F-35 appears to be making headway. Have they turned it around?

2015-07-29T13:11:53-04:00

Those who know me know that I'm not a big fan of this bird, mainly because they initially wanted it to be a CAS platform, even though it is not suited for such.
This article shows that the Force has realized that they made mistakes in trying to test & build the bird at the same time, instead of building it, & then tweaking the problems in testing.

I know that perhaps the program has gotten "too big to fail", but even I am seeing that it appears they are honestly trying to make it viable in a platform that it appears to have been bred for - air superiority!

Air Force Secretary Acknowledges Wide Range of Problems with F-35

The F-35 will prove its worth despite cost overruns and a wide range of technical problems, according to Deborah Lee James.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Jul 29 at 2015 1:14 PM

2015-07-29T13:14:43-04:00

I truly wished I was still in the Navy to witness the most advanced Aircraft taking off and landing on the most advanced Aircraft Carrier! That would be a sight to see!

Response by MSgt Alan H made Jul 29 at 2015 1:35 PM

2015-07-29T13:35:30-04:00

My personal opinion is that the delays, cost over runs, mechanic key problems, problems with being unable to train enough maintainers fast enough, are problems that often border on the criminal in nature. Is the jet a good idea, yes, was it well thought out, planned for, and honest cost figures vetted, NO! It's ridiculous and other countries are starting to act on the ridiculousness of its reality and all its problems.

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Jul 29 at 2015 1:43 PM

2015-07-29T13:43:34-04:00

Long live the A-10! Proven effective, and feared by anyone on the business end of the 30mm cannon.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 3:16 PM

2015-07-29T15:16:14-04:00

Joint Developmental and Operational Testing CAN work well. It may have been implemented poorly in some aspects of the F-35, but that doesn't mean doing it at all was a mistake.

That said, it's had its fair share of problems (or more). Some of the reasons it has had so many issues though is because it is so advanced. There are definite positives and negatives of being so innovative. Hopefully it will pay off in the long run.

Response by SGT James Elphick made Jul 29 at 2015 3:16 PM

2015-07-29T15:16:49-04:00

I read many articles on this (as you know well SSgt Private RallyPoint Member this is an issue I follow) and there was a good deal of worthy insight. One of the articles talked about how the USMC hijacked everyone's budget/programs by requesting very specific needs (the 3 programs were the V-22 Osprey, the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, and the F-35B). We can forget about the other 2 programs and just focus on how the USMC's request doomed the F-35 program as a whole. They wanted/needed a STOVL plane but more specifically it had to have a lift fan in the center of the fuselage, and it had to be stealth. This meant the plane could only have 1 engine and a very large body to accommodate the fan. Thus, the plane is easily out-climbed, out-turned, and out-maneuvered and doesn't even have a great stealth-profile. There is/was a simple fix to this problem, give the other variants 2 engines. Unfortunately hundreds of engineers couldn't seem to figure that out. Only having one engine also hurts it's stealthiness because there is one massive heat signature. Even at this stage I believe they could find a way to incorporate 2 engines with many similar parts as the one already being used.

Another point, while it may seem that the F-35 program is "turning around" this isn't really true. First of all, the program has only admitted that there are mistakes, not that they plan to fix those mistakes (pretty much can't at this point). Also they have doubled down on the same rhetoric that got them in trouble before Vietnam, the plane will defeat others at long range and won't have to dogfight. Even a cursory look at the air war in Vietnam will tell you how well that thought worked out. There was a big simulation run by two guys working at RAND corporation (one of whom I believe now works on the F-35 program for Lockheed Martin, most likely just to keep him quiet) that simulated an air war in the Straight of Taiwan in which the F-35 was totally outclassed by Chinese fighters.

The most likely thing that is going to happen is it will reach operational readiness and the services will realize they sunk a lot of money into a failed endeavor. They will all cut their orders down and instead of the nearly 2500 aircraft we had planned to order it will be more like 500. Also, it won't function as a stealth aircraft and will instead rely on underwing pylons to carry ordnance and be a marginal strike-fighter and terrible CAS platform. Also, it will most likely never engage in aerial combat. Then hopefully they will have learned their lessons and realize there are 3 types of "fighter" aircraft - air superiority, strike-fighter, and close air support. Then we will go back to the drawing board and build 2 planes to replace the one failed effort that is the F-35.

Response by SMSgt Tony Barnes made Jul 29 at 2015 4:13 PM

2015-07-29T16:13:13-04:00

I think they still face the same direction. :-)

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 5:23 PM

2015-07-29T17:23:56-04:00

The prose sounds good but at this point I'm more concerned with deeds than words.

Until they can "show me the money" with a good airframe I shall remain very skeptical of the Lightning II and make jokes at its expense about how the Lightning I could serve as a better airframe for CAS, air superiority, VSTOL, propaganda posters, stealth, and keychain bling at a fraction of the cost right now!

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 30 at 2015 7:59 PM

2015-07-30T19:59:38-04:00

It's a multi-role platform and certainly has come a long way from infancy. We have 123 birds in the fleet and they are performing well. The USMC is about to declare Initial Operating Capability, the AF is on target for IOC in late 2016. It's not a direct CAS replacement, sole A-A or A-G. We just cannot afford single-role birds any longer. However, the technology is outstanding and will be a game changer. Lot of discussion about an out-of-context report on an early A-A test, but they fail to recognize the fact that the bird was operating at limited envelope. Upon reaching full capability, it will hold its ground. The reality is, if a 35 driver finds himself in a dog fight, he obviously did something wrong. The capability inherent in the the platform allows him to shack the adversary way before the bad guy sees him. I contend, don't hold much stake in the reporting you see...much of it is misinformed and ill conceived!