In 2007, Defence Production Rao Inderjit Singh had said that there was no offer from the United States for transfer of high technology weaponry including its 5th generation joint Strike Fighter F-35. The same year AK Antony has said that US government has not proposed to provide a fifth generation fighter F-35 aircraft to India. This lays rest to the speculation, which had been rife on the offer of F-35 jets to India after US lost its bid for the IAF’s MMRCA tenders. Both the Lockheed martin F-16 and Boeing F-18 jets were rejected on technical grounds after stringent evaluations. India has also teamed with Russia to build the Fifth Generation fighter Aircraft (FGFA).

The NATO Missile defence programme offer has been rubbished as India is already developing its own Ballistic Missile Defence systems. There is a speculation that the US led NATO had asked for basing a radar on the Indian territory, which could close some gaps in NATO Missile defence Shield with respect to Chinese airspace.

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“Today, the third of our five STOVL test jets joined the F-35 fleet at the Test Center as our flight test program initiates the expansion of the F-35′s flight-sciences envelope,” said Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and general manager of F-35 Program Integration. “Our focus remains on fielding the F-35′s tremendous capabilities to our warfighters, recapitalizing our nation’s aging fighter fleet, and meeting our commitments to the F-35 partner nations.”

The jet, known as BF-3, took off near Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant at 9:51 a.m. CST and arrived at NAS Patuxent River three hours and 10 minutes later. BF-3 joins two other F-35Bs at the Navy test site, and will be used mainly to evaluate vehicle systems and expand the aircraft’s aerodynamic and structural-loads envelope. The airplane will also focus on weapons testing, and will carry and release most of the weapons the F-35B will use in combat. Two more F-35Bs will join the test operation in the near future. The latter airplanes will be the primary test assets for the F-35′s integrated mission systems.

In addition to flight testing, the F-35 Program is using the Autonomic Logistic Information System (ALIS) for maintenance actions, spares tracking and technical data support. ALIS is part of the F-35′s innovative sustainment architecture monitored by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment (ALGS) Operations Center in Fort Worth. The early deployment of the F-35 net-enabled logistics system to be used by all nine partner countries helps ensure the F-35′s smooth transition to operational status, and is a key enabler for lower life cycle costs.

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The jet, known as BF-3, departed the runway near Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant at 4:02 p.m. CST for its first flight. During the one-hour sortie, F-35 Chief Test Pilot Jon Beesley tested the aircraft’s handling qualities, engine functionality, landing gear operation and basic subsystem performance.

BF-3 joins two other F-35Bs and one F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft currently undergoing active flight test. The first CTOL F-35, AA-1, is now preparing for live-fire testing. The F-35 program continues to accelerate the time from flight line arrival to first flight.

BF-3 was built and instrumented to conduct flight sciences test work and will be used primarily to evaluate vehicle systems and expand the aircraft’s aerodynamic and structural-loads envelope. It will deploy later this year to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., where it will carry and release most of the weapons the F-35B will employ in combat.

BF-3 and all other Lightning II aircraft will be supported by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System and monitored by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment Operations Center in Fort Worth. F-35 sustainment is based upon the principles of Performance-Based Logistics, involving extensive partnering agreements between government and industry. The F-35 team has developed an advanced sustainment system capability with designed-in sustainability that will reduce overall life-cycle costs and ensure mission readiness.

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“The F135 engine program accomplishments and this initial production delivery milestone demonstrate we are continuing our legacy of fielding the most advanced military jet engine technology to the benefit of the warfighter,” said Warren Boley, Vice President of F135 engine programs. “The F135 engine has reached a level of maturity after 13,000 hours of successful testing, building on heritage of the proven F119 engine powering the F-22.”

“We are immensely proud of our final product as well as our partnership with the U.S. government, Lockheed Martin and Rolls-Royce,” Boley said. “We are committed to delivering the safest, most powerful, affordable and reliable propulsion system for the F-35.”

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The primary test objectives of this flight were to provide final validation of a new missile control unit, recently upgraded actuator control electronics and a digital engine controller. The upgrades enhance missile performance and eliminate the risk of future component obsolescence.

JASSM is ahead of schedule to meet the new goal of 90 percent reliability by Lot 11. JASSM-Extended Range (ER), the longer range version of JASSM, has a 100 percent success rate. The ER system is 6 for 6 in flight tests.

JASSM continues to be a critical weapon for the U.S. Air Force, with the eighth production lot under contract toward a total objective of 4,900 JASSMs and JASSM-ER. The baseline JASSM is also being produced for foreign military sale. Its ability to be integrated on multiple aircraft has been successfully demonstrated on the B-1, B-2, B-52 and F-16 aircraft. Future platforms include the F-15E, F/A-18 and F-35.

The missile is produced at Lockheed Martin’s award-winning manufacturing facility in Troy, AL. Lockheed Martin has assembled approximately 960 JASSM missiles in Troy since late 1999 for testing and for operational use.

A 2,000-pound class weapon with a penetrator/blast fragmentation warhead, JASSM cruises autonomously in adverse weather, day or night, using a state-of-the-art infrared seeker in addition to the anti-jam GPS to find a specific aimpoint on the target. Its stealthy airframe makes it extremely difficult to defeat.

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“The joint F-35 industry and government team has already shown during extended ground tests that the STOVL propulsion system performs well, and thousands of hours of component testing has validated its durability. Now we are seeing early proof that the system operates in flight as our team predicted,” said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and F-35 program general manager.

The aircraft is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney F135 engine driving a Rolls-Royce LiftFan®. The system, which includes a Rolls-Royce 3-bearing swivel duct that vectors engine thrust and under-wing roll ducts that provide lateral stability, produces more than 41,000 pounds of vertical thrust. The F135 is the most powerful engine ever flown in a fighter aircraft.

During the flight, F-35 Lead STOVL Pilot Graham Tomlinson of BAE Systems engaged the shaft-driven LiftFan propulsion system at 5,000 feet and 210 knots (288 mph), then slowed to 180 knots (207 mph) with the system still engaged, before accelerating to 210 knots and converting back to conventional-flight mode. The STOVL propulsion system was engaged for a total of 14 minutes during the flight. The successful test is the first in a series of planned STOVL-mode flights that will include short takeoffs, hovers and vertical landings. Tomlinson took off at 1:53 p.m. EST, engaged the STOVL propulsion system for a total of 14 minutes and then landed at 2:41 p.m. EST.

STOVL-mode flights will continue, with the aircraft flying progressively slower, hovering, and ultimately landing vertically. Most STOVL-mode testing will be conducted at NAS Patuxent River.

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“I am tremendously proud of the Pratt & Whitney F135 team who has worked so tirelessly over the last eight years, in partnership with the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin, to get to this significant point in the F135 program,” said Warren Boley, Vice President of F135 Engine Programs. “This final CTOL/CV F135 engine delivery is another demonstration of the continued maturing of this engine program, which has logged more than 12,850 test hours and will begin production engine deliveries later this month.”

Pratt & Whitney has delivered 17 flight test engines and expects to deliver the final Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) flight test engine early this year.

“What makes this milestone even more exciting is that it signifies a transition from development activity to production, as we are poised to deliver our first production CTOL/CV F135 engine within several days of delivering this final CTOL flight test engine,” Boley said. “We are proud to continue successfully powering the F-35 Lightning II flight test program, and our eyes are also trained on the day when our first production F135 CTOL engine will be installed in a production F-35 and delivered to our military men and women.”

Pratt & Whitney has designed, developed and tested the F135 to deliver the most advanced fifth generation fighter engine for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy, as well as eight international partner countries. The F135 is derived from proven technology of the only operational fifth generation fighter engine, the Pratt & Whitney F119. It has been further enhanced with technologies developed in several Air Force and Navy technology programs.

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“Pax River is ready to begin the extensive four-year flight test campaign to help field the future of Marine Corps and Navy Aviation,” said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and F-35 program general manager. “Over the next year, an integrated government/industry test team will ramp up the flight test at Pax River for the F-35B STOVL variant and F-35C carrier variant, and at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant.”

Like the first F-35B that arrived at Patuxent River in November, this aircraft also is supported by the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) and monitored by the F-35 Autonomics Logistics Global Sustainment (ALGS) Operations Center in Fort Worth. F-35 sustainment is based upon the principles of Performance-Based Logistics (PBL), involving extensive partnering agreements between government and industry. The F-35 team has developed an advanced sustainment system capability with designed-in sustainability that will reduce overall life-cycle costs and ensure mission readiness.

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“The U.K. this week received financial approval to go ahead and purchase the third U.K. STOVL OT&E aircraft that is planned within LRIP 4. Given the extremely tight financial climate in the U.K. government and the consequent impact across public spending, especially defence, this is a significant achievement,” said Air Commodore Graham Farnell, the U.K.’s Joint Combat Aircraft Team head. “I believe it reflects well upon the JSF program and it is a measure of the confidence that the U.K. has in both the F-35 Lightning II and the program to deliver this capability.”

This approval follows recent F-35 down-select or procurement commitments by Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy and the United States. The strength of the F-35 business case has enabled program suppliers to obtain the capital financing needed to recapitalize the industrial base and produce the F-35 in high quantities over the next 30 years.

“The United Kingdom’s participation in F-35 Operational Test and Evaluation, and the associated commitment to purchase F-35s in early production lots, help ensure production stability as we move from the current assembly rate of one aircraft per month to our goal of one per day,” said Matt Maxwell, Lockheed Martin director for F-35 Low Rate Initial Production.

The U.K. has invested $2 billion in the F-35′s development – the largest contribution among the program’s eight partner nations. More than 100 British companies are involved in the program, including BAE Systems, which produces the aircraft’s aft fuselage and tails; Rolls-Royce, developer and manufacturer of the shaft-driven lift fan and other propulsion components for the F-35B STOVL variant; and Martin Baker, maker of the jet’s ejection seats.

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There has been considerable public interest in the potential acquisition of the F-35 JSF. The Government examined the JSF’s capabilities very carefully in the context of the Air Combat Capability Review and 2009 Defence White Paper deliberations, and remains confident that the JSF’s combination of stealth, advanced sensors, networking and data fusion capabilities, when integrated into the networked Australian Defence Force (ADF), will ensure Australia maintains its strategic capability advantage out to 2030.

The Government has approved acquisition of the first 14 Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) Joint Strike Fighters and infrastructure and support required for initial training and testing, at an estimated cost of $3.2 billion.

Approval of the next batch of aircraft and all necessary support and enabling capabilities, sufficient to establish three operational squadrons and a training squadron of CTOL JSF, will be considered in 2012. This will fulfil our White Paper commitment to acquire three operational squadrons comprising not fewer than 72 aircraft.

“By 2012, Defence will have much firmer cost estimates for the remaining aircraft and necessary support and enabling capabilities as part of the planned first multi-year buy that is expected to comprise over 1000 aircraft for the US, Australia and other partners. This will allow for much more effective planning of the final JSF acquisition in the context of the overall Defence Capability Plan,” Senator Faulkner said.

Acquisition of an additional operational squadron – bringing the total number of JSF aircraft to around 100 – will be considered at a later date in conjunction with a decision on the withdrawal of the F/A-18F Super Hornet.

Australia’s first JSF aircraft will be delivered in the United States in 2014 to commence initial training and test activities. Australia’s first operational squadron will be based at Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown, and is planned to be ready for operations in 2018. All three operational squadrons are planned to be in service in 2021.

The decision follows many years of unprecedented evaluation and planning by all nine countries involved in the JSF’s development.

Chief of the Air Force, Air Marshal Mark Binskin said “The JSF acquisition will allow Australia to maintain its regional air combat superiority. It will also enable Australia to effectively contribute to regional security and enhances opportunities for interoperability and commonality to support future coalition operations.”

To date, 25 Australian companies have won approximately US$200 million in the development and early production phase of the JSF. As Australia and other countries commit to JSF acquisition, significantly increased opportunities for Australian industry will open up, as agreed in the Industry Participation Plan with Lockheed Martin and its JSF industry partners.

Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, Greg Combet said: “Government and Industry will need to continue to work together as JSF Team Australia to maximise benefits for Australian industry in the JSF Program in the face of stiff international competition. Consideration of acquisition of the next batch of aircraft in 2012 will provide Government the opportunity to review Lockheed Martin’s progress on implementing the Industry Participation Plan.

The Government’s acquisition decision will also allow Lockheed Martin and its JSF industry partners to establish formal relationships with Australian industry to meet Australia’s defence self reliance requirements in supporting the JSF.

“Our commitment to the JSF will allow Australian industry to become integrated into the global JSF support system, ensuring our aircraft are supported in the most cost effective way. Commitment to the JSF also opens up opportunities for Australian industry to contribute to regional and global support of the JSF,” Minister Combet said.

The Program Manager, Air Vice-Marshal John Harvey said “This acquisition decision cements our commitment to the JSF Program and our commitment to the US and other international partners to make the JSF Program a great success.”

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