F-35Cs Make First Carrier Landings (Aviation Week)

The Myth of Declining F-35 Prices (Defense Aerospace)

New fighter jet options mean Ottawa could avoid buying F-35s (Globe and Mail)

 

Canada rates F-35A rivals equal on most missions (Flight Global)

 

CV32: Been saying this all along.

More problems and failures, this time considerations about EOTS:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/26/newest-u-s-stealth-fighter-10-years-behind-older-jets.html

I'll be reallydisappointed if they take the infantryman's best friend - the titanium bathtub armed to the teeth - the A-10 Warthog out of service. I can see many uses for a multi-role fighter like the F-35, but for CAS you need a hammer and anvil, not a stealthy fighter with a limited payload.

 

I had optimistic hopes for the JSF to replace the ageing Harrier fleet on Marine Corps LHD's, but with what appears to be their reduced CAS capabilities the "multi-role" is shrinking more and more.

 

Cheers,

-Bear

Latest Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E) report here (pdf)

JSF Program Ditches Tests To Protect Schedule (Aviation Week)

F-35 needs 230 high priority design mods (JSF Nieuws.nl)

Now only a 4xGBU-53/B load fits on the F-35B bomb bays, and not 8xGBU-53/B as pretended, at least not yet (perhaps in 2020 or 2022...): http://insidedefense.com/share/167668

F-35B can only carry AIM-120, GBU-12 and GBU-32 when (if?) it achieves IOC this summer, anyway.

DOT&E Report: The F-35 Is Not Ready for IOC and Won't Be Any Time Soon (POGO]

This complaint is new (at least for me!):

The 270 volt electrical system in the F-35—unprecedented in a fighter aircraft—also elevates fire risk because such high voltages increase the likelihood of strong sparks from wires damaged by maintenance mistakes or even minor combat hits.

This complaint is new (at least for me!):

The 270 volt electrical system in the F-35—unprecedented in a fighter aircraft—also elevates fire risk because such high voltages increase the likelihood of strong sparks from wires damaged by maintenance mistakes or even minor combat hits.

 

Is it a practical complaint though? I think of more concern is whether the close proximity of the low and high voltage lines was a smart move. The report says testing shows there being benefits of the bundling in that damaged wires will sometimes more safely be grounded. Back tot he original claim of 270 being evil, not sure I buy that 270 is going to blow a whole lot more things up than 120, both will do nicely causing secondaries in the right spots.

Its the "unprecedented" part that would trouble me the most.

F-35 JSF: Assessment Needed to Address Affordability Challenges (GAO)

 

Full report here (pdf)