F-35 program documents

Lean into the screen to see the details in the graphic or PDF attached - the graphic should explain your concerns - I won't.

CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC THEN CLICK IT AGAIN TO ZOOM IN TO BE PUZZLED BY ALL THE INFO (which has been posted here).

TACAIR TRANSITION PLAN - 2022 UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS AVIATION PLAN "Not all F-35 aircraft requirements are depicted (e.g., F-35C FRS detachments, DT detachment, pipeline and attrition aircraft, etc.). Sundown of VMFAT-101 in FY24 not depicted" https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/ ... l-2022.pdf (16Mb)

I'm wondering what a 'DT DETACHMENT' means along with 'PIPELINE'. Does this mean they can see the 'light at the end of the tunnel'? Are they so DETACHED in the PIPELINE that they have the DTs? I could go on.

Delirium Tremens DTs does not otherwise appear in the AVplan whilst PIPELINE has several mentions in connection with TRAINING with PILOTs amongst such. <sigh> The USMC inventing the English Language all over again.

Here’s how Marine air power will shift with the Corps’ 2022 aviation plan
10 May 2022 Todd South

"New aviation platforms and gear that link Marines across the sea-air-land are shifting how Marine aviation heads into the next fight. Top leaders in Marine Corps aviation have laid out an ambitious new plan for the Corps as the air side reorients itself to complement the service’s overhaul through Force Design 2030.

Lt. Gen. Mark Wise, deputy commandant of aviation, along with top Marine aviation leaders, shared details of the Corps’ first publicly released aviation plan since 2019. “It is our way to articulate to everybody this is the direction we think Marine aviation is going and we encourage questions as it happens because if something changes, why did it change?” Wise said. “Because there should be a good reason for it.”...

...“Multiple communities will be stressed over the coming years, resulting from either divestment or transition,” according to the 2022 aviation plan. “This is a critical period for the Marine Corps and for Marine Aviation.” Some of those stressed communities will continue to be F/A-18 pilots and maintainers. That’s in part because those jets provide more than half of the tactical air capability across the entire force.

At the same time, those older jets are seeing a transition as the Corps procures and fields more F-35 squadrons. Those jets have an average age of between 27 years to 35 years ― older than most of their pilots. The pilot numbers for those aircraft will decrease as the Corps increases numbers of trained F-35 pilots.

F-35 Lightning II
Data from the aviation plan show that while the Corps produced 36 F/A-18 pilots each year in 2020 and 2021, it only planned to train 26 new F/A-18 pilots in 2022. That number will drop to as few as eight new pilots in 2027.

At the same time, the F-35B and F-35C classes have gone from 28 total new pilots in 2020 and will rise steadily to produce 75 pilots annually by 2027, according to the plan.

Many of those new F-35 pilots will be heading to sunny California as the Corps has balanced modernization across the East and West Coast. Those pilots and Marines on their ships will have the new jet, but still will be working with older model CH-53E...."

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/news/your-m ... tion-plan/

LM F-35 Fast Facts 01 Jun 2022: https://www.f35.com/content/dam/lockhee ... 6_2022.pdf

1.690+ Pilots & 12,375+ Maintainers Trained; 530,000 Hours Flown; 800+ Aircraft Delivered

800th F-35 Delivered: https://twitter.com/LockheedMartin/stat ... 6165192704 27 May 2022

"Entering the Fleet: the 800th F-35" PHOTO: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FULH2bpWQAEjI_-?format=jpg

LOTS of MUMBO-JUMBO statistics for those who enjoy them: https://www.f35.com/f35/news-and-featur ... ility.html

GAO 09 Jun 2022 F-35 Weapon Systems Update (mostly info 2021) FULL REPORT but only 2 page F-35 section below:

FULL REPORT: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-105230.pdf (19Mb)

Summary of full report: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-105230-highlights.pdf

Ye OLDE facts of much fastness F-35wise from LMinc. (attached reluctantly below) almost this day 05 Jul 2022.
https://www.f35.com/content/dam/lockhee ... 022_V2.pdf (1.4Mb)

820+ aircraft delivered 1,695+ Pilots trained along with 12,520+ Maintainers trained & 540K hours flown

Hmmmm.... no Switzerland...

Hmmmm.... no Switzerland...

Not So Fast - Switzerland Will Have Another Referendum on the F-35

https://www.f35.com/content/dam/lockhee ... 202022.pdf F-35 LM Fast Facts 01 Aug 2022

Hmmmm.... no Switzerland...

Not So Fast - Switzerland Will Have Another Referendum on the F-35

I am behind on keeping up with Swizterland goings-ons....

Please refresh my memory -- was the competition that resulted in the F-35 being selected "authorized" by a referendum? Or just the result of the government doing governmental things such as working to ensure the safety and security of that nation?

I am behind on keeping up with Swizterland goings-ons....

Please refresh my memory -- was the competition that resulted in the F-35 being selected "authorized" by a referendum? Or just the result of the government doing governmental things such as working to ensure the safety and security of that nation?

Considering the current Conflict in Ukraine and the success of the F-35 within Europe. Hard to see this as a serious threat to the F-35 order....

LM F-35 Fast Facts 01 Sep 2022: https://www.f35.com/content/dam/lockhee ... er2022.pdf

840+ Aircraft Delivered - 1,755+ Pilots & 12,930+ Maintainers TRAINED & 563K flight hours

F-35 Lightning II Program Status and Fast Facts 01 Oct 2022 [bin lazy boys & girls stats same SEP ALMOST!]

Pilots 1,780 - Maintainers 13,075 TRAINED with 840+ aircraft delivered - flying 570K+ hours

F-35 LM Fast Facts 01 Nov 2022: https://www.f35.com/content/dam/lockhee ... s_2022.pdf

590,000 flight hours; 1,810 Pilots & 13,250 Maintainers trained - 865+ AIRCRAFT DELIVERED

Several stories about US armed forces MISSION CAPABLE RATES from GAO report. An 16 page F-35 excerpt posted below.
[The PRN reprinted PDF does not have text usable for quotes so the larger 'original' PDF file excerpt posted also]

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/11/gao-re ... -readiness
&
https://breakingdefense.com/2022/11/onl ... dog-finds/

GAO: Weapon System Sustainment
10 Nov 2022 GAO

"F-35A/B/C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter ...PROGRAM OFFICE COMMENTS:
"In commenting on a draft of this assessment, the program office provided technical comments, which we
incorporated where appropriate. In addition, F-35 program officials stated the following:

• The 28.3 percent increase in the department’s F-35 total operating and support costs from 2019 to 2020 for
was due to increasing fleet size—25.1 percent increase in the number of aircraft—and operations—a 31.3
percent increase in flying hours for the F-35.

• F-35 engine unscheduled maintenance issues have generally been mitigated, and no longer pose the
sustainment risk projected. According to F-35 program officials, engine power module backorders have
been cut by over 50 percent by (1) accelerating depot repair capacity at Oklahoma City Air Logistics
Complex, (2) adding capacity in F-35 partner countries to repair engines, and (3) reducing unscheduled
demands for engine maintenance. Additionally, program officials stated that from June 2021 to June 2022
the rate of not mission capable due to supply associated with the engine decreased 2 percent even as
fleet size grew by 20 percent. According to F-35 program officials, the focus now shifts to ensuring that
there is sufficient capacity to conduct scheduled engine maintenance overhauls. DOD has added capacity
to prepare for overhauls and has identified risks that need to be mitigated to prepare for scheduled depot
repair capacity, according to program officials. Program officials also stated that they are focused on
reducing the costs associated with these scheduled engine maintenance overhauls.

• The health of the supply chain is predicated on the velocity of the repair network. According to program
officials, as of June 2022, 39 of 68 depot repair workloads have been activated at military service depots,
with 13 additional workloads planned to be activated by the end of 2022. According to program officials,
COVID-19 and funding priorities have delayed remaining activations.

Source: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/ ... 6217-1.pdf (32Mb)

01 Dec 2022 LM F-35 Fast Facts PDF attached. https://www.f35.com/content/dam/lockhee ... 0Facts.pdf

875+ Aircraft Delivered; 1,845 Pilots & 13,350+ Maintainers Trained; 602,000 Flight Hours

VIDEO of above Details: https://vimeo.com/lmaeronautics/review/ ... 18fd7e0f0a