F-35 Block 4

Cockpit, radar, helmet-mounted display, and other avionics
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by spazsinbad » 01 May 2019, 03:33

Michael Sullivan GAO bigwig .MP3 interview PODcast: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/ww ... ayout=none
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GAO-Podcast-F-35-Joint-Strike-Fighter-Reliability-and-Modernization.mp3 [ 6.02 MiB | Viewed 71989 times ]



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by eloise » 17 Jun 2019, 10:50

Block 4 upgrade:
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by SpudmanWP » 17 Jun 2019, 20:46

That "Widening the Gap" slide is not necessarily Block 4 as things on it like UCAVs and EFTs are not in the Block 4 plan yet and AGCAS is coming before Block 4.
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by marauder2048 » 17 Jun 2019, 22:53

SpudmanWP wrote:That "Widening the Gap" slide is not necessarily Block 4 as things on it like UCAVs and EFTs are not in the Block 4 plan yet and AGCAS is coming before Block 4.


They also have SDB I as the silhouette for SDB II.


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by krorvik » 18 Jun 2019, 08:51

JSM is incorrect too - looks like JASSM. (Hey, a couple of letters extra ;))


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by ricnunes » 18 Jun 2019, 11:55

Moreover, isn't the JSOW-C1 already a Block 3F weapon? (albeit and apparently only on the F-35C)
“Active stealth” is what the ignorant nay sayers call EW and pretend like it’s new.


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by SpudmanWP » 18 Jun 2019, 20:59

Hidden gem, they are targeting TR3 to be cost neutral (@3:00).


https://www.defensenews.com/video/2019/ ... -35s-ever/

Now if thy would just confirm AdvEOTS for Block4 :roll:
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by spazsinbad » 21 Jun 2019, 22:49

Lockheed hypes F-35′s upgrade plan as interest in ‘sixth-gen’ fighters grows
21 Jun 2019 Valerie Insinna

"...Lockheed laid out a series of upgrades that could be adopted during the jet’s “Block 4” modification phase in the mid 2020s. Fundamental to Block 4 is the upcoming “Tech Refresh 3” package of IT upgrades, including a new integrated core processor with greater computing power, a panoramic cockpit display and an enhanced memory unit, said Greg Ulmer, Lockheed’s vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. The company intends to incorporate TR3 in F-35s starting in Lot 15, with those jets rolling off the production lot in 2023.

Also in TR3, Lockheed plans to move to an open-architecture backbone for the F-35, which will allow it to more quickly boost the jet’s capabilities with new software. “You’ll see year over year over year we’re going to have an incremental update,” Ulmer said. “Rather than biting it all off [at one time] and waiting for a big-bang tech insertion, we’re going to trickle that out.”

Some of the modifications that could become available in Block 4 include capabilities like conformal or external fuel tanks that could extend the jet’s range by more than 40 percent, or the auto-ground collision avoidance system that is set to roll out this month — six years earlier than expected....

...The U.S. Air Force has been upfront about wanting to team the F-35 with low-cost attritable drones outfitted with artificial intelligence. Attritable aircraft are inexpensive enough for to be replaced if they are shot down or damaged, allowing operators to take a greater amount of risk while using them.

While the F-35 program currently does not have manned-unmanned teaming as part of its program of record for Block 4, Ulmer said the technology is achievable. “I think the F-35 is very well-positioned for manned-unmanned teaming. The data sensor fusion approach to the airplane as well as our relationship with our brethren at Skunk Works, I think we’re very well-aligned,” he said, referring to Lockheed’s secretive advanced development arm.

Ulmer pointed to missile defense as another potential use for the F-35. “We’ve done some experimentation here and have seen some very strong results as well, and that will only improve with the TR3 capability of the airplane,” he said.

While Ulmer didn’t elaborate, the Defense Department is studying whether to outfit the F-35 with a weapon that would allow it to shoot down cruise missiles or intercontinental ballistic missiles. Even if the Pentagon opts not to go in that direction, an F-35 might be able to track ICBMs — as it demonstrated during simulated exercises in 2014 — or pass along targeting information to other assets that then could intercept it.

Multidomain command and control is another potential area of expanse. Again, Ulmer did not provide many details, but acknowledged that Skunk Works has conducted experiments with how the F-35 gathers and shares information, and that they have seen “very strong results.”... [then more about possible UPgrade to F-35 for 6Gen (become a GRIPEN?!] :twisted:

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/digital-sho ... ers-grows/


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by doge » 28 Jun 2019, 11:32

[Picked-up the Full text.]
https://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraf ... ation-plan
Defense Department, Lockheed Eye Expansion Of F-35 Modernization Plan
Jun 27, 2019 Steve Trimble | Aviation Week & Space Technology
Nothing about the F-35 program is ever small or easy. A transition to operational status, even after an extended and over-budget developmental phase, finds most military aircraft programs returning to relative anonymity. For Lockheed Martin’s single-engine fighter, the public spotlight has shifted to a newly launched $22 billion upgrade program, ballooning sustainment costs and a geopolitical conundrum embroiling Turkey—the F-35’s third-largest customer.

In a string of press conferences over a two-week period in mid-June, Lockheed and U.S. Defense Department officials laid out a path to fulfill an ambitious set of promises on Block 4 upgrades and a dramatic reduction in cost per flight hour. But the F-35 program’s rift with Turkey only deepened as officials in Ankara insist on accepting deliveries of an advanced Russian air defense system in July.

The long-delayed modernization of the F-35 is now in full swing, says Greg Ulmer, Lockheed’s vice president and general manager for the F-35 program. The Defense Department awarded Lockheed a $1.8 billion contract on June 7 to launch software development to support a newly expanding set of upgrades planned over the next decade under the Block 4 modernization program.

The contract opens a still-evolving upgrade that is enabled by the Technical Refresh 3 (TR-3) program. TR-3 plans to introduce an integrated core processor into the F-35 by 2023 that is four times more powerful and supports the Air Force’s “open systems” architecture for new applications. The full $22 billion investment in Block 4 modernization already includes more than 50 previously approved upgrades, including the insertion of a maritime strike capability, updates to the wing-leading-edge-mounted Bands 4/5 receivers for the electronic warfare system and additional weapons, including the ability to carry upgraded B61-12 guided nuclear bombs.

But those improvements might be only the beginning. For the first time, Ulmer elaborated on options for an even broader set of upgrades that are possible for the F-35 over the next decade. Hints of such developments have been growing over the past year. The Northrop Grumman Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER), for example, is not listed in the F-35’s current weapons road map, but the latest budget documents show that a future Air Force derivative called the Stand-in Attack Weapon will be integrated into the stealth fighter’s weapons by 2024.

According to Ulmer, the TR-3-equipped F-35 fleet is being prepared for additional weapons and other capabilities, including an ability to carry hypersonic missiles underwing. In addition to weapons, the F-35 could be adapted to become a flying hub within the emerging concept for multi-domain operations and manned/unmanned teaming. The TR-3 upgrades, which include a new panoramic display for the F-35’s powerful sensors, also could enable the aircraft to perform a new role as a forward-deployed missile defense platform, striking down missiles during a boost or ascent phase. There are also “quite a few classified programs on the books,” Ulmer said, without elaborating.


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by playloud » 28 Jun 2019, 16:22

doge wrote:[Picked-up the Full text.]
https://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraf ... ation-plan
Defense Department, Lockheed Eye Expansion Of F-35 Modernization Plan
Jun 27, 2019 Steve Trimble | Aviation Week & Space Technology

The contract opens a still-evolving upgrade that is enabled by the Technical Refresh 3 (TR-3) program. TR-3 plans to introduce an integrated core processor into the F-35 by 2023 that is four times more powerful and supports the Air Force’s “open systems” architecture for new applications. The full $22 billion investment in Block 4 modernization already includes more than 50 previously approved upgrades, including the insertion of a maritime strike capability, updates to the wing-leading-edge-mounted Bands 4/5 receivers for the electronic warfare system and additional weapons, including the ability to carry upgraded B61-12 guided nuclear bombs.

The new processors are only four times more powerful? Weren't they first listed as...

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/09 ... ply-chain/
DefenseNews wrote:The new processor is expected to provide 25 times more computing power at a unit cost that is 75 percent less than the current system, Lockheed estimated.
Last edited by playloud on 28 Jun 2019, 18:13, edited 1 time in total.


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by jetblast16 » 28 Jun 2019, 17:53

The TR-3 upgrades, which include a new panoramic display for the F-35’s powerful sensors, also could enable the aircraft to perform a new role as a forward-deployed missile defense platform, striking down missiles during a boost or ascent phase. There are also “quite a few classified programs on the books,” Ulmer said, without elaborating.


The above interests me the most :wink:
Have F110, Block 70, will travel


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by marsavian » 28 Jun 2019, 18:46

Six times as many cores ?


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by hythelday » 30 Jun 2019, 14:42

Looks like Block 4 shuts down "F-35 has closed architecture" and "F-35 isn't system of systems" arguments from SCAF thread.


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by taog » 30 Jun 2019, 16:46

playloud wrote:
doge wrote:[Picked-up the Full text.]
https://aviationweek.com/combat-aircraf ... ation-plan
Defense Department, Lockheed Eye Expansion Of F-35 Modernization Plan
Jun 27, 2019 Steve Trimble | Aviation Week & Space Technology

The contract opens a still-evolving upgrade that is enabled by the Technical Refresh 3 (TR-3) program. TR-3 plans to introduce an integrated core processor into the F-35 by 2023 that is four times more powerful and supports the Air Force’s “open systems” architecture for new applications. The full $22 billion investment in Block 4 modernization already includes more than 50 previously approved upgrades, including the insertion of a maritime strike capability, updates to the wing-leading-edge-mounted Bands 4/5 receivers for the electronic warfare system and additional weapons, including the ability to carry upgraded B61-12 guided nuclear bombs.

The new processors are only four times more powerful? Weren't they first listed as...

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/09 ... ply-chain/
DefenseNews wrote:The new processor is expected to provide 25 times more computing power at a unit cost that is 75 percent less than the current system, Lockheed estimated.


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by SpudmanWP » 30 Jun 2019, 23:55

hythelday wrote:Looks like Block 4 shuts down "F-35 has closed architecture" and "F-35 isn't system of systems" arguments from SCAF thread.


The "code" is still closed, ie not available to view.

What they are doing is improving and opening up the existing APIs that are in the jet. This is how Israel is adding its C4 functionality without needing to see any of the code that operates the jet. Block 4 already is bringing the UAI API (not F-35 unique) that will open up the weapons capability without having to do block upgrades each time.
"The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese."


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