Good hit piece on the F-35

[727Sky]

Not much has been disclosed on the crash of the F-35 last week. The pilot had to eject for presently unknown reasons. Since it is a single engine aircraft maybe it was just a simple engine failure and the inability to restart the aircraft. The F-35 is a computer controlled fly by wire (no electricity means no control and no fly) aircraft so an electrical fire with its lithium Ion battery could turn the thing into a lawn dart.

I have not been a fan of the F-35 with its performance and zillion dollar cost overruns.. Not to mention the quoted cost per hour and man hours required to fix the POS for every hour it is flown.


Now for some of the conspiracy theories..to include hacking the operating system

[Snarl]

The F-35 is a computer controlled fly by wire (no electricity means no control and no fly) aircraft so an electrical fire with its lithium Ion battery could turn the thing into a lawn dart.

It's a stoopid expensive plane. I've not heard anything about its costs being 'worth it'. I've heard grumblings about being arm-twisted into buying it from other countries.

Damn thing sounds like a POS for the price. The recent blurt about its inability to operate in storms made me go, "What?"

I think we all knew a LONG time ago that the F-22 was the air dominance platform. We just couldn't sell it and turn a buck. Unless ... you were a Chinee Engineer with access to the build plans and tech specs ... and a secure line to the PLA.

[Schmoe]

I've seen videos of quite a few pilots saying the F22 is the best fighter jet in existence, and I hear they want to phase it out?  Why??

[727Sky]

I've seen videos of quite a few pilots saying the F22 is the best fighter jet in existence, and I hear they want to phase it out?  Why??

They only built 186 because as typical MIC they were stupid expensive. When they looked at starting the production line back up for the F-22 it was even more expensive.. so were are left with less than 186 to fight a war with.. Greed kills many good things

[Schmoe]

I've seen videos of quite a few pilots saying the F22 is the best fighter jet in existence, and I hear they want to phase it out?  Why??

They only built 186 because as typical MIC they were stupid expensive. When they looked at starting the production line back up for the F-22 it was even more expensive.. so were are left with less than 186 to fight a war with.. Greed kills many good things

Yeah, makes sense.  We're now getting into the 6th Gen fighters, they're all gonna be stupidly expensive though.  If I'm remembering correctly, the F22 hasn't even seen combat has it?

[EndtheMadnessNow]

REPORT: F-35 fighter jets are available to fly only 55% of the time, and 73% of replacement parts must be sent back to suppliers because the Pentagon’s maintenance depots are inadequate.  

“The military services must take over management of F-35 sustainment by October 2027 and have an opportunity to make adjustments — specifically to the contractor-managed elements,” the Government Accountability Office wrote in its 96-page report released Thursday. “Reassessing its approach could help [the Defense Department] address its maintenance challenges and reduce costs.”

The report comes days after an F-35B Lightning II crashed in South Carolina after a Marine Corps pilot encountered a problem while in flight and ejected. Questions have been raised about what prompted the pilot to eject and how the $100 million warplane was able to keep flying pilotless for 60 miles before crashing.

The F-35 program is one of the Pentagon’s most expensive, costing $1.7 trillion in its lifespan. Of that amount, $1.3 trillion has been spent on the cost of operating and maintaining the fighter jets, according to the GAO report.

The 55% average availability rate as of March 2023 is below the goal of a mission-capable rate for different versions of the aircraft of 85% to 90%.

The report state the GAO spoke to military maintenance staff at three military bases who said they were not allowed to look up spare part numbers for the F-35 because the proprietary database was controlled by Lockheed Martin, the company that makes the jets.

As of March, the Pentagon was sending 73% of F-35 components back to the original equipment manufacturer because of delays in standing up a full depot repair capability at military service depots. Maintenance on components of fighter jets is behind, leaving more than 10,000 components waiting to be repaired.

The F-35 is used by the Air Force, Marine Corps and the Navy. Previous maintenance concerns have led to a push for the Pentagon to take over management of F-35 maintenance, but that shift is not scheduled to occur until late 2027.

The GAO made seven recommendations to address maintenance delays, and the Pentagon concurred with all of them, according to the report.

“We will work with, and be part of, the Sustainment Implementation Working Group to drive improvements in sustainment across the F-35 enterprise. We are pursuing a more resilient sustainment structure,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt said in a statement, the Pentagon’s F-35 program manager.

The GAO released a report in May that found F-35 engines are being overlooked and could lead to an extra $38 billion in overhauls in the next few decades to help cool radar and other components of the fighter jet.

F-35 fighter jets ‘mission capable’ only 55% of the time, watchdog report finds

F-35 "Sustainment Implementation Working Group" appears to be Unsustainable.

[BIAD]

Odd that an F-35 is the subject of this post considering this article appeared only three hours ago.

F-35 crash: Pilot called 911 after parachuting into backyard

'The pilot of a US Marines F-35 jet that went missing called emergency services from a South Carolina home
where his parachute landed. In audio from the call, obtained by the BBC, the pilot told a dispatcher that he was
"not sure" where his $100m (£80m) plane was. A local resident can also be heard calmly explaining that the pilot
had landed in his backyard.



Debris from the jet was discovered on Monday, a day after it went missing. In the four-minute call to the 911
emergency number, the resident of a North Charleston home can be heard telling a confused dispatcher that
"we got a pilot in the house". "I guess he landed in my backyard," the resident added. "We're trying to see if
we could get an ambulance to the house, please".

The 47-year-old pilot, who has not been named, said that he felt "OK" after ejecting at approximately 2,000ft (609m).
Only his back hurt. "Ma'am, a military jet crashed. I'm the pilot. We need to get rescue rolling," he added. "I'm not sure
where the airplane is. It would have crash landed somewhere. I ejected." The pilot later again asked the dispatcher to
"please send an ambulance" and said that he "rode a parachute down to the ground".

According to the Marine Corps, the pilot ejected as a result of a malfunction and landed in a residential area near
Charleston's international airport. In a separate 911 call obtained by the AP, an unidentified official said that they
had "a pilot with his parachute" that had lost sight of the aircraft "on his way down to the weather".

While it is unclear how and why the F-35 continued flying after the pilot's ejection, the Marine Corps said that its
flight control software may have helped it remain level even without a pilot's hands on the controls. "This is designed
to save our pilots if they are incapacitated or lose situational awareness," the statement quoted by the AP said.

The search may have been hampered by the plane's anti-radar stealth capabilities and technology that wipes the
jet's communications system if a pilot ejects.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
A report to the US government on Thursday said that inadequate training, a lack of spare parts and complex repair
processes had left the US military's F-35 fleet around 55% effective...'

BBC:

[Schmoe]

REPORT: F-35 fighter jets are available to fly only 55% of the time, and 73% of replacement parts must be sent back to suppliers because the Pentagon’s maintenance depots are inadequate.  

“The military services must take over management of F-35 sustainment by October 2027 and have an opportunity to make adjustments — specifically to the contractor-managed elements,” the Government Accountability Office wrote in its 96-page report released Thursday. “Reassessing its approach could help [the Defense Department] address its maintenance challenges and reduce costs.”

The report comes days after an F-35B Lightning II crashed in South Carolina after a Marine Corps pilot encountered a problem while in flight and ejected. Questions have been raised about what prompted the pilot to eject and how the $100 million warplane was able to keep flying pilotless for 60 miles before crashing.

The F-35 program is one of the Pentagon’s most expensive, costing $1.7 trillion in its lifespan. Of that amount, $1.3 trillion has been spent on the cost of operating and maintaining the fighter jets, according to the GAO report.

The 55% average availability rate as of March 2023 is below the goal of a mission-capable rate for different versions of the aircraft of 85% to 90%.

The report state the GAO spoke to military maintenance staff at three military bases who said they were not allowed to look up spare part numbers for the F-35 because the proprietary database was controlled by Lockheed Martin, the company that makes the jets.

As of March, the Pentagon was sending 73% of F-35 components back to the original equipment manufacturer because of delays in standing up a full depot repair capability at military service depots. Maintenance on components of fighter jets is behind, leaving more than 10,000 components waiting to be repaired.

The F-35 is used by the Air Force, Marine Corps and the Navy. Previous maintenance concerns have led to a push for the Pentagon to take over management of F-35 maintenance, but that shift is not scheduled to occur until late 2027.

The GAO made seven recommendations to address maintenance delays, and the Pentagon concurred with all of them, according to the report.

“We will work with, and be part of, the Sustainment Implementation Working Group to drive improvements in sustainment across the F-35 enterprise. We are pursuing a more resilient sustainment structure,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt said in a statement, the Pentagon’s F-35 program manager.

The GAO released a report in May that found F-35 engines are being overlooked and could lead to an extra $38 billion in overhauls in the next few decades to help cool radar and other components of the fighter jet.

F-35 fighter jets ‘mission capable’ only 55% of the time, watchdog report finds

F-35 "Sustainment Implementation Working Group" appears to be Unsustainable.

Maybe the F35, all along, was just a program to launder trillions of dollars.  Apparently nothing is going to beat the F22, and notably we don't share that jet, even with allies.  But we'll send F35s over.  Yup, F35 is just a laundering program.

[kdog]

Odd that an F-35 is the subject of this post considering this article appeared only three hours ago.

F-35 crash: Pilot called 911 after parachuting into backyard

'The pilot of a US Marines F-35 jet that went missing called emergency services from a South Carolina home
where his parachute landed. In audio from the call, obtained by the BBC, the pilot told a dispatcher that he was
"not sure" where his $100m (£80m) plane was. A local resident can also be heard calmly explaining that the pilot
had landed in his backyard.



Debris from the jet was discovered on Monday, a day after it went missing. In the four-minute call to the 911
emergency number, the resident of a North Charleston home can be heard telling a confused dispatcher that
"we got a pilot in the house". "I guess he landed in my backyard," the resident added. "We're trying to see if
we could get an ambulance to the house, please".

The 47-year-old pilot, who has not been named, said that he felt "OK" after ejecting at approximately 2,000ft (609m).
Only his back hurt. "Ma'am, a military jet crashed. I'm the pilot. We need to get rescue rolling," he added. "I'm not sure
where the airplane is. It would have crash landed somewhere. I ejected." The pilot later again asked the dispatcher to
"please send an ambulance" and said that he "rode a parachute down to the ground".

According to the Marine Corps, the pilot ejected as a result of a malfunction and landed in a residential area near
Charleston's international airport. In a separate 911 call obtained by the AP, an unidentified official said that they
had "a pilot with his parachute" that had lost sight of the aircraft "on his way down to the weather".

While it is unclear how and why the F-35 continued flying after the pilot's ejection, the Marine Corps said that its
flight control software may have helped it remain level even without a pilot's hands on the controls. "This is designed
to save our pilots if they are incapacitated or lose situational awareness," the statement quoted by the AP said.

The search may have been hampered by the plane's anti-radar stealth capabilities and technology that wipes the
jet's communications system if a pilot ejects.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
A report to the US government on Thursday said that inadequate training, a lack of spare parts and complex repair
processes had left the US military's F-35 fleet around 55% effective...'

BBC:

In that part of South Carolina I am very familiar with and that dispatcher sounded like she was getting a prank call. How often do you get a pilot parachuting in your back yard in rural SC. LOL !

[Snarl]

Maybe the F35, all along, was just a program to launder trillions of dollars.

I've wondered the same thing all along.

Backroom questions have long been: How much stealth do you need? How long do you need it for? How can we defeat our own when it is used against us?

The most powerful strategic air tools never talked about: missile trucks

On the ground support side everyone loves the A-10 (and they are very cool). I'd rather have the unglamorous AC-130 in orbit above me ... unless I could get two, that is.

[Schmoe]

Maybe the F35, all along, was just a program to launder trillions of dollars.

I've wondered the same thing all along.

Backroom questions have long been: How much stealth do you need? How long do you need it for? How can we defeat our own when it is used against us?

The most powerful strategic air tools never talked about: missile trucks

On the ground support side everyone loves the A-10 (and they are very cool). I'd rather have the unglamorous AC-130 in orbit above me ... unless I could get two, that is.

I love those A-10s.  I grew up in Willow Grove, PA, near a Naval Air Station.  Im assuming they housed A-10s, I saw them all the time.  They always reminded me of flying tanks.  Just mean-looking birds.

[EndtheMadnessNow]

If anyone interested, here's a GAO Report on F-35 Sustainment just published.

GAO is making seven recommendations to DOD, including reassessing F-35 sustainment elements to determine government and contractor responsibility and any required technical data, and making final decisions on changes to F-35 sustainment to address performance and affordability. DOD concurred with all of GAO’s recommendations.

Included is the 96 page report to congress.