Block 4.0 but my crystal ball is a little dark in that time frame. Sooner or later the politicians will have found another "latest fad" to fumble and release LM to realistic production numbers, that intern will force the improvement in Block software releases. No one will desire to have the latest a/c without the latest systems block upgrade.

Of the 60+ a/c that have flown, F-35s are now flying without escorts and in multiple ship formations. Training squadrons are adding numbers to fill their compements and Test and Evaluation squadrons are receiving their a/c to begin the assessment of "what can it do today and how can we use it".

enjoy Smile

'neptune' thanks for making my early morning smile: "Geo, Thanks for letting us enjoy the Block 2.0 arriving at Eglin.... " Very Happy

Stuff already posted above has been excluded with 'new' info added (I hope)....

F-35 fighter takes another step forward 09 May 2013 by Joel Fortner | Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Quote:

"...Other new capabilities include a weather tracker and an enhancement of a system known as ALIS, or autonomic logistic information system, which transmits aircraft health and maintenance information and makes use of a portable computer planeside for the maintainer.

"This system is a game changer," said Senior Master Sgt. Eric Wheeler, production superintendent, 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit. "It combines real-time data collection and trouble shooting in one system, eliminating the need for carting out stacks of binders and paper forms to the jet, as well as having to dual annotate once on paper and again later in the office on a computer."

The latest system software, which has a better user interface and enhanced capability to download, is another step along the track in fixing problems in less time, which can be critical in time of conflict, Wheeler said.

The new F-35A will share the skies over Eglin's training ranges with the Navy VFA-101 flying squadron here, which is slated to get their first two F-35C aircraft later this month along with another United Kingdom F-35B assigned to the Marine Corps VMFAT-501 flying squadron, scheduled to arrive here in about a month."

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123347856

Not a happy Jack....

Upgraded F-35 Block 2A Joint Strike Fighters delivered to the U.S. Air Force. Still much to do, though. May 11, 2013 by Jacek Siminski

http://theaviationist.com/2013/05/11/bl ... -fighters/

neptune wrote:

geogen wrote:

Perhaps the more relevant question is... when will mature Block IV F-35s arrive at Eglin?

That was the whole premise, the popularly envisioned capability and baseline requirement for most if not all Partners acquiring their operational combat-coded F-35 fighters.

Geo,

The Air Force has 4 a/c at Nellis and is soon to be sending a/c to Hill.
enjoy Smile

Will the 34th be the 1st Sq getting jets at Hill? It was shut down because of the delivery delay but it would be great to have the mighty Rude Rams back! Laughing

geogen wrote:

Perhaps the more relevant question is... when will mature Block IV F-35s arrive at Eglin?

That was the whole premise, the popularly envisioned capability and baseline requirement for most if not all Partners acquiring their operational combat-coded F-35 fighters.

Wrong.

Block 3F is the baseline configuration at the end of SDD.

geogen wrote:

Perhaps the more relevant question is... when will mature Block IV F-35s arrive at Eglin?

That was the whole premise, the popularly envisioned capability and baseline requirement for most if not all Partners acquiring their operational combat-coded F-35 fighters.

Novices in mathematics, science, or engineering are forever demanding infallible, universal, mechanical methods for solving problems.-J. R. Pierce

...and BTW Block 3 is the current baseline program 'maturity' point. Block 4 will be just more Jay-esS-eFfin' goodness.

Forum: F-35 Avionics

Block 2 jets for Eglin