July 20/22: Netherlands Lockheed Martin won a $224.9 million contract modification, which increases the ceiling to procure long lead-time materials, parts, components, and effort for the production of three Lot 15 F-35A aircraft and nine Lot 16 F-35 aircraft for the government of the Netherlands. November 16/18: LRIP 12 The US Department of Defense is ordering a new batch of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from Lockheed Martin. December 15/16: Communication data links on all three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have been tested by the USAF. March 16/16: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program will test the new Generation III Helmet-Mounted Display System this month, as it aims to counter problems with the jets ongoing ejection seat issues. F Lockheed Martin has graduated the 2,000th pilot through the F-35 training system. The deal also provides special security studies, program protection cybersecurity and security control assessments as well as and engineering services support. A July 2012 vote left only the center-right VVD and Christian Democrats supporting an F-35 buy, and after the elections, a coalition with the opposition PvdA Labour party changed the process for reaching that 2015 decision. If Canadas new Liberal government decides to pull out from the F-35 program, the per-unit cost across the international program could rise by $1 million, according to the head of the Joint Strike Fighters program office. The clearance comes as Brussels is in the midst of selecting a new aircraft to replace its 59 F-16A/B fighterswith the F-35 facing up against the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoonand if the F-35 is selected (as many think is likely), Belgium will become the fourth FMS customer for the F-35 (outside of the original development partners) following South Korea in 2014. Work will be performed in East Hartford, CT (54%); Indianapolis, IN (31%); and Bristol, United Kingdom (15%), and is expected to be complete in December 2013 (N00019-12-C-0090). Australia was set to buy 2 F-35As for IOT&E preparation under LRIP Lot 6. Work will be performed at multiple locations, including Orlando, Florida and Redondo Beach California, and is scheduled for completion by February 2023. As the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft in the world, the F-35 strengthens national security, enhances global partnerships and powers economic growth. September 27/21: Gun System Lockheed Martin won a $14.8 million contract modification, which is adding scope to provide depot level repair capabilities for the F-35 gun system in support of F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production Lot 11 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Canada has yet to set the terms for the replacement competition, but Lockheed may just have a second chance in 2016. This includes a lighter helmet to ease strain on the neck during the first phase of an ejection, a lightweight switch on the seat to delay deployment of the main parachute, and a fabric panel sewn between the parachute risers that will protect the pilots head from moving backward during the parachute opening, called a head support panel or HSP. During the test, an unmodified Marine Corps F-35B acted as an elevated sensor and detected an over-the-horizon threat. January 20/16: The F-35 program will face one of its first live test challenges when a combat-coded F-35A will release an inert, laser-guided bomb at the Utah Test and Training Range between February and March. This is being mitigated in the FY 17/18 plan through the accelerated adoption of the new Processes, increased communication and engagement, and focussed benefit realisation activities. April 26/17: Two US F-35As have landed in Estonia for the first time, in what is being described as a show of NATO solidarity and reinforcement of US commitments to protecting NATO members along Russias borders. The aim is to deliver a successful UK Carrier Strike capability by the end of 2020 followed by enabling the broader CEPP capabilities. The update builds on a deal inked in 2020 for 12 F-35Bs to be delivered by the end of the decade for the Singapore Air Force (RSAF). June 22/22: Canada Canadian government documents have disclosed that Lockheed Martin is required to deliver nine F-35s to Canada by December 1, 2027. AOL Defence | AFP | Reuters | Eurasia Review. The USAF said that the latest contracts will help drive down costs of the program which makes it affordable for customers. November 27/18: GCAS testing The US Air Forces 461st Flight Test Squadron is currently testing an Auto GCAS system on F-35 JSFs. Additionally, this modification adds scope to procure F-35 Lightning II initial spares for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers, and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Test time required to qualify new equipment is going to be a very secondary priority until 2018-2019, and even the few customers buying their own Initial Operational Testing & Evaluation (IOT&E) fighters are going to need them for their assigned training roles. The deal will include non-recurring engineering work. April 17/23: Material Modification Kits Lockheed Martin on a $172 million modification, which definitizes the order and adds scope to provide special test/tooling equipment for increasing Block 4 manufacturing capacity, as well as procures material modification kits in support of removing life limits, correcting deficiencies, and retrofitting aircraft to incorporate Next Gen Distributed Aperture System hardware and associated Power and Thermal Management System modifications efforts. Further details of the deals have yet to be realized, but sources close to the deal revealed that the production of the engines alongside engineering support, spare parts and program management, would be worth more than $3 billion to Pratt, a unit of United Technologies Corporation. Exempted under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Commercial Interests), Due to the realisation of a training risk the SRO has taken the opportunity to delay the projected FOC 1 date and synchronise a number of Programme outcomes. Work will take place in Florida and Texas. The precise tolerances required for a stealthy fighter, however, are much more exacting than even high-end autos. For the RNLAF, Defense Aerospace cites Dutch Parliamentary documents which size their operational F-16 fleet at just 24 / 68 planes, due to maintenance issues and lack of spare parts. Work will be performed at Lockheeds facility in Fort Worth, Texas and is expected to be completed by January 2021. That has sometimes created a strained relationship between the government and participating firms. The drop marks a 3% decrease on the expected costs declared a year ago. The council ruled that the development of Romanias air defense was necessary to deter possible aggression, with the help of both air and anti-missile defense capabilities and long-range precision fire and strike capabilities. The USAF removed guns from some of its planes back in the 1960s, and didnt enjoy the resulting experiences in Vietnam.
uk f 35 delivery schedule
