Forum: General F-35 Forum

Test approval for stealth warplane 06 Sept 2012 Thursday

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/7626839/Te ... -warplane/

"Senior Pentagon officials are expected on Friday to sign off on a comprehensive plan for testing and evaluating Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, an important next step for the new stealth warplane, according to two sources familiar with the programme.

The test evaluation master plan, already approved by US Navy and Air Force officials, maps out a schedule for testing that must be completed before the military can start using the new radar-evading fighter for military operations, said the sources, who were not authorised to speak publicly.

Senior defense officials, who served on the Defense Acquisition Board, are expected to approve the document at a meeting scheduled for Friday, they said.

The meeting is not intended to address any other significant programme milestones....

...Company and military officials said developmental testing now underway is going well, but the plane must undergo significant operational testing and evaluation before it can be certified for use by the US military.

In a separate development, the Air Force is planning to start a 65-day evaluation at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on Monday that will pave the way for the start of pilot training for the new jets, the sources said.

No comment was immediately available from the Pentagon’s F-35 programme office."

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Presumably Dir. Michael Gilmore will be one of those,signing off..

http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNph ... el+gilmore

"Although Gilmore's memo sounds pretty tough, several DoD officials noted that he does not have authority to make programmatic decisions."

"Knickers in a Knot"; Specifically, Gilmore said the F-35 program must specify exactly how they will test the plane's vaunted electronic warfare capabilities. If they don't, then, Gilmore writes, then he won't approve the Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP).

Most importantly, a Defense Acquisition Board meeting to review the program is set for September 7. "The DAB is pressing forward and this should not be a showstopper," a program official said.
Smile

More problems raised at Pentagon F-35 fighter review 10 Sep 2012 By Andrea Shalal-Esa

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/1 ... EstateNews

"(Reuters) - Senior Pentagon officials voiced frustration about the pace of Lockheed Martin Corp's development of the $396 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program at a high-level review on Friday, according to several sources familiar with the program.

Officials did not approve a comprehensive plan for operational testing of the F-35 program as had been expected.

The Pentagon's Defense Acquisition Board huddled for more than four hours on Friday evening in a meeting described by one participant as "very painful" given ongoing challenges facing the high-tech F-35 helmet that is integral to the craft's weapons systems....

...Lockheed has also agreed to provide an F-35 jet for dedicated testing of the helmet in coming weeks, the sources said. "These kinds of challenges are normal in a developmental program," Steve O'Bryan, a Lockheed executive, said.

Lockheed officials, who were not at the meeting, said on Monday, technological challenges facing the program were bieng[sic] addressed....

...FLIGHT TESTING
The sources said F-35 flight testing was going well, and initial training flights were taking place at Eglin Air Force Base, but Pentagon officials are increasingly frustrated that the technology issues were taking so long to resolve.

"More progress is needed on the complex development activity," said one of the sources. "There's frustration that it's not happening fast enough."...

...Pentagon spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin declined comment on the closed-door meeting, except to say that it was aimed at providing a status update and no major decisions were made.

The Pentagon's F-35 program office also declined comment, but said officials were keeping a close watch on the program.

"All the technical issues are known and engineering solutions are either in work or being developed to deliver the F-35 to the warfighter," said Joe DellaVedova, program spokesman....

...Major General Christopher Bodgan, who will take over as program manager for the F-35 program at the end of the year, was slated to speak about the program at an Air Force Association conference on Monday...."

BEST to READ entire POST at the URL because I know some important bits have been left out (due restrictions).

Although he doesn't have direct authority, apparently Dr. Gilmore has more influence than initially conjectured.

It would be nice to know what the reasons were for the rejection of the test plan and if there is a criteria that needs to be meet before approval is granted. Could not find a list of names and titles for those on the DAB.

maus92 wrote:

Although he doesn't have direct authority, apparently Dr. Gilmore has more influence than initially conjectured.

Interestingly that LM is providing an F-35 to prove the helmet. Is this an attempt at proving the helmet status as has been projected by the program?

Dr. Gilmore still has his "Knickers in a Knot". He is the PDAB representative for the program and I'm sure his opinion is being considered but...... how can you convince an organization of three branches, DOD and congress to "HOLD UP" a program while you check out the slightly complex EW system, as integrated into the JSF. I agree with the good Dr. that the plan for EW testing is required and I'm also certain he is requiring benchmarks and completion dates prior to IOC. Not for jest but, I would offer that the USMC would accept the JSF with a limited EW if it is guaranteed that their limited EW will be fully updated concurrently with the other Branches. They will want the ISR capability which is similar but not the same as EA. Two Cents

Some clues about the areas of concern from US version of the Reuters article.

A new issue with the VSI HMD: ".... and more recently, a green glow at the visor's edges and problems with alignment."

High operating and maintenance costs: "Officials reviewing the program also discussed the high costs of maintaining and operating the aircraft..."

Slow pace of progress: "..... but Pentagon officials are increasingly frustrated that the technology issues were taking so long to resolve.

"More progress is needed on the complex development activity," said one of the sources. "There's frustration that it's not happening fast enough.""

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/ ... 4A20120911