BREAKING: US DoD announces entire F-35 fleet grounded

Photo © Tom Harvey/Lockheed Martin

After two weeks of dancing around the G-word, the United States Department of Defense has announced the that entire fleet of Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters have been grounded based on initial findings from the runway fire incident involving an F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing aircraft that occurred at Eglin Air Force Base June 23. The root cause of the incident remains under investigation, with additional inspections of F-35 engines already ordered as part of the investigation.

This latest development puts at risk preparations for the F-35's participation in international air shows in the United Kingdom, however a final decision will come early next week.

It is worth noting that the DoD news release for this was issued at 9pm U.S. Eastern Time, the evening before U.S Independence Day and subsequent long weekend.

Thanks to Aaron Mehta for the tip

More on F-16 CAPES, Gen. Hostage speaks & Japan's F-35 costs balloon

Photo © Tom Harvey/Lockheed Martin

Defensenews is on a roll the past few days, with several interesting stories being posted. First up, a follow-up to their story on the United States deciding to defund the USAF/RoCAF F-16 CAPES upgrade program, this time focusing on how Taiwan's and Singapore's upgrades are affected. They also interviewed the chief of the USAF's Air Combat Command (ACC), Gen. Michael Hostage who talks about A-10s, F-35s, F-22s and budgets.

Last but not least, they look at how spiraling costs (a recurring theme) has clouded Japan's planned purchase of the F-35.

Australia's first F-35A, C-27J achieve milestones

Alenia Aermacchi Photo

Big week for the future platforms of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as two key programs achieve milestones.

The first Lockheed-Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for the RAAF, coded AU-1, which is currently winding its way through the cavernous JSF production facility at Fort Worth, Texas, is now standing on its on wheels for the first time. The aircraft was lifted by an overhead crane from an EMAS – Electronic Mate and Alignment System – station where its forward and rear fuselage sections were joined to the wing-centre fuselage assembly, to final assembly, where its control surfaces are added and final systems and engine are installed.

Meanwhile Alenia Aermacchi has announced that the first of ten C-27J Spartan battlefield airlifters for the Royal Australian Air force has made its maiden flight. It will be delivered to prime contractor L-3 Communications in 2014 for final fitout before the first two aircraft are brought to Australia in 2015. Here is the RAAF's (informative) media release about the event.

Taiwan seeks F-35 despite F-16C/D rejection

RoCAF (Taiwan) F-16B of the 455th TFW. Photo © unknown

DefenseNews has an Intercepts Blog up asking why Taiwan is publicly seeking the F-35 when it is already unable to get the United States to sell F-16C/Ds to the island nation. I'd say Taiwan is practicing Rule No. 1 of bargaining; ask for the sky, and wait for the counteroffer which is closer to what you actually wanted in the first place.

Just one more thing to add: Taiwan needs to sort out its defence policy, and the politics behind it though. That could very well prove tougher than persuading the United States to sell defence articles.

F-35B to visit Luke Air Force Base at Singapore's request

F-35B Lightning II STOVL Joint Strike Fighter (Lockheed-Martin Photo)

This just in from Luke AFB's Facebook page:

F-35B aircraft from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma are expected to be flying at Luke AFB from approximately 10:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The aircraft will be at Luke at the request of senior defense officials from Singapore, who are visiting the base as part of Forging Sabre, a Singapore armed forces exercise taking place at Luke and at the Barry M. Goldwater training range. Singapore is considering purchasing F-35s in the future.

The F-35B is the “short takeoff and vertical landing” variant of the aircraft developed for the U.S. Marine Corps. It is configured differently than the F-35A “conventional takeoff and landing” variant used by the U.S. Air Force. The first of Luke’s F-35A aircraft are expected to arrive in early 2014.

Luke will not be hosting media for the event, but media and the general public are welcome to observe the aircraft flying in the pattern from public areas outside the base.

For questions, contact the 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office at 623-856-6011 or after duty hours at 623-856-5600.

===END===

I have written extensively on Singapore's interest in the F-35, specifically the F-35B (see here, here and here). This latest event seems to indicate that Singapore's interest is firming up, or maybe Singapore might even confirm the reported decision to buy the F-35B at this upcoming event at Luke. Although the lack of a media event probably makes the latter unlikely.

Thanks to Sze Yong for spotting this.

UPDATE: Here are press reports from The Gazette and Military Times on the visit.

Singapore reportedly selects the F-35B; in no hurry to place order

F-35B Lightning II STOVL Joint Strike Fighter (Lockheed-Martin Photo)

I have written for The Diplomat on reports that Singapore has already selected the F-35B STOVL version of the Joint Strike Fighter. The piece also discusses the possible reasons behind the selection, and contains a nugget about developments in Singapore's fleet of Boeing F-15SG Eagles.

Asia-Pacific Military Aviation News roundup: 28 Aug 2013

Wreckage of this afternoon's tragic RoKAF T-50 crash

Republic of Singapore Air Force pilots are flying the Arizona ANG's F-16s training with the RSAF's F-15SG detachment at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. It's pretty well known that the RSAF has aircraft based in CONUS for pilot training, but much less well known is the agreement for RSAF pilots to train on ANG F-16s.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced that United States will sell 8 AH-64E Apaches to Indonesia. An interesting decision by the Indonesian military, to say the least.

Chinese State media has announced that Changhe WZ-10 attack helicopter has launched an air-to-air missile for the first time during exercises over the waters off China's Guangzhou Province last week.

Apparently, the South Korean Air Force is not happy with the F-15SE selection as carried out by the government procurement agency. Unsuprisingly, the RoKAF wants the F-35A. Some of the comments in the link are worth reading, too (which is the real surprise).

Still on South Korea, an RoKAF T-50 trainer has crashed this afternoon near the southwestern city of Gwangju while on a training flight, killing both pilots.

Asia-Pacific Military Aviation News roundup: 19 Aug 2013

Remember those bombs dropped by the US Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park during Talisman Saber '13 that caused such a ruckus in the international media? They've been found.

The consensus is that the Lockheed Martin F-35 has been eliminated from the South Korean F-X III competition due to the bid's failure to stay within the budget. Word is Eurofighter's Typhoon has also been dumped. Which leaves the Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle as the last man standing.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force will be forced to leave one of its main airbases. The RSAF's Paya Lebar airbase will be redeveloped into a residential/light industrial zone. The RSAF aircraft currently based there will be moved to a redeveloped Changi East Airbase, which currently houses a squadron of F-16D+ fighter jets.

While we're on the topic of Changi East Airbase, the full transcript of the Defence Writers' Group's late July meeting with PACAF Commander General "Hawk" Carlisle has been released. He talks about the USAF's potential pivot to Changi East (among other places in the region) and that Singapore has decided to acquire the F-35B for its first batch of the Lightning II JSF.

S Korean F-X III bidders still over budget; asked to resubmit bids

Photo © BAe Systems

What if they held a fighter competition and all the bidders refused to submit bids under the customer's budget? It's looking that way in South Korea's FX-III fighter program.

The bidding for 60 aircraft has opened 2 weeks ago, and South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration has conducted 30 bidding sessions, but the three contenders have consistently submitted proposals over the target budget of 8.3 trillion won (US$7.3 billion). The bidding process will resume July 2nd, and given the current market, we reckon the bidders will most likely cave in eventually. But given the disparity in the budgeted amount and listed price of US$10.8 billion in the DSCA notification for the sale of F-35s to South Korea, there may be interesting days ahead for the program.

F-X III is South Korea's largest defence acquisition program ever; the three contenders for the contract are the Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

Declining yen may force Japan to delay F-35 purchase

Photo © Tom Harvey/Lockheed Martin

An interesting article over at Defense News on how the declining yen may force Japan to defer the delivery for some of its F-35s. The current plan is for Japan to receive four F-35As from the Low Rate Initial Production Batch 8 (LRIP-8) in 2016/17 before locally assembling the remaining 38 locally by 2021.

The article also touches on other developments in Japan's fighter fleet, such as the moving of a second squadron of F-15J/DJs to Okinawa's Naha Airbase in 2015 and the upgrading of the JASDF's F-15 and F-2 fleets.

Australia confirms acquisition of 12 EA-18G Growlers, recommits to F-35

Click for hi-res. © Commonwealth of Australia

Confirming earlier reports, Australia has confirmed that it will acquire 12 new-build Boeing EA-18G Growler Electronic Attack aircraft in its Defence White Paper released today. (see P.77 and 88 of the White Paper). The Royal Australian Air Force's current fleet of 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets will retain their current configuration.

Australia has also reaffirmed its commitment to the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program, and expects to induct 3 operational squadrons of F-35s from 2020 to replace its current fleet of F/A-18A/B Hornets(P.88 of the White Paper). A decision on whether to replace the existing RAAF Super Hornets with more F-35s will be made closer to 2030.

More joy for the F-35 in Asia?

F-35B Lightning II STOVL Joint Strike Fighter (Lockheed-Martin Photo)

Even as the troubled Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program runs into headwinds elsewhere (with Denmark and the Netherlands being the latest participants/customers to express doubts about purchasing the 5th Generation fighter), it is in the Asia-Pacific where the JSF has been seen in more favourable light among American allies seeking to bolster their air forces against a backdrop of maritime/territorial disputes, North Korean belligerence, increasing Chinese assertiveness and general instability. Japan's order in late 2011 for 42 F-35As kicked off the order book in Asia for the F-35, and the type is currently in the running for two other potentially lucrative sales in the region.

South Korea

South Korea's South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is expected to make the final selection for the winner of its F-X III fighter replacement program sometime later this year, and sources have reported that DAPA has entered final negotiations with the competitors, namely the F-35, Boeing's F-15SE Silent Eagle and the Eurofighter Typhoon. The F-X III winner will replace the ageing McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom IIs currently serving with Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF). South Korea's close military relationship with the United States would put the two American products the front-runners with the F-35 believed to have a slight edge, despite misgivings about the F-35's technical and budgetary problems and the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) already operating the F-15K SLAM Eagle.

On March 29, the United States' Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) issued two separate Arms Sales Notifications to Congress, including one for 60 units of the F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing variant to South Korea. The DSCA notification for the South Korean F-35s provides an interesting insight into the prices of the F-35, with the estimated sticker price of US$10.8 billion for 60 aircraft working out to an average of US$180m per aircraft, although at least one (unnamed) analyst has said that the price estimated was "conservative" and that he expected the final price will be lower than this.

It is worth noting at this point that South Korea has earmarked 8.3 trillion won (US$7.3 billion) for the F-X III program and DAPA considers price to be the most important issue for selecting a final bidder. However with North Korea's recent belligerence and nuclear/missile tests, it remains to be seen if the F-35's reported capabilities will still end up being the decisive factor here.

Singapore

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen's speech in Singapore's Parliament on the 11th of March (full transcript) also touched on Singapore's interest in the F-35. To flesh out the bits regarding the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the F-35, the Minister said:

Investing steadily over the long-term allows MINDEF to keep a constant lookout for platforms with cutting-edge capabilities that can provide Singapore with that strategic advantage. For this reason, we joined the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Programme as a Security Cooperation Participant (SCP) back in 2004. The JSF, as some members know, now the F-35, has the potential to be the most advanced multi-role fighter aircraft for decades to come. Though the F-35 aircraft is still in development, we are nonetheless interested in the platform for our future needs. The F-35 will be the vanguard of next generation fighter aircraft when operational. Our F-5s are nearing the end of their operational life and our F-16s are at their mid-way mark. For the longer term, the RSAF has identified the F-35 as a suitable aircraft to further modernise our fighter fleet. We are now in the final stages of evaluating the F-35. So in the interest of transparency, I'm telling you we're now in the final stages of evaluating the F-35. MINDEF will have to be satisfied that this state-of-the-art multi-role fighter meets our long-term needs, is on track to be operationally capable and, most importantly, is a cost-effective platform. I've given many necessary caveats before we make a final decision, but we are evaluating the platform.

The minister's speech led to a flurry of articles in the media, with Reuters reporting on 14th March that Singapore's upcoming F-35 order was expected to include the F-35B STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) variant. This was followed by another piece by AOL Defense's Colin Clark who wrote on 25th that Singapore was poised to order 12 F-35Bs within the next 10 days (note: this deadline has since passed) as part of an eventual 75-aircraft F-35B order. Singapore's interest in the F-35B is not new, with reports from back in 2011 (which I covered here) already stating the island-state's interest in the STOVL F-35B.

Singapore's potential F-35 acquisition is however, more likely to be a longer term project, with the F-35 being unlikely to be ready in time to replace the last handful of Northrop F-5S/T Tiger II interceptors still serving with the RSAF. These are likely to be replaced with further purchases of Boeing F-15SG Eagles, 24 of which are already flying with a Singapore-based squadron and a training detachment based at Mountain Home Air Force Base in the U.S state of Idaho.

Instead, when (if?) it happens, I expect the RSAF to order 3 squadrons plus a US-based training detachment of F-35s, totaling between 50-60 aircraft, to replace the RSAF's fleet of Block 52/52+ F-16C/Ds in the 2020-2025 timeframe. As is the normal practice, Singapore will not order the whole lot of F-35s at once but in multiple batches of anywhere from 8-24 aircraft per batch. Given the F-35B's weight/load/performance limitations along with its higher costs, I also do not agree with Colin Clark that the RSAF will go for an all-B fleet, and expect that only 1 squadron of 15-20 aircraft to be the STOVL variant, operating alongside the CTOL F-35A.

Despite the F-35 being bedeviled by development issues and cost overruns, both South Korea and Singapore, operators of relatively modern fleets of F-15s, are likely to be able to afford the luxury of waiting for later, full scale production lots of F-35s with (hopefully) more mature capabilities and (hopefully) lower unit prices. They will thus avoid the pitfalls of other F-35 customers like Japan, who will almost certainly end up paying more for their F-35s due to the urgency of their requirements as their current fighter fleet approaches obsolescence.

Mitsubishi to produce Japan's F-35s?

Flightglobal's Greg Waldron has reported that Lockheed Martin is working with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on a local final assembly and checkout line for the F-35, with the first Japanese-produced F-35 scheduled to roll off Mitsubishi's Nagoya line in 2017.

Interesting reads: Rivals vie for F-16 upgrades; Japan's airpower issues

A couple of articles worth a read, if Asian military aviation is your thing:

Lockheed Martin hopes to cash in by upgrading F-16s by Bob Cox over at The Star Telegram

China crisis adds urgency to Japanese air force modernisation by Greg Waldron at Flightglobal.

A common denominator of both stories is the troubled development of the Lockheed-Martin F-35, along with (to a smaller extent) the rise of China's military power. Most critics are worried about how the F-35's issues will affect the dominance of the United States, but have focused less on its effect on American's allies, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

Auditor: Australian Hornets may soldier on past 2020, costs to rise

The Australian National Audit Office is warning that delaying by two years the acquisition of 12 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will mean a big hike in maintenance costs for the RAAF's ageing fleet of classic F/A-18A/B Hornets if they are to soldier on beyond its 2020 planned withdrawal date. For the first time, we are given an insight into the challenges facing nations struggling with keeping older fleets flying as a result of the protracted development of the JSF.

Australia currently operates 71 F/A-18A/B Hornets with three active squadrons and one Operation Conversion Unit, with the oldest aircraft in the fleet being delivered in 1984. The type has undergone several upgrades in RAAF service, and are regarded highly in terms of capabilities.

Links:
Management of Australia’s Air Combat Capability—F-35A Joint Strike Fighter Acquisition

Management of Australia’s Air Combat Capability—F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet Fleet Upgrades and Sustainment

South Korea to begin evaluation of F-X III contenders

Defense Update has a pretty in depth article on the latest developments in South Korea's F-X III fighter acquisition program.

The country's primary defense acquisition agency, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), announced that evaluations would begin next week to select the winning bid from the Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle, the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Silent Eagle, JSF and Typhoon bidding for S Korean KF-X III contract

South Korea has said that Lockheed Martin, Boeing and the Eurofighter consortium have submitted bids for South Korea's KF-X III fighter contest with the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, F-15SE Silent Eagle and Typhoon respectively.

South Korea plans to make a decision on the 60-fighter order in October.

Taiwanese officers urge government to dump F-16s; go for F-35Bs

Taiwanese newspaper Taipei Times, quoting a Chinese language report in the China Times, has said that "senior military officers" believe that Taiwan should abandon it's bid to buy F-16C/Ds from the United States and instead turn to the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. This is due to rising costs associated with both the F-16C/D purchase and the planned upgrade for the Republic of China Air Force's current fleet of 145 F-16A/Bs.

This piece of news has stirred up a few opinions on our Twitter feed, with Kyle Mizokami from Japan Security Watch pointing out that "if Taiwan didn't like the price of the F-16A upgrades, wait till they get the F-35 quote" (latest news is that Japan's order for 42 F-35s will come to US$238 million per aircraft, and the Japanese are buying the cheaper F-35A variant) while Greg Waldron over at Flightglobal's Singapore bureau reckons F-35s for Taiwan would be a nothing but a pipe dream, suggesting the mainland "would happily bribe a Taiwan pilot to pop over (in an RoCAF F-35)..."

Good points, above, although we would like to add that expecting the RoCAF's current F-16A/Bs (upgraded or not) to soldier on until Taiwan gets it's hands on F-35s (assuming export approval to is given in the first place) without an interim solution in the face of China's growing economic and military clout is a tad optimistic. Remember, China a) views Taiwan as a renegade province b) has not formally ended a state of war with the island, and c) has not ruled out taking back the island by force.

Australia delays delivery 12 F-35s to 2019, citing budget crunch

As part of a media conference announcing Australia's next Defence White Paper, Defence Minister Stephen Smith has said that Australia will delay delivery of 12 F-35s on order by two years to 2019 instead of 2015-2017 as originally envisaged. Australia has 14 F-35As currently on order, with two aircraft due to be delivered in 2014.

Australia's next Defence White Paper is due in 2014, but this morning's announcement has revealed that it is being brought forward by a year.

Japan's F-35A purchase will be 4 aircraft plus 38 options

The United States' Defense Security and Cooperation Agency has issued a notification of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan of 4 F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters with a further 38 options. [PDF] The Japanese Defense Ministry announced in December 2011 that it had selected the F-35 as the winner of it's F-X competition, with the first aircraft expected to be delivered in 2016.