UK MOD in a muddle over F-35C

[zerion]

:devil: You should send that article to SNAFUBAR DUNKOID as an FOOLLIE FACTOID 'sky is falling death spiralled postit note'.

http://www.snafu-solomon.com/2017/03/th ... bundy.html

Done

[spazsinbad]

Back in the mists of time this same graphic DID NOT SHOW the VL pads as I recall IIRC so here they is:

http://www.sldinfo.com/wp-content/uploa ... OR-WEB.jpg

Can someone please tell SLDinfo that one sentence paragraphs are tedious to read? I could shape them but won't. OH - OK - I will.... Otherwisenheimer this is a long single sentence repetitive blurb about upgrading RAF Marham in UK.

Preparing for the Operation of the Lightning Force: Infrastructure, Operations and the Way Ahead at RAF Marham
13 Apr 2017 Robbin Laird

"...According to Wing Commander Butcher: “Within the National Operating Center, you essentially have two main functions. There’s what we’re calling the Logistics Operating Center, and the Lightning Force Headquarters. “The two of those together create the National Operating Center. Within the Logistics Operating Center, or the LOC, you have some very key elements of the Lightning project team that are currently based out of Abbeywood.

“The people who are doing the engineering supervision, the acquisition of the facilities, acquisition of the parts, the management of the supply chain, many of these will move to Marham and will sit alongside key industry partners.

“We have as well the Lightning Force Headquarters built within that same facility. Now if you plug in the USAF into that as well, which is our plan right now, then you have a very joint UK F-35 outlook with regard to the entire enterprise.”...

...The UK has operators at Pax River, Edwards, Eglin and Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station. 17 Squadron at Edwards is a Test and Evaluation squadron and because the F-35 is a software upgradeable aircraft, tests will be a fact of life as the capabilities of the aircraft evolve over time, and the Brits are well placed at Edwards to be participants in this process. It should also be noted that the Dutch are on the ground floor with the Brits in this process as well as the Aussies.

The UK and the USMC are fully pooled at Beaufort with Marines flying British planes and vice versa. While there the Brits use the US Navy logistics system to support the F-35B whereas at Edwards they use the British system, so are learning how to work within both systems.

The Eglin engagement with the Canadians and Australians involved is with the reprogramming lab. “In effect, this is the apps center for the evolution of the software,” according to Commander Butcher.

According to Wing Commander Bucher, the build up at Beaufort will continue until mid-2018 when personnel will gradually transfer to Edwards or other facilities in the United States or come back to the UK. “We will peak out at about 200 persons at Beaufort. We will bring 9 of our jets back next summer and five more later in the year.”...

...The UK is standing up a Lightning Force, not a RAF or Royal Navy force. The first two squadrons are being established on a 58/42 basis between RAF and RN pilots.

The first squadron, which will start the move from Beaufort in mid-2018 with full IOC by the end of 2018, will be badged as an RAF squadron and headed by an RAF officer (Wing Commander Butcher) who will be then relieved when the time comes by a RN officer. And for the next two years, the squadron will work on integration with the Queen Elizabeth class carriers.

According to Wing Commander Butcher: “We are focused on the defense product, not the service one when it comes to the Lightning Force. It is important to do our business as a Lightning Force.” The second front line F35B squadron, 809 Squadron, will establish at Marham and badged as a Royal Navy squadron with a RN officer in charge who could then relieved when the time comes by an RAF officer....

...The new carriers are coming on line concurrently with the base becoming operational and sea trials and preparing for the integration of the F-35 with the new carriers. And this base will provide a key element of shaping the outreach from the UK into Northern Europe as well as Norway, Denmark and the Dutch Air Forces come on line with their F-35s as well....

...Virtually all of the runways need to be repaved. And the modifications of the hangers would be so significant for the F-35, that it was preferable to tear down buildings and build new ones to house the new force.

As the head of the Project Anvil project put it: “This is one of the few projects I’ve been involved with where we have actually demolished buildings, cleared the site, and built new buildings rather than simply refurbishing old ones.”

The team implementing Project Anvil as it is called underscored that the schedule is demanding to get it done in time the arrival of the jets and the standup of the squadron. The focus of the effort currently is on what is called the FOA, namely, Freedom of Action enablers for the squadron – the runway, the maintenance and finishing center, the Integrated Training Center and the National Operating Center.

And the second phase of Project Anvil can only start after the Tornados leave Marham and preparations for the second squadron can put in place....

...“On the carrier angle, we have a similar opportunity. The UK is buying F35Bs, which are designed to operate from ships as well as land bases. The UK has determined to regenerate a carrier strike capability at the core of its power projection capabilities, and therefore we have purposely opted for an embarkable [wut?] F35 variant.

“The carrier was then designed specifically to support F35B operations – the ‘aviation flow’ around the aviation, Carrier Strike Group and Intelligence planning and maintenance spaces has been very carefully thought through to ensure the best poss<script id="gpt-impl-0.8100614089316656" src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/gpt/pubads_impl_113.js"></script>ible service and most efficient flow for the embarked squadrons.”

“Given that the design is now fixed and the n<script id="gpt-impl-0.3576908923379506" src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/gpt/pubads_impl_113.js"></script>ature of carrier construction means there is little scope for future alteration, we should take the opportunity to design the infrastructure at RAF MARHAM to emulate as far as possible the embarked flow and processes.”

“The F35B squadrons will spend a good proportion of their time embarked, and making the transition from ashore to afloat as seamless as possible just makes sense. The ‘shock’ of embarking is therefore reduced, processes are familiar rather than alien and the whole experience of taking squadrons to sea will be more efficient, safer and easier to manage.”

“It helps to make flying to and from the carrier as natural as flying at the Main Operating Base – the embarked elements become second nature because the ashore processes resemble them as closely as possible.” “I accept that you cannot replicate a carrier at a land base, but given the MARHAM infrastructure is being designed from new, it makes perfect sense to build in as much commonality as you can.”

“A good example is the process of storing, collecting and returning the pilots’ helmets. This is done at a particular point in the pre-flight flow on-board, so it makes sense to have it at the same point in the flow ashore – the process is therefore the same both embarked and ashore.”

“The Lightning Force has looked at the helmet process on-board and will incorporate a similar process at MARHAM. Small things, but they do make a difference and keep the F35B Force aware of, and familiar with, their embarked processes as far as possible while ashore – it makes the return to sea smoother, familiar and safer.”..."

Source: http://www.sldinfo.com/preparing-for-th ... af-marham/

[spazsinbad]

On page 68 of this thread there is info about Brits buying DMRTs for CVFs. I'll guess there is info about various other F-35 users (RAAF/USN/USMC & Euros) buying or being interested in same - because 'portability' and so forth. But I digress...

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=15969&p=282561&hilit=DMRT#p282561

Simulated military training prepares to go airborne [first part & mostly about Hairier porty trainers]
14 Apr 2017 Eric Tegler

"...Given that Marine Harrier squadrons may soon share deck space aboard a landing helicopter dock with F-35B squadrons, the question arises of whether the Corps’ newest fighter can leverage its own transportable simulator. According to Lockheed Martin spokesman Nate Simmons, the F-35 program has its own mission rehearsal simulators.

“Our F-35 Deployable Mission Rehearsal Trainer is a secure facility that features two cockpits with a shipping container-sized footprint,” Simmons said. “Powered by the same software that’s on the aircraft, the simulator replicates all sensors and aircraft features for an accurate mission rehearsal experience at a fraction of the cost of live training.”

Simmons said that the Joint Strike Fighter Program currently has two DMRTs at Edwards Air Force Base, California, supporting pilot training/currency requirements for developmental and operational testing. However the F-35 DMRT’s shipping container-sized footprint is larger than Marine Aviation’s expressed requirement, and the existence of just two F-35 DMRTs suggests they will largely stay where they are rather than deploy....

...The F-35 DMRT has device-to-device connectivity as well...."

Source: http://www.c4isrnet.com/articles/simula ... o-airborne

[spazsinbad]

The excerpts from the main article below may make it appear that the PDF is about some other F-35 topic - but no - test!

Struck by Lightning
MAY 2014 AEROSPACE

"As we count down to the start of operational test for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, UK Lightning Requirements Manager and F-35 test pilot Wing Commander JIM SCHOFIELD, RAF talks to AEROSPACE about the generational leap he believes the fighter will bring to air forces....

...Q: Any issues with the touch sensitive displays in using gloves or during turbulence?
JS: The screen is designed to operate with flying gloves on. It works perfectly well like that. There is a red cross that appears under your finger. You put your finger on the screen, then drag it to where you need it. It works even in turbulence.

Q: One report from pilots who had flown the F-35 criticised the rear canopy visibility in a close-in dogfight. Is that a valid concern?
JS: No it's not. In the unlikely event that the fighter manages to track you on radar and gets within visual range of you, not only can you see through the cockpit transparency as you could in legacy aircraft, you can see through the aircraft’s structure with DAS. In many ways you are well ahead of where we used to be with conventional fighters.

Q: In terms of pure performance the F-35 has plenty of power but is heavily wing-loaded — which legacy aircraft do you think comes closest?
JS: It’s a difficult one to answer. I flew F-18 concurrently with F-35. In terms of handling, it flies like a F-18 but a generation on — it's much nicer in every respect. In performance terms, those figures are classified, so I can’t really comment...."

Source: https://www.aerosociety.com/media/3377/ ... e_1405.pdf (4.5Mb)

[hornetfinn]

That article made me think that F-35B is like combination of Harrier (STOVL), F-117A (stealth), Super Hornet (a lot of similar qualities) and Prowler/Growler (EA/EW/ESM). On top of that is the fully integrated avionics, more sensors than all the previous combined had, insane CNI system along with full sensor fusion. That will definitely be huge performance improvement to UK forces. Of course C-model would've had some better qualities (range, payload mainly) but I think B-model fits UK needs extremely well.

[spazsinbad]

Minister says that aircraft carrier should be here by autumn [Oz/UpSideDownHemisphere Spring]
06 May 2017 unk

"THE new Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier should make its triumphant arrival into Portsmouth Harbour this autumn, defence secretary Michael Fallon has said. He said the new carrier would be undergoing sea trials within ‘the next few weeks’ before arriving in the city later this year....

...The government had previously said the Queen Elizabeth carrier would be in the city this summer, but failed to provide reasons for the delay...."

Source: http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defenc ... -1-7949295

[spazsinbad]

Never having been to Warton I had no sense of how the simulator is layed out so here is a clue from an old UK article - this is ONLY the OLD sim setup - see last paragraph for info that was not revealed when NEW simulator touted recently.

British Industry and the F-35 Lightning
30 Jun 2015 MST

"...Queen Elizabeth Class
Industry support for the F-35 programme is not confined to manufacturing. Early in the programme, the UK identified that the designers of the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) carriers, from which the aircraft would operate, needed information on the aircraft, and vice versa. Additionally, the unique concept of carrier operations from the QEC required some development modelling work to be done on the management of the flight deck as well as flying techniques. In addition to the ski-jump, allowing semi-conventional take-off at greater weights, recovery to the deck can also be achieved by either vertical landing or the Ship-borne Rolling Vertical Landing (SRVL), which again allows recovery at greater landing weight, such as with unexpended ordnance. In the former case, the aircraft is recovered to a position alongside the desired landing spot at 100ft, then manoeuvred sideways until over the deck, and descended vertically. For the SRVL, the aircraft is recovered to the ship centreline at a height of 200ft, and closes until a 7o glideslope is achieved, then descended on the 7o slope, guided by ship-motion-stabilised indicator lights, until contact with the deck at a predesignated touchdown spot. BAE Systems have utilised an existing motion base flight simulator at Warton which has been employed in the development of these F-35 techniques, using data supplied by the QEC Carrier Alliance.

What would otherwise be quite difficult procedures are made very much easier by the automation of the aircraft, and by the data link between ship and aircraft, which allows the aircraft to know exactly where it is in relation to the ship, and what the ship is doing. Basic aircraft information like speed, weight, fuel load, plus some Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS)-type data, is transmitted to the ship, while the aircraft receives ship information such as position, heading and speed. Both aircraft and ship will also be Link 16- and TACAN-equipped. During the approaches, a detent on the F-35 throttle can be used to maintain current speed, and the fly-by wire maintains a selected altitude – unless tinkered with by someone like me! When established on the final approach, a switch on the throttle begins an automatic deceleration, controlling engine, LiftSystem and nozzles to achieve a stable position alongside the landing spot. At this point, fore-and-aft position can be fine-tuned using a ‘blip’ of the airbrake switch. Moving laterally to overhead the landing spot I found required quite heavy control movements in the simulator; how representative that is of the aircraft I know not. Another switch on the throttle allows the pilot to select either a mode whereby the null position on the sidestick maintains the selected angle of bank, or one in which release of stick pressure brings the wings back to level. Once established in the hover, the aircraft knows it has no forward speed, so vertical descent is effected by pushing the stick forward – quite hard, in order to ensure making the weight-on-wheels switch on touchdown (achieving this positive contact with the surface has never been a problem for me in conventional aircraft!). I found that this technique initially required a leap of faith. For the SRVL, the day is saved by the data link, which adjusts the Velocity Vector in the Helmet Mounted Display to compensate for the movement of the ship – in other words, plant the VV on the desired landing spot, and the aircraft will take care of everything. The HMDS provides a plethora of information, but it is relatively easy to concentrate on the bits that matter at any stage of flight. The efficacy of these systems is such that, after a bit of practice, I was able to perform SVRL and vertical recoveries, and ski-jump and vertical take-offs, by day and night – far from perfectly, it has to be admitted, and so slowly that those in charge of flying operations would have been tearing their hair out – but I could have walked away from them.

The QEC is unique in having 2 islands – one for controlling the ship, and the other for controlling the flight deck. The latter, known as FLYCO (Flying Control), is home to the LSO (Landing Signals Officer), an ATC officer, a DOO (Deck Ops Officer), Lt Cdr Flying (F), and a FLYCO assistant. In overall charge of FLYCO is Cdr Air (Wings), and occasionally he will be joined by the Commander Air Group (CAG). To support the development of the LSO monitoring aids, Warton have developed an LSO simulator, linked real-time to the F-35 cockpit simulator, which replicates FLYCO, either to explore purely LSO interaction with the pilot or, in the future, to have functionality and work stations for all FLYCO members, thereby enabling whole team interaction. The out-of-the-window view would be of the carrier flight deck, and the F35 flying entities would be dynamic and controlled by third parties, or fed from the F35 cockpit simulator, so that the aircraft would respond to the LSO’s commands and direction.

The deck landing simulator is due to be upgraded this year [done by 2017], and moved to a new facility which will include improved motion, a better visual dome, and a specific, rather than generic, cockpit. Future development of, and investment in, the Warton LSO simulator will depend on decisions from Navy and Air Commands about how they want to train LSOs and other FLYCO personnel."

Photo: https://www.mstmagazine.com/wp-content/ ... 00x897.jpg

Source: https://www.mstmagazine.com/air/british ... lightning/

[spazsinbad]

IN PICTURES: HMS Queen Elizabeth flight deck just about finished, supercarrier almost ready to sail
26 May 2017 George Allison

"Images obtained by the UK Defence Journal show the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth just about finished with the vessel planned to sail on sea trials next month.

The cover [below] image of this article shows the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth after a ‘FOD Plod’. FOD or Foreign Object Damage, is where small items left on the deck could damage an aircraft or a person once the carrier starts flying operations. A FOD Plod is where the personnel line out on the flight deck, and slowly work from one end to the other, picking up everything that they can find....

...There has been a small slip in the timing of the vessel leaving Rosyth for trials, this really isn’t something to worry about as the vessel remains on track to enter service with the Royal Navy on time."

PHOTO: https://ukdjstatic-b4d.kxcdn.com/wp-con ... 012008.jpg

Source: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/picture ... eady-sail/

[popcorn]

QE is leaking... manpower.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06 ... d-claimed/

[spazsinbad]

Pardon me boys but the old saying is: "IF the sailors are not complaining then they are not happy".

THIS RUMOUR will keep 'em 'appy: [from whence is irrel only a rume]

"Rumour warning! I have read speculation that QE will sail between 21st and 24th June!!! This is based on tug bookings and the high tides, needed to come out of the basin! A little confused about a bridge rumour. There will be on optimal balance between high tide (real draught) and low tide (air draught) that allows her to pass the bridges. So one assumes she needs high tide on a spring to get out of the basin, will hold off on the falling tide awaiting enough air draft, then escape to sea."

[spazsinbad]

HMS Queen Elizabeth begins initial ‘Training Cruise’
09 Jul 2017 George Allison

"Over the next week, HMS Queen Elizabeth will be manned and ready as her crew operate the ship 24-hours a day as though she’s at sea, except for one detail: the carrier will not leave the pier at Rosyth.

The Training Cruise (also known as a ‘fast cruise’) commenced today and its purpose is to exercise a number of scenarios which the Ship’s Company may experience at sea. You’re right that the Training Cruise commenced today....

...The training provides the opportunity to measure the ship’s preparedness and is designed to get the crew into an operational mindset. Each department will accomplish this task in their own way, but all training will simulate at-sea conditions as closely as possible.

Coinciding with the tides and the booking of various tugs, it’s estimated that HMS Queen Elizabeth will sail between the 21st and 24th of this month. This has not been confirmed by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance.

According to a source at Rosyth, the rumour mill supports this:

“Obviously most of us don’t know the exact time as that’ll depend on a multitude of factors but as far as I’m aware from what I’ve been told, Queen Elizabeth will sail in around two weeks.”

Another source tells us that the plan is for the vessel to depart on the 21st at noon and anchor in river. All going well, the supercarrier will sail under the bridges around 18:00, weather permitting. Again, this has not been confirmed...."

Source: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-que ... ng-cruise/

[spazsinbad]

PARIS: Raytheon talks to UK over US Navy precision landing system for new carriers
19 Jun 2017 Beth Stevenson

"Raytheon is in discussions with the UK government regarding the potential adoption of the US Navy's precision landing system onto the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, for use with the Royal Navy's Lockheed Martin F-35B.

The Joint Precision and Landing System (JPALS) is currently being tested at NAS Patuxent River, in Maryland, and has received $750 million in funding to date. The GPS-guided system is being developed to allow for the USN to land its F-35B/Cs on vessels, allowing the aircraft to land within 20cm (8in) of its target.

This could be rolled out to other F-35 operators that are planning to integrate their systems into ship operations, including the UK, which is acquiring the F-35B for operations at sea, with the second carrier being the most likely to initially adopt the system.

"We’re working with the UK government to see if we can add this to the second ship," Bob Delorge, vice-president of transportation and support services at Raytheon, told Flight Daily News. “The window of opportunity for this is probably a couple of years out for the UK.”

The first carrier is due to begin operating as of 2018, but could be retrofitted with the JPALS system should it be required, just as the USN’s ships are being modified to integrate the system. Italy could also be a potential market for JPALS, as it is acquiring F-35Bs for its Cavour-class carrier.

Additionally, Raytheon is also pitching the system for land and vehicle-mounted applications. "We’re looking at an expeditionary and land version of this," Delorge says. "We see a bigger market out there than just the F-35 and ship-based operations." This could include integration onto a Humvee, guiding an aircraft to a forward operating base to provide close air support...."

Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... -l-438359/

[spazsinbad]

PARIS: UK carrier's helicopter fleet comes to the fore
21 Jun 2017 Murdo Morrison

"While the Lockheed Martin F-35B will inevitably be the main attraction of the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth-class carrier, the service is expecting the rotary fleet to really come into its own through the deployment of the AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin, plus other possible rotorcraft in the future.

It is currently residing at Rosyth in Scotland, and weather-dependent it will embark on the first phase of sea trials in coming weeks.

“HMS Queen Elizabeth is just about to sail, and I hope it will sail this month,” Rear Adm Keith Blount, assistant chief of naval staff (aviation, amphibious capability and carriers), told a media briefing at the show. “We’re now counting down the days to sail, opposed to the months.”

It will end up in Portsmouth by the end of the year, followed by rotary-wing testing in 2018. It will then transit to the east coast of the USA for trials of the F-35 by the end of 2018. [how 'bout "SHE" for the old girl eh?]

The RN’s future carrier strike group will consist of 24 F-35Bs deployed on-board the vessel, plus a blend of Merlins in both the standard and Crowsnest roles, although the carrier can carry up to 36 F-35B examples [what other F-35B 'example' is there?]. Initial operational capability (IOC) for carrier strike is planned for 2020....

...Merlin Mk3/4 variants will be initially used to support the UK’s equivalent of the carrier on-board delivery (COD) mission, until a decision is made on how to carry this out long-term. The Royal Air Force’s Boeing Chinooks could be utilised, or a new aircraft such as the Bell Boeing V-22.

The RN is considering buying the tiltrotors for this mission in alignment with the US Navy’s execution of COD – a V-22 can carry one F-35 engine – but is yet to make a decision on this. “What I’m quite keen to do is get as many rotary-wing authorisations for the carrier [as possible],” Blount noted."

Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... fo-438625/

[steve2267]

USN best not dawdle, or the Brits may have the first operational "large" carrier with Lightnings...

[spazsinbad]

I hope the Brit Guvmnt wakes up to the RAF undermining the F-35Bs on CVFs and gives the RN FAA or Naval Air Service the requisite number of F-35Bs and leaves the RAF CRABS to fester ashore with whatever else & then we can not give a damn.

RAF set to scale back on supersonic F-35Bs jets for Royal Navy aircraft carriers
24 Jun 2017 Deborah Haynes

"The RAF wants to scale back a plan to buy supersonic fighter jets for the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers by pushing for a variation that flies only from land. The Ministry of Defence is committed to buying 138 F-35B jump-jets, which operate at sea, but The Times has learnt that a review has been opened to consider taking fewer F-35Bs and freeing up cash for F-35As. Some in the RAF are pushing for the government to order 48 to 60 of the F-35Bs and switch the rest of the acquisition to F-35As, according to two defence sources....

...A defence industry source said the RAF’s argument was flawed because the point of joining the F-35 Lightning II programme, as part of a consortium led by the US, was to acquire jets for Britain’s £6 billion aircraft carriers.

He also said that any move to the land-based version of the stealth fighter would require the Ministry of Defence to spend at least half a billion pounds on a new fleet of refuelling aircraft because the F-35A cannot be refuelled mid-flight by any British tanker....

...The MoD has failed to offer a timeline for the order, merely committing to acquiring the first 48 by 2026...."

Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/raf- ... -5wm0nzfmx