AF sets date for F-35A IOC

[zerion]

I haven't seen this anywhere else so I wasn't sure if this is a firm date or misreporting.

US considers using F-35 fighter jets against ISIS

"There's no reason to suppose that the F-35 stealth fighter will be sent to fight in Syria within the next few years. But it's likely that these planes will join F-22 Raptors in the fight against ISIS," General Robert Carlyle from the US Air Force told Aviation Week.

Israel Defense reports that General Carlyle made his remark from a British Royal Air Force base. "If the US head of CENTOM and the commanders of other military groups ask, and if it is decided that the F-35's abilities are needed in this battlefield, I will decide whether to place the aircraft in the arena."

General Carlyle added that the US Air Force plans to declare the F-35 as ready for combat on August 1. Lockheed Martin and other military production companies have spent the past few months working out bugs and improving the Autonomics Logistics Information System (ALIS). This is the final step before the F-35s become operational.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/214746

[Dragon029]

I think it might be misreporting; the IOC window is from August 1st to December 31st; I really wouldn't be surprised if the author took the quote

"There is nothing '[amber]' or 'red' that could stand in the way of IOC, and aircraft and aircrew-wise we are on track. We need to do some pilot verification in July, but I believe that we will hit the front-end of the August to December IOC window,"

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=13143&start=255

a bit too literally.

[zerion]

I think it might be misreporting; the IOC window is from August 1st to December 31st; I really wouldn't be surprised if the author took the quote

"There is nothing '[amber]' or 'red' that could stand in the way of IOC, and aircraft and aircrew-wise we are on track. We need to do some pilot verification in July, but I believe that we will hit the front-end of the August to December IOC window,"

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=13143&start=255

a bit too literally.

Yeah I saw that quote everywhere but I saw the date and figured it was misreported.

[spazsinbad]

OOoops - earlier reference posted by 'Dragon029': viewtopic.php?f=58&t=13143&p=347927&hilit=modifications#p347927

USAF completes F-35A modifications required for IOC
18 Jul 2016 Stephen Trimble

"The US Air Force now has the minimum number of 12 Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters with completed modifications required before the first squadron can be declared initially capable for operations, service officials announced on 13 July.

Since 2013, the USAF has planned to declare initial operational capability (IOC) with 12-24 F-35As assigned to the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill AFB, Utah, from 1 August to 31 December this year.

But that timeframe appeared to be threatened with the discovery of a faulty fuel tank last September. In certain flight conditions, USAF testers found that air can enter the siphon fuel tank, potentially causing the tank to over-pressurise and rupture in-flight.

The USAF restricted the delivered F-35A fleet to 3g maneouvres when carrying a fuel load of fuel. Only when more than half of the fuel tank was empty could the F-35A perform manoeuvres up to 7g’s, the maximum allowable for USAF variant with Block 2B software. The Block 3F version scheduled for release next year will allow the F-35A to operate the full flight envelope with manoeuvres up to 9gs.

Workers at the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill AFB are installing a modification in the F-35A fleet to prevent air from entering a fuel transfer line. By adding a relief line controlled by a solenoid valve, the siphon tanks can vent the air that could cause an over-pressurisation, according to a 2015 report by the Defense Department’s office of test and evaluation.

The path to declaring IOC for the F-35A is now driven by a requirement to complete training for pilots and maintainers, the USAF says. The aircraft must be able to carry either a mix of two GBU-31 and two GBU-12 bombs or two AIM-120 AMRAAMs, and perform basic close air support, air interdiction and suppression or destruction of air defences...."

Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... oc-427568/

[zerion]

OOoops - earlier reference posted by 'Dragon029': viewtopic.php?f=58&t=13143&p=347927&hilit=modifications#p347927

USAF completes F-35A modifications required for IOC

Similar story posted earlier viewtopic.php?f=61&t=29116&p=346476&hilit=Hill+AFB#p346476

[spazsinbad]

Thanks - YEP it gets complicated quickly eh. Multiple threads about the same topic - gotta luv it but dems de breaks.

[zerion]

moved

[spazsinbad]

where

[zerion]

where

I was looking for this thread but couldn't find it viewtopic.php?f=61&t=29116&p=348643&hilit=Rude+Rams#p348643
When I couldn't find it I dropped it here, but eventually my search was successful.