[BenLurkin]

"READY TO GO - Air Force Major Gen. C.R. Davis, program executive officer for the F-35 Lightning II program, speaks at the unveiling of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s center fuselage for the first weight-optimized Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft." Northrop Grumman

[VOA]

bump

[Westlander]

[ricks_place]

F-35 Lightning II

Northrop Grumman completed the center fuselage for the first weight-optimized Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft - a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variant designated AF-1. Technicians at the company's F-35 facility in Palmdale move the center fuselage into position for a ceremony to celebrate the production milestone.

[Dr. Thorne]

The Real Lightning.

[GBA]

I hope the weight loss was enough. Few airplanes have had so much hype to live up to and so many compromises to keep those performance promises from coming true.

[magslinger]

SONOBUOY PING!

Click on pic for past Navair pings.

Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist.
This is a medium to low volume pinglist.

[llevrok]

The F-35 is expected to replace many other aging aircraft, including the A-10

Aging yes. But the A-10 is timeless.

[stevem]

Great Caesar's Ghost! I enjoy reading about stuff like this. Such names are superb, as well. F35 Lightning II!!!

When I was in the Navy, I was a sonar tech on a destroyer. In those days, each division had a great deal of latitude in decorating said division's spaces aboard the ship.

Our captain, one Commander Louis Colbus charged us with decorating our ASROC launcher. Those of us who were young and impressionable wanted to paint on some Charles Schulz' Peanuts characters. This was likely at the height of Schulz' popularity in the early 1970s. We mocked up some art work and presented it to our division CPO, one Chief Charles I. Craig.

Chief Craig didn't say, "No," he said, "Hell, NO!!!" He added that he wanted our decorations for all the world to see displaying a "skull and cross bones, d--n it!" And, if the "men" in his charge weren't up to the task, he would scare up some women to get the job done.

Some folks have a proper understanding that military things should carry nomenclature to satify the senses and scare the bejeebers out of the bad guys.

Lightning II...now that tells a story.

[Aeronaut]

[TLI]

The latest - and possibly last - manned fighter for the nation's armed services...

Yea, right. That has been parroted for decades. Isn't going to happen.

[SevenMinusOne]

The F-35 is a disaster for the USN - (nor will it be replacing the A-10, not for a decade or more, in reality).

[hattend]

Six YEARS to get the first fuselage built?

Good thing the japs haven’t attacked Pearl Harbor again. It would take forever to get from the Hellcat to the Bearcat equivalent.

[jrp]

NGC BUMP

[Bean Counter]

Where’s the tailhook?

[Texican]

Ben:
I can remember being on the beach on Guadalcanal and watching the P-38's and Zero's in dog fights. They were mostly done at night, and the search lights would light up the Zeros but not the 38's or 51's. I think that those of us that use to watch those dog fights are getting much smaller. I am now 83 going on to 84 and am still in good health, but I know that a lot (many) my age are failing and passing away. I was in the Third Marine Divison, Ninth Marines at the time.

Good evening and the very best to you and yours.

Semper Fi
Tommie

[AFreeBird]

The F-35 is expected to replace many other aging aircraft, including the A-10, F-14, F-16 and AV-8B Harrier

Jack of all trades and a master of none.

Pity that thinking.

The F-16 and AV8B maybe, but replace an A-10 or F-14 for the jobs they do/did, I don't think so.

I mean are they telling us that this F-35 can fly low and slow, absorb hits from anything from Ak47's to AAA and still keep flying and still complete its mission and bring the pilot back alive?

The A-10 might not be indestructible, but it sure can take a beating and give an ass whooping in the process.