Gross over-optimism and hope will not fix that problem.
This read is what was told to the U.S. Senate recently. Unaffordable, unsupportable, unable to face emerging threats. That is the F-35.
And, the RAAF even wants another try at the bad idea of extending the airframe life on legacy Hornets. Here is the problem faced by the U.S. Navy.
The Navy intends that a SLEP would extend the life of select legacy F/A–18s from 8,600 to 10,000 flight hours. As yet, the Navy does not have sufficient data to predict the failure rate for aircraft being inducted into the SLEP program. Too high a failure rate could leave the Navy with too few aircraft that could benefit from the SLEP program, which would exacerbate the shortfall projections.
2 comments:
Last I read, IIRC (and quite possibly things have changed?), the Marines have around 50 F/A-18 Hornets they are wanting to SLEP, as a stopgap, until operational F-35B's presumably achieve IOC.
Just to throw a proposal out to kick around; what if Marines could cherry-pick say around 30-40 of their most healthy Hornet frames to SLEP and upgrade. Then as hedge against possible further F-35B delays and/or reductions, add to that another 60-80 cherry-picked USN C/D Hornets transferred to Marines for which to receive SLEP?
If F-35B progresses with flying colors and turns out to be reliable, affordable and fit for operation, then simply sell-off said SLEP Hornets via FMS (?) as F-35B units replace them. (or return them to USN if needed). But if not, then USMC is covered with 100+ life extended and updated Hornet force structure to fulfill Marine combat aviation requirements and reserve for USN.
Replacing said transferred USN Hornets to the Marines in the interim on a 1-for-1, would be new-build late model F-18E+ units with the proposed CFT, improved self-protection/EW suite, next-gen computer, and IRST Tank and possibly even the enhanced EDE/EPE engine. New evolved stand-off munitions could further be evaluated as to their feasibility, as a force-multiplier for stopgap Super Hornets.
As delayed F-35C units finally achieve IOC and deploy with carrier wings, they could slowly replace older Block I Supers instead (which could possibly undergo SLEP/upgrade themselves and retained if needed, or maybe sold 2nd hand as stopgap units, via FMS to Australia(?)), while said F-18E+ serve as the legacy Hornet replacements?
If the F-35C acquisition experiences additional delays or problems, additional further updated F-18E++ (already in the strategic alternatives pipeline) could then be seamlessly procured as an interim stopgap, in addition to possible extended operation of the older Block I Supers after of course, receiving a contingency SLEP/upgrade?
That sort of strategic shell game -- if managed strategically -- would theoretically I think, at least cover numerous alternative stopgap contingencies.
Looks like someone is confident the F35 will be along real soon.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usmc-hopes-new-method-for-tracking-fatigue-life-will-help-extend-harrier-to-2030-372797/
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