Pentagon Slackens Difficult-To-Achieve JSF Performance Requirements
The Pentagon last month relaxed the performance requirements for the Joint Strike Fighter, allowing the Air Force F-35A variant to exceed its previous combat radius -- a benchmark it previously missed -- and granting the Marine Corps F-35B nearly 10 percent additional runway length for short take-offs, according to Defense Department sources.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Pentagon Slackens Difficult-To-Achieve F-35 Performance Requirements
Via Inside Defense (subscription). Some of us kind of knew this was going on. Now it is becoming more widely known:
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7 comments:
Ah, the good old rubber baseline. Another one of those concurrency risks.
-mike j
I remember when I was a rookie engineer, my VP once said to us..."We have our standards, but we can always change them."
Hmmmm...So, does this cascade into a shipboard takeoff gross weight restriction that affects range/payload?
Anyone know what max G the F-35 is authorized to fly? I heard max 3.5 G sometime ago, but am not sure if there is any publicly announced higher G authorization or testing being conducted? Thanks.
The G limits for the JSF variants is rated at +9.
Peter
Since this thread is about the F-35B, limit g's are 7, at a specified weight, in the neighborhood of 41,600 lbs.
10% longer runway length combined with documented faster then expected landing speeds (severe/dangerous tire wear), combined with the removal of the dry bay fire extinguishing system.
All add up to an aircraft that's still struggling with weight with textbook examples of a fighter at or above it's design MTOW.
Maybe time for another expensive SWAT?
I'm looking forward to seeing the F-35B fully loaded operating in hot climates attempting to return with fuel and weapons and trying vertical landings. TRYING is the key word!
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