Forum: F-35 milestones

Dutch F-35A F-001 First Flight

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Yes! Great news, love it to see the first of our jets being taken to the sky! Elections are due in September. Hopefully some clarity and wise decisions to continue the purchase of the F-35.

Also BF-18 made first flight
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/news_ite ... tem_id=804

That's means all LRIP-3 in the air

Look at the facts:
To launch all 12 LRIP-2 birds took 11.5 months
To launch all 17 LRIP-3 birds took 5 months

amazing ha?

And as the construction learning curve flattens out and more efficiencies on the line are implemented, those numbers will continue to improve to the point where they meet or exceed target production rates. And that's a good thing. Wink

This is the first Allied F-35A to fly (LRIP3) and their second one is coming up in LRIP4. Italy and Aussies get their first A's in LRIP6. Smile

What day did it fly and who was the pilot? Question

Thx.

The info for BF-18 is at the link FANG provided above:

"F-35B BF-18 First Flight 8 August 2012 Photo by Tom Harvey
Lockheed Martin test pilot Al Norman flew F-35B BF-18 (US Navy Bureau Number 168314) on its inaugural flight on 8 August 2012 from NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas."
____________

Good FenceCheckFoto of the Dutchie [DENMARK? I give up - is this a Photoshop Hoax?] here (attached): http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index. ... 7500;image

spaz it's dutch (not Denemark), that's the AN-1 from LRIP-3.
In LRIP-4 they got two more (AN-2, AN-3) which joined the LOT in April 2011
http://www.nu.nl/binnenland/2487815/kab ... n-jsf.html

Denemark didn't make any choice yet.
You can see the dutch roundel on the side of the plane
The F-16's got color roundel and the F-35 Gray/White
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Neth ... _Air_Force

Don't know why Code One didn't publish it yet....

fang wrote:

spaz it's dutch (not Denemark), that's the AN-1 from LRIP-3.
In LRIP-4 they got two more (AN-2, AN-3) which joined the LOT in April 2011
http://www.nu.nl/binnenland/2487815/kab ... n-jsf.html

In LRIP-4 you'll see AN-2, but not AN-3. The Netherlands ordered two F-35A, not three. The article in the link is about ordering AN-2. The other foreign F-35 will be F-35B BK-3 for the UK.

Indeed Dutch = The Netherlands, or Holland so you will, with capital Amsterdam. The nation that once founded and owned New York (New Amsterdam). Smile

Not to confuse with Denmark or Germany Smile

Joost

Yeah you right, my mistake - NL bought 2 A's.
If it's true, how come the second one was cheaper than the first?
http://www.nu.nl/politiek/2520310/tweed ... ljoen.html

spazsinbad wrote:

The info for BF-18 is at the link FANG provided above:

"F-35B BF-18 First Flight 8 August 2012 Photo by Tom Harvey
Lockheed Martin test pilot Al Norman flew F-35B BF-18 (US Navy Bureau Number 168314) on its inaugural flight on 8 August 2012 from NAS Fort Worth JRB, Texas."
____________

Good FenceCheckFoto of the Dutchie [DENMARK? I give up - is this a Photoshop Hoax?] here (attached): http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index. ... 7500;image

Spasz. I am very sceptical about this. Wouldn't be surprised this is a Photoshop hoax...

LM, without any doubt, would have published a first fight of an F35A ordered by a level partner.
Specifically becaue this would have been the first flght of an F35A produced for (a) level partner(s).

Secondly, nothing has been published in the Dutch media about a first flight of the first F35A for the Netherlands.

As well, The Dutch Airforce did not made any comment at all about a first flight

Till so far, this seems to me a hoax

@ Fang. Not that strange your mistake. Years ago the Dutch eventually had the intention to order three F35A's

@ Spasz. Do you have any idea what's about probably joining the IOT&E phase by Australia?
This has been mentioned in one of the latest Dutch letters of Defence to Parliament

Hi M, not a hoax IMO. It seems like the F-001 already has flown 3 times last week. Lack of publicit ymight have a political reason or simply holiday season??

m wrote:

@ Fang. Not that strange your mistake. Years ago the Dutch eventually had the intention to order three F-35A's

Yeah I know, that's why I wrote 3 A's
The LRIP-4 contract signed in November 2010 (30 for US, 1 for UK) but the Dutch AN-2 joined the contract in April 2011.

Anyway I guess from next month we'll start to see LRIP-4 birds in the air.
I blv the first will be AF-21 and/or BF-19.
But the big Q is what uniform the NAVY birds (CF-04 - CF-07) gonna wear?

fang wrote:

But the big Q is what uniform the NAVY birds (CF-04 - CF-07) gonna wear?

no CF-04, it had been cut for years.

fang wrote:

Anyway I guess from next month we'll start to see LRIP-4 birds in the air.
I blv the first will be AF-21 and/or BF-19.

I guess LRIP-4 jet will fly in this month.

joost wrote:

Hi M, not a hoax IMO. It seems like the F-001 already has flown 3 times last week. Lack of publicit ymight have a political reason or simply holiday season??

Three times? And LM wouldn't publish this? This makes me a lot more suspicious. And till so far no Duch journalist did publish about a first flight as wel.
Supose you did hear somebody telling this, but do you have got a link?