F-35 Cancelled, then what ?
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
The F-35A has not yet done any trials/clearance to carry the B61-12 nuclear bomb. These are scheduled to be performed sometime between 2020-2022, though there is an argument going on as to when they are required - based in their role and the retirement of the currently assigned users.
Based on the different airframes previously cleared for carriage, such as the Jaguar, The any such clearance is likely to be more difficult politically than aerodynamically - particularly since the range of the F-35A would limit the targets to any German based F-35As to countries such as Poland, Hungary or the Baltic states......
Based on the different airframes previously cleared for carriage, such as the Jaguar, The any such clearance is likely to be more difficult politically than aerodynamically - particularly since the range of the F-35A would limit the targets to any German based F-35As to countries such as Poland, Hungary or the Baltic states......
The F-35A has not yet done any trials/clearance to carry the B61-12 nuclear bomb. These are scheduled to be performed sometime between 2020-2022, though there is an argument going on as to when they are required - based in their role and the retirement of the currently assigned users.
Based on the different airframes previously cleared for carriage, such as the Jaguar, The any such clearance is likely to be more difficult politically than aerodynamically - particularly since the range of the F-35A would limit the targets to any German based F-35As to countries such as Poland, Hungary or the Baltic states......
Based on the different airframes previously cleared for carriage, such as the Jaguar, The any such clearance is likely to be more difficult politically than aerodynamically - particularly since the range of the F-35A would limit the targets to any German based F-35As to countries such as Poland, Hungary or the Baltic states......
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Historically the other aircraft, such as the Jaguar and F-104 only had to reach targets in East Germany acoross the IGB.
Targets are are a lot further east these days...
Targets are are a lot further east these days...
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Ho hum.
Britain to slash F-35 orders? Erm, no, scoffs Lockheed UK boss
"F-35 maker Lockheed Martin’s UK chief has breezily dismissed the idea of Britain cutting the number of jets it is buying from the US firm.
Speaking to the Press Association, Peter Ruddock said he was “respectful” of the Ministry of Defence’s financial situation, which happens to include a whopping great big black hole to the tune of £21bn.
But he didn’t believe the MoD would reduce its planned F-35 order, on the grounds that without the full order, Britain’s two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers would be left in a sticky situation.
“I think what we have seen in terms of the analysis that we are privy to, is that when the MoD has looked at what capabilities they need in the future, the F-35 rates very highly on that list,” Ruddock, a retired RAF air marshal who is now chief exec of Lockheed Martin UK, told the "
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/14/lockheed_f35_uk_order_numbers/
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FODPlod? Really? 
It's a bit of a vacuous denial from LM in any case, since nobody's being specific about which orders are under threat. I don't think anyone is thinking of the first 48, and there's no schedule (or contractual commitment) for the remaining 90.
It's a bit of a vacuous denial from LM in any case, since nobody's being specific about which orders are under threat. I don't think anyone is thinking of the first 48, and there's no schedule (or contractual commitment) for the remaining 90.
Is it just me, or is the F35 the ugliest brick ****-house cum dustcart that ever graced the skies?
Unlovely from every angle.
Unlovely from every angle.
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Is it just me, or is the F35 the ugliest brick ****-house cum dustcart that ever graced the skies?
Unlovely from every angle.
I have to admit that it's better looking than the runner-up. It's not an ugly as the Blackburn thing that lost to the Gannet, or most Blackburn designs until they miraculously pushed out the Bucc. It's more visually appealing than either of the Fleet Shadower candidates, or the Transavia AirTruk, or the Lockheed XFY-1 or the Convair XFV-1.
None of those represent a high bar...
Unlovely from every angle.
I have to admit that it's better looking than the runner-up. It's not an ugly as the Blackburn thing that lost to the Gannet, or most Blackburn designs until they miraculously pushed out the Bucc. It's more visually appealing than either of the Fleet Shadower candidates, or the Transavia AirTruk, or the Lockheed XFY-1 or the Convair XFV-1.
None of those represent a high bar...
There are lean, fast, nasty things that like nothing better than a nice fat slow tanker these days too.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
If the real threat is so low that you can send a civil airline based tanker without bang seats deep into enemy airspace - why do you need a stealth bomb truck in the first place?
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
So you’re back to dropping nukes on Poland, Hungary or the Baltic states then?
Alternatively, if you want to go bunker busting in any feasible enemy - then the targets are deep inside their territory outside the range of the F-35A without AAR well inside their airspace.
Alternatively, if you want to go bunker busting in any feasible enemy - then the targets are deep inside their territory outside the range of the F-35A without AAR well inside their airspace.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...uld-play-like/
Dogfight over UK's pledge to buy American fighter jets 'could play out like the Westland affair'
Theresa May is under pressure to row back on a multi-billion-pound deal to buy the new generation of US fighter jets in a row being likened to the Westland affair.
The British Government is committed to buying 138 F-35 fighter aircraft from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has so far bought 48 aircraft at a cost of £9.1 billion but is now reconsidering its pledge to buy a further 90 F-35s. Instead, the Telegraph understands it is looking at purchasing Eurofighter jets, made by a European consortium that includes the UK. The European manufactured jets are currently, on best estimates, about half the price of an F-35.
Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, is publishing a defence review in July, which may cast doubt on the affordability of the further 90 F-35 Lightning II aircraft, the most expensive but technically advanced fighter jet in history. He has also launched a Combat Aircraft Industrial Strategy, due to report in the summer, which is set to decide the balance of future spending on jet fighters - and whether the UK goes for a predominantly European fighter, despite Brexit, or a US-developed jet.
The simmering row has been likened to the Westland helicopter furore that blighted Margaret Thatcher’s government, and forced the resignation of the then defence secretary, Michael Heseltine, who insisted the UK should pick the British-made helicopter over a US model.
The purchase of the extra F-35s is expected to be raised by Donald Trump when the US president meets Mrs May during his visit to Britain next month. But Mr Williamson is understood to favour an option that would ensure the viability of a joint European jet fighter business until 2050 at least. The Prime Minister will come under pressure to pick a side.......
The MoD made a commitment to buy 138 F-35s in its Strategic Defence and Security Review of 2015. The MoD is currently negotiating with the Joint Program Office, the US department in charge of contracts, over the cost of the Lockheed Martin built aircraft.
The Conservative MP Mark Francois, a former defence minister, and a member of the defence select committee, said: “We are sceptical about the viability of all 138 aircraft, which is what we are theoretically committed to. Unless Lockheed Martin can bring the cost down, the F-35 will suck up other funds for other programmes in the defence budget. If the costs continue as they are that will have a serious knock-on effect to the rest of the defence spending programme.” He added: “The MoD are looking again at the costs of the F-35. The question remains from aircraft 49 onwards how many of these are you going to end up buying and the MoD is looking at that at the moment.”........
In a possible indication of MoD thinking, it has emerged that the UK Government has been lobbying its Belgian counterparts to buy the Eurofighter in preference to the F-35. The F-35 is the most technologically advanced aircraft on the marketIn a joint letter, co-signed by the British, German, Italian and Spanish ambassadors, they urged the Belgian government to commit to the Eurofighter Typhoon. “We believe that our European offer to Belgium, through Eurofighter Typhoon, is the best solution to meet the country’s immediate and long-term defence, security and industrial needs,” wrote the ambassadors including Britain’s Alison Rose, adding: “Almost every Euro spent on Eurofighter remains in Europe across a broad European supply chain involving more than 400 companies and 100,000 jobs.”
Tim Ripley, aerospace expert at Jane’s Defence Weekly, said: “It’s shaping up to be a grand stand-off, a transatlantic dog-fight, the defence-industrial saga of the summer and a Westland-esque moment for the British Aerospace industry.” Mr Ripley said that the Defence Secretary was “reputedly dead keen on the European plane”, which had prompted him to launch the Combat Aircraft Strategy.
An MoD spokesman said it was too soon to speculate on the outcome of the review. The spokesman said: “The F-35 programme remains on track and within budget, providing a game-changing capability for our Armed Forces. We continue to drive down costs with every purchase and remain committed to purchasing 138 F-35 Lightning aircraft while British industry benefits from an order book of over 3,000 jets.”
Dogfight over UK's pledge to buy American fighter jets 'could play out like the Westland affair'
Theresa May is under pressure to row back on a multi-billion-pound deal to buy the new generation of US fighter jets in a row being likened to the Westland affair.
The British Government is committed to buying 138 F-35 fighter aircraft from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has so far bought 48 aircraft at a cost of £9.1 billion but is now reconsidering its pledge to buy a further 90 F-35s. Instead, the Telegraph understands it is looking at purchasing Eurofighter jets, made by a European consortium that includes the UK. The European manufactured jets are currently, on best estimates, about half the price of an F-35.
Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, is publishing a defence review in July, which may cast doubt on the affordability of the further 90 F-35 Lightning II aircraft, the most expensive but technically advanced fighter jet in history. He has also launched a Combat Aircraft Industrial Strategy, due to report in the summer, which is set to decide the balance of future spending on jet fighters - and whether the UK goes for a predominantly European fighter, despite Brexit, or a US-developed jet.
The simmering row has been likened to the Westland helicopter furore that blighted Margaret Thatcher’s government, and forced the resignation of the then defence secretary, Michael Heseltine, who insisted the UK should pick the British-made helicopter over a US model.
The purchase of the extra F-35s is expected to be raised by Donald Trump when the US president meets Mrs May during his visit to Britain next month. But Mr Williamson is understood to favour an option that would ensure the viability of a joint European jet fighter business until 2050 at least. The Prime Minister will come under pressure to pick a side.......
The MoD made a commitment to buy 138 F-35s in its Strategic Defence and Security Review of 2015. The MoD is currently negotiating with the Joint Program Office, the US department in charge of contracts, over the cost of the Lockheed Martin built aircraft.
The Conservative MP Mark Francois, a former defence minister, and a member of the defence select committee, said: “We are sceptical about the viability of all 138 aircraft, which is what we are theoretically committed to. Unless Lockheed Martin can bring the cost down, the F-35 will suck up other funds for other programmes in the defence budget. If the costs continue as they are that will have a serious knock-on effect to the rest of the defence spending programme.” He added: “The MoD are looking again at the costs of the F-35. The question remains from aircraft 49 onwards how many of these are you going to end up buying and the MoD is looking at that at the moment.”........
In a possible indication of MoD thinking, it has emerged that the UK Government has been lobbying its Belgian counterparts to buy the Eurofighter in preference to the F-35. The F-35 is the most technologically advanced aircraft on the marketIn a joint letter, co-signed by the British, German, Italian and Spanish ambassadors, they urged the Belgian government to commit to the Eurofighter Typhoon. “We believe that our European offer to Belgium, through Eurofighter Typhoon, is the best solution to meet the country’s immediate and long-term defence, security and industrial needs,” wrote the ambassadors including Britain’s Alison Rose, adding: “Almost every Euro spent on Eurofighter remains in Europe across a broad European supply chain involving more than 400 companies and 100,000 jobs.”
Tim Ripley, aerospace expert at Jane’s Defence Weekly, said: “It’s shaping up to be a grand stand-off, a transatlantic dog-fight, the defence-industrial saga of the summer and a Westland-esque moment for the British Aerospace industry.” Mr Ripley said that the Defence Secretary was “reputedly dead keen on the European plane”, which had prompted him to launch the Combat Aircraft Strategy.
An MoD spokesman said it was too soon to speculate on the outcome of the review. The spokesman said: “The F-35 programme remains on track and within budget, providing a game-changing capability for our Armed Forces. We continue to drive down costs with every purchase and remain committed to purchasing 138 F-35 Lightning aircraft while British industry benefits from an order book of over 3,000 jets.”
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...c-z-ta-429534/
and the US Navy is looking at similar for the MQ25
Th USAF are/were considering it
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...c-z-ta-429534/
and the US Navy is looking at similar for the MQ25
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...c-z-ta-429534/
and the US Navy is looking at similar for the MQ25
So you’re back to dropping nukes on Poland, Hungary or the Baltic states then?
"Committed to 138" may mean different things to different people in this context. I have also seen 138 referred to as an "ambition" and although the MoD has said it "remains committed" to 138, I don't think there's any contractual commitment to that many.
it's been suggested that the long term plan was for an establishment of 4 front line squadrons of F35s. If true, you don't need 138 for that. I suspect that the words "over the life of the programme" were key. 80-90 airframes would allow 4 front line sqns and reserves, rotating airframes in and out of the front line etc, so the plan might have been to follow these up with a very late order for late model examples to replace the originals, to equip the second half of the life of the carriers. Under that scenario we would never have more than 80-odd at any given time. I could equally be completely wrong about that, but the numbers and timeframes do sort of fit.
If the approach firms up to be one of F35s for the carriers only, the question becomes one of how many you need for that. Views on here will doubtless differ. I'd argue that 4 sqns would be the minimum to support sustained deployments, and especially if we want to hold out the possibility of deploying both carriers concurrently in extremis. For its part, on the other hand, the RAF might argue that 2 sqns of Bs for the carriers is just fine, thank you very much, and please give us something else in addition based on land.
If we do end up with 4 sqns of Bs, a further question is whether that leaves any room to fund anything additional concurrently, if previous plans were only for a top up buy of late model Bs as replacements.
If we end up with a Typhoon-versus F35A decision presumably there are pros and cons for both. I'm guessing the F35A would shade it as the airframe of choice for land-based ground attack - but how far does project centurion narrow the gap? Whereas late model Typhoons with AESA would presumably shade it for air to air. But then is the Typhoon really a better bet for UK industry and employment? It might be, but then the UK builds 15% by value of every F35 built - which adds up to the value equivalent of 400 or so full aircraft if current plans are followed through.
This one could run and run...too many variables....
it's been suggested that the long term plan was for an establishment of 4 front line squadrons of F35s. If true, you don't need 138 for that. I suspect that the words "over the life of the programme" were key. 80-90 airframes would allow 4 front line sqns and reserves, rotating airframes in and out of the front line etc, so the plan might have been to follow these up with a very late order for late model examples to replace the originals, to equip the second half of the life of the carriers. Under that scenario we would never have more than 80-odd at any given time. I could equally be completely wrong about that, but the numbers and timeframes do sort of fit.
If the approach firms up to be one of F35s for the carriers only, the question becomes one of how many you need for that. Views on here will doubtless differ. I'd argue that 4 sqns would be the minimum to support sustained deployments, and especially if we want to hold out the possibility of deploying both carriers concurrently in extremis. For its part, on the other hand, the RAF might argue that 2 sqns of Bs for the carriers is just fine, thank you very much, and please give us something else in addition based on land.
If we do end up with 4 sqns of Bs, a further question is whether that leaves any room to fund anything additional concurrently, if previous plans were only for a top up buy of late model Bs as replacements.
If we end up with a Typhoon-versus F35A decision presumably there are pros and cons for both. I'm guessing the F35A would shade it as the airframe of choice for land-based ground attack - but how far does project centurion narrow the gap? Whereas late model Typhoons with AESA would presumably shade it for air to air. But then is the Typhoon really a better bet for UK industry and employment? It might be, but then the UK builds 15% by value of every F35 built - which adds up to the value equivalent of 400 or so full aircraft if current plans are followed through.
This one could run and run...too many variables....