Posted on 04/08/2015 6:30:38 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
PARIS --- US Air Force plans to replace the F-35 fighter’s avionics, radar and engines are an implicit admission that the current aircraft is already obsolete and that, despite a unit cost of over $250 million, it cannot match the latest foreign fighters coming into service.
This is the first time a customer acknowledges that the obsolescence of the F-35’s sensors has degraded the aircraft’s still unproven nominal capabilities to the point that a radical upgrade is necessary, more than a year before it enters service.
The upgrade plans were revealed by Major General Jeffrey Harrigian, the USAF’s F-35 program chief, in an April 7 Reuters interview.
"We are already considering and thinking through what are some of the technologies that will be part of the F-35," Reuters reported Harrigian as saying. "This is not the time to rest on your laurels." Reuters added that “Harrigian gave few details but said potential upgrades could include new avionics systems, radar, laser weapons and a new more fuel-efficient engine,” and quoted him as saying "I don't think we would take anything off the table at this point."
$400 billion and still needs upgrades
In reality, Harrigian’s statements mean there will be little left of the F-35 that is now being procured under Low-Rate Initial Production contracts once its engine, avionics and radar are replaced by new systems.
Critics will no doubt question the wisdom of spending nearly $400 billion to develop and produce an aircraft that, years before it enters service, already needs an upgrade to all of its major components and systems.
The need for upgrades at this early stage completely also undermines the many claims of the F-35’s alleged across-the-board superiority made by the US military services, by foreign governments justifying their purchase, by manufacturer Lockheed Martin and by program officials at the F-35 Joint Program Office.
These are now shown to be little more than an officially-sanctioned marketing spiel, intended to cover up the aircraft’s well-documented deficiencies, which its backers nonetheless steadfastly continue to deny.
What do foreign buyers know?
It is debatable whether foreign partners and customers, for example, would have committed to spending billions of dollars on the F-35 if they had known they would have to pay for a costly upgrade to achieve the capabilities they were promised.
It also raises the issue of who will pay for the upgrades, given that the aircraft’s engine costs about $15 million, and that new avionics and radar are likely to add as much again, plus their development and installation costs.
The F-35 -- and its components -- was designed in the 1990s, its development contract was awarded in 2001 and it is due to reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC) with the US Air Force in mid-2016 – 15 years after contract award. USAF plans call for the F-35 to reach Full Operational Capability (FOC) around 2021 or 2022 – 20 years after award of the development contract.
No deviation from current plans
The most remarkable aspect of this interview is that, despite conceding that “the Air Force was already looking at follow-on capabilities for the F-35, given rapid technology development by potential adversaries,” Harrigian remains unperturbed, and confirms that the F-35’s Initial Operational Capability is still planned for August or September 2016.
However, he is “keeping close tabs on key items required to meet the target date,” Reuters reported, adding that “Those issues include software development, modification of existing jets to incorporate design changes, further work on a complex automated logistics system called ALIS and ensuring a sufficient number of technicians are trained to service the jet.”
"There's a lot of work to be done,” Harrigian said “but from where we sit, we're on the right glide path to IOC.”
-ends-
The F-111 ended up being a phenominal interdiction/strike medium bomber, and the USN’s requirements changed to place a lot more emphasis on ACM.
As it was the USN’s F-111 replacement, the F-14 Tomcat, was getting new engines, new avionics and new sensors by the late 1980s and early 1990s, only about 15 years after it’s initial deployments.
The F-35 has been oversold, and it’s having the usual developmental problems that any weapons system integration effort of this magnitude can be expected to have. But from what this writer is stating I really have to wonder whether he’s being paid to flack for Rafale and/or Eurofighter Typhoon.
Consider that the official he interviews is only talking about notional future upgrades, which is being portrayed as an admission of obsolescence rather than a realistic statement that a weapon that will be in service for 30 or 40 or 50 years will need to be upgraded over the course of it’s life.
Again, the Tomcat is a great example. Perhaps even better is the B-52, which had major structural changes, avionics and new engines in the 8-10 years of progression between the XB/YB-52/B-52A and B-52H.
Precisely. Just imagine trying to design electronics today that would not be obsolete in 2045.
Ping.
Says they spent $400B so far and projected unit cost will be $250M per fighter, and its never been used having too many problems still fixing, and its already obsolete having taken so long needed major redesigns.
Unfortunately most of the GOP candidates led by Grahanmesty and McCain would respond:
“Dab-nab-it, I don't care if we spent $400T on it so far and it doesn't work, its national security, nothing but the BEST for our troops...DADADA, flags waving, I love Americure”
It’s pretty bad when your procurement, design and development cycle is so long that the plane is obsolete before it even enters service.
Jack of all trades, master of none.
We are getting very little value from these aircraft, very expensive, gold plated pieces of fecal material.
1943 actually.
F-35: the flying LCS
I want to photoshop a propeller onto that thing, but I don’t do photoshop
“We out spent everyone else into irrelevance.”
OK, and now that they are gone, why do we continue to spend until we are irrelevant?
“There must be some darn good lobbyists from the avionics industry working overtime out there.”
Yep. Met a number of them. There really isn’t a need to lobby though. The industry, especially the Air Force officers, are dying to get into new projects and programs. They see it as promotional opportunities plus a commercial job once they retire.
“decision not to buy more F22s looks more and more like a disaster brought to you by Barack Obama”
Actually, the F-22 has some serious issues of its own and was canceled long before Obama even ran for office.
Problem is you never know who wins the bid to build the next aircraft. If it’s a different company that becomes an issue. Also potential design constraints that need to be broken.
““Dab-nab-it, I don’t care if we spent $400T on it”
Watch how much money they funnel to McCain & Graham.
The Korean war woke up the Air Force when the MIG showed up then they went back asleep after the war only to realize in Vietnam they still need a gun on a fighter then they went back to sleep again and produced this F-35. The next war may not give us time to get the the sleep heads out of the way.
Bombs away!!!!
Meanwhile B52s 80 years old are still flying,, after being retro’ed a few times..
That’s what happens when an airplane has a 20 year gestation period.
1943? But, the Germans had the first Jet fighter in 1945.
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