Forum: F-35 Lightning II

JSF BREAKS GROUND - MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT

http://www.jsf.mil/news/docs/20110912_J ... GROUND.pdf (41Kb)

"MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. - Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Hensel Phelps Construction Company hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion and renovation of the new Joint Strike Fighter F-35B Pilot Training and Simulator Center, and Aircraft Training Hangar on Sept. 1.

The new training center and hangar will support the training of approximately 78 pilots a year, park seven F-35B aircraft inside the hangar and up to 18 F-35B aircraft on the parking ramp. The training and simulator center will include classrooms, briefing and debriefing rooms, flight simulator spaces, network equipment rooms, faculty and administrative offices.

The hangar will include an aircraft maintenance bay, data network areas and pilot brief and debrief rooms. Also new for the maintainers aboard the Air Station are the sunshades for the aircraft parking area to ensure the aircraft are well protected from the elements to keep them in service longer.

“[Marine Corps Air Station] Beaufort’s existing hangars are reaching the end of useful life at fifty-years old and must be replaced to meet the changing mission of the Air Station,”...

...The construction for the two facilities has an expected date of completion of September 2013. The facilities are the beginning of many new construction projects preparing for the Joint Strike Fighter."

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I thought that one of the cost saving measures was a unified training center at Eglin AFB. Why do the Marines need another training center?

spazsinbad wrote:

[....The facilities are the beginning of many new construction projects preparing for the Joint Strike Fighter."

With the advent of the Navy Superbases and the raves from their supporters, is this in the near future for the Corp's Aviation? While reducing a/c types from F-18, A-6 & AV-8B to F-35B&C can an east/ west coast Corp superbase not be in the near future? As the Navy reduces the number of squadrons with the F-35C, it would appear that the Corp F-35C may find a home in either Oceana or Lemoore or both. Exclamation

SpudmanWP wrote:

I thought that one of the cost saving measures was a unified training center at Eglin AFB. Why do the Marines need another training center?

Net effect of the EIS limited the training capacity at Eglin (by limiting the number of jets).

Fan-crapping-tastic,

Another victim of tree huggers and NIMBYs Wink

Also would not Beaufort require 'ongoing' training facilities for the front line squadrons?

Another USMC F-35 training facility [USMC Yuma Air Station] explanation here (may apply to Beaufort also):

Another Aspect of the F-35 Transition: Rolling Out New Infrastructure 11/01/2011

http://www.sldinfo.com/another-aspect-o ... structure/

"The F-35 is the first significant build of new tactical aircraft in a long time. Correlated with the build is shaping a new infrastructure to support the new fleet. In many cases, the older infrastructure is outdated in and of itself and the new aircraft accompanies needed upgrades to infrastructure.

We saw that with the need to provide a new deck surface for the amphibs and can see that with older basing infrastructure such as what we saw when we visited USMC Yuma Air Station....

...In addition, the F-35 with its C4ISR D system or Z axis capabilities will be maintained and operated out of secure hangers and facilitates. Securing the communications and support built around the ALIS system is a key element of the F-35, which will be protected in part by being located in secure facilities....

...Among the core elements for a new infrastructure being built at Yuma are the following: 2 Aircraft Maintenance Hangers, an Intermediate Maintenance Activity Facility, a Communications Infrastructure Upgrade, a Simulator Facility and a Utilities Infrastructure Upgrade....

...In the inside the [Washington] beltway debate, folks have lost sight of the advantages of fleet commonality within the manufacturing process and seem to have no clue as the very significant capabilities and savings inherent in a lessons learned process for building out the infrastructure to support a common fleet."

MUCH MORE AT THE URL JUMP: http://www.sldinfo.com/another-aspect-o ... structure/

http://www.sldinfo.com/wp-content/uploa ... cility.jpg

Some more info about YUMA F-35 construction.
First Joint Strike Fighter hangar under way at MCAS Yuma Nov 23, 2011 BY JAMES GILBERT - SUN STAFF WRITER

http://www.yumasun.com/news/aircraft-74 ... angar.html

"...The hangar, which costs $36 million and would normally take about 18 months to build, is expected to be completed in 10 months, and in use by March. McBee said that the air station is on a tight timeline to coincide with the first arrival of the first F-35s in Yuma.

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

...Ground was symbolically broken for the hangar in June as part of $150 million worth of construction projects that will be taking place at the air station in the coming years.

In addition to the F-35 hangar that is currently being built, other projects slated to be built during this first round of construction include a JSF simulator building, upgrades to communications and utilities infrastructure and a second hangar.

The F-35 will also eventually replace the AV-8B aircraft based in North Carolina and the F-18 Hornets based in California, South Carolina and Japan, becoming the Marine Corps' sole fixed-wing attack aircraft.

The Joint Strike Fighter will also allow the Marine Corps the capability to turn every one of its amphibious big deck ships into aircraft carriers, which essentially doubles the number of carriers the nation currently has scattered throughout the oceans of the world.

The first F-35 pilots were scheduled to begin arriving at MCAS Yuma this month, while the first F-35 JSF aircraft is on track for September 2012."

Beaufort station readies for 5 new squadrons Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011 By Patrick Donohue

http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/12/11/ ... for-5.html

"Despite Pentagon officials' concerns about the future of the Joint Strike Fighter program, work continues at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to prepare for the next-generation jets.

The Navy notified contractors last month of plans to build five vertical-landing pads at the base, according to officials.

Unlike the F-18 Hornets they are replacing, the Marine Corps' version of the JSF, also known as the F-35B, can take off and land vertically. The pads will cost $16 million to $19 million and be made partly of advanced high-temperature concrete material, according to the Navy. The contract for the pads is expected to be awarded in June.

MCAS Beaufort will be home to three new active-duty JSF squadrons and two pilot-training squadrons, a transition requiring $351.8 million in improvements over the next five years, according to the Navy. The planes are scheduled to arrive in 2013 or 2014.

Construction that started in September continues on a $70 million hangar and training facility. Workers are preparing the site for the hangar and will soon erect the exterior walls of the flight simulator, said base spokesman Lt. Sharon Hyland. No major delays have been reported, Hyland said.

The work, by Florida contractor Hensel Phelps, is expected to be completed by September 2013.

FWIW heat resistant concrete has been used in the steel industry for years. Here's a bit of information on it:

http://www.everything-about-concrete.co ... crete.html

Since the heat will be transitory don't think there will be much of a problem as long as the calcium aluminate based aggregate is used. I know that this type of concrete can handle prolonged exposure to radiant heat (Continuous Caster for Steel) at a temp over 1500 F at a distance of 4 ft. What I don't know is whether or not the jet exhaust will erode the surface.

More info about the high temp concrete construction at YUMA.

Construction for JSF marks another milestone December 24, 2011 CPL. AARON DIAMANT

http://www.yumasun.com/news/constructio ... f-pad.html

"Construction in anticipation of the Joint Strike Fighter's arrival in Yuma reached another first Dec. 8, as the first section of special, high-temperature concrete was poured at vertical takeoff and landing pad four on Marine Corps Air Station Yuma flightline.

“This is a special, high-temperature concrete designed to handle the heat from the JSF,” said Marie Torres, president of MRM Construction Services, the company completing the project.

“We've poured several test sections before, but this is the first time this particular mix has been used.”

The pad, which will be used for vertical takeoffs and landings, was designed to have a long service life, and is the first to be designed and constructed specifically for the JSF, which creates significantly more heat in the process than the Corps' current AV-8B Harriers. ['Big Noting' methinks - some memes will never die.]

“We'll use a sodium silicate sealant over the entire area. It serves as a hardener so it's more resistant and will last longer, and we also use a high-temp sealant on all of the joints,” said Torres.

“We're also building up the center of the pad, so that in the future, they can grind down any wear on the surface up to two inches before they would need to replace the whole pad.”....

Forum: F-35 Lightning II

USMC Beaufort Hangar Construction Etc. Sep 2011