F-35s at Farnborough Air Show 2014?

[zero-one]

Here is another source

http://intercepts.defensenews.com/2014/ ... -flight-2/

FARNBOROUGH, England – The F-35 might make it to Farnborough after all.

A Pentagon official told Defense News that the F-35 fighter fleet has been cleared by air worthiness authorities. A decision on attending the show has not been made but the official said DoD is “hopeful” it can make the trip.

A statement released by Rear Admiral John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, confirmed the news.

“Yesterday the air worthiness authorities for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force approved the F-35 fleet to return to flight,” Kirby said in the statement. “This is a limited flight clearance that includes an engine inspection regimen and a restricted flight envelope which will remain in effect until the root cause of the June 23 engine mishap is identified and corrected.”

“We remain hopeful that the F-35 can make an appearance at the Farnborough airshow. This information is an encouraging step, but no final decision has been made at this time.”

Safety remains the overriding priority. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”

Speaking at Farnborough, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said “If I was a betting woman, I’d say the odds just got better” for the plane to arrive at the show; an audience at the US international pavilion responded with a round of applause.

A Lockheed Martin spokesman pointed to Kirby’s statement but declined further comment, referring questions to the Pentagon.

“We have great confidence in the F135 engine powering the F-35, and we have worked very closely with DoD and the Services to return the aircraft to flying status,” Matthew Bates, Pratt spokesman, said in a statement. “It would be great for the jets to come to the Farnborough Air Show so the audience here can see the capabilities the F-35 brings to the US and our partners. Beyond that, any specific comment or announcement will have to come from the DoD or the MoD.”

The fact the jets would be cleared early Tuesday was actually predicted — or was it accidentally leaked? — yesterday by the official Facebook page of Naval Station Patuxent River, where four F-35Bs are standing by to make the trip to the UK.

The question of whether the plane would make it has been the talk of the show. Even executives for rival companies with no stake in the fifth-generation fighter have expressed hope the jet would make an appearance.

Four F-35Bs have been standing by at Naval Station Patuxent River ready to go. If the planes leave immediately, they could be ready to fly over Farnborough by Wednesday afternoon local time, although Thursday may make more sense logistically.

The F-35 fleet was grounded on July 3, the result of an ongoing investigation into an engine fire that heavily damaged an F-35A model known as AF-27. The grounding meant the jet missed its scheduled international debut at last weeks Royal International Air Tattoo, as well as the first two days of Farnborough.

The cause of the fire has been identified as excessive rubbing from a fan blade against part of an F135 engine, designed by Pratt & Whitney.

“There is a growing body of evidence that this is not a systemic, major design problem, that the problem is a manageable problem,” Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s top acquisition official, told reporters Monday. “We have not found a similar problem on any of the other engines that are in service, so that’s encouraging.”

“At this stage in the game, I do not see this as any kind of major setback.”

Speaking this morning, Paul Adams, president of Pratt & Whitney, called the F135 an “extremely important” program for his company. The F-35 business is core to the future of Pratt’s military engine business unit.

[mk82]

Fingers crossed!!

[spazsinbad]

Wizzer gives a good explanation about STOVL mode flying with concept of the INCEPTS and difference between FLAT deck and SKI JUMP STO and when ski jump testing will start (but not finished until much later 2016) by the end of this year....

Farnborough Airshow 2014: F-35 Test Pilot Interview
14 Jul 2014

"Aviation Week's Amy Butler talked to Lockheed Martin F-35 test pilot Billie Flynn and BAE Systems test pilot Pete 'Wizzer' Wilson about the F-35 program during the 2014 Farnborough air show."

[spazsinbad]

ditto?

[spazsinbad]

US F-35 fighter will not fly at UK air show: Pentagon
16 Jul 2014

"Washington (AFP) - The US military will not send F-35 fighter jets to take part in the Farnborough air show in Britain as planned, the Pentagon said Tuesday, citing safety precautions....

...But aviation commanders imposed several restrictions on the plane's operation, including mandatory engine inspections after every three hours in the air, making a flight across the Atlantic problematic, Kirby said.

Given the timing of the show, which started on Monday, and the flight restrictions, "this was the most prudent and safe decision," he said.

The required engine inspections are "a pretty significant limitation in terms of being able to fly them across the Atlantic," he added."

Source: https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/24469136/us ... -pentagon/

[spazsinbad]

NO F-35s Coming To Farnborough; Safety First, Says SecDef Hagel
15 Jul 2014 Colin Clark

"...Rear Adm. John Kirby issued this statement at 7 p.m BST during a Pentagon press conference, less than 12 hours after news broke about the fleet’s grounding being lifted:

“This is a limited flight clearance that includes an engine inspection regimen and a restricted flight envelope which will remain in effect until the root cause of the June 23 engine mishap is identified and corrected.

“That said, I can confirm that the Department of Defense — in concert with our partners in the U.K. — has decided not to send Marine Corps and UK F-35B aircraft across the Atlantic to participate in the Farnborough air show.

“This decision was reached after consultation with operational commanders and air worthiness authorities, despite the decision by air worthiness authorities to clear the aircraft to return to flight.

“When we consider deploying aircraft operationally we look at many factors, to include operational risk, weather and ground time. All these factors were weighted appropriately in making this difficult decision.

“While we are disappointed, we remain fully committed to the program and look forward to future opportunities to showcase its capabilities to allies and partners.

“As Secretary Hagel made clear, safety – as always — remains our top priority.”..."

Source: http://breakingdefense.com/2014/07/no-f ... def-hagel/

[spazsinbad]

Marine Corps welcomes the decision to return F-35Bs to flight
15 July2014 Headquarters Marine Corps U.S. Marine Corps Office of Communication, Washington, D.C.

"...On a related note, the Marine Corps will soon conduct a transcontinental redeployment of four F-35Bs from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland to their home base at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. The six-hour cross-country mission will include aerial refueling similar [NOT the same frequency I would suggest] to what is required while transiting an ocean. Once back at their home station, the pilots and squadron will continue training and progress toward initial operational capability next summer."

Source: http://www.hqmc.marines.mil/News/PressR ... light.aspx

[spazsinbad]

NON or is it NYET to Paris?

F-35 Lightning II Will Not Strike At Farnborough
15 Jul 2014 Amy Butler & Tony Osborne | AWIN First

"...It is not clear when the next such opportunity will occur given the F-35’s testing schedule, or whether deployment plans will allow for another attempt at an international debut soon. A demonstration is unlikely to happen at the Paris air show next year unless the aircraft is based elsewhere, as U.S. officials are skittish about basing stealthy aircraft in France."

Source: http://aviationweek.com/awin-only/f-35- ... arnborough

[spazsinbad]

Video: Air Force Report: F-35 Shows Its Stuff

"The Air Force shows off the F-35 at the Farnsborough Air Show in the United Kingdom"

http://www.dvidshub.net/download/popup/351646 (VIDEO SIZE SELECTION FOR DOWNLOAD)

Source: http://www.dvidshub.net/video/351646/ai ... 9MLd5B-8kJ

[neptune]

[...]

Pst!...the lightnings didn't make the show, think anyone noticed!

[popcorn]

When is the next big international airshow?

[thepointblank]

When is the next big international airshow?

They could bring the F-35's up to Canada, the Abbotsford Air Show is a big one; it's the biggest air show on the West Coast... should be a relatively easy deployment, just across the border.

Funny how the Abbotsford Air Show happens right near me...

[popcorn]

Not sure if this has been posted. Not meant to be read my mediots.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/2014 ... Ahead-F-35
Editorial: Full Speed Ahead on F-35

It’s been a tough few weeks for the F-35 fighter program.

What was supposed to be a much-touted international debut at Britain’s premier air shows turned into a PR nightmare after the Pentagon grounded the fleet in the wake of an engine fire.

Despite a race to get the planes back in the air, it remained unclear at presstime on July 11 whether four F-35B short-takeoff, vertical-landing jets would make the Royal International Air Tattoo and the Farnborough International Airshow. A jet that was to have been the star of both shows instead became the butt of jokes and raised new questions about whether the jet is worth the massive investment.

That’s nonsense.

Missing the air shows or arriving late was a public relations disaster, but it is inconsequential over the long term. Even though 100 jets have already been delivered, the program is still very much in development. Whether the fire represents a serious flaw or was simply an anomaly, it’s far wiser to delay a PR flight than risk losing a jet over the ocean — or worse, in the midst of one of the world’s largest air shows.

Any ambitious development effort on this scale is bound to experience problems. JSF has already overcome numerous setbacks that critics said were show-stoppers. It will overcome this one, as well — and likely many others, besides, before it is successfully fielded.

Launched nearly two decades ago, JSF is the world’s largest and most complex military program ever. Changing requirements and mounting engineering challenges have slowed schedules and spiked costs over time, but the Pentagon and its partners have made cost control a top priority.

The program has been restructured, oversight has increased and testing requirements improved. The US and its eight partner nations have ratcheted up the pressure on prime contractor Lockheed Martin and its partners, like engine-maker Pratt & Whitney, to deliver on cost and schedule.

Now, with 60 percent of development testing completed, the program is moving through test goals and demonstrating real capability and declining cost. That’s a success story.

It was that growing confidence in the jet that led officials to decide it was time for the F-35 to make its international debut in Britain, America’s first and leading international partner on the fighter. Indeed, London’s unwavering commitment to F-35 is said to have kept the program alive in Washington.

JSF’s competitors have good reason to snipe about the cost overruns and program delays. They dedicate considerable energy into undermining the fighter program and questioning its cost and utility, because each nation that signs up to buy the jet is one less customer for their existing fighters.

Those planes are already struggling on the global market. And there is a struggle within partner nations themselves, given the massive size of the program, where JSF spending is crowding out other acquisition priorities.

For all its challenges, the JSF remains a critical program that delivers game-changing capability. The key for the US and its partners is to complete development and then field it — in numbers great enough to ensure reasonable production and operating costs.