Navy's F-35C on Track to Be Combat Ready Next Month

[spazsinbad]

Navy's F-35C on Track to Be Combat Ready Next Month
04 Jan 2019 Oriana Pawlyk

"The U.S. Navy is on track to reach critical milestones and declare its F-35 Joint Strike Fighters ready for combat next month. There have been no reported delays in the service's F-35C reaching initial operating capability (IOC) next month, Navy spokeswoman Lt. Lauren Chatmas told Military.com on Friday. The Joint Strike Fighter Fleet Integration Office "is confident in meeting milestones as planned," Chatmas said. While no official February date has been announced, the work "is still on target, still proceeding as planned," she said....

...F-35 pilots at Edwards Air Force Base, California -- home to the Air Force Test Center, which [OIT&E] tests a variety of aircraft and weapons -- have flown more than 30 missions since the testing was announced, according to the Air Force...."

Source: https://www.military.com/defensetech/20 ... month.html

[mixelflick]

i'm grateful the F-35C continues to move forward but honestly, this press release rings hollow. Until we see 2 squadrons worth on the deck this isn't going to register. Sincerely hope they have a plan to get them on deck in the event of an emergency.

Perhaps that opportunity will present itself..

[ChippyHo]

Is there still no word which USN squadrons are slated to stand up on the C?

[aussiebloke]

Is there still no word which USN squadrons are slated to stand up on the C?

"The extra aircraft, pilots and maintainers at Lemoore are expected to help the Pentagon meet its testing and evaluation requirements for the the Navy’s first operational fleet F-35C squadron, VFA-147,

That major milestone for the Navy’s JSF program is still slated to happen in 2019. The maiden overseas deployment of VFA-147 is anticipated in 2021 while embarked on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson."

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... -next-year

[Corsair1963]

The overhaul at the shipyard will include lots of structural refurbishments, including restoring the warship's hull, propellers, shafts, rudders and myriad tanks. Crew quarters will also be upgraded, Hawkins said.

The ship's combat systems will also be enhanced. The Vinson is set to become the first aircraft carrier in the Navy to deploy with a squadron of F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters as part of its full air wing compliment.

https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/20 ... SOOVhtfI9A

[Dragon029]

Is there still no word which USN squadrons are slated to stand up on the C?

"The extra aircraft, pilots and maintainers at Lemoore are expected to help the Pentagon meet its testing and evaluation requirements for the the Navy’s first operational fleet F-35C squadron, VFA-147,

That major milestone for the Navy’s JSF program is still slated to happen in 2019. The maiden overseas deployment of VFA-147 is anticipated in 2021 while embarked on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson."

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... -next-year

I think he was inquiring as to what squadrons come next and so on; the USMC for example have listed every squadron that's transferring to the F-35B or F-35C, and specified which variant each squadron will operate; the USAF and USN either haven't released that information or haven't entirely planned that far ahead (perhaps leaving it up to wing commanders as to which squadrons are used or reactivated).

[Corsair1963]

Is there still no word which USN squadrons are slated to stand up on the C?

Still don't know the next USN F-35C Squadron to stand up after VFA-147. Yet, the USMC will stand up VMFA-314 (the Black Knights) with the F-35C in late 2019. So, I assume the latter will deploy with VFA-147 aboard the USS Carl Vinson in 2021....

[ChippyHo]

Is this a normal "state" of affairs in that there has been no announcement of what squadrons are slated for transition.
I would dearly love to see some of the old VF's like 1 and 21 stand back up.

[ChippyHo]

Is there still no word which USN squadrons are slated to stand up on the C?

"The extra aircraft, pilots and maintainers at Lemoore are expected to help the Pentagon meet its testing and evaluation requirements for the the Navy’s first operational fleet F-35C squadron, VFA-147,

That major milestone for the Navy’s JSF program is still slated to happen in 2019. The maiden overseas deployment of VFA-147 is anticipated in 2021 while embarked on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson."

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... -next-year

I think he was inquiring as to what squadrons come next and so on; the USMC for example have listed every squadron that's transferring to the F-35B or F-35C, and specified which variant each squadron will operate; the USAF and USN either haven't released that information or haven't entirely planned that far ahead (perhaps leaving it up to wing commanders as to which squadrons are used or reactivated).

Exactly - I appreciate you clarifying what i was mumbling about!!!

[spazsinbad]

BE READY FOR GEN 9....

Panel: Navy Advancing Tactics, Adding New Weapons to Boost Combat Lethality
20 Feb 2019 Megan Eckstein

"...For the aviation community, the pace of inserting more lethality into the fighter force is already predetermined: the F/A-18 Hornets are gone, and the F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is on its way into supplement the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet as a co-equal component of the fighter jet force.

For Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller, commander of Naval Air Forces, the new jets are on their way and he has to make sure tactics can keep up to provide the Navy with the most combat power.

“All those tactics, as we bring fifth-gen and fourth-gen together – if you will, we kind of commonly call that Gen 9 air wings that we’re going to be having soon – those tactics, techniques and procedures to be able to maximize lethality within our air wings,” he said during the panel presentation.

After the panel, Miller told USNI News that various recapitalization and upgrade efforts cause various levels of disruption to the fleet, but his job as the type commander is to manage that risk and ensure the combatant commanders have the air wings they need....

...“I’ll use another example, F-35: so again, tactical aviation, but new capabilities. … If we’re assessing how an air wing is performing, maybe those metrics are different when I’m looking at a more capable air wing. Maybe we need to elevate up that as well.”

Learning to embrace the F-35C will require some thought regarding entirely new ways to do missions, Miller acknowledged, but at the most basic level “we need to make sure that we’re doing our due diligence to make sure the capability – as a force generator, as a TYCOM – that the capability, we know how to operate it, we know how to sustain it, we know how to maintain it and we know how to turn it into lethality. And then we provide that to the combatant commanders, who will fight with it.”"

Source: https://news.usni.org/2019/02/20/panel- ... -lethality