F-35 Ahoy! Navy Version Of JSF Faces Nimitz’s Tests

F-35 Ahoy! Navy Version Of JSF Faces Nimitz’s Tests
F-35 Ahoy! Navy Version Of JSF Faces Nimitz’s Tests

WASHINGTON: The next two weeks will be enormously important for the Navy’s carrier-based version of the Joint Strike Fighter as two F-35Cs undergo extensive testing operating from the USS Nimitz. The Navy has been the least committed of the three services buying versions of the Joint Strike Fighter, so if the two planes being tested…

Air Force F-35 IOC May Be In Peril; Pratt, DoD Shake On $1B F135 Deal

Air Force F-35 IOC May Be In Peril; Pratt, DoD Shake On $1B F135 Deal
Air Force F-35 IOC May Be In Peril; Pratt, DoD Shake On $1B F135 Deal

F-35 JOINT PROGRAM OFFICE: When Sen. Kelly Ayotte and her supporters blocked retirement of the A-10 fleet, it’s not likely they knew the F-35 program might suffer. But that’s exactly what Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, head of the huge F-35 program, told reporters this afternoon will happen unless something changes. In the conference room where the F-35 program…

DoD, Lockheed Shake On 29 F-35s; Price Drops 3.6%

WASHINGTON: It’s finally official. After months of senior program and Pentagon officials saying they were really close to a deal, Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office just announced they’ve got agreement in principle for the Defense Department to buy another 29 Joint Strike Fighters. The eighth Low Rate Initial Production contract includes 19 F-35As, six F-35Bs…

Doing The Math: Saving A-10s By Cutting F-35s

Doing The Math: Saving A-10s By Cutting F-35s
Doing The Math: Saving A-10s By Cutting F-35s

In this article, one of the Air Force’s own, longtime Breaking Defense contributor Lt. Col. Dan Ward, runs the numbers on his service’s plan to scrap the beloved A-10 Warthog and – now that Congress has thoroughly rejected the idea – suggests an alternative: a modest trim to the massive F-35 program might just save…

AETC Sharing Info On Fire Damaged F-35A; F-35Bs Resuming Flight

AETC Sharing Info On Fire Damaged F-35A; F-35Bs Resuming Flight
AETC Sharing Info On Fire Damaged F-35A; F-35Bs Resuming Flight

WASHINGTON: The Marines plan to get their F-35Bs back up in the air this afternoon after last week’s F-35A fire at Eglin Air Force Base and remain committed to flying several planes to the Royal International Air Tattoo and the Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom. “The Marine Corps will resume F-35B flight operations…

JSF Fire Looks Like ‘Isolated Event’; F-35As Stay On Ground

JSF Fire Looks Like ‘Isolated Event’; F-35As Stay On Ground
JSF Fire Looks Like ‘Isolated Event’; F-35As Stay On Ground

UPDATED: Air Force 33rd Fighter Wing Continues Safety Pause For F-35As. WASHINGTON: The fire that struck an Air Force F-35A as it took of from Eglin Air Force Base should have limited operational effect on the Joint Strike Fighter program if initial conclusions by program officials are accurate.. The Air Force has paused its aircrafts’…

F-35, Prompted By PRC Stealth Jets, Others, Starts Next-Gen Threat Planning

F-35, Prompted By PRC Stealth Jets, Others, Starts Next-Gen Threat Planning
F-35, Prompted By PRC Stealth Jets, Others, Starts Next-Gen Threat Planning

  WASHINGTON: The F-35 is barely out of the stable and hasn’t been ridden hard yet, but the Pentagon is already beginning work on the next generation of improvements to the Joint Strike Fighter, with a close eye on the Chinese J-20 and J-31 stealth aircraft — and other capabilities. Frank Kendall, the Defense Department’s…

Gen. Mike Hostage On The F-35; No Growlers Needed When War Starts

Gen. Mike Hostage On The F-35; No Growlers Needed When War Starts
Gen. Mike Hostage On The F-35; No Growlers Needed When War Starts

For years, the news about the most expensive conventional weapons system in US history, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, has been driven by its soaring costs, technical problems and schedule screw-ups. The government and Congress and the public rarely speak about what the F-35 will do, how effectively it could destroy an enemy’s air defenses, shoot down…

‘A God’s Eye View Of The Battlefield:’ Gen. Hostage On The F-35

‘A God’s Eye View Of The Battlefield:’ Gen. Hostage On The F-35
‘A God’s Eye View Of The Battlefield:’ Gen. Hostage On The F-35

For years, the news about the most expensive conventional weapons system in US history, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, has been driven by its enormous cost, design, and schedule screw-ups. The Pentagon and Congress and the public have rarely spoken about what the F-35 would do, how effectively it could destroy an enemy’s air defenses,…

F-35’s Stealth, EW Not Enough, So JSF And Navy Need Growlers; Boeing Says 50-100 More

F-35’s Stealth, EW Not Enough, So JSF And Navy Need Growlers; Boeing Says 50-100 More
F-35’s Stealth, EW Not Enough, So JSF And Navy Need Growlers; Boeing Says 50-100 More

WASHINGTON: Stealth is being outpaced by software, radar and computing power, so electronic warfare and cyber attacks are growing in importance. While the F-35 may possess excellent — if circumscribed — electronic attack and cyber capabilities, it needs help from the Navy’s EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft. That means, Boeing and the Navy are arguing,…

Why The Navy Really Wants 22 More Growlers

Why The Navy Really Wants 22 More Growlers
Why The Navy Really Wants 22 More Growlers

CAPITOL HILL: After several years of appearing to dislike the F-35C, or at least appearing lukewarm to buying it, the Navy today finally revealed why it wants to buy more F-18Gs from Boeing. Basically, it all boils down to the fact that the F-18G, known as the Growler, emits a broader set of electronic warfare…

Navy Faces Budget Shortfall Even If Sequester Goes Away

Navy Faces Budget Shortfall Even If Sequester Goes Away
Navy Faces Budget Shortfall Even If Sequester Goes Away

Even if Congress somehow rolls back sequestration, the Navy’s fiscal situation will be uncomfortably tight, like trying to steer a battleship through the Panama Canal. Under the president’s five-year budget plan — which assumes sequester away — the “real buying power” for the Navy and the Marine Corps declines after fiscal year 2016, the Navy…

Navy’s F-35 Tailhook Passes Initial Tests; Carrier Flights In October

Navy’s F-35 Tailhook Passes Initial Tests; Carrier Flights In October
Navy’s F-35 Tailhook Passes Initial Tests; Carrier Flights In October

The F-35C, the Navy version of the Joint Strike Fighter and the plane most in danger of being cut or reduced by its service, has passed the first round of critical tests of its tail hook, the part of the plane that makes traditional carrier landings possible. “All flight test objectives were met,” Joe DellaVedova,…

Lockheed Boasts F-35 Will Cost Less Than ‘Any 4th Gen Fighter’

Lockheed Boasts F-35 Will Cost Less Than ‘Any 4th Gen Fighter’
Lockheed Boasts F-35 Will Cost Less Than ‘Any 4th Gen Fighter’

AIR FORCE PLANT 4, FORT WORTH: No one should believe that the battle between Boeing and Lockheed for the right to build Navy fighters is over. Boeing keeps pushing the low cost, readiness and availability of the F-18. It’s here, it’s proven, and, they say, a new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet will cost just over $50…