Ultra Expensive Pariah F-35 caused Lockheed Martin heads rolled

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https://www.rt.com/business/320487-f35-lockheed-martin-pentagon-us/

Heads roll at Lockheed Martin over troubled F-35 program
Published time: 2 Nov, 2015 12:07
Edited time: 2 Nov, 2015 12:26
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An F-35B joint strike fighter jet conducts aerial maneuvers during aerial refueling training over the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 13, 2015. © United States Marine Corps
An F-35B joint strike fighter jet conducts aerial maneuvers during aerial refueling training over the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 13, 2015. © United States Marine Corps / Flickr
Problems with the most expensive weapons project in Pentagon history, the $400 billion and counting F-35 jet have forced a reshuffle at Lockheed Martin.

The US aircraft designer named Jeff Babione the new executive vice president and general manager of the F-35 Program, succeeding Lorraine Martin.

“Jeff is a seasoned leader who is uniquely qualified to lead the F-35 team through this critical phase of the program,” said Orlando Carvalho, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics executive VP in a statement. “He brings a deep understanding of the F-35 program, strong customer relationships and a collaborative leadership style that will ensure we continue the positive momentum of the program.”

Head-spinning plane: #F35 jet’s ejection seat could snap pilot’s neck http://t.co/xBqWtLzOPMpic.twitter.com/nOr04uk2a9
— RT (@RT_com) October 6, 2015

Despite vast spending that has made the F-35 jet the most expensive piece of military hardware ever created, the program seems to have had several setbacks.

“The stealth fighter lacks the sensors, weapons and speed that allow a warplane to reliably detect and shoot down other planes in combat. Especially when those planes are shooting back,” said a review from military website War is Boring.

“The F-35 can see great. It just can’t see all that great in the air. At least not compared to modern Chinese- and Russian-made jets — the planes the F-35 is most likely to face in battle in some future war,” it added.

F-35 outperformed by foreign fighters in many areas – report http://t.co/B27KWCq6jCpic.twitter.com/ziA4z2h7zm
— RT (@RT_com) August 15, 2015

According to the US Department of Defense, the program’s office wasn’t accurately recording the jet’s problems.

“Not all failures are counted in the calculation of mean flight hours between reliability events, but all flight hours are counted, and hence component and aircraft reliability are reported higher than if all of the failures were counted,” the Fiscal Times quoted the report.

The F-35 is a US fifth generation multirole combat aircraft designed to perform ground attack, aerial reconnaissance, and air defense missions. The program was launched in 2006 but has experienced a number of cost overruns and developmental delays due to concerns over performance and safety.

 

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http://www.courant.com/business/hc-ctm-f35-pratt-whitney-1023-20151022-story.html


Pentagon's Chief Of F-35 Program Says Engine Problem Fixed
Lockheed Martin's F35 Joint Strike Fighter

The U.S. Marine Corps version of Lockheed Martin's F35 Joint Strike Fighter, F-35B test aircraft BF-2 flies with external weapons for the first time over the Atlantic test range at Patuxent River Naval Air Systems Command in Maryland in a February 22, 2012 file photo.
ANA [email protected]
Air Force general says Pratt & Whitney has solved problems with engines for F-35 fighters

WASHINGTON, D.C.— An Air Force general said problems with the Pratt & Whitney engine on the F-35 advanced fighter have been fixed, and all of the planes will have newly engineered engines by June.

"We are producing fully capable engines on the production line," said Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan, head of the Pentagon's F-35 Joint Program Office.

An engine fire last year temporarily grounded the F-35 fleet. At a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday, Bogdan said 61 F-35s have been "retrofitted" to eliminate the problem that caused the fire, and new airplanes have retooled engines.

Bogdan said the problem stemmed from the belief that Pratt's F-135 engine would perform in the F-35 as it would in other aircraft.

"Some assumed the engine would react as if it were in another airplane," Bogdan said. "We are not going to make that mistake again. Pratt & Whitney has learned that lesson."
Federal Auditors Rate Reliability Of F-35 Engine 'Very Poor'
Federal Auditors Rate Reliability Of F-35 Engine 'Very Poor'

To Bogdan, the engine problem "was unfortunate, but we are putting it behind us."

But problems remain in the controversial F-35 program, which has been plagued by malfunctions, cost overruns and delays.

The latest problem was discussed at the hearing: It was discovered that pilots who weigh less than 136 pounds might not eject properly from the plane in an emergency.

Bogdan said all pilots who weigh less than 136 pounds have been barred from flying an F-35 until the problem with the ejection seat is fixed.

The Pentagon planned to spend $391.1 billion for a fleet of 2,443 planes from prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. and Pratt & Whitney, the sole producer of the F-35's engine. But some lawmakers say the number of planes purchased by the Pentagon may have to be scaled back because of budget constraints.
Marines Certify Pratt Engine-Powered F-35 As Having Operational Capability
Marines Certify Pratt Engine-Powered F-35 As Having Operational Capability

The plane got a boost over the summer when the Marine Corps declared that its version of the advanced fighter jet, the F-35B, which can land vertically like a helicopter, is ready for combat.

A recent test by the Navy off an aircraft carrier also went well.

But another report determined the F-35 is not as maneuverable as the plane it is intended to replace, the F-16.

Skeptical lawmakers asked Bogdan if development of the F-35 will ever go as intended.

"A lot of mistakes have been made and there's been a lot of money wasted," said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. "Should we be devoting resources to the next generation of fighter instead."

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., said the rollout of the F-35 program "has been a painful process, and that's a nice word for it."

Ana Radelat is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror. (www.ctmirror.org). Copyright 2015 ©The Connecticut Mirror.

 

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http://nationalinterest.org/blog/th...n-appoints-new-leader-f-35-joint-strike-14208

Lockheed Martin Appoints New Leader to F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Project
Dave Majumdar

October 29, 2015
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Lockheed Martin is appointing former F-22 Raptor program chief Jeff Babione to lead the $400 billion tri-service F-35 Joint Strike Fighter effort the company announced today.

“For the past three-years Jeff Babione has served as Lorraine's deputy. He has the skills and leadership necessary to continue the advancements we’re making in the F-35 program,” said Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, the Pentagon’s F-35 Program Executive Officer. “Our team looks forward to working with Jeff and his new deputy, Fred Ross, in their new roles.”

Babione is a seasoned engineer who previously worked on the Raptor program for most of its development during his twenty-three year career with Lockheed. He also oversaw the shutdown of the F-22 production line in 2012 before his eventual transfer to the F-35 program.

“Jeff is a seasoned leader who is uniquely qualified to lead the F-35 team through this critical phase of the program,” said Orlando Carvalho, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

Current Lockheed F-35 chief Lorraine Martin is leaving the program Jan. 1, for another position within Lockheed Martin of greater responsibility. Martin has been appointed to be the new deputy executive vice president for company’s Mission Systems and Training (MST) division. “I congratulate Lorraine on her new position. Since 2013, we worked together on the F-35 program to deliver a world-class weapons system to the warfighter and improve Government and contractor relations,” Bogdan stated. “I know she'll continue to succeed in her new position.”

The leadership shake-up comes as the F-35 team focuses on completing the jet’s on-going system development and demonstration effort while ramping up production. The program also has to support the U.S. Air Force in Initial Operational Capability date in 2016.

Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for The National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @davemajumdar.

Image: Creative Commons.

 

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http://seekingalpha.com/news/2855206-latest-fminus-35-problem-the-ejection-seat


Latest F-35 problem? The ejection seat
Oct 26 2015, 08:23 ET | By: Yoel Minkoff, SA News Editor [Contact this editor with comments or a news tip]

A series of recent tests show serious problems with the ejection seat system of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, The Washington Post reports.

The force of the ejection seat is so great that it can force a pilot's head to suddenly snap forward or back, causing injury.

Lighter-weight pilots, those weighing less than 136 pounds, are now prohibited from flying the aircraft, officials said, until the problem is fixed.
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JimB96
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If you see F-35 ejected but pilot dead headless hanging from parachute, his head already hard-landed elsewhere. hahahahaha!