F-35 Improvement Mod

[Stella Kreuter]

TheF-35 program has made slow, sustained progress in improving the aircraft's reliability and maintainability (R&M). The F-35 aircraft (see figure) are assessed against eight R&M metrics, which indicate how much time the aircraft will be in maintenance rather than operations. Half of these metrics are not meeting targets. While the Department of Defense (DOD) has a plan for improving R&M, its guidance is not in line with GAO's acquisition best practices or federal internal control standards as it does not include specific, measurable objectives, align improvement projects to meet those objectives, and prioritize funding. If the R&M requirements are not met, the warfighter may have to settle for a less reliable and more costly aircraft than originally envisioned.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 included a provision for GAO to review the F-35 acquisition program until it reaches full-rate production. This is GAO's fourth report under this provision. This report assesses, among other objectives, (1) the program's progress in meeting R&M requirements (such as mission reliability) and (2) its plans for spending on new capabilities. GAO reviewed and analyzed management reports and historical test data; discussed key aspects of F-35 development with program management and contractor officials; and compared acquisition plans to DOD policies and GAO acquisition best practices.

GAO is making five recommendations to DOD, including that it identify specific and measurable R&M improvement objectives, align improvement projects, and prioritize resources to meet them. In addition, DOD should complete its business case for modernization before beginning additional development efforts. DOD did not concur with this recommendation, but did concur with the R&M recommendations and plans to take action to address them.

The F-35 is still classified so its performance is only going to be an approximation, at best. Although IFT make nice aircraft and the F-35 flies well and with the STOVL characteristics of the F-35B it is certainly different to fly compared to anything else in MSFS.

The F-35 does not fly well at all, but I have not tried the latest release. The F-35 does not hold trim, and it should be fly-by-wire. Other jets have fbw behaviour in this sim, so they are behind in their development. The F-15 handles very nicely. The problem with the DCdesigns models is their sounds are unpleasant. There are high pitched tones in all their models that are unbearable to me. YMMV.

Thank you. How fast do they update the F-35? The MB-339 i own from them has had RPM surge issues for many months now and still is not updated, that does sound worrysome when you mention that FBW needing an update.

That being said, they do have regular posts on their progress with their projects or any roadmap for their improvement. And their posts are more frequent than the actual updates. But they let you know in terms of where they are and any challenges/progress that they have made.

No i litteraly mean it looks poor. I love older jets, the F-14 specially which is why this one does not do it gor me (yet)

Four big ones for me are the horrible AB effect, the B/D nozzles look hella strange, the canopy has a much to prominent dent in the middle, and the current textures give it a plastic look.

Also not a fan of how they mashed the cockpit and how the textures look in the cockpit.

Thanks. Have looked at that one too but it is both a good chunk more and while a cool little jet that arguably is made to a different standard then most jets, it is fairly similar to the MB-339 that i already own.

I do like that it has an actual Garmin build in though.

Pratt plans to complete preliminary design work on the Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for the F135 by the end of December and the preliminary design review before February, a company spokesman said on Nov. 28.

Meanwhile, new acquisitions documents released by the Joint Program Office show the next phase of development will be awarded by the end of March. The contract for technology maturation and risk reduction for critical ECU components should be signed by the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2024, which ends in March. Full engineering and manufacturing development will follow, with the program expected to be complete by the end of December 2031, according to the documents.

Pratt will receive a series of sole-source contracts to continue ECU development over the next eight years, the documents show. Meanwhile, the first ECU version of the F135 should become operational in 2029.

U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall championed the engine replacement option for the F-35A after he was confirmed in August 2021. But the Defense Department decided instead last year to upgrade the existing engine for the F-35, arguing that the lower costs outweighed the increased performance offered by the A100 and A101.

Both adaptive turbofan options promised to improve thrust, fuel efficiency and power and thermal management capacity compared to the ECU version of the F135. The new acquisition documents omit horizontal thrust and fuel efficiency improvements as goals for the ECU program.

Finally, the ECU program is expected to improve the vertical lift capabilities of the F-35B, the documents say. Such an upgrade would deliver more thrust to the lift fan and roll posts of the short takeoff and vertical landing version of the F-35.

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, flies off the wing of a F-15C Eagle assigned to the 173rd Fighter Wing, May 17, 2023 in the skies above Southern Oregon. The 173rd FW based out of Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon has been selected as the Air Force's preferred location for the next F-35A Lighting II Formal Training Unit, and will begin transition to the new aircraft once the environmental impact analysis is complete. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Penny Snoozy)

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to Luke Air Force Base flies over the skies of Southern Oregon, May 17, 2023 on a mission with the 173rd Fighter Wing assigned to Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The 173rd Fighter Wing was selected as the Air Force's preferred location to host a F-35A Lightning II formal training unit; the wing will begin converting form the F-15C Eagle to the F-35A following the completion of the environmental impact analysis. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Penny Snoozy)

The high, fluctuating trill of a bald eagle pierces the quiet calm of a crisp morning in Klamath Falls. After several notes, its cry is replaced with the roar of another Eagle, the F-15C, ripping through the blue sky at supersonic speed.

It is a scene at once familiar and short-lived for residents of the Klamath Basin, where bald eagles will soon most likely share the skies not with Eagles, but with F-35As, according to 173rd Fighter Wing Commander, Colonel Lee Bouma.

For as long as humans have called the region home, organic eagles have been the guardians of the sky, keeping watch over the high deserts, marshes, grasslands and forests of the region. For the past 25 years, steel Eagles have shared the same skies, but that changes soon.

Kingsley Field began operations in 1942, received its current name in 1956, and at different times operated as a Naval Air Station and Active Duty Air Force Base. In 1983, it became the Air National Guard training base that is has remained ever since.

After 20 years, most Airmen retire. Some last longer, but the fact that the F-15 training mission at Kingsley has lasted longer than a typical Air Force career is a testament to the level of excellence the 173rd Fighter Wing continuously delivers. It is this longevity and emotional connection with so many generations of F-15 pilots, their friends, their families and the community as a whole that will make saying goodbye difficult.

But to maintain air superiority, Kingsley Field (and the Air Force at large) must adapt to the times. Despite what the latest iteration of "Top gun" might suggest, newer aircraft benefit from the continuous improvement that deliver superior capabilities to their predecessors. While the F-15 was considered a fourth-generation aircraft, the F-35 is a fifth-gen fighter, capable of going head-to-head with any enemy of peace or threat to national security in the ever-advancing world.

As of April 2023, the oldest jet in the Kingsley fleet bears Tail No. 78-0492. It entered service in 1978. At 45 years old, it is a decade older than the average Air Force officer who might pilot it (35) and older still than the air crews and other enlisted personnel keeping it operable and combat-ready (29), according to demographic data on the Air Force website.

As jets reach a point where maintenance is untenable, they are slowly divested, which could mean scrapping, sale to an allied military or even repurposing rather than facing the fate of the Ship of Theseus.

A logistical game of hot potato can send individual aircraft hopping from one base to another before finally being retired, and Kingsley will likely give and receive a number of F-15s between now and the touchdown of the last F-15 on a Kingsley tarmac.

The proposed 20 new F-35s that will find a home at Kingsley will represent about 1 percent of the F-35 fleet projected to be in operation by 2040, says Lt. Col. Daniel Parrish, 173rd Fighter Wing Unit Conversion Officer.

With fewer repairs to contend with, an F-35 training program at Kingsley will likely see more flights than the F-15 program, though current training volume with the F-15 beats the Air Force average, Bouma noted in an officer call this spring.

Retraining for Operations and Maintenance is inevitable, but many shops on base will operate largely unchanged. Expect a lot of modernizing and updating facilities and equipment, but to the outside observer, Kingsley Field will look much the same.

While TR3 will provide great capability and performance improvements to the F-35, it will also require extensive testing and analysis for the UOTT to evaluate its suitability, effectiveness, and cyber survivability. Combining the efforts of the three nations will generate a larger pool of aircraft and expertise, allowing closer cooperation in a more conducive security environment. Under the new agreement, weapons testing and mission evaluations can include a combination of US, UK, and Australian aircraft, which mimics the fighting coalition of any future large-scale conflict. This renewed partnership lets us test the way we fight with our allies.

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