F35 Stitch Up

[Engines]

PDR1,

Thanks for coming back - discussion is always a good thing. My background here is that I was the Sea Harrier Operational Fleet Manager, then the Engineering fleet manager (including bringing the FA2 into service) and then the Operational Fleet Manager for JFH.

Yes, the 2 SHAR FLS were 8 aircraft each, and 899 had a stated complement of 10. However.....the total RN 'Active' fleet also included aircraft undergoing scheduled maintenance at 2nd line (4 to 6 lines) plus aircraft retained in the active fleet as spares for immediate deployment or undergoing extended Cat 3 repairs. (Unlike the RAF, where the 12 aircraft supposedly on a front line squadron included aircraft undergoing second line work packages and even mod programmes). My normal complement of active fleet aircraft was, as I said, around 33 to 36. (Martin has just come up with a supporting figure). It went even higher during the FRS1 to FA2 conversion, as he says.

One of the many challenges of JFH was that the basic planning assumptions, methods, and even definitions used in fleet management were totally different between the RN and the RAF. This, among other things, made the whole business of determining proper fleet numbers a bit of a game.

If the RN ends up with 48 it has, in my humble view, been screwed. The Sea harrier Fleet of 52 odd was designed to equip and sustain 26 front line aircraft through life, but only to equip the small CVS. The 138 figure was the original planning assumption to generate 4 FJCA (JSF) front line squadrons, split between 2 'RN heavy' and 2 'RAF heavy' plus an OCU, and sustain these through life. It wasn't ever linked to replacing Tornado as well. The maritime strike capability should (again. just my view) be able to generate and sustain somewhere about 40 to 48 aircraft to operate from one (or two) of the carriers. 70 F-35Bs sounds about right. If needed, these aircraft could be 'swung' to land based ops to support an RAF 'A' fleet. Don't forget, the figure of 138 was supposed to support a fleet of Bs that could all go to sea if required. That included RAF units. That idea seems to have been ditched by the RAF, and my previous post sets out why I think that's happened.

It's probably all going to be about numbers now, and one can only hope that the boys in town play nicely with each other. If they don't, the Treasury will have them for breakfast.

To pick up on Obi Wan's excellent post - fitting an A with a retractable B/C type probe would also generate around around 600 pounds extra fuel capacity and a similar weight saving by removal of the large and heavy boom AAR receptacle located in the mid upper fuel tank. The retractable probe and piping will add some weight, but nowhere hear that much. There would be a ton of detail mods as well to the fuel system, but none of it risky or rocket science. The result (my view only) ould be a better A model.

Best regards to all those writing the papers in Whitehall, whatever their colour of stripe.

Engines