F-35 Block 4

[spazsinbad]

I don't fault DiD for changing (ie editorializing) on the $130mil award. I have a problem with the moving of the goalposts from Block 3F to now Block 4 in order to meet "contractual specifications".

Fair enough. DiD are suspect for sure.

[spazsinbad]

Lockheed Martin receives F-35 avionics upgrade contract
28 Dec 2018 Gareth Jennings

"Lockheed Martin has been awarded USD712.5 million in support of the F-35 Lightning II Technology Refresh 3 (TR3) avionics upgrade. The contract, which was awarded by the US Department of Defense (DoD) on 27 December, covers the development of advanced hardware related to the TR3 effort due to be rolled out from low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 15 in 2023.

The TR3 upgrade is part of the Block 4 (full combat capability) follow-on modernisation programme for the F-35, also known as Continuous Capability Development and Delivery (C2D2). The wider Block 4 capability is to be rolled out in four increments (Block 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4)…."

Source: https://www.janes.com/article/85430/loc ... e-contract

Source: [/quote]

[laos]

Are there deadlines to achieve Block 4.1, Block 4.2 and Block 4.3 ?
Is TR3 part of Block 4.2 upgrade ?

[taog]

https://www.govconwire.com/2019/01/prat ... -contract/

United Technologies Corp.’s (NYSE: UTX) Pratt & Whitney subsidiary has received a five-year, $230.1M contract from the U.S. Navy to support flight testing of a new F-35 aircraft propulsion system.

Pratt & Whitney will help test F-35 Block 4 engine technology for Navy, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and non-Department of Defense entities, the DoD said Friday.

The company will also provide spare and repair parts, technical engineering services and special tooling and equipment as part of the fixed-price-incentive-firm and cost-plus-incentive-fee contract.

Both the Navy and Marine Corps will obligate a total of $20M in fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds.

Pratt & Whitney will perform contract services at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland and facilities in California and Connecticut.

The Pentagon expects contract work to finish in December 2023.

[SpudmanWP]

TR3 is part of Block 4.2.

[weasel1962]

Are there deadlines to achieve Block 4.1, Block 4.2 and Block 4.3 ?
Is TR3 part of Block 4.2 upgrade ?

On the 1st qn, there are no deadlines but a schedule of the lot when each block will be introduced (which the year is posted in this thread, just go back a few pages)

if you go back to pg 7 you will find the answer posted by Spuds for the 2nd question which as usual Spuds has beaten me to.

[laos]

weasel1962 and SpudmanWP - thank you.

[SpudmanWP]

MORE Block 4 info

the last Block 3F software was delivered in December and the first Block 4 update is planned for April 2019.

Block 4 comprises some 53 improvements to counter both air- and ground-based threats emerging from China and Russia. None of these upgrades will change the aircraft’s outer appearance, or “mold line.” Instead, they are primarily new or enhanced features executed in software, which will be rolled out in stages, with updates every April and October starting in 2019 and continuing through at least 2024.

“Instead of doing two-year deliveries … we decided to go to a more continuous capability framework,” said Vice Adm. Mathias W. Winter, F-35 Program Executive Officer, in a December interview.

Now that Block 3F has been “verified and validated,” the Lightning II is a “mature” system, Winter said, and ready to accept “modernization, enhancement, and improvements.” Exactly how many early production F-35s will be upgraded to the 3F configuration may be revealed in the 2020 budget submission to Congress.

...

Handled at the squadron level, TR3 upgrades can be completed “in a couple of days,” Winter said. That’s in contrast to TR2 modifications that require depot-level installation of structural and component improvements.

a LOT more at the JUMP
http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArch ... -Guys.aspx

Parting thought... The pic above shows the JSM, SOM-J, SDB2, ASRRAM, and Meteor as 5 of the new Blcok 4 weapons. Thought on the other two?

[steve2267]

Keeping the F-35 Ahead of the Bad Guys
by John A. Tirpak March 2019

<snip...>

Although the F-35 can carry the new Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, or LRASM, externally, Winter said the principal new anti-ship missiles coming in Block 4 are the JSOW C1 for the Navy and the Norwegian JSM. The program has “not been asked” about whether the stealthy LRASM can fit inside the F-35’s weapon bays, he said, nor has the Navy asked to integrate the SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack Missile-Extended Range) version of the Harpoon anti-ship missile.

<...>

Last October, then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis directed the Air Force to increase mission capable rates for the F-22, F-16, and F-35 to at least 80 percent. At the time, the F-35 rate was 54 percent overall, but for 3F aircraft recently off the production line, the rate was better than 80 percent.

Winter agreed that spare parts are the “long pole in the tent” for getting the F-35 fleet up to the 80 percent standard.

“We have initiatives underway to increase spare parts production,” he said, including accelerating the rate at which parts can be repaired by the F-35 depot at Hill AFB, Utah. This will allow industry to concentrate on making more new parts, rather than fixing older ones, he said.

The Air Force has until Sept. 30 to achieve the 80 percent mission capable rate, assuming the order stands under Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan or his successor.

<...>

http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2019/March%202019/Keeping-the-F-35-Ahead-of-the-Bad-Guys.aspx

[SpudmanWP]

I wonder if "the F-35 can carry the new Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, or LRASM, externally" means that it is one of the 2 unnamed weapons or that it's just "physically capable" of being carried externally?

[Dragon029]

For the 2 other weapons: JSOW-ER (software changes would be required for an updated launch zone if UAI isn't added first) and SPEAR 3 perhaps.

[squirrelshoes]

I can't see them ever integrating SLAM-ER, almost anything USN would use it for could be done with JSOW-C1. Keep it in the carrier's stores for the Superbugs but really not worth bothering with for F-35.

[SpudmanWP]

New GAO report on F-35 Block 4 risks and contains some new info on the ongoing IOT&E

3 "risks" to the IOT&E are still present but related to scheduling other assets to support the program.

4 new Category 1 deficiencies found during IOT&E

Unresolved deficiencies: Existing or new deficiencies could negatively affect test results. According to DOT&E officials, since the start of operational testing, four new category 1 deficiencies have been identified, bringing the total to 17. According to DOD officials, it would not be unexpected during the course of operational testing for the program to discover additional deficiencies that may require resolution and re-testing. They gave a consolidated "R&M" chart (Reliability and Maintainability Targets), but the data is from August of last year.

In June 2018, we recommended that the F-35 program identify what steps it needs to take to ensure the F-35 aircraft meet R&M requirements before each variant reaches maturity and update its R&M Improvement Program (RMIP)—DOD’s action plan for prioritizing and funding R&M improvement projects—with these steps.15 DOD concurred with our recommendation but has yet to take substantive actions to address it. It did, however, complete 16 improvement projects since we last reported on this. Despite completing these projects, there were not significant gains in the R&M metrics not meeting targets. Program officials advised, however, that measurable improvements in R&M can take time to manifest. To speed this process, the program is accelerating planned upgrades to older aircraft where appropriate, which officials stated should translate to an overall improvement in the program's R&M performance.

https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/698748.pdf

[marauder2048]

Category One example:

In November 2018, operational test pilots experienced the cockpit display freezing and blanking,
and identified the problem as a category 1 deficiency. The display issues occurred after a software
update. The start of operational testing was delayed until the contractor could provide a software update
to correct the problem, which was accomplished with a work-around in December 2018

[SpudmanWP]

A current example of an open category 1 deficiency is with lines on the F35’s landing gear, which can rupture when a tire blows, potentially causing loss of a major aircraft system such as the brakes. Such an event requires some repair work to the landing gear, but contractor officials explained that it is not a safety concern. According to the program office, it is not a safety concern because the current workaround for this deficiency is pilot training to avoid braking on the side of the blown tire.