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First time in the air now for the Navy's carrier version of the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II, the F-35C- like all variants a descendant of the F-35X JSF (Joint Strike Fighter). While the F-35 program is not without it's problems, Navy test pilot Lt. Chris Tabert successfully flew the F-35C test aircraft -which features Harrier-type VTOL capabilities via advanced thrust-vectoring- on Nov. 18, the first launch of the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter from the Navy's new electromagnetic aircraft launch system, 'set to install on future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)'... nice piece of kit, this thing: [YouTube] Video/specs/more at...

Three of the five developmental Lockheed Martin F-35Bs have developed tiny cracks in a lift fan-related component which prevent the flight-test aircraft from reconfiguring in flight and landing vertically. Two flight-test aircraft - BF-1 and BF-2 - are now being modified with a redesigned actuator support beam, according to the joint programme office. BF-4 has also developed "hairline" cracks in the same part, but is continuing to fly in conventional mode only until the part is modified, the programme said. The potential for cracks to develop in the actuator support beam was identified several years ago. A redesigned beam was...

US offers India the Joint Strike Fighter, top defence technology Washington, Nov 2 (IANS) Although the US lost out in the bid to sell India 126 multi-role combat jets, it has offered New Delhi ''top-of-the-line technology'', including ''the best in the world'' Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). "The US F-16 and F-18 competed, but were not down-selected, in the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition in April 2011," the US defence department said in a report to the US Congress on US-India Security Cooperation. "Despite this setback, we believe US aircraft, such as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), to be the...

The F-35B, the VSTOL version of the Joint Strike Fighter made its first vertical landing on a US Navy Amphibious assault Ship, the USS Wasp LHD-1. F-35B makes vertical landing on USS Wasp, LHD-01 Here is the link to a video of the same: F-35B Makes 1st Vertical Landing onboard a US Navy LHD

Australia, Canada Share Concern About JSF Delay (Source: Australian Associated Press; published Sept. 12, 2011) Australia and Canada share a common concern that the new Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will be delayed, possibly requiring acquisition of an expensive interim air combat capability. To present a united front, Australia and Canada will now conduct top level talks on procurement and capability issues of mutual concern. As well as JSF, that will also touch on submarines, with both Australia and Canada experiencing big problems on maintaining submarine capability. Visiting Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Canada wasn't backing away from plans to...

Just weeks after the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter got back to flight testing, a new design problem has cropped up. An aluminum beam in the wing structure has been found to be "defective," an issue that could lower the aircraft's wing life from 8,000 hours, or about 25 operational years, to just 1,200 hours, which equates to about five years of flying.

Save the Lightning Why we need the F-35 By Thomas Donnelly The Weekly Standard Tuesday, September 6, 2011 Thanks to the provisions of the Budget Control Act and the subsequent directions of President Obama's budget director, Jack Lew, the Department of Defense is figuring out how to trim $1 trillion from its current and planned budgets. Perhaps the principal target in the sights is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program (aka the Lightning II)—a fact that neatly encapsulates the Pentagon's severe budgetary, programmatic, operational, and strategic problems. It's only modest hyperbole to conclude that as fares the Lightning, so fares...

The USMC's own Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)  variant brings unique STOVL capabilities... Descended from the X-35 prototype, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is primarily funded by the US and UK in an effort to replace aging fleets across all services- lead contractor on the massive project being Lockheed Martin.  To this point, only 13 test aircraft of all types have been constructed- most are in test/trainer service, and the stealthy single-seat, single-engine (Mach 1.6) fighters average $122M a copy. The Defense Department is planning to buy over 2400 planes, making it the most expensive defense program in US history... although...

In past few decades, the U.S. Air Force has spent untold billions researching and developing a family of stealth fighter jets that are supposed to be generations ahead of any dogfighters in the sky. But after building more than 170 F-22 Raptors and a handful of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, not a single one is available for service. The Air Force currently has zero flyable stealth fighters. None.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Executive Vice President and F-35 program head, Tom Burbage, was in Canberra on August 9 to brief media on the latest developments with the JSF program. During the briefing, Burbage explained that the 20-strong JSF fleet’s recent grounding was a precautionary measure following the failure of an Integrated Power Pack (IPP) - a large APU-like component which provides starting power for the main engine and doubles to provide bleed air to cool the aircraft’s systems - on one of the flight test articles at Edwards AFB, AF-4. “The airplanes are in a stop mode right now because...

Officers feared purchase of Super Hornets a ploy to cut JSF orders # Mark Dodd # From: The Australian FEARING orders for the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft would be cut, Senior Royal Australian Air Force officers assured the Howard government the ageing fleet of F-111 bombers could fly until mid 2013. Launched this week, Air Force, by News Limited journalist Ian McPhedran, details the claims made by former Defence Minister Brenadan Nelson that the government's surprise decision to buy 24 Super Hornets prompted the air force officers' fears that future JSF orders would be cut. Dr Nelson said it became...

F-35B: Marvel or Edsel with wings? By: Charles Hoskinson August 3, 2011 10:29 PM EDT PATUXENT RIVER NAVAL AIR STATION, Md. — The F-35B is a supersonic stealth fighter jet with an unprecedented new twist: It can take off and land like a helicopter. That’s what makes the airplane a crucial part of the strategy to modernize the Marine Corps as it reverts to its traditional mission as America’s go-anywhere, quick-reaction force after 10 years of ground combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. It’s also what makes the airplane a vastly more expensive option and has caused the technical problems and...

MoD urged to buy cheaper Navy jets COST CONCERN An artists impression of a Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft soaring above the Royal Navys two new carriers By Michael Powell Published on Tuesday 2 August 2011 17:30 THE Ministry of Defence is facing internal pressure to pull out of buying F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets for the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers, The News can reveal. A number of MoD officials are understood to be calling for Britain to withdraw from the under-fire Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, which has faced criticism in America and Australia as costs run into...

F-35C Launches to New Milestone From: USNavyVisualNews | Jul 27, 2011 | 664 views LAKEHURST, N.J. (July 27, 2011) An F-35C test aircraft piloted by Lt. Christopher Tabert launches from a steam catapult for the first time. CF-3 is the designated carrier suitability test aircraft. The F-35C carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter is distinct from the F-35A and F-35B variants with its larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear for greater control in the demanding carrier take-off and landing environment. The F-35C is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River before eventual delivery to the fleet. (U.S....

On the Marines' Wish List: A Pricey Jet Fighter . By NATHAN HODGE NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md.—As Washington flirts with default, the U.S. Marine Corps ferried journalists Friday to a Navy base in southern Maryland to view an exotic spectacle: the new Marine stealth jet, the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, taking off and landing. According to military officials, this was the media's first chance to see the supersonic aircraft's most unique feature, its ability to hover and land vertically. It was also a chance for the Marine Corps to argue for keeping the program funded in an era...

US Debt Crisis Further Delays Australia’s Purchase of New F-35s As the US government grapples on addressing its budget issues, Australia's planned upgrade on its air defence capability could run into more glitches, according to the country's defence chief. Already hampered by delays and rising costs, Australia's proposed purchase of F-35 combat planes from the United States could meet new issues as the US Congress and US President Barack Obama struggle to strike a compromise that would resolve America's debt crisis, according to Defence Minister Stephen Smith. With the two branches of the US government currently deadlocked on any possible...

Risks in British Switch to Carrier Version of F-35 Identified By: Chris Pocock July 18, 2011 A report by the UK’s National Audit Office (NAO) has listed some risks arising from the decision by UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to switch its Joint Strike Fighter selection from the F-35B STOVL (short takeoff and vertical landing) version to the F-35C carrier version. The decision was part of a defense review that delayed the in-service date of one of two new aircraft carriers to which the MoD was already fully committed, until 2018. The other new carrier will be kept in reserve...

First F-35 arrives at Eglin By ANGEL McCURDY Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4432 | amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com   EGLIN AFB — The first F-35 landed at the 33rd Fighter Wing on Thursday to applause and cheers. The first production model of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter arrived at Eglin Air Force Base about 1:15 p.m. from Lockheed Martin’s production plant in Fort Worth, Texas. “This is an extremely exciting day for us. We’ve been waiting two years for this day,” Col. Andrew Toth, commander of the 33rd, said as he waited for the jet to arrive. “Having it here is just outstanding....

New Delhi: India has officially put a full stop to the frantic US pressure to enter the $10.4-billion race for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). Reacting to media reports that the US may offer F-35 fighter jets to re-enter the MMRCA race, the official spokesperson in the ministry of defence (MoD), Sitanshu Kar, told FE that, “We have progressed a lot in the MMRCA programme, we have crossed a lot of stages that have become part of history.” “It is too late in the day for any new entrant,” said a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officer on condition...

This Week at War: The Jet That Ate the Pentagon The F-35 is cutting into the Defense Department's most important priorities. BY ROBERT HADDICK | MAY 27, 2011 Policymakers get 11th-hour second thoughts on the Joint Strike Fighter The troubled and long-delayed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program came under renewed scrutiny this week. The Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and many foreign partners plan to buy thousands of the fighter-attack jets over the next two decades to replace a variety of aging aircraft, but the development schedule of the stealthy fighter has slipped five years to 2018 and the projected...