F-35 defeated in air combat simulation

September 7, 2011 (by Eric L. Palmer) - F-16.net has learned from an unnamed source, that earlier this year a presentation was given by an industry air combat threat assessment expert to defense officials of a NATO country which showed that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) would not survive air combat against threats it is likely to see in its alleged service lifetime. USAF F-35A #08-7046, the third production model of the F-35 Lightning II, completed its inaugural flight on May 6th, 2011 from NAS Fort Worth with Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti at the controls. Part of the presentation showed a computer simulation which calculated that the F-35 would be consistently defeated by the Russian-made SU-35 fighter aircraft. The defeat calculated by the scenario also showed the loss of the F-35's supporting airborne-early warning and air-to-air refueling aircraft. The technology in the SU-35 will also see its way into growth upgrades of other SU-fighter variants used by countries likeIndonesia, India, Malaysia and Vietnam. Chinese variants of these aircraft should also see similar growth capability in the coming years. The Russian-made T-50, PAK-FA low-observable fighter now in development is expected to be much more lethal than the SU-35 in air-to-air combat against the U.S. made F-35. The SU-35 and T-50 made appearances this year at the Russian aerospace industry air show known as MAKS2011. Both aircraft will include sensors and networking which can minimise the effects of the limited low-observable qualities of the F-35. They will also have higher performance and carry more air-to-air weapons than an F-35. The F-35 defeat briefing runs counter to the claims by the Lockheed Martin corporation that the F-35 will be a go-it-alone aircraft in high threat situations (brief to Israel, 2007) or that it will be “8 times” more effective than “legacy” aircraft in air-to-air combat. In 2009, then U.S. Secretary of Defense Mr. Gates was successful in halting additional production of the F-22 which is the only aircraft that can take on emerging threats. His reasoning was that the F-35—built in numbers—would be sufficient to fill any strategic gaps in air power deterrence for the U.S. and its allies. There was never any robust strategic study performed by the U.S. Department of Defense to verify Gates theory. Since Gates endorsement of the troubled F-35 program, it has continued with its history of cost blow-outs and delay and is unlikely to see a large number built. If Gates is wrong, he will have helped put the the air power deterrent capability of the U.S. and its allies at significant risk in the coming years. According to the assumptions of the joint operational requirement of the F-35 signed off on in 2000, the F-35 was not supposed to take on high-end threats. The requirement assumed that there would be hundreds of combat-ready F-22s. With the F-22 program ending, the maximum number of combat-ready F-22s will be somewhere between 120 and 140. Independent air combat analysts from Air Power Australia have also stated that the F-35 is not capable of facing high end threats; that what will be delivered (if it ever arrives) will be obsolete; and that the F-35 is not affordable or sustainable. A recent briefing by Australian Defence officials, while showing support for the F-35 program, admitted that it will cost more to operate than the F-18 Hornet. A separate U.S. Navy study also agreed. This is counter to the claim by Lockheed Martin, that the F-35 will be cheaper to operate than existing aircraft it is planned to replace. In 2012, Australian Defence will decide to put down money for its first order of F-35s or to go ahead with a “plan-B” that could include purchase of 24 more F-18 Super Hornets made by Boeing. The Super Hornet is also unable to take on high-end threats in the Pacific Rim region in the coming years.

U.S. officials doubted size and utility
of future Canadian F-35 fleet

Posted on Thu, Sep 1, 2011, 5:06 pm by Colin Horgan

In late 2004, U.S. embassy officials speculated that Canada may only be able to purchase “at most” 50-55 F-35 fighters, and that Canada’s final purchase might be “perhaps as low as 40”, according to a leaked embassy cable.

“Even with the increased reliability of the [Joint Strike Fighter] when one factors out all the training and support aircraft, Canada could very easily be in a position of only having 24 fighters operationally available even after making a transition from CF-18 to JSF towards 2020,” the document adds.

• F-35 cleared to fly again
• F-35 under budget scrutiny in U.S.

At the time, Canada was looking to possibly purchase 80 new jets. That number was revised and last year Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced Canada will look to purchase 65 F-35 fighters. The government also hoped to have the planes delivered by 2016, but recent setbacks in the program have led to delays, and now the operational capability date for Canada’s F-35s will be closer to 2020.

The cable sites a source who noted that Auditor General Sheila Fraser’s November 2004 report on upgrading Canada’s CF-18 fleet.

“While finding mondernization to be a good idea, [the report] questioned whether 80 aircraft was a sufficient number to modernize given the context of increased NORAD missions in the post-9/11 environment,” the cable reads.

It then outlines concerns about the specific numbers.

“One major concer is that 17 of the 80 aircraft will be set aside for training; 17 aircraft will be in phase/depot repair; two aircraft are dedicated to the aerospace engineering test establishment (AETE); and one will be dedicated to maintenance training,” the cable states. “Coupled with normal attrition of one to two aircraft per year over a decade, Canada could be looking at less than 20 operational fighters available on any given day in the 2015-2020 timeframe.”

The cable is one of thousands of documents leaked by Wikileaks this week.

Here is the cable:

“23724″,”12/7/2004 18:26″,”04OTTAWA3285″,”Embassy Ottawa”,”CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN”,”",”This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.”,”C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 003285SIPDIS

CONFIDENTIAL NOFORN

SIPDIS

SERIAL: (U) IIR 6 815 0017 05.

COUNTRY: (U) CANADA (CA).

IPSP: (U) IFC1330; IFC1322; IFC1312; IFC1350; IFC1912; IFC1517; IFC151
2; IFC1343; IFC1344.

TAGS: DOD, Canadian Military
SUBJECT: IIR 6 815 0017 05/CANADIAN AIR FORCE F/A-18
MODERNIZATION MOVES AHEAD AMID FLEET LIFE CONCERNS (U)

WARNING: (U) THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY
EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE. REPORT IS CLASSIFIED C O N F I D E N
T I A L/NOFORN.

——————————————— ————
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
——————————————— ————

DOI: (U) 20041123.

REQS: (U) DHCD127055; DHCD127051; DHCD204008; DHCD127041;
DHCD127046; DHCD204011; A-TRI-1343-020-04; A-TRI-1342-044-04.

SOURCE: A. (C/NF) //6 815 0199//SENIOR HOST NATION MILITARY
OFFICER WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION REPORTED.
PREVIOUS REPORTING HAS BEEN RELIABLE.

B. (C/NF) //6 815 0357// SENIOR HOST NATION MILITARY OFFICER
WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION REPORTED. PREVIOUS
REPORTING HAS BEEN RELIABLE.

C. (C/NF) //6 815 0362// SENIOR HOST NATION MILITARY OFFICER
WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION REPORTED. PREVIOUS
REPORTING HAS BEEN RELIABLE.

D. (U) DAILY NEWSPAPER, TORONTO STAR, TORONTO, ONTARIO,
CANADA, 20041124 (U), IN ENGLISH. WIDELY READ AND FACTUAL
NEWSPAPER WITH LIBERAL VIEWS.

SUMMARY: (U) SECOND PHASE OF THE CANADIAN F/A-18
MODERNIZATION PROGRAM FUNDED. F/A-18 FATIGUE LIFE
MICRO-MANAGED TO STRETCH FLEET UNTIL 2017-2020. MANY DOUBT
CANADA HAS ENOUGH FIGHTERS.

TEXT: 1. (U) IN OCTOBER 2004, THE TREASURY BOARD OF CANADA
APPROVED THE SECOND PHASE OF A CDN$2.6 BILLION PROGRAM TO
RETROFIT CANADA\’S AGEING 1980\’S F/A-18A/B AIRCRAFT. OF THE
ORIGINAL 138 AIRCRAFT ONLY 80 WILL BE FULLY MODERNIZED TO A
STANDARD SIMILAR TO THE F/A-18C/D.

2. (U) THE FIRST TWO PHASES OF THE MODERNIZATION PROJECT
HAVE NOW BEEN FUNDED. MODERNIZATION WILL BE COMPLETE WITH
THE INTEGRATION OF THE ADVANCED SHORT-RANGE AIR-TO-AIR
MISSILE (ASRAAM); ADVANCED MEDIUM RANGE AIR-TO-AIR (AMRAAM);
ALL WEATHER PRECISION-GUIDED MUNITIONS (LIKELY THE JDAM) AND
AN ADVANCED MULTI-ROLE INFRARED SENSOR. THE TWO FULLY FUNDED
PHASES:

A. (U) ECP-583R1 CHANGES. NEW MISSION COMPUTER; APG-73
RADAR; NEW DIGITAL ANTI-JAM RADIOS; COMBINED IFF INTERROGATOR
TRANSPONDER; NEW STORES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM; NEW COLOR
DISPLAYS; GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS); AND NIGHT VISION
GOGGLES.

B. (U) ECP-583R2 CHANGES. LINK-16 DATALINK; DEFENSIVE
ELECTRONIC WARFARE SUITE; JOINT HELMET-MOUNTED CUEING SYSTEM;
AND FLIGHT DATA RECORDER.

3. (C) EVEN WITH THE MODERNIZATION PROCESS STILL UNDERWAY,
CONCERNS HAVE ARISEN ON FLEET AVAILABILITY AND ESTIMATED LIFE
EXPECTANCY(ELE). OF THE EIGHTY MODERNIZED AIRCRAFT, ONLY
HALF WILL RECEIVE CENTER BARREL FUSELAGE REPLACEMENTS GIVING
THEM A SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED ELE. BECAUSE OF COSTS, OF THE
80 MODERNIZED AIRCRAFT ONLY 48 WILL ASSIGNED TO FOUR
OPERATIONAL SQUADRONS (TWO AT CFB COLD LAKE, ALBERTA AND TWO
AT CFB BAGOTVILLE, QUEBEC). GIVEN EVEN OPTIMISTIC READINESS
RATES OF 70 PERCENT AND NO OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENTS, THIS MEANS
THAT CANADA WILL ONLY HAVE A MAXIMUM OF 34 F/A-18 AIRCRAFT
AVAILABLE ON ANY GIVEN DAY. ACCORDING TO SOURCE A, 34
AIRCRAFT HAS BEEN RATIONALIZED AS A NUMBER WHICH COULD
SUPPORT FOUR 24/7 POINT DEFENSE PATROLS (CAPS) – AT EIGHT
AIRCRAFT REQUIRED PER 24/7 CAP – TO DEFEND FOUR POPULATION
CENTERS OR FOR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION. ACCORDING
TO SOURCE B, IF CUED AND PRE-POSITIONED AT A HIGH STATE OF
READINESS, THE CANADIAN AIR FORCE COULD COVER VANCOUVER,
EDMONTON/CALGARY, OTTA
WA/MONTREAL, AND TORONTO. THIS WOULD LEAVE ALMOST NO
CAPABILITY TO PROVIDE ALERT AIRCRAFT FOR WINNIPEG, HALIFAX,
OR QUEBEC CITY.

4. (C/NF) ACCORDING TO SOURCE D, CANADIAN AUDITOR-GENERAL
SHEILA ((FRASER)), WHILE FINDING THE MODERNIZATION TO BE A
GOOD IDEA, QUESTIONED WHETHER 80 AIRCRAFT WAS A SUFFICIENT
NUMBER TO MODERNIZE GIVEN THE CONTEXT OF INCREASED NORAD
MISSIONS IN THE POST-9/11 ENVIRONMENT. ONE MAJOR CONCERN IS
THAT 17 OF THE 80 AIRCRAFT WILL BE SET ASIDE FOR TRAINING; 17
AIRCRAFT WILL BE IN PHASE/DEPOT REPAIR; TWO AIRCRAFT ARE
DEDICATED TO THE AEROSPACE ENGINEERING TEST ESTABLISHMENT
(AETE); AND ONE WILL BE DEDICATED TO MAINTENANCE TRAINING.
COUPLED WITH NORMAL ATTRITION OF ONE TO TWO AIRCRAFT PER YEAR
OVER A DECADE, CANADA COULD BE LOOKING AT LESS THAN 20
OPERATIONAL FIGHTERS AVAILABLE ON ANY GIVEN DAY IN THE
2015-2020 TIMEFRAME.

5. (C) CANADA IS A LEVEL ONE PARTICIPANT IN THE JOINT STRIKE
FIGHTER (JSF) PROGRAM, BUT DELAYS IN THAT PROGRAM MAKE
CANADA\’S DESIRE TO REPLACE THE CF-18S IN 2015-2018 SEEN VERY
OPTIMISITC AND NO ONE SEES CANADA COMMITTING TO JSF UNTIL AT
LEAST 2012. INTERNAL AIR FORCE DOCUMENTS CALL FOR A NEW
GENERATION FIGHTER CAPABILITY (NGFC) STUDY TO BEGIN IN 2008,
ALLOWING SELECTION OF A REPLACEMENT FIGHTER BY 2011, AND
PLACING A CONTRACT BY 2012 FOR 2015 DELIVERIES. STATED
COMPETITORS AT THIS POINT ARE THE F/A-22 RAPTOR AND THE F-35
JSF (FIELD COMMENT: PURCHASING THE RAPTOR IS A PIPE DREAM
FOR THE CANADIAN AIR FORCE AS THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO
AFFORD ONE SQUADRON. INSIDERS BELIEVE EVEN THE POTENTIAL JSF
BUY WOULD BE AT MOST 50-55 AICRAFT AND PERHAPS AS LOW AS 40.
EVEN WITH THE INCREASED RELIABILITY OF THE JSF, WHEN ONE
FACTORS OUT ALL THE TRAINING AND SUPPORT AIRCRAFT, CANADA
COULD VERY EASILY BE IN A POSITION OF ONLY HAVING 24 FIGHTERS
OPERATIONALLY AVAILABLE EVEN AFTER MAKING A TRANSITION FROM
CF-18 TO JSF TOWARD
S 2020.

COMMENTS: 1. (C/NF) FIELD COMMENTS. GETTING THE FUNDING FOR
PHASE 2 OF THE MODERNIZATION WAS A MONTH-LONG ODYSSEY AND
PROGRAM MANAGERS WERE SKITTISH ABOUT GETTING THE DEAL
APPROVED RIGHT UP UNTIL THE TREASURY BOARD BRIEFING.

2. (C/NF) WHEN THE CF-18 ENTERED SERVICE, THERE WERE 96
OPERATIONAL AIRCRAFT FROM WITHIN A TOTAL FLEET SIZE OF 138.
THE 1994 WHITE PAPER GAVE DIRECTION TO REDUCE THE CF-18 FLEET
SIZE TO BETWEEN 48 AND 60 OPERATIONAL FIGHTERS. BUDGET 95,
THE NEXT SPRING, CONFIRMED 60 TO BE THE MINIMUM NUMBER. WHITE
PAPER DIRECTION TO REDUCE FIGHTER OPERATING COSTS BY 25
PERCENT WERE MET. IN 1997, THE SYNOPSIS SHEET IDENTIFICATION
(SS(ID)) FOR CF-18 MODERNIZATION CALLED FOR THE MODERNIZATION
OF UP TO 100 CF-18S (60 IDENTIFIED AS \’OPERATIONAL\’
AIRCRAFT). IN JUNE 2000, DND ISSUED DIRECTION TO REDUCE THE
SCOPE OF MODERNIZATION PLANS TO 80 AIRCRAFT, BASED MUCH MORE
UPON BUDGETARY REASONS THAN OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

3. (C/NF) THE AUDITOR-GENERAL WILL LIKELY FORCE THE
GOVERNMENT TO GO BACK AND REVIEW WHETHER 80 FIGHTERS IS
ENOUGH FOR CANADA. THEY ARE LIKELY TO DETERMINE IT IS NOT,
BUT LEAVE IT AS AN UNFUNDED REQUIREMENT OR PERHAPS EXTEND THE
MODERNIZATION TO ANOTHER 4-6 AIRCRAFT.

4. (C/NF) FLYING HOURS FOR CF-18 PILOTS HAVE BEEN IN STEADY
DECLINE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS FALLING FROM 240-270 HOURS IN
THE 1980S TO AN AVERAGE OF 182 HOURS IN CY2003. NUMBER OF
PILOTS HAS DROPPED FROM 92 TO 68 AND THE AIR FORCE IS HAVING
TROUBLE RECRUITING EVEN VERY SMALL NUMBERS TO TRAIN EACH
YEAR. THE YEARLY F/A-18 FLYING PROGRAM HAS DROPPED FROM
28,045 HOURS IN FY93/94 TO LESS THAN 17,000 HOURS FOR
FY03/04. LESS FLYING MEANS LOWER PILOT MORALE; LACK OF SPARE
PARTS AND MAINTENANCE SUPERVISORS QUALIFIED FOR INSPECTIONS
INCREASES PERSTEMPO; AND NEW TRAINING ON THE MODERNIZED
AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS ALL STRESS THE CANADIAN AIR FORCE FIGHTER
FORCE.

5. (U) SOURCES REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER EXPLOITATION.

6. (C/NF) THIS REPORTING SUPPORTS PRIORITY 2, PARAGRAPH 2A,
AND PRIORITY 3, PARAGRAPHS 1A, 1B AND 1D OF THE DAO OTTAWA
OPERATING DIRECTIVE.

7. (U) DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS IIR TO DHO-1 AT
STU III (703) 907-0541, OR GRAY 981-8236.
COLL: (U) AB; AC; AD; AH; AI.
INSTR: (U) US NO.
PREP: (U) 6-03048.
ACQ: (U) CANADA, OTTAWA (20041126).
DISSEM: (U) FIELD: AMEMB OTTAWA.
WARNING: (U) REPORT CLASSIFIED

© 2011 iPolitics Inc.

Grounding Ends for Remaining U.S. F-35s

By DAVE MAJUMDAR
Published: 25 Aug 2011 18:49

The production version of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet has been cleared to fly, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

AN AIR FORCE F-35 Lightning II soars over Destin, Fla., in July before landing at its new home at Eglin Air Force Base. The production version of the Joint Strike Fighter has been cleared to fly. (Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago / Air Force)

The entire Joint Strike Fighter fleet was grounded by the F-35 program office on Aug. 2 after one jetsuffered a malfunctionof a control valve in its Honeywell-built integrated power package.

RELATED TOPICS

• Americas
• Air Warfare

The 12 instrumented test aircraft werecleared to fly by the F-35 program office on Aug. 18. Now the half-dozen or so production jets can take to the air.

"Late yesterday [Aug. 24], F-35 production jets were authorized to fly again," Lockheed spokesman Mike Rein said. "They are now flying the same profiles they were prior to the precautionary suspension of operations. This includes acceptance flights at Fort Worth, [Texas], and ferry flights to Eglin."

Two production aircraft have already been delivered to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., where the U.S. Air Force's first training squadron is standing up. The stealth fighter is assembled at a Lockheed plant in Fort Worth.

Recent pic

Two fleets of Air Force's most advanced fighter aircraft are grounded

3:16 PM, Aug. 16, 2011  |  

The fleets of the Air Force’s two most advanced jet fighters are grounded due to mechanical problems.
The F-22 Raptor fleet has been grounded since May 3 for problems with its onboard oxygen generation system. The system is suspected as the cause of a fatal F-22 crash that occurred last year near Anchorage, Alaska.

During other F-22 incidents, pilots experienced hypoxia, a lack of oxygen, while performing maneuvers at high altitude.

Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City is the F-22 training base.

On Aug. 2, the Air Force grounded its fleet of 20 F-35 Lightning II fighters due to a major problem with the aircraft’s integrated power package – a combined engine starter, environmental control unit and back-up power generator.

A valve in the unit malfunctioned during a ground test, causing what an F-35 program official described as an “explosive event.”

The F-35 is a multirole fighter and attack aircraft that will be used by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as several foreign militaries.

Eglin will be a primary training center for F-35 flight crew and maintenance personnel. The base received its first two F-35 aircraft in July.

The F-35 and F-22 are both manufactured by Lockheed Martin.


Pensacola Times


(and we are depending on the F-35 to protect Canada.....!!)


Update as of August 21...

F-35 still grounded

The test fleet of F-35 Lightning II aircraft was cleared to fly Thursday, but production aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base remained grounded.
The Air Force grounded its fleet of 20 F-35 fighters on Aug. 2 due to a major problem with the aircraft's integrated power package.
The unit malfunctioned during a ground run with a test aircraft, causing what a F-35 program official called an "explosive event."
The complex package combines the aircraft's engine starter, environmental control unit and back-up power generator into a single unit.
An engineering team determined that flight test operations could resume with test aircraft after reviewing data from ground and flight tests.
The fleet of production aircraft, which lack sophisticated flight test instrumentation, will remain grounded until an investigation into the failure is completed and required corrective actions are taken, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

Some Hobbled Stealth Fighters Cleared to Fly

• By Noah Shachtman
• 
• August 19, 2011 |
• 10:53 am |

The problems are far from fixed. But at least some of the U.S. stealth fighters are now allowed to start flying again. The rest are grounded until God knows when.

The U.S. military cleared 20 Joint Strike Fighters to resume flight testing on Thursday, after spending the last two-and-a-half weeks on the tarmac. On August 2, a valve malfunctioned on one plane’s Integrated Power Package; the flaw was deemed serious enough that the entire F-35 fleet was forbidden to fly.

The issue hasn’t been resolved, nor is anyone quite sure how to make things right. “An Air Force Safety Investigation Board continues to review the circumstances that led to the failure,” the F-35 Joint Program Office noted in a statement (.pdf). For now, the military will “monitor” the valve during flights, until someone comes up with a “permanent resolution.”

They better come up with something soon. The JSF is the most expensive, most important weapons program in the Pentagon, projected to eventually make up more than 90 percent of America’s air combat power. The JSF’s Integrated Power Package is “the heart of the power and thermal management system” and “one of the few innovations… that distinguish the F-35 as a technological trailblazer,” according to ace aviation reporter Stephen Trimble.

“Its roughly 200hp gas turbine engine sends power to the starter/generator, which powers on the F-35’s engine, which, in turn, powers up the generator. The IPP then manages the air-cycle cooling system, plus acts an emergency power supply in case both starter/generators happen to fail,” he adds. In other words, the thing has to work in order for the jet to fly safely.

Even more serious is the problem facing the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, which is supposed to be the world’s most advanced dogfighter. The system that’s meant to supply pilots with oxygen is instead pumping their lungs with anti-freeze vapors and other toxins. “Pilots flying the F-22 have reported in-flight, physiological events at a rate three times higher than crews from other similar aircraft,” the Air Force noted. Some observers suspect that the oxygen system was responsible for the fatal crash of an F-22 last year.

In January, the Air Force put strict limitations on how high the planes could fly — capping it at 25,000 feet. That’s seven and a half miles below what’s thought to be the F-22’s ceiling. In May, all 165 of the stealth jets were grounded, and haven’t returned to flight since. The shutdown has gone on so long, some Raptor pilots are starting to run the risk of being disqualified from flying their assigned planes.

It’s unclear when the Raptors will be able to fly again. In the meantime, the Air Force has convened its Scientific Advisory Board to look into the problem; the panel’s final report is “projected for later this fall,” according to a military statement.

“The zero-risk solution is not to fly, and that’s not a long-term option; it’s an inherently dangerous business to fly and fight wars,” SAB executive director Lt. Col. Matthew Zuber notes.

Of course, the $411 million Raptor doesn’t fight any wars. America’s premiere aerial attack plane was kept out of conflicts from Iraq to Afghanistan to Libya. And that was back when it was deemed airworthy.