Forum: General F-35 Forum

Is there any tentative delivery schedule (block production runs starting with LRIP and going to FRP).

F-16.net Sponsor

I'm not sure. I know that orders have been placed by our Marines, Navy, and air force. Several NATO nations also want to purchase the JSF. Prodomanently England, who is looking to replace its subsonic Hariers.

Elite 1K Joined: May 26, 2005 - 08:39 PM Posts: 1496

Is it still a pet peeve of Britons to all be lumped in with England?

Sorry instinct, couldn't resist Very Happy

There is a schedule, 2012 for CTOL USAF version I think, something like that, I'm the Hydraulic System Test Engineer on F-35 and I gotta say this, WHAT AN AWESOME AIRPLANE. As a legacy F-16 Technician, man this plane rocks. Some design SNAFU'S but all in all it kicks a$$.

Good to hear that someone actually finds the F-35 a good airplane, Happy Very Happy

Far too many around here bitching and winding about what a waste this fighter will be.

Thanks again !

Yeah well,.... F-18E/F has lots of awesome things about it too ( flight line maintenance being one....sensors being another....etc. ). Just don't confuse that with combat needs and/or methods of killing. Wink

This may be off the topic but I got a question. Does anyone know the G limits of the F-35? And any maneuver comparison with the F-16?

I believe it is 9Gs and its turning ability is compareable to an F-16. Wasn't meant to be the best fighter, thats what the F-22 is for. Was meant to start dropping bombs on the first night of invasion.

-Aaron

Being an ex USAF F-16A Crew Chief, a US Navy (GD/LM Contrator) F-16N and F/A-18A Crew Chief in Key West, an LM F-16 Crew Chief and Fuel System Instructor In Fort Worth, an F/A-18E/F Flight Test Technician at Pax River and now an F-35 Systems Test Engineer, I think I'm some what qualified to speak up here on this subject, at least about three jets, I’ll leave the F-5’s out of this for obvious reasons but still a pretty capable jet in it’s own right. This isn’t my resume but my experience working on and now testing jets.
I've got to say this, there is nothing "awesome" about flightline maintenance on ANY F/A-18, not even the E/F Rhino's, especially compared to an F-16A/B/C/D/E or F Model and I've worked every one of them. Maintenance reliability of the F/A-18 alone sucks, maintenance access sucks even worse, the best thing about that pig is it has two engines.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved working on every one of them but ONE jet is better than the rest as far as I’m concerned, right now it’s the F-16. The F-35 will change my mind and is quickly watering my eye’s..
As far as combat is concerned, your way off the mark elp, you can't imagine the capabilities the F-35 is going to have, the learning curve of even legacy F-22 guys on this program is pretty mind boggling to say the least.
I’ve been to the avionics labs, seen the flight simulators in action and its pretty damn "AWESOME", it’ll be a 9G aircraft but like the F/A-22, it JUST WON’T HAVE TO BE.
Boman your right and I was the same way back in 1986 when I begged to stay crewing the F-4's at Homestead, I didn’t want anything to do with the Vipers, my boss told me I was nuts and made me transition anyway. I'll always love that jet but people hate change until the beauty of the new stuff is shoved down their throat, then they will be happy they did. I wouldn't be doing what I am now if it wasn't for that flight chief and the F-16. People will come around to the F-35, it's going to make every maintenance technicians life really easy.
And while I’m on my pedestal here I want to say this, is the F-35 a perfect beast right now, of course not, it’s got it’s problems and most of those are design issues, it’ll mature and become a thing of beauty I swear to you all. My problem with it is the maintenance won’t be any fun, at least for you Crew Chiefs. In about a month or so I’ll be testing the landing gear, anti-skid, NWS and tail hook systems, man I can’t wait, I just finished writing the procedures and were testing them in the labs, it's pretty sweet.
Keep those bad a$$ Vipers flying proud.

Happy_Gilmore wrote:

Being an ex USAF F-16A Crew Chief, a US Navy (GD/LM Contrator) F-16N and F/A-18A Crew Chief in Key West, an LM F-16 Crew Chief and Fuel System Instructor In Fort Worth, an F/A-18E/F Flight Test Technician at Pax River and now an F-35 Systems Test Engineer, I think I'm some what qualified to speak up here on this subject, at least about three jets, I’ll leave the F-5’s out of this for obvious reasons but still a pretty capable jet in it’s own right. This isn’t my resume but my experience working on and now testing jets.
I've got to say this, there is nothing "awesome" about flightline maintenance on ANY F/A-18, not even the E/F Rhino's, especially compared to an F-16A/B/C/D/E or F Model and I've worked every one of them. Maintenance reliability of the F/A-18 alone sucks, maintenance access sucks even worse, the best thing about that pig is it has two engines.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved working on every one of them but ONE jet is better than the rest as far as I’m concerned, right now it’s the F-16. The F-35 will change my mind and is quickly watering my eye’s..
As far as combat is concerned, your way off the mark elp, you can't imagine the capabilities the F-35 is going to have, the learning curve of even legacy F-22 guys on this program is pretty mind boggling to say the least.
I’ve been to the avionics labs, seen the flight simulators in action and its pretty damn "AWESOME", it’ll be a 9G aircraft but like the F/A-22, it JUST WON’T HAVE TO BE.
Boman your right and I was the same way back in 1986 when I begged to stay crewing the F-4's at Homestead, I didn’t want anything to do with the Vipers, my boss told me I was nuts and made me transition anyway. I'll always love that jet but people hate change until the beauty of the new stuff is shoved down their throat, then they will be happy they did. I wouldn't be doing what I am now if it wasn't for that flight chief and the F-16. People will come around to the F-35, it's going to make every maintenance technicians life really easy.
And while I’m on my pedestal here I want to say this, is the F-35 a perfect beast right now, of course not, it’s got it’s problems and most of those are design issues, it’ll mature and become a thing of beauty I swear to you all. My problem with it is the maintenance won’t be any fun, at least for you Crew Chiefs. In about a month or so I’ll be testing the landing gear, anti-skid, NWS and tail hook systems, man I can’t wait, I just finished writing the procedures and were testing them in the labs, it's pretty sweet.
Keep those bad a$$ Vipers flying proud.

Again. That isn't my problem with the jet. And big deal about great engineering. My problem with it, is.....

Is that it is engineering on a platform we don't need. A lot of wasted talent. And... That we will be spending over $245 Billion ( thats with a B ) for aircraft we don't need.... to kill off targets we can do any other way. What is sad is seeing DOD in a death climb while there are tons of other programs out there that are valid war winning / war support projects ( airlift, sustainment, tanking ....etc.... the list is LONG ) all while we follow this project off of a financial cliff into the abyss. Continued shrinking buy numbers of JSF by the services show that at least some are waking up. Again, once enemy large SAMs and airpower are beat down, I don't need a stealth aircraft. And I can do all of that Phase I stuff of the war without JSF. What is even more shocking about this whole program is that people don't seem to realize that if we are going to be stuck with this thing at all...., USN needs it at the EXPENSE of cancelling it for all other services. I would rather not have it, But if we are going to have it, let it be a C model on a carrier deck, and junk the rest of this ill advised money pit. Enjoy the J$F all while the rest of airframe development.... and MORE important.... sustainment of what we have, gets slowed to a crawl, because we have to fund this cash cow. I am sooo happy that industry is happy with it. Lord knows the U.S. taxpayers main purpose, is to keep the runaway mil industrial complex happy.

We are in big trouble with our mil spending vs. valid defense goals. F-22 working out was dumb luck. Garbage like V-22, C-130J, F-18E/F is par for the course on fielding weapons systems. JSF is trying it's best to put a happy face on everything, but unless we can come up with another 3-400 billion to properly sustain what we have AND fund R&D things like FB-22, B-3, X-45/47 UCAV, all we are doing is putting out an airframe that will be looking for a job. Not to mention we have to properly fund flying hours and facilities support: Early BRAC decisions, waste money and resources not save. And what they do save is small potatos compared to spending billions on ill advised expeditionary warfare, corrupt tanker deals, C-130J fiascos, etc etc etc. Hey if you don't believe me, I'll hand you the checkbook and see if you can balance it.

Hey, Elp, from what I`ve read there will never be an FB-22. That decision has already been made some 12-18 months ago if I remember correctly.
Sorry to dissapoint you Wink

So, ELP, what do you propose filling the tactical fighter role when the Vipers reach their structural life?

....Here we go again lol Rolling Eyes

I agree with you, Sniper!

This topic turns in a direction for wich there has been enough lines written already.
For all that hasn`t seen these yet, check out the other and most recent topics under this folder, and you shall find everything you seek.

Sniper69 wrote:

....Here we go again lol Rolling Eyes

Forum: General F-35 Forum

F-35A tentative delivery schedule?