F-35

HASC Subcommittees to Kick Off 2014 NDAA Sausage-Making

By John T. Bennett in Acquisition, Air Force, Army, Budget, Capitol Hill, DIA, DoD, Drones, F-35, Industry, Intelligence, Intercepts, Navy, New Tech, Policy, Sequestration, Shipbuilding, Space No Comments

Military officers wait for members to arrive for a House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee hearing on Feb. 28. The same room will host multiple HASC subpanels as they build their parts of 2014 Pentagon policy legislation. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)

It’s that time again: National defense authorization act season. (Just loosen your tie and take a deep breath, nervous defense wonk, Intercepts is mildly confident your program is going to survive. Probably.)

Following long-held custom, the House Armed Services Committee kicks things off this week with a series of subcommittee mark ups as the panel begins building its 2014 Pentagon policy bill.

The subcommittees should give defense wonks a look at their initial bills as soon as today (Tuesday), before each issue-specific subpanel makes changes on Wednesday or Thursday. As we reported May 6 in our defense authorization preview, armed drones, base closures and what to do about sequestration will be top-shelf issues.

Though not specifically the purview of Defense News readers, add to the top-issue list the sexual assault epidemic that’s plaguing the military. Full subcommittee-by-subcommittee schedule, after the jump. More

First Vertical Takeoff by the F-35B Marine Corps JSF

By Christopher P. Cavas in Acquisition, F-35, Intercepts, Marine Corps, Navy No Comments

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Who needs short-takeoff when you can just rise straight up into the sky?

The latest development with the F-35B short-takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) version of the Joint Strike Fighter took place May 10 when BF-01 performed the first-ever vertical takeoff by one of the test and evaluation aircraft.

The flight took place at the U.S. Navy’ s naval air test station in Patuxent River, Maryland.

The Marine Corps doesn’t intend for the aircraft to regularly takeoff vertically on operational missions. According to a Lockheed Martin press release, “VTOs are required for repositioning of the STOVL in environments where a jet could not perform a short takeoff.  In these cases, the jet, with a limited amount of fuel, would execute a VTO to travel a short distance.”

Photo of the Day: May 2, 2013

By Zachary Fryer-Biggs in F-35, Intercepts, Photo of the Day No Comments Tags:

An F-35B Lighting II with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 takes on fuel from a Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 KC-130J Hercules during a training exercise over the Atlantic Ocean April 9. (Cpl. Scott L. Tomaszycki/USMC)

BREAKING: F-35 Cleared for Flight

By Aaron Mehta in F-35, Intercepts

F-35A test aircraft AF-4 flies a high angle of attack (AOA) mission Nov. 3. The F-35 is designed to fly to a 50 degree angle of attack, which was achieved on the fourth AOA test mission. The aircraft has an emergency spin chute installed to help return the aircraft to controlled flight in the case that AOA test push the aircraft out of flight control limits.

Some late night news here on Intercepts, as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been cleared to resume flight operations, six days after the entire fleet was grounded due to a crack discovered in an engine.

The joint statement from the Joint Program Office and contractor Pratt & Whitney:

Following engineering analysis of the turbine blade which developed a crack, F-35 flight operations have been cleared to resume.

This decision concludes a cautionary flight suspension that began on Feb. 21 after a 0.6 inch crack was found on a 3rd stage turbine blade of a test aircraft at the Edwards Air Force Base F-35 Integrated Test Facility during a routine inspection. Comprehensive tests on the blade were conducted at the Pratt & Whitney facility in Middletown, Connecticut. The engine in question is part of the F-35 test aircraft fleet, and had been operated at extreme
parameters in its mission to expand the F-35 flight envelope. Prolonged exposure to high levels of heat and other operational stressors on this specific engine were determined to be the cause of the crack.

No additional cracks or signs of similar engine stress were found during inspections of the remaining F135 inventory.

No engine redesign is required as a result of this event. Within the current DoD inventory, 17 F-35s are employed in test and development at Patuxent River Naval Air Station and Edwards Air Force Base; the remaining aircraft are assigned to Eglin Air Force Base and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, and comprise the initial F-35 training fleet.

Obviously this is good news for a program that has struggled out of the gate in 2013, and capped off a day that saw a new deal awarded to contractor Lockheed Martin for a future purchase of the fifth generation fighter.

Click on the “more” link for some more news about the program. More

AFA Orlando: Cleaning out the notebook

By Aaron Mehta in Air Force, F-35, Industry, Intercepts

A look at the exhibition floor at last week's AFA (Aaron Mehta)

Last week, your intrepid reporter trucked down to Orlando, Fla. to attend the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium. The event itself was good fun, and provided some great coverage, such as:

But to add some color, I thought I’d throw a few pictures up here. Above is a panorama with my iPhone of the show floor.

Keeping in mind that the phone’s camera is hardly professional grade and that panoramas are tricky to get right, I think it gives you a sense of just how empty the show floor felt this year.

According to an AFA spokeswoman, there were roughly the same number of attendees, but around 40 percent fewer exhibitors. A large chunk of those attending were in uniform, which mean they spent most of the day taking in speeches rather than roaming the hall. Hence, empty-looking exhibition room.

We have a small collection of photos after the jump. Come and join us. More

How Big Would DoD Budget be Under Sequestration? Historically Big, It Turns Out.

By John T. Bennett in Acquisition, Air Force, Army, Budget, Capitol Hill, DoD, F-35, Industry, Intercepts, International, Marine Corps, Navy, New Tech, Operations, Policy, Shipbuilding, Space Tags: ,

How big would the U.S. defense budget be if sequestration happens? Turns out, despite the sometimes-apocalyptic rhetoric, big. And how would the post-Afghanistan defense budget draw down compare to slowdowns in Pentagon spending that occurred after the Korean, Vietnam and Cold wars? Turns out, it would be smaller.

All of that is according to the work of a study group commissioned by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), released earlier today.

As the above CSIS graph shows, under sequestration, annual Pentagon spending would drop 31 percent from its 2010 peak to its sequester-era low. That compares to a 33 percent decline after Vietnam, and a 36 percent post-Cold War drop. And after the Korean war, yearly Defense Department budgets fell off by 43 percent.

That means after America’s longest war (Afghanistan) ever, Pentagon spending would undergo the smallest post-1952 draw down, according to CSIS. More

Live Blog: Senate Committee Will Grill Chuck Hagel Over Israel, Iran, Defense Cuts

By John T. Bennett in Acquisition, Afghanistan, Air Force, Army, Budget, Capitol Hill, DoD, F-35, Industry, Intercepts, International, Israel, Marine Corps, Navy, Operations, Policy, Shipbuilding, Space Tags: , , , ,

Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., leaves the office of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., after the two Vietnam War veterans met Jan. 22. McCain and other senators will grill Hagel today about his defense secretary nomination. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Today is the day so many have been waiting for. No, it’s not Super Bowl Sunday. Yet. Rather, former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee about his nomination to replace Leon Panetta as defense secretary.

Since Hagel’s name was floated for the post in early December, Hagel has been sharply criticized by his former fellow-GOP senators and pro-Israel groups for his past comments on the U.S.-Israel alliance, whether the Pentagon budget can and should be trimmed, how to confront Iran over its nuclear arms program, gay rights and the proper size of the U.S. nuclear arms fleet. Expect questions on all those topics. Another likely line of questioning could come from Republicans about allegations that Hagel is hard on staffers.

In answers to written policy questions provided to the panel this week, Hagel largely tried to align himself with the views of President Barack Obama. For instance, he took the same tone as Panetta, saying pending defense sequestration cuts would undermine U.S. military power. Defense News senior reporters John T. Bennett and Marcus Weisgerber will be here throughout the hearing — yes, including on a possible second day — live blogging the action. Please check back early and often for updates.

5:49 p.m. — Sen. Levin gavels this epic hearing to a close. Thanks for stopping by. ANALYSIS: Not a dominating performance by Hagel. He labored a bit, and seemed to contradict himself at times. Doubt he lost any Democratic support, however. — John T. Bennett

5:42 p.m. — Sen. Cruz calls Hagel “the most antagonistic” member in Senate (ever?) against Israel, and most unwilling (ever?) to confront Iran. Levin asks Cruz to submit any remaining questions for the record, but never looked directly at Cruz, instead icily gazing straight ahead. There’s tension there.  – John T. Bennett

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Another Top House Republican Says Sequestration Cuts Are a Done Deal

By John T. Bennett in Acquisition, Air Force, Army, Budget, Capitol Hill, DoD, F-35, Industry, Intercepts, Marine Corps, Navy, New Tech, Policy, Shipbuilding, Space Tags: ,

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Sequestration is going to happen. At least that’s what yet another Republican U.S. House leader says.

“I think the sequester is going to happen,” House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.,  said Sunday on “Meet the Press.” More

Meet the 65 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Test Pilots

By Aaron Mehta in F-35, Industry, Intercepts

Tech. Sgt. Brian West, of the 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, marshals in DOD's newest aircraft, the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter to a stop at its new home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., July 14. West is the crew chief for the first F-35. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)

Ever wondered just who is flying those F-35 Joint Strike Fighters you keep hearing so much about?

Well, it turns out contractor Lockheed Martin has published the names of the 65 men (so far) who have piloted the most expensive piece of equipment in DoD history.

The list, featured on the website for Lockheed’s “Code One” magazine, comes complete with photos of each pilot. Each man has a designation showing their seniority in the program, from “Lightning 1″ (chief test pilot Jon Beesley, who took off on December 15 2006) to “Lightning 65″ (USAF Lt. Col. Marco Parzych, who first took the JSF up on November 19th of this year). More

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