Turkey-USA Relations: Turkey confirms Russia S-400 missile deal and ignores US warning

Turkey confirms Russia S-400 missile deal, ignores US warning

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Military Aircraft: Netherlands Preparing For F-35 Introduction

With plans to purchase just 37 aircraft, the Netherlands fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) is likely to be one of the world’s smallest. Yet the fighter’s introduction is seen as a catalyst for change, transforming not only the way the Netherlands thinks about airpower but also prompting cohesion, with bilateral and trilateral discussions with other European operators.

Read more: Netherlands Preparing For F-35 Introduction | Defense content from Aviation Week

Military Aircraft Industry: The F-35 (JSF) Will Never Beat The Eurofighter - by David Cenciotti

Eurofighter pictured better in combat and cheaper than the JSF

The F-35 will be, when available, a very capable aircraft: its stealth design, extended range, internal carriage of stores and a variety of integrated sensors are definitely the ingredients for success in modern air-to-ground operations.

However, when time comes for air dominance, some other ingredients like thrust to weight ratio and wing loading tend to regulate the sky. And in that nothing comes close to a Eurofighter, except an F-22 which has very similar values. The F-35 thrust to weight ratio is way lower and its energy-maneuverability diagrams match those of the F/A-18, which is an excellent result for a single engine aircraft loaded with several thousand pounds of fuel and significant armament.

But it also means that starting from medium altitude and above, there is no story with a similarly loaded Eurofighter.

Eurofighter superb engine-airframe matching, in combination with it’s High Off-Bore-Sight armament supported by Helmet Cueing, has already and consistently proven winning against any agile fighter.

It is a fact that while the Typhoon can do most of the F-35 air-to-ground mission, vice versa the F-35 remains way far from a true swing role capability.

The Eurofighter has also flown actual combat mission in the Middle East which were regarded as very successful.

Cost of the operational Eurofighter is €87 million ($117 m) per plane   -  versus €124 million ($167 m estimated) for the still experimental F-35 JSF.

Read more: The F-35 Will Never Beat The Eurofighter - Business Insider

Netherlands: Dutch to buy JSF fighter jets in 4.5-bn-euro deal - question is - can Holland afford or need the JSF?

Global Post reports the Netherlands wants to buy 37 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) from US-based Lockheed Martin in a deal worth 4.5 billion euros ($6 billion) to replace its ageing fleet of F-16s by 2019, the country's defense minister said Tuesday.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert announced the long-debated purchase in a letter to parliament at the presentation of the government's 2014 budget at the Lower House's official opening in The Hague. afford

"In view of our current planning, the F-35 (also known as the Joint Strike Fighter) will go into service by 2019," operating from two Dutch air force bases, the minister said.

"After evaluating competitors in 2001 and 2008 and with updated relevant data in 2013, the cabinet has decided, based on operational and financial considerations, to choose the F-35 as the new fighter plane for the Dutch armed forces," she said.

The choice had been widely expected, with the Netherlands closely involved as one of the contributing countries to the JSF's development.

As early as 1997, the JSF has been flagged as the preferential candidate to replace the Dutch fleet of F-16s because of its stealth features, which make it almost invisible to radar.

In 2002, the Netherlands and eight other countries joined the fighter's development phase.
But a finalized Dutch purchase had been rejected in parliament, mainly by the centre-left Labour Party (PvdA) while in opposition.

However, that decision changed after Labour formed a majority coalition in the Lower House with Prime Minister Mark Rutte's Liberal party (VVD) after last September's elections.

The bottom line however is: can the Netherlands afford an expense of   4.5 billion euro's for this airplane while the Dutch taxpayer is asked to make all kinds of sacrifices to meet Government austerity measures. In addition the Government is buying into an airplane which has been plagued by problems.

An other problem is that the Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program continues to trigger new controversies. Latest comments allege flawed estimates of the jet's weight and, as before, questions about the timeline for the plane's delivery and final cost.

The F-35 was spotlighted in technical troubles in addition to debates over its costs. In February the U.S. Department of Defense suspended flights of all 51 F-35 planes after a routine inspection revealed a crack on a turbine blade in the jet engine of an F-35 test aircraft.

Outgoing Executive Vice President and JSF General Manager Tom Burbage was quoted in the news media as saying the manufacturer miscalculated on the aircraft's weight during its early development.

The question remains: should the Netherlands cut their losses on the JSF and pull out of the project or go deeply into debt with a project which is extremely questionable? 

EU-Digest

Aircraft Industry: while austerity strapped European countries forced to buy costly F35 Pentagon considers cancelling program

Leaked documents from a Pentagon budget review suggest that the agency is tired of its costly F-35 fighter jets, and has thoughts about cancelling the $391.2 billion program that has already expanded into 10 foreign countries.

Pentagon officials held a briefing on Wednesday in which they mapped out ways to manage the $500 billion in automated budget cuts required over the next decade. A slideshow laid out a number of suggestions and exposed the Pentagon’s frustration with its F-35 jets, which are designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. based out of Bethesda, Md.  The agency also suggested scrapping plans for a new stealthy, long-range bomber, attendees of the briefing told Reuters. 

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke to reporters on Wednesday and indicated that the Pentagon might have to decide between a "much smaller force" and a decade-long "holiday" from modernizing weapons systems and technology. 

Pentagon briefing slides indicated that a decision to maintain a larger military "could result in the cancellation of the $392 billion Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 program and a new stealthy, long-range bomber," Reuters reports. 

Read more: Pentagon considers cancelling F-35 program, leaked documents suggest — RT USA

WSJ: Computer Spies Breach F35 Joint strike fighter - Jet Project - by Siobhan Gorman, August Cole and Yochi Dreazen

For the complete report from the WSJ.com click on this link

Computer Spies Breach F35 Joint strike fighter-Jet Project - by Siobhan Gorman, August Cole and Yochi Dreazen

Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon's $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project -- the Defense Department's costliest weapons program ever -- according to current and former government officials familiar with the attacks.

The Joint Strike Fighter, also known as the F-35 Lightning II, is the costliest and most technically challenging weapons program the Pentagon has ever attempted. The plane, led by Lockheed Martin Corp., relies on 7.5 million lines of computer code, which the Government Accountability Office said is more than triple the amount used in the current top Air Force fighter. Former U.S. officials say the attacks appear to have originated in China. However it can be extremely difficult to determine the true origin because it is easy to mask identities online. A Pentagon report issued last month said that the Chinese military has made "steady progress" in developing online-warfare techniques. China hopes its computer skills can help it compensate for an underdeveloped military, the report said.

The Chinese Embassy said in a statement that China "opposes and forbids all forms of cyber crimes." It called the Pentagon's report "a product of the Cold War mentality" and said the allegations of cyber espionage are "intentionally fabricated to fan up China threat sensations."

The Netherlands: a new Lockheed scandal? JSF ( lockheed - Martin F35) purchase could be postponed until 2011 or 2012

A new Lockheed scandal in the Netherlands? Technical problems and cost overruns make Lockheed-Martin F35 not a good investment for Dutch tax payers

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Netherlands: JSF (F35 Lockheed-Martin) purchase could be postponed until 2011 or 2012

Following earlier Dutch press reports that the three Government coalition partners had agreed on taking a decision about the Lockheed-Martin JSF as a possible replacement for the F-16 Dutch fighter plane, by 2010 at the latest, Government sources in The Hague now say the decision probably would be put off until 2011 or even 2012. In the meantime, only one or two test planes would be purchased. The Dutch participation in the development of the American fighter plane has been a source of major controversy in parliament, after the Governments initial decision to get involved back in 2002. The center right Christian Democrats (CDA) are in favor of proceeding with the 2010 deadline but the Labor party (PVDA) has difficulty swallowing the idea of the JSF. The small orthodox Christian coalition member (Christen Unie) also wants more clarity about the exact cost of the JSF before taking a final decision. Consequently the JSF (or Lockheed F-35) has become a very hot political issue in the past few weeks. A majority in parliament, which included coalition Labor, last week sent the annual JSF report back to defense minister Jack de Vries for further clarification. Mr. de Vries is also being criticized for appointing a radical Muslim cleric as a religious counselor to Muslims serving in the Dutch military forces in Afganistan. As a result of all the controversy surrounding the ministry of defense the planned debate about the purchase of two test planes was postponed until next week. Should the Dutch parliament approve the purchase of the test planes next week, Dutch fighter pilots will take part in the Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) phase in 2013. Apart from the US, the only other country still involved in the IOT&E phase is Britain. Taking part in the IOT&E phase will cost the Netherlands some 274 million euros.

Many politicians believe it would probably be a wise move for the Dutch Government to postpone the decision or even cancel the purchase of the F35 all together. The plane is not only plagued by technical problems but also by cost overruns. One of the main problems is that the F-35 is having serious difficulties getting rid of excess heat. This will require a redesign. A look at the history of the aircraft also shows several problems that already required some redesign, including airframe fatigue problems. It is also strange that the Netherlands is gambling on the purchase of a basically untested US fighter aircraft when there are proven high quality EU made stealth fighter aircraft like the Gripen, Rafale and Eurofighter available. It is also interesting that it is once again a purchase from Lockheed that is causing an upheaval in Dutch political circles. Back in the late 1970’s Prince Bernhard, husband of the former queen Juliana, had pocketed a million-dollar bribe for ensuring that the Dutch government would choose Lockheed planes for their military needs. Bernard at that time was the Chief of the combined Dutch military forces, which included the air force.