JSF and A400M at risk?
"The INTRODUCER"
A400M MSN2 taxying
Yes, I realise it´s not an astounding achievement, but for those who are following it here´s the latest video.
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No Load, Algy
For some reason, thie video won't load - nice try, but summat's askew !Meanwhile, Grizzly 1 seems to be in hibernation, like the bears that live in the mountains ... It being now officialy Spring (or "printemps" as one says), perhaps they will all soon be about their business, in the air and on the still snow-covered slopes ...
24 March OK now - sounds good - specially as the "RTO" starts ... Now for seeing it fly ...
Last edited by Jig Peter; 24th Mar 2010 at 12:33. Reason: OK now ...
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Originally Posted by LowObservable
GK - Awesome radar. Replaced in F/A-18C/D starting almost 20 years ago. Is it really that good?
It was installed in the AV-8B+ that same "nearly 20 years ago"!!!
It was removed because the Hornets, as a Fighter/Attack plane, needed the best radar it could have... meaning upgrade to APG-73, to provide better A-A functions.
The Harrier II, as an Attack plane, didn't need that improved A-A system... and when you actually remember that the plain AV-8Bs (both standard & "night" versions) had NO effective A-G radar (relying instead on primarily optical aiming/ranging systems), then the answer is YES.
It really IS "that good"!
Even being as "old" as it was, and being replaced in the supersonic F/A planes by an improved system, it was a massive improvement in capability for the Harrier II!!
Is it "that good" now?
Compared to "no multi-mode A-A/A-G radar", yes, it still is very good.
However, neither it, nor the aircraft, are good compared to newer aircraft & radar systems... thus the F-35B.
Who Will Cut A400M Next?
Just spotted this on Aviation Week
29 March 2010
Has this been announced elsewhere? Haven't seen it mentioned in the UK media.
29 March 2010
The U.K. decision to cut its A400M procurement from 25 units to 22 leaves plenty of room for other buyers to cut their numbers.
When EADS and the partner nations agreed to the outlines for a new contract - to deal with the billion euros in cost overruns - industry said partners could cut the planned buy of 180 units by 10 aircraft without pricing being affected. The U.K. decision to take three of those cuts leaves margin for others to do the same.
When EADS and the partner nations agreed to the outlines for a new contract - to deal with the billion euros in cost overruns - industry said partners could cut the planned buy of 180 units by 10 aircraft without pricing being affected. The U.K. decision to take three of those cuts leaves margin for others to do the same.
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JSFs
It seems to me that the Americans could opt to cut the STOL version of the JSF .... which would mean our version ..... and the new carriers don't have catapults ...
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Hill Gets JSF Nunn-McCurdy
The Pentagon has officially notified Congress of the Joint Strike Fighter’s breach of legal cost growth limits, requiring a top-to-bottom review of the program.
The Senate and House armed services committees were told of the Nunn-McCurdy breach on Friday. Details were extremely scant. As the letter from Air Force Secretary Mike Donley said, they will provide details in the latest Selected Acquisition Report (SAR), due out “on or about April 2.” DoD thus complied with Ash Carter’s pledge that Congress would receive notification on or before or around April 1. Of course, this probably means they avoid the wonderful prospect of the JSF price increase getting lots of publicity on April Fool’s Day.
What does Congress think of the formal notification? Not much, if the two-word comment by one congressional aide is any indication: “Very unrequit(e)ing.”..........
The Pentagon has officially notified Congress of the Joint Strike Fighter’s breach of legal cost growth limits, requiring a top-to-bottom review of the program.
The Senate and House armed services committees were told of the Nunn-McCurdy breach on Friday. Details were extremely scant. As the letter from Air Force Secretary Mike Donley said, they will provide details in the latest Selected Acquisition Report (SAR), due out “on or about April 2.” DoD thus complied with Ash Carter’s pledge that Congress would receive notification on or before or around April 1. Of course, this probably means they avoid the wonderful prospect of the JSF price increase getting lots of publicity on April Fool’s Day.
What does Congress think of the formal notification? Not much, if the two-word comment by one congressional aide is any indication: “Very unrequit(e)ing.”..........
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Germany Weighs ‘Slight’ Reduction in A400M Orders
March 30 (Bloomberg) -- Germany may make a “slight” cut in its order of 60 A400M military transporters and take delivery of the planes without their ability to perform automated low- flight maneuvers, a defense ministry official said.
The seven partner nations that ordered the plane agreed with European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. to cut their combined order by as many as 10 planes from a total of 180. The U.K. defense ministry said yesterday that it will cut its order of 25 planes to as few as 22. France intends to stick with its order for 50 planes, French defense ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire said today by telephone.
France expects to get its first A400M in 2013 and receive 35 by 2020, with the remaining 15 coming by 2024, Teisseire said. Germany will get its first A400M in 2014, with the U.K., the third-largest customer, getting the first one in 2015. Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Turkey, will follow.
March 30 (Bloomberg) -- Germany may make a “slight” cut in its order of 60 A400M military transporters and take delivery of the planes without their ability to perform automated low- flight maneuvers, a defense ministry official said.
The seven partner nations that ordered the plane agreed with European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. to cut their combined order by as many as 10 planes from a total of 180. The U.K. defense ministry said yesterday that it will cut its order of 25 planes to as few as 22. France intends to stick with its order for 50 planes, French defense ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire said today by telephone.
France expects to get its first A400M in 2013 and receive 35 by 2020, with the remaining 15 coming by 2024, Teisseire said. Germany will get its first A400M in 2014, with the U.K., the third-largest customer, getting the first one in 2015. Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Turkey, will follow.
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Pleasant sight
Nice to see the A400M aviating gently and fairly (could even have been very) slowly at around 10,000 (ish) feet about 1800 local time today Friday 02/03 in nicely still air - last seen heading in the general direction of the Med. coast. Looks and sounds good.
(Surely not off an a quick Easter seaside week-end ... )
On an earlier sighting I noticed that from ground level and say 5° angle-off astern at a few miles' distance, there's a possible "spottery" confusion with a 146 - T-tail, high wing with four bumps underneath ... No possible confusion from any other angle, though - that T-tail's too high ...
Happy Easter to all ...
(Surely not off an a quick Easter seaside week-end ... )
On an earlier sighting I noticed that from ground level and say 5° angle-off astern at a few miles' distance, there's a possible "spottery" confusion with a 146 - T-tail, high wing with four bumps underneath ... No possible confusion from any other angle, though - that T-tail's too high ...
Happy Easter to all ...
Last edited by Jig Peter; 2nd Apr 2010 at 17:18. Reason: add day
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Cost estimate for F-35 to soar, Pentagon says
Defense Department officials have told Congress that the already ballooning costs of the F-35 joint strike fighter are likely to soar much higher when new estimates are completed in the summer.
In the Selected Acquisition Report for the F-35, a detailed document sent to Congress on Thursday, the Pentagon said it expects that cost studies now under way will produce estimates dramatically higher than those used in recent months to prepare the 2011 defense budget request.
Based on figures in the document, the average cost of one F-35 -- $62 million when the program was launched in 2002 -- could rise to $115.5 million, not counting inflation, by the time all 2,457 planes that the U.S. plans to buy are built. Including inflation, the government now expects each F-35 to cost an average of $133.6 million. But even that figure could swell to more than $150 million when revised estimates are completed in June.
The report was obtained by the online news service InsideDefense.com, which reported it in a story posted on its Web site Wednesday. The Star-Telegram obtained its own copy of the report.
It shows that Pentagon officials now estimate that the average cost of one F-35 has risen 57 percent before accounting for inflation. It predicts that the next round of estimates could show an increase of up to 87 percent, again before inflation...........
Defense Department officials have told Congress that the already ballooning costs of the F-35 joint strike fighter are likely to soar much higher when new estimates are completed in the summer.
In the Selected Acquisition Report for the F-35, a detailed document sent to Congress on Thursday, the Pentagon said it expects that cost studies now under way will produce estimates dramatically higher than those used in recent months to prepare the 2011 defense budget request.
Based on figures in the document, the average cost of one F-35 -- $62 million when the program was launched in 2002 -- could rise to $115.5 million, not counting inflation, by the time all 2,457 planes that the U.S. plans to buy are built. Including inflation, the government now expects each F-35 to cost an average of $133.6 million. But even that figure could swell to more than $150 million when revised estimates are completed in June.
The report was obtained by the online news service InsideDefense.com, which reported it in a story posted on its Web site Wednesday. The Star-Telegram obtained its own copy of the report.
It shows that Pentagon officials now estimate that the average cost of one F-35 has risen 57 percent before accounting for inflation. It predicts that the next round of estimates could show an increase of up to 87 percent, again before inflation...........
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More smiles from the orange groves
Thanks for the good news, Algy - keep 'em coming, specially as the JSF front's getting cloudier and cloudier Stateside ...
Whoever wins the UK general election, I hope they'll stick to the agreement not to make more than "minor cuts" (if any) in their orders .
Whoever wins the UK general election, I hope they'll stick to the agreement not to make more than "minor cuts" (if any) in their orders .
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
AWST: Dutch Wait To Clarify JSF Stance
LONDON — The way forward for the Netherlands on the specific structure of its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter involvement is not expected to crystallize until midyear.
With a caretaker government operating in the country and the Pentagon in the midst of restructuring the F-35 program, Dutch Defense State Secretary Jack de Vries signaled to lawmakers that a number of issues will remain in flux for several months. Chief among those is determining the actual average procurement unit cost and the life-cycle costs projected for the F-35.
De Vries told legislators to expect an update around June, when new figures will emerge as the U.S. completes its update on the projected average procurement unit cost linked to the Nunn-McCurdy recertification process. That review is now underway and could result in a higher unit cost estimate than the $93 million to $112 million unit price (in 2010 dollars) used in the planning baseline in the Pentagon’s April 1 selected acquisition reports.
The new program plan also could affect when the Netherlands starts buying production F-35s. An initial program schedule called for those purchases to begin slowly in 2012, with the first two of 85 eventual units to be put on contract.
Also up in the air is the Dutch plan to buy two Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) aircraft. The first already has been ordered and is due for delivery next year. Given the political situation in the Netherlands, the Dutch government is holding off on buying the second IOT&E asset.
De Vries also confirmed to lawmakers that there is an option for the Netherlands to dispose of the first IOT&E aircraft already ordered, although that would come at a still-undetermined cost.
LONDON — The way forward for the Netherlands on the specific structure of its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter involvement is not expected to crystallize until midyear.
With a caretaker government operating in the country and the Pentagon in the midst of restructuring the F-35 program, Dutch Defense State Secretary Jack de Vries signaled to lawmakers that a number of issues will remain in flux for several months. Chief among those is determining the actual average procurement unit cost and the life-cycle costs projected for the F-35.
De Vries told legislators to expect an update around June, when new figures will emerge as the U.S. completes its update on the projected average procurement unit cost linked to the Nunn-McCurdy recertification process. That review is now underway and could result in a higher unit cost estimate than the $93 million to $112 million unit price (in 2010 dollars) used in the planning baseline in the Pentagon’s April 1 selected acquisition reports.
The new program plan also could affect when the Netherlands starts buying production F-35s. An initial program schedule called for those purchases to begin slowly in 2012, with the first two of 85 eventual units to be put on contract.
Also up in the air is the Dutch plan to buy two Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) aircraft. The first already has been ordered and is due for delivery next year. Given the political situation in the Netherlands, the Dutch government is holding off on buying the second IOT&E asset.
De Vries also confirmed to lawmakers that there is an option for the Netherlands to dispose of the first IOT&E aircraft already ordered, although that would come at a still-undetermined cost.
Good news indeed!
There'll soon be more Grizzlies* flying in Europe than Italian KC-767Is...
*Conversation with genial EADS North America chap at ARSAG:
EADS: "I'm getting some A400M kids' toys made up based on a rhino. This thing looks like a rhino - it's mean and it's tough!"
Self: "Make that a grizzly. The crew have nicknamed it 'The Grizzly'"
EADS: "You sure about that?"
Self: "Positive - in fact it's their call-sign"
EADS: "Well that's (a big) number of dollars I've gone and wasted"
Self: "Just make the rhino the first one and add a grizzly next year"
EADS: "Hell, yes - my product range just expanded!"
Self: "Just don't forget my 10% of sales!"
There'll soon be more Grizzlies* flying in Europe than Italian KC-767Is...
*Conversation with genial EADS North America chap at ARSAG:
EADS: "I'm getting some A400M kids' toys made up based on a rhino. This thing looks like a rhino - it's mean and it's tough!"
Self: "Make that a grizzly. The crew have nicknamed it 'The Grizzly'"
EADS: "You sure about that?"
Self: "Positive - in fact it's their call-sign"
EADS: "Well that's (a big) number of dollars I've gone and wasted"
Self: "Just make the rhino the first one and add a grizzly next year"
EADS: "Hell, yes - my product range just expanded!"
Self: "Just don't forget my 10% of sales!"
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More from the good men and women from the Centre for Defense Information about the skyrocketing cost of "Dave" - upwards of $155m a copy or so - about £100m a throw. Can't see 138 let alone 150 of them at anything like that price.
friendly printed version:Still More F-35 Cost Growth to Come
S41
friendly printed version:Still More F-35 Cost Growth to Come
S41